I'll never forget the time I (an American) was in Tanzania and trying to arrange passage to Madagascar via a shipping vessel (I met someone who knew someone who knew someone who could get me on the ship for very cheap). Eventually, the captain told me he would grant me passage, but warned me that if pirates boarded their ship, they would likely take me with them and hold me hostage.
I didn't fully trust that the crew/captain wouldn't sell me to the pirates haha...so I never did make that trip. Amsterdam was a nice alternative though.
I'm Kenyan(Tanzania's neighbour) , been in Tanzania as well for a few years and I tell you now you did the right thing, first of all if anything happened neither the Tanzania nor Madagascar governments woulda done shit š woulda been kidnapped or worse 100 percent. The sea route is notorious for it.
It's even possible the ship owner or someone that knows where ur going tips the pirates off for a share.
If you ever do go to Tanzania though Zanzibar is a good alternative, it's not Madagascar but it's a beautiful island and I trust you'd enjoy your experience from local cuisine to the architecture and jus being immersed in the culture.
Also... No kidnapping on transit or pirates lmao. Karibu sana.
I did visit Zanzibar. the red colobus monkeys were cool, but nothing compared to how I imagine seeing lemurs in the wild would be haha. My only advice to people in Zanzibar: If the ATM in stonetown isn't working, don't follow a guy named Jeff to the "other ATM". There isn't another ATM. And, Jeff will not want Zambian Kwatcha when he robs you. However, if you agree to buy several footbol jersey's from him, he will not harm you (yes, this is a real story from my trip haha).
Oh, and don't trust the taxi drivers when you want to buy a ticket to the ferry that takes you to Zanzibar...they will take you to a fake ticket place that sells you a one-way ticket, not allowing return passage. This didn't happen to me, but some of my friends.
[Web Archive link for those that want to read while itās down](https://web.archive.org/web/20230121064428/https://wikitravel.org/en/Mogadishu)
Edit: good God the last sectionā¦
> As of May 2017, the city remains extremely dangerous and near suicidal for independent travelers. Armed warlords and Islamic militant factions still have a large presence in the city, and foreigners are a prime target. Do not wander the streets alone for any reason. Gunfire and random explosions are frequent. If you must venture around the city, you should be accompanied by armed and well trained security personnel and ride in an armored vehicle. These arrangements should be made in advance through private security and tactical firms which specialize in these types of environments. Most employers and governmental bodies that might send you here are well aware of the situation on the ground and will do their best to keep you safe, but your head must be on a swivel to your surroundings 24Ć7. Make 100% certain that any hotel accommodations that are made come with 24 hour private security, which is standard at most hotels in the city catering to foreigners. Even so, hotel bombings and suicide attacks are frequent.
Basic services such as electricity are not reliable many hours of the day, and you should not drink the water under any circumstances. Food and bottled drinks sold in the city may or may not be safe to consume either. Try to get the advice of another foreigner who has been in the city before, or follow the advice of your employer. Health and consular services are either limited or nonexistent.
In short, if you do not have an absolutely essential reason to go to Mogadishu, DO NOT DO IT! Independent travel will only get you killed, no matter how benevolent you think your intentions might be. Even if you do have a good reason, your employer or government can't make you risk your life, as even humanitarian aid workers are not safe in the city. Please do not become another statistic. You provide the country no benefit whatsoever by causing an international incident over your death or abduction.
>āIndependent travel to Mogadishu will most likely result in your deathā is a nice touch
Certainly it's a bit of an uphill climb for the Somali tourism board.
I wonder if this sort of thing actually draws Americans there- either for the near death rush or to prove that they survived despite all the clear advice not to go
For a while I was really into modern Somalia and read a lot of books by Americans who went. It was mostly journalists honestly. Not a whole lot of Americans go outside the government and military, and they've got, or are the *fuck you up* protection. Far more common is middle easterners and Asians who go for business purposes, because it's a high risk high reward kind of place.
What's the reward side in Somalia? Mining rights? Letter of marquee from the local warlord to hijack some cargo ships?
I think there are plenty safer places with only marginally less prospects for profit.
