America vs. Australia
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BY: @beckylouwalker
I’ve lived in both America and Australia, but am actually British. This means I am pretty well placed to provide an objective, unbiased view of life in both countries. This is just a quick, shortlist of some things to compare.. although, there are thousands of topics I could compare and discuss!
Food
Australia easily wins in terms of nutritious food; the overall vibe is healthy, and there’s an abundance of fresh fruit, so it’s possible to make better choices without thinking too hard about it.
In America, there’s a fast food outlet – from burgers to tacos – on practically every street corner; you have to make a conscious decision to eat healthily on a daily basis. Portion sizes are a lot bigger too, meaning people generally eat more - even candy is regularly purchased in super-size! (By the way, you can buy Tim Tams in U.S. Target stores – woohoo!)
Shopping
The U.S. is the place to pick up a bargain! I regularly hit thrift stores, outlet stores and other various discount stores when I lived there – the U.S. is crawling with them so definitely save your shopping dollars for this country!
There is a lot less choice in Australia, where the cheapest stores include Cotton On and H&M.
Beaches
Is this a joke? Australia wins hands down with over 10,000 beaches and some of the longest stretches of sand-covered coastline in the world. Beaches in Oz are clean and well-kept, and there aren’t many beaches in the world that have such beautiful, azure blue water.
The beaches in New Jersey, the state I resided in, are less than impressive - you even have to pay to lie on the beach on your towel. I mean, what are you paying for? The water is FREEZING too. Even Miami Beach and other Florida beaches didn’t meet expectations.
TV Shows
Oh gosh, America! Those of you in the rest of the world have probably experienced searching online for a show that’s already aired in America and isn’t available on your TV screens. Americans enjoy an abundance of TV shows and channels to suit all tastes and interests, and I would regularly record shows to watch in my free time. Netflix is far better over there too.
It’s fair to say that both countries have their pros and cons – you just need to deal with the differences and look for the positives.
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Comments
Nice pour of view ! Thank you for sharing your experience !
People. Australia is so much friendlier. Roads, not talking about outback roads, but so much better maintained in Australia. So true about beaches being cleaner and just better in all. I have to point USA tops Australia with ADA. Didn’t find much thought to disabled in Oz. Interesting post.
Interesting POV…but really there is no comparison in my experience. ;-) Australia wins, hands down. I have lived in both countries, four states of the USA and for two years in Australia…traveled to 47 of the 50 United States and to all but Tasmania of Australia…and can without a doubt say the people, the culture, the food, the wine, the beaches, the lands, the way of life and lack of stress that Australia has to offer is world’s apart and better than the USA. The only thing you might give higher marks to America for is the readily available products of everything, anywhere at anytime in any geographical location in the continental 48. It doesn’t matter if you are in New York City, or York, Nebraska… there is nothing the average person could not obtain at a 24hr superstore within 10mins of where they are, on average. By comparison, say if you’re in Oodnadatta, South Australia… the nearest superstore is a 12 hour drive to Adelaide, one way. Pack light, bring water and spare tires…the road is rough, mates. All in all, however, the scenery along the way will leave you speechless and the hospitality of the people will make you wish the journey was longer. Oh, and watch for feral camels and emu crossing the roads…they’re a cheeky lot! ;-)