In this post, we share a baker’s dozen of the most common of the international travel safety don’ts we’ve received along with pertinent actual experience.
Over the past two years, we’ve been on the receiving end of quite a few international travel safety don’ts and admonitions. Many of these have come from well-meaning people who haven’t got a current passport (and may never have had one at all), and others from people who do but should know better. Obviously, your mileage may vary.
1. Don’t go to Hungary, there are too many gypsies who want to rob you. (Budapest became one of our favorite European cities. We weren’t robbed. It must have been a miracle.)
2. Don’t go to Romania, there is too much crime. (We did see an empty purse discarded on a snowbank in Bucharest, much like one I saw in Minneapolis years ago. We also had a very memorable experience on an overnight train through Romania, and miraculously accounted for all our belongings at its conclusion.)
3. Don’t go to Russia for the Olympics. There will be a terrorist attack. (Obviously, there was not and the security made us feel confident and safe. All the toilets we used and doorknobs we turned worked perfectly, too.)
4. Don’t go to Fiji. The government is a military regime. (Yes, yes it was. Now it’s somewhat not. It’s still beautiful and the people are lovely.)
5. Don’t go to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s not safe (no specific reason) or there are land mines everywhere. (Yes, land mines are still around in the forests and other remote areas. We spent time in two cities, and kept on the road in the mountains. Therefore, we learned other things, including the war there has been over for 20 years and people are looking to the future. Imagine if everyone had been told not to visit Germany in the 60s? We’d have never had the Beatles, who got their start in Hamburg, maybe?)
6. Don’t go to Bangkok. Someone set a bomb off there some time ago. (Yes, they did. The odds are good it won’t happen again. We’ve been in and out of Bangkok half a dozen times since October, and are going again tomorrow.)
7. Don’t go to Laos/Vietnam. Vague and unintelligibly inarticulate reasons, mostly along the lines of “It’s a Communist country.” (We gave up trying to answer and visited. There’s a lot of capitalism going on. Vietnam has the region’s fastest growing economy. Laos, not so much. You might argue they could really use our tourist dollars and you’d be right. They’d rather have dollars than their country’s own currency, imagine that.)
8. Don’t fly Air Malaysia, your plane will crash. (Again, please study statistical probabilities. We’ve flown AM several times in the last year and emerged completely unscathed at our destinations on time!)
9. Don’t even go to Malaysia. It isn’t safe. You might be kidnapped. It’s one of those Muslim countries. (Nope, been to Malaysia twice, no kidnapping. Yep, Malaysia is 60% Muslim, and while Islam is the state religion, the Malaysian constitution also guarantees freedom of religion. There are Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims living peacefully together in Malaysia.)
10. Don’t go to China. It’s polluted and they hate us. (Yes, certain cities are polluted. We will be in Ningbo for six weeks, a somewhat smaller city outside Shanghai. We doubt the Chinese people hate us. Our governments may not always get along, but business investment is plentiful. We will definitely report what we see and learn.)
11. Don’t go to Paris (before the latest attacks). The French are dishonest, rude and hate Americans. (We suppose that’s how Pete got his lost wallet back with everything in it?)
12. Don’t go to Paris (after the latest attacks). We wouldn’t dream of not going to or through Paris in the future. This is like saying don’t go to New York, London, or even Oklahoma City.
What’s the point of this post? The point is if we had listened to the well-meaning, but ill-founded advice from armchair personal safety experts we would never have had what we count to be some of the richest experiences of our lives.
We do have one don’t for you:
Pinnable Image:
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Kamleen
Wednesday 10th of February 2016
Hey Betsy,
I just wanted to say that I love to read your blogs and they give me big things to look forward to when I do my own travelling. There are a lot of misunderstandings about other countries and cities, but the best thing to do is go see for yourself like you said and be amazed at what you actually experience.
Betsy Wuebker
Monday 15th of February 2016
Hi Kamleen - Thank you so very much! Happy to have you along! :)
Kamleen
Wednesday 10th of February 2016
Also, your photos are absolutely stunning. :)
CathMc
Monday 28th of December 2015
Hi Betsy - OMG everytime I'm gonna travel somewhere alone people go on about the safety aspects of wherever I'm going. And of course many can't understand how I can enjoy myself alone too. Lol - I can't imagine being stuck with anyone 24/7 for a whole month - especially if they're not independent enough to do stuff alone.
That said, I had planned to go to Paris the weekend of the concert bombing. And I did consider the probability of a terrorist attack when choosing Prague instead. But it was also down to other things - like I'd overspent on travel this year so Prague was a cheaper destination to go. And I doubt I would have gone to that concert as U2 were gonna be playing the following night.
My main concern when I go anywhere is bad roads, poorly maintained cars & idiotic drivers - but that is my main worry at home too. I also worry about being bitten by insects and wildlife, which happens a lot but I wouldn't let it stop me from going anywhere.
I had a conversation with friends recently and they think I have some special kind of super-confidence to travel alone. Not true - as you and I both know, doing small things once builds your confidence and you try bigger things.
Betsy Wuebker
Wednesday 30th of December 2015
Hi Cath - Yes, you're right. Once you've taken the plunge, it helps with the confidence level. I think people misconstrue common discomfort with lack of safety, too. As in, "I've never been there before so I don't know my way around, so that would make me vulnerable and people there could take advantage of me." Instead of "I don't know my way around but I'm sure there will be somebody kind enough to help me." It's a different way of looking at the world. I don't worry too much about anything except when scheduling goes amok. I like it when the plane leaves when it's supposed to, and I can find the right track at the train station by reading my ticket. ;-)
Patti Morrow
Sunday 27th of December 2015
Love, love, love this post! I can't even number the people who are mortified by the places I go to and the things I do. Some of them are even from Chicago, which I'm pretty sure is more dangerous than almost all the places I've visited.
Betsy Wuebker
Wednesday 30th of December 2015
Hi Patti - Good point about Chicago! Um, yeah! I just look at it this way: somebody has to have all the fun we're having, so it may as well be us!
Kay Dougherty
Sunday 27th of December 2015
People who don't travel tend to see the world as a very scary place. I've been warned about many places I've visited and have been very fortunate to have never had a scary indecent of any kind. I will say I won't return to China because of the pollution but I found the people to be curious and not at all hostile. And I wouldn't fly Air Malaysia because after their disasters they seem to remain confused as to the facts and keep changing what they say so they don't seem to me to have their act together. I do feel bad about all that's happened to them but I lack confidence that necessary steps have been taken to prevent future tragedies. I may well be wrong about that! Currently I want to go to Iran and everyone thinks I'm crazy (as per usual).
Betsy Wuebker
Wednesday 30th of December 2015
Hi Kay - You're right. I think fear of the unknown is the common denominator. If you're wanting to go to Iran, and you're not the only one who does, you'd probably better get on that! The politics could be escalating after the latest provocation. :-/ But yes, we've got an entire slew of people who probably think we're crazy and I'm okay with that. ;-)
Sue Reddel
Saturday 26th of December 2015
To further debunk the Hungary gypsy threat-we just returned from Budapest and spend hours going through the Christmas market unscathed by gypsies or anyone else for that matter. Travel on sister!
Betsy Wuebker
Sunday 27th of December 2015
Hi Sue - I would love to visit Budapest's Christmas market. What a wonderful trip you've had!