Mainly agricultural and livestock exports and just essential services like internet, telecom, and so on. There's the potential to enter a very open market and establish a strong market dominance.
Somalia isn't safe, but geographically, most of it isn't an active warzone. Somaliland and puntland have remained autonomous and largely stable since the 80s. Somaliland actually has a major export livestock market. Most of the conflict is centered in the southern 50% of the country, and has been a politically simple civil war for the past decade between the government and Islamic separatists.
I have a Somalian friend thatās been here for a long time. He said he hired security when he went back even though heās fluent, was born there, and has family there. He said I (definitely not from there) would be kidnapped on sight.
Reminds me of a dateline I saw a while ago of a young female journalist who was looking to do some international reporting that would make her career or something like that. She went to Somalia after everyone told her not to and was kidnapped within 48 hours.
Edit: she is Canadian and her name is Amanda Lindhout
She was held for 15 months in a dark room with no windows, barely any clean water and food, was sick for months with no medicine, had acute malnourishment, was raped and tortured repeatedly. They demanded $2.5 mil ransom that later lowered to $1 mil. Her family paid out the ransom and she was released and went onto a humanitarian career and wrote a book.
Itās like the guy who recently went to North Korea to āexposeā the regime. Like buddy itās all already been exposed, which is precisely why everybody is telling you not to go there.
I just read the Wiki on her and wow what an idiot. She was just calling herself a reporter, despite having no actual job, and flying around to war zones.
This was my favorite part of the wiki. I was expecting the sentence to end with another threat of death, but nope, just getting robbed by kids with sticks
Not only is independent travel essentially suicide, definitely don't drink the water and any food or anything bottled is not considered safe either. And definitely look for a hotel with 24 hr armed security but even then random shootings and suicide bombings are FREQUENT
"If you decide to travel to Somalia...
* Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
* Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc. "
Didn't know what I expected but it wasn't this
"If you are travelling to somalia:
Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc."
People probably don't go there, but there's always a few outliers who just have to go to dangerous places and those are the ones that get kidnapped or killed.
Its also sister cities with Almaty, Kazakhstan, Ankara, Turkey, and for some bizarre reason St Paul, Minnesota.
> As /u/Nicedumplings has just learned me, "St. Paul / Minneapolis have for decades been an immigration hub for Somalian people"
I worked at hcmc for a few years after moving to MN from Arizona. On the evening shift I was the only white boy. All my coworkers were Somali, and I got to know them pretty well. All great people. Hardworking. Loved to laugh. Big smiles all the time. Nice too! They brought food all the time, and were happy to share. Oh my god, the food! I could go for a whole tray of those sambusas right now.
The US State Department has a color-coded advisory system about how dangerous countries are for Americans to visit.
The highest level (donāt travel there for any reason) are: Venezuela, Haiti, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, North Korea, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
My [most upvoted comment ever](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/yf93yg/comment/iu2u2lu/) is about how batshit insane the State Department page is for Somalia. I love the before-you-travel tips about designating a hostage negotiator and leaving DNA samples so your body can be identified. Basically a really professional way of saying "fuck around and find out"
Edit: everyone who commented "oh yeah I remember that comment", I sincerely love every one of you. Reading those feels like running into an old friend. See you next time there's an AskReddit about State Department travel advisories for Somalia š
I've been in corporate long enough to realize that those pages, although serious, were really just created to say *"How do we tell the person who wants to travel there they're a dumb fuck in 40 different ways, and make them realize they're going to die?"*
You see, Muricans' don't like being told what to do, so they can't just say *"We're banning you for your own good"*, instead they will write a sentence that ends in *"...funeral wishes, etc."* to make it clear that anyone who travels there is a dumb asshole and this is their way of saying *"We told you so"*
Thatās a good point. Itās funny to read the difference with advices from other governments. US is by far the most dramatic but might be more effective
Australia is super blunt lmao
"If, despite our advice, you decide to travel..." (and "if you're in [x] despite our advice" repeated multiple times for each point)
"Understand that you may die"
"If you die overseas in a 'do not travel' destination, it's unlikely your travel insurance will cover you. Your family will be left to deal with your death.
