Agreed. I'm a South African who likes to travel. The Schengen visa system is hands down the worst visa process I've ever had to deal with (USA included).

The thought of those clowns getting their hands on the internet is terrifying.

Yeah even with a US passport it is annoying to get three months for the entire group of countries instead of three months per country. Do they not want our tourism money?

You could say the same about VISA to US. You have 3 months to visit US. But then you discover that if you visit Canada/Mexico during those 3 months, then these days are counted towards stay in the US as well. WTF? not exactly better system than EU

The trick is to get a work and travel visa. Visitors visas in the US can be at most 6 months. Work and travel visas can be extended far longer and they don't actually require you to work. A friend of mine discovered this on accident while work and travelling.

You are mistaken. US visa does not limit your stay in the US at all. Immigration officer at the port of entry make this decision.

If that's true, its even worse - you don't know where you stand if your plans could be ruined because somebody's having a bad day.

We damn sure want your money, but we want you to spend it quickly and leave as soon as you're broke, which should take no more than 90 days, thanks to all our taxes. By the way, the Schengen area is only about a third larger than the U.S., both by area and population.