Even if you relocate to Colorado, Kansas, whatever, one occasionally needs to travel to other countries, no?

Most Americans don't have a passport and have never left the country.

And this applies to American Silicon Valley programmers, too?

Sure. Many of us don't have any need to leave America at all.

Yeah, and you don't need to even leave your city, or do anything besides go home, go to work, and go to the grocery store and a few other places like the doctor.

Doesn't sound like much of a life to me. What's the point of making 6 figures in a hard profession if you're going to live like a miser?

But some do. So the reply to the GGG...P stands.

By that same token, though, any American who travels abroad can't truly isolate themselves anywhere if they hope to return without the aforementioned fears of being barred from reentry.