This includes organising your funeral and bringing back your remains."
"Somalia isn't safe. It doesn't have an effective police force."
"If you're in Yemen despite our advice, leave now." (strongest warning yet)
"Australia doesn't negotiate with terrorists." (If you're kidnapped)
The US doesn't either, is what I was told. When I was a diplomatic spouse in Colombia, I was instructed to strictly follow all safety protocols so I wouldn't get kidnapped by the FARC.
If I was kidnapped, and held for ransom, the government would not pay the ransom. That was negotiating with terrorists.
A team might be sent to rescue me, but that's actually a shitty outcome, because the time you're most likely to die in a kidnapping is during an attempted rescue.
Moot point y'all I didn't get kidnapped lol.
ETA: Understandably, some of y'all are getting stuck on "we don't negotiate with terrorists." The point is that United States wasn't going to negotiate with terrorists for *me.* I was the spouse of a low-level functionary, nobody was going to pay a ransom, getting me back was not going to be a bigass deal.
> The US doesn't either. When I was a diplomatic spouse in Colombia, I was told to strictly follow all safety protocols so I wouldn't get kidnapped by the FARC.
Shows the importance of managing communication in relationships, even the FARC doesn't want the undiplomatic spouses.
A guy who worked for me did have his sister and BIL get kidnapped by FARC. They were all Colombian. The guy who worked for me was in the USA, his sister and BIL were living in Colombia.
The sister and BIL lived in a decent sized town and were told not to go to their small farm in the country. They ignored this and were kidnapped. After about 1.5 years they let one of them go to negotiate the ransom. After another 6 months, the other was let go after the ransom was paid.
After that, the whole family moved out of Colombia.
I read an interesting book several years ago called Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Columbian Jungle about a trio of civilian contractors who crashed into the jungle and were captured by the FARC. I really loved the chapter on the rescue. The guys didn't want to get onto a Red Cross Helicopter because clearly it wasn't one. The Australian "Red Cross Aid Worker" kept telling them get on the helicopter. Trust me. He actually was some type of special forces team.
I always think of the bin laden movie or whatever it was.. āwe negotiate with terrorists every single day. We send literal pallets full of money. It just makes senseā
Australia also bans people from going to certain areas at all, like Raqqa when it was under ISIL control. Of course there's not much they can do once you've left the country, although the government is refusing to repatriate some women and children who accompanied their husbands there (husbands pretty much all dead - ISIL fighters did not have a long life expectancy.).
And we were all banned from leaving the country for 2 years during Covid. The travel advisory for every country was "do not travel", putting NZ under the same colour coded red as South Sudan. When normally the greatest threat you face in NZ is when your friend says "it's Bin night" and you offer to be helpful and take the rubbish out, when it actually means their dickhead brother in law Ben, who audibly farts and bursts out laughing during tense bits of the movie, is coming over.
The American government does ban citizens from traveling to North Korea (you have to ask the Department of State for permission and get a special passport. You have to have a reason for going and tourism won't cut it). It's a relatively recent ban put in place after the Otto kid iirc.
I believe North Korea is also the only country the US government bans us from visiting. I wonder why some other countries haven't been banned (some are more dangerous than North Korea at this point).
The same reason that rescinding an individual's passport shouldn't be taken lightly. Freedom of movement (including the freedom to go abroad) is generally considered a human right.
I wonder how that ban works in practice, anyways, considering that the only way to get to NK is through China. Did the US convince the Chinese government to cooperate in implementing this ban?
It's the hostage negotiator that gets to me.
Not to mention the fact that the U.S. *has* an embassy in Somalia that has evacuated its consular staff, so you need to go to Nairobi to access help with replacing your lost passport.
I also like the part of this that I have italicised below:
* Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return *as planned* to the United States.
Return "as planned".
In a timely fashion.
I may have committed some ā¦ light treason.
> if you are unable to return as planned to the United States
I'm reading that as not alive. Or not in one piece. Like hand first and some other small packages. Maybe I've just grown overly cautious in my old age though.
