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O/P Ollie....I am with you on this, way to many beautiful safe places to visit. I have always wanted to go to Margarita Island but from where I live that means an over night stay coming and going in Caracas..no thank you
Whether you're at home or abroad, you can't let fear dominate your life. People who are afraid to travel to "dangerous" countries are probably the same people who are afraid to eat groceries past the best-by date, or wear clothes from a thrift shop, or drink out of a glass used by somebody else.
I agree, you shouldn't let fear dominate your life. However, you also shouldn't be stupid. Don't travel somewhere like North Korea or Iran, don't eat food that's obviously spoiled, don't drink from a glass that is obviously insanitary or wear clothing that is extremely filthy. You still want to be smart.
I agree, you shouldn't let fear dominate your life. However, you also shouldn't be stupid. Don't travel somewhere like North Korea or Iran, don't eat food that's obviously spoiled, don't drink from a glass that is obviously insanitary or wear clothing that is extremely filthy. You still want to be smart.
You just contradicted yourself. Iran is a very popular destination for travelers and most of them love their experience there. It is considered a very safe country to travel in. Why are you afraid to go there? What evidence do you have that it is dangerous to go there?
My own travels in Iran left me feeling that was a perfectly safe country to travel in, the people there were wonderfully hospitable and quite civilized, they treated each other with respect and dignity, and I can't think of any reason why the basic nature of the Iranians might have changed.
I don't think there have been any reports of any casual tourists coming to any harm or serious inconvenience in North Korea, as long as they do not violate the terms of their visa. If you go to any country and violate the terms of your visa, try to enter illegally, take part in prohibited activity, etc., you will find any country to be "dangerous". Your other advisories would obviously apply to every country, whether you imagine them to be dangerous or not.
I'd feel perfectly safe in Iran if I was traveling on a passport from some place like Australia, and it's a heck of a lot friendlier to women than many of the other countries in the region. But not so much when the official state line is that the Americans remain the Great Satan, and there is no embassy representation if there's trouble.
As for North Korea, 'terms of their visa' is something that the country makes up on the spot and by whim of those favored by the beloved leader. All it takes is one dishonest local claiming you did something wrong and you're pretty much screwed.
You just contradicted yourself. Iran is a very popular destination for travelers and most of them love their experience there. It is considered a very safe country to travel in. Why are you afraid to go there? What evidence do you have that it is dangerous to go there?
My own travels in Iran left me feeling that was a perfectly safe country to travel in, the people there were wonderfully hospitable and quite civilized, they treated each other with respect and dignity, and I can't think of any reason why the basic nature of the Iranians might have changed.
I don't think there have been any reports of any casual tourists coming to any harm or serious inconvenience in North Korea, as long as they do not violate the terms of their visa. If you go to any country and violate the terms of your visa, try to enter illegally, take part in prohibited activity, etc., you will find any country to be "dangerous". Your other advisories would obviously apply to every country, whether you imagine them to be dangerous or not.
Sorry but I am going to trust the State Department's travel warnings. I happen to agree the places on there are not safe. There are still plenty of other areas that are safe that I am willing to travel to.
Sorry but I am going to trust the State Department's travel warnings. I happen to agree the places on there are not safe. There are still plenty of other areas that are safe that I am willing to travel to.
I wouldn't do Iran on a U.S. passport, but if you heed all those travel warnings you'd miss out on a good chunk of Central and South America too.
I wouldn't do Iran on a U.S. passport, but if you heed all those travel warnings you'd miss out on a good chunk of Central and South America too.
You and I have a different definition of "a good chunk." According to state.gov (Current Travel Warnings) it's only Honduras and El Salvador in Central America and Colombia and Venezuela in South America. That still leaves plenty of areas that are safe in those regions. Looking at the list, I would make an exception for the touristy areas of Honduras and Mexico (and possibly the touristy areas of Kenya) but I would agree with the rest of them. I'm honestly really surprised this is such a debate. I don't think these travel warnings are made for the State Department employees' health.
You and I have a different definition of "a good chunk." According to state.gov (Current Travel Warnings) it's only Honduras and El Salvador in Central America and Colombia and Venezuela in South America. That still leaves plenty of areas that are safe in those regions. Looking at the list, I would make an exception for the touristy areas of Honduras and Mexico (and possibly the touristy areas of Kenya) but I would agree with the rest of them. I'm honestly really surprised this is such a debate. I don't think these travel warnings are made for the State Department employees' health.
I agree and on the oft chance something happens to people that travel to these places it's us the taxpayers that pay to rescue their dopey azzes..some people just like the thrill of doing risky things and travel to some places on the planet is risky to Americans...I'm certainly not going to travel somewhere we don't even have an embassy or a diplomatic relationship and have to depend on the Swiss to plead my case.
Sorry but I am going to trust the State Department's travel warnings. I happen to agree the places on there are not safe. There are still plenty of other areas that are safe that I am willing to travel to.
Nearly all of your link refers primarily to Americans who have Iranian ancestry. I have never heard of an incident in Iran in which a casual international traveler or tourist has been subjected to any problems or even harassment while visiting Iran. There is no country in the world in which Americans will not be singled out as Americans by a tiny few people and held accountable for American foreign policy, which after all is the fault of every American, as one of the side effects of democracy. Americans run the risk everywhere of being held responsible for the perceived atrocities of the government that they freely and willingly elected. Obviously, there are places in Iran that are dangerous, but there is almost no chance that a casual traveler will blunder into one, they are places you'd be able to go only with very detailed and elaborate effort, and every Iranian will warn you not to go there.
Meanwhile, the crime rate in Iran is spectacularly low, with a very negligible risk that you will have any of your belongings stolen or you will be cheated or short-changed or otherwise be a victim of the petty crime that plagues travelers in other "safe" resorts. In that sense, it is much safer than most of the popular tourist destinations of the world.
If you read the US State Department advisories, you will see that you are warned against crime in Canada, more so than in Iran. You might find it instructive to compare these two links:
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