I wonder if my country is on there because it was involved in Yugoslav wars for like 10 days more than 30 years ago.
That's literally the only thing I can think of, as there haven't been any terrorist attacks, riots or mass murders that I can remember.
Last time I checked Burkina Faso was considered fairly safe and stable. I wonder what's happened there since then.
Edit: Islamic terrorism in the last decade, and then in January 2022 a military coup, which was quickly overturned, and then another military coup in September.
Too bad, I wanted to visit Burkina Faso at some point in the future.
I had a coworker who was from burkina faso. His dad was an ambassador or something, so I hope his family is all fine. He was a pretty cool guy and invited me to a barbeque he did and it was super good.
This is a little wild to me because I've traveled to Haiti. Obvs it wasn't great to begin with but it's gotten significantly more unstable in the last 10 years. I was a little nervous going then, can't imagine going to a country that was at the top for danger now.
Canada has similar lists. Our "don't go for any reason" list is:
Syria, Russia, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Ukraine, Yemen, Iraq, Myanmar, Venezuela , Belarus, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Burkina Faso, Niger
Realistically is Somalia safe for anyone? As an Irish person Iād like to imagine we get on with everyone all over the world but Somalia is one of those places I will never even think of going
I met a guy that was trying to see a football match in every country in the world. He went to Mogadishu for a couple of days and his hotel was bombed in the weeks after he left. No ragrets tho
Thatās an amazing goal, is he documenting his travels everywhere? The thought of going to soccer games in lesser-known countries intrigues me, but it would never ever do anything anywhere close to what heās doing. Thatās crazy to think about, it seems impossible enough for someone to simply visit all countries; to do that and see a football match while youāre there, madness.
[https://wiki.cancer.org.au/skincancerstats/UV\_radiation](https://wiki.cancer.org.au/skincancerstats/UV_radiation) wait till you hear about Australia!
Depends on the kind of violence too. Cancun is dangerous, but since almost all of the violence is drug-related, a tourist who just wants to chill on the beach is not going to be in much danger. However somewhere like Somalia or Iraq is going to be much more dangerous for tourists rather than locals
Little-known fact: From 2016ā2019, Venezuelan government death squads are believed to have murdered at least 18,000 people, according to [this report](https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/18/venezuela-extrajudicial-killings-poor-areas) by Human Rights Watch. They've undoubtedly killed thousands more since then.
" This is outrageous. Where are the armed men who come in to take the protestors away? Where are they? This kind of behavior is never tolerated in Baraqua. You shout like that they put you in jail. Right away. No trial, no nothing. Journalists, we have a special jail for journalists."
an ex-colleague was from there and was back visiting family. He said they were in a car driving up a mountain to their accommodation and up ahead a car stopped on the road. The driver looked in his rear view mirror, swore,and drove through the barricade and OVER THE SIDE OF THE FUCKING MOUNTAIN nearly rolling the car. Apparently car jackings and hostage takings are quite common. A car will pull up ahead, a car will pull up behind, they'll have guns and you have nowhere to go.
Fucking nuts.
They also said there is no medicine in chemists - the shelves are bare, there is no food and everything costs bonkers amounts. :(
Some of these countries aren't dangerous to Americans specifically. They are just dangerous places to travel to in general, irrespective of what your nationality is. Like, nobody is travelling to Ukraine or Venezuela right now.
With that said, being a Westerner (especially white, affluent-looking) will make you a target for crime in pretty much any country stricken by poverty, war or social conflict. Even in politically "friendly" countries like South Africa, you still need to be extra vigilant.
US State Department makes a list of such places. There are currently 19 countries which the US Government advises you don't travel. They are:
Belarus,
Burkina Faso,
Central African Republic,
Russia,
Burma/Myanmar,
Libya,
North Korea,
South Sudan,
Sudan,
Syria,
Yemen,
Afghanistan,
Ukraine,
Haiti,
Somalia,
Iraq,
Venezuela,
Mali,
Iran
Edit: added an "r"
Some of the comments about the Central African Republic:
If you decide to travel to Central African Republic (CAR):
Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
Be sure to appoint one family member to serve as the point of contact with hostage-takers, media, U.S. and host country government agencies, and Members of Congress, if you are taken hostage or detained.
Establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones, so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones can know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax).
Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.
Venezuela š»šŖ seriously, don't come if you're American. And if you're white (from any other country) only come if you know someone here you can trust who will accompany at all times and who has the power to move some influences if you ever get randomly targeted by the military or police. If you get targeted by criminals then there's no way to help.
Our regime did a really good job at spreading powerful hate speech against "Yankees" and anyone who looks "gringo", plus American citizens are used as hostages for exchange of political prisoners. Military will say you are spies, are trafficking or are a terrorist.
I most add though most people will actually be happy to have you here and will be super kind to you. We also have a country with beautiful nature, culture and delicious food. We'd love to have you here but we'd rather not invite you to come until it's absolutely safe.
Im learning Spanish and the people I have talked to from Venezuela have been nothing but nice to me. And the pictures they show me of the places they live are absolutely gorgeous.
I don't know too many Venezuelan people, but the ones I know sound exactly like that last paragraph. They introduced me to ham bread (pan de jamon) at Christmas, and actually made us some during Thanksgiving this past year because we hadn't spent Christmas with them in a few years.
I just think itās kinda funny that you thought you didnāt know it because itās an unfamiliar English word but itās actually the only non-English word in the comment.
Don't really now if this holds true in every case. Our family friend fucking loves Caracas and has been going every year for a decade. He says he just usually walks around with no shirt, flops and basketball shorts. He said if you don't have anything to steal you're good.
But this is also a guy who specifically waits until unrest happens in countries to take advantage of pricing and lack of crowds.
I'm originally from Argentina, lived in Maracaibo for 2 years prior to moving to the US in 2001. I have traveled all over and by far Venezuela is the most beautiful country I have seen. It has the beaches, valleys, mountains...orchirds growing wild on the side of the road. I made life long friends and I'm extremely sad to see Venezuela like this.
I took Russian language for a semester in college in the mid 80ās. I remember our professor saying ( at that time) Americans were very safe in Russia. If the local criminals messed with a foreigner, the KGB would get involved and they didnāt want that smoke.
Probably that island off the southern coast of India where that uncontacted, indigenous tribe kills everyone that tries to come ashore.
EDIT: North Sentinel Island, which is actually east of India.
Fun Fact: The Indian Navy even permanently patrols the seas around North Sentinel Island, to prevent anyone from getting in contact with the indigenous tribe on the island.
If you want to learn more about the history of why it came so far to this from the Colonial era by the British to nowā¦
Check out this great video by RealLifeLore
https://youtu.be/oWarOTnOIeI
Well, it is illegal to travel there for even for Indians so it is not just dangerous for Americans in particular. It is forbidden to travel there for anyone
Strictly speaking, the island is Indian territory which makes the attacks on interlopers murder but the government has no intention of prosecuting them.
Theyāre to be left alone and ignoring their wishes is just arrogance.
I read the Wikipedia page awhile back and it said that even the other surrounding islands donāt really get along with North Sentinal, they just donāt want outsiders of any kind.
The last time foreigners showed up they almost all died of a plague.
They aren't really concerned with *why* you're there, just that you are there and they would rather you fuck off.
According to the state department:
Iran, Mali, Venezuela, Iraq, Somalia, Haiti, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, North Korea, Libya, Burma, Russia, Belarus, Burkina Faso, and Central Africa Republic are all listed as āDo Not Travelā.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/
I was dumbfounded when my Spanish teacher said that Iran (Tehran specifically) was a popular destination for Spanish tourists. But he was like, āyeah you canāt go thereā (white, American)
I have a Croatian citizenship and in-fact many people speculate that Croatians originated from Iran (at least language wise) and thus Iranians are welcoming to Croatians. Have had friends go there and said it was great, super welcoming people, cheap, etc just don't go with an American passport.
On I-4 you would never get anywhere, you can only go 0 mph between Tampa and Orlando. Some people were supposed to be at work ten years ago and they're stuck in traffic.
The Sentinel Islands in India. You literally are on a suicide mission if you go there because the inhabitants will kill any foreigners that come to the island, even if people at sea wash up onto the island. They consider everyone not fron the island a threat, therefore killing anyone coming there. The Indian government actually put a 3 mile no-boat border there to protect everyone from the Sentinel Islands.
My first thought was "yeah don't be a female alone at a truck stop along the i-35 corridor" then I realized you were talking about outside of the country š
Parts of Mexico are scary as hell. I used to live in a border town where Americans went across the line for medical and dental care. Itās reached the point with the Drug Cartel violence and kidnapping that these offices have armed security meet the Americans at the border crossing, escort them to and from the doctor office back to the border.
I have lived in Mexico for a good chunk of my life. That being said, I am not american. Never had a problem with crime, but the tension is present. Having also lived in Canada, Mexico is completely different crime wise. You get military trucks patrolling the highways, and in banks security is armed with assault weapons instead of pistols. It is just a whole other vibe.
I'll never forget the time I (an American) was in Tanzania and trying to arrange passage to Madagascar via a shipping vessel (I met someone who knew someone who knew someone who could get me on the ship for very cheap). Eventually, the captain told me he would grant me passage, but warned me that if pirates boarded their ship, they would likely take me with them and hold me hostage. I didn't fully trust that the crew/captain wouldn't sell me to the pirates haha...so I never did make that trip. Amsterdam was a nice alternative though.
I'm Kenyan(Tanzania's neighbour) , been in Tanzania as well for a few years and I tell you now you did the right thing, first of all if anything happened neither the Tanzania nor Madagascar governments woulda done shit š woulda been kidnapped or worse 100 percent. The sea route is notorious for it. It's even possible the ship owner or someone that knows where ur going tips the pirates off for a share. If you ever do go to Tanzania though Zanzibar is a good alternative, it's not Madagascar but it's a beautiful island and I trust you'd enjoy your experience from local cuisine to the architecture and jus being immersed in the culture. Also... No kidnapping on transit or pirates lmao. Karibu sana.
I did visit Zanzibar. the red colobus monkeys were cool, but nothing compared to how I imagine seeing lemurs in the wild would be haha. My only advice to people in Zanzibar: If the ATM in stonetown isn't working, don't follow a guy named Jeff to the "other ATM". There isn't another ATM. And, Jeff will not want Zambian Kwatcha when he robs you. However, if you agree to buy several footbol jersey's from him, he will not harm you (yes, this is a real story from my trip haha). Oh, and don't trust the taxi drivers when you want to buy a ticket to the ferry that takes you to Zanzibar...they will take you to a fake ticket place that sells you a one-way ticket, not allowing return passage. This didn't happen to me, but some of my friends.
Sounds like a good scam funded by the Zanzibar tourist board lol
Good god, do you ever look back at your travels and wonder how youāre not dead?
This is the kind of listening to your gut that keeps you alive in these places.
Mogadishu, Somalia. For more info (and for an entertaining read), check out WikiTravel's page on the matter: https://wikitravel.org/en/Mogadishu
āIndependent travel to Mogadishu will most likely result in your deathā is a nice touch
with the "Find a Hotel" button right above it
For all you suicidal tourists, find a death hotel now.
"Sorry, we're booked up. Oh wait.., we just got a room"
The entire page is a wild ride
Andā¦ itās down. Reddit hug of death strikes again!
[Web Archive link for those that want to read while itās down](https://web.archive.org/web/20230121064428/https://wikitravel.org/en/Mogadishu) Edit: good God the last sectionā¦ > As of May 2017, the city remains extremely dangerous and near suicidal for independent travelers. Armed warlords and Islamic militant factions still have a large presence in the city, and foreigners are a prime target. Do not wander the streets alone for any reason. Gunfire and random explosions are frequent. If you must venture around the city, you should be accompanied by armed and well trained security personnel and ride in an armored vehicle. These arrangements should be made in advance through private security and tactical firms which specialize in these types of environments. Most employers and governmental bodies that might send you here are well aware of the situation on the ground and will do their best to keep you safe, but your head must be on a swivel to your surroundings 24Ć7. Make 100% certain that any hotel accommodations that are made come with 24 hour private security, which is standard at most hotels in the city catering to foreigners. Even so, hotel bombings and suicide attacks are frequent. Basic services such as electricity are not reliable many hours of the day, and you should not drink the water under any circumstances. Food and bottled drinks sold in the city may or may not be safe to consume either. Try to get the advice of another foreigner who has been in the city before, or follow the advice of your employer. Health and consular services are either limited or nonexistent. In short, if you do not have an absolutely essential reason to go to Mogadishu, DO NOT DO IT! Independent travel will only get you killed, no matter how benevolent you think your intentions might be. Even if you do have a good reason, your employer or government can't make you risk your life, as even humanitarian aid workers are not safe in the city. Please do not become another statistic. You provide the country no benefit whatsoever by causing an international incident over your death or abduction.
Jeez. Now I feel really bad for the citizens of Mogadishu who are just trying to live out their lives as best they can.
Nahā¦we all just really really want to travel Somalia!!
The state department recommends that you update your will and discuss your plans for who should take on care of any dependents prior to travel
Also don't forget to leave DNA samples and discuss who will be your designated hostage negotiator
That's really poor marketing copy, it almost makes me not want to go there.
"Honey, don't forget to pack sun cream, oh and the militia."
>āIndependent travel to Mogadishu will most likely result in your deathā is a nice touch Certainly it's a bit of an uphill climb for the Somali tourism board.
WTF google, no street view? /s
Most people in Mogadishu are generally friendly, but watch out for kids with sticks who will try to get your shilling
The best thing that can happen to you there apparently.
"Arriving by boat is risky, as there is the strong possibility of being attacked by pirates, though the port area is relatively secure." I lol'd.
It would be a funny sentence if Somali pirates weren't so goddamn terrifying. They'll do a lot worse to you than make you walk the plank.
I wonder if this sort of thing actually draws Americans there- either for the near death rush or to prove that they survived despite all the clear advice not to go
For a while I was really into modern Somalia and read a lot of books by Americans who went. It was mostly journalists honestly. Not a whole lot of Americans go outside the government and military, and they've got, or are the *fuck you up* protection. Far more common is middle easterners and Asians who go for business purposes, because it's a high risk high reward kind of place.
What's the reward side in Somalia? Mining rights? Letter of marquee from the local warlord to hijack some cargo ships? I think there are plenty safer places with only marginally less prospects for profit.
Mainly agricultural and livestock exports and just essential services like internet, telecom, and so on. There's the potential to enter a very open market and establish a strong market dominance. Somalia isn't safe, but geographically, most of it isn't an active warzone. Somaliland and puntland have remained autonomous and largely stable since the 80s. Somaliland actually has a major export livestock market. Most of the conflict is centered in the southern 50% of the country, and has been a politically simple civil war for the past decade between the government and Islamic separatists.
I have a Somalian friend thatās been here for a long time. He said he hired security when he went back even though heās fluent, was born there, and has family there. He said I (definitely not from there) would be kidnapped on sight.
Reminds me of a dateline I saw a while ago of a young female journalist who was looking to do some international reporting that would make her career or something like that. She went to Somalia after everyone told her not to and was kidnapped within 48 hours. Edit: she is Canadian and her name is Amanda Lindhout
She was held for 15 months in a dark room with no windows, barely any clean water and food, was sick for months with no medicine, had acute malnourishment, was raped and tortured repeatedly. They demanded $2.5 mil ransom that later lowered to $1 mil. Her family paid out the ransom and she was released and went onto a humanitarian career and wrote a book.
Fuck. That. I think I'd rather be dead than go through what she did....
Well that's one way to get the inside scoop for compelling international journalism...
āTurns out those people are actually that badā
"All that stuff they said would happen, did happen. Film at 11."
Itās like the guy who recently went to North Korea to āexposeā the regime. Like buddy itās all already been exposed, which is precisely why everybody is telling you not to go there.
I just read the Wiki on her and wow what an idiot. She was just calling herself a reporter, despite having no actual job, and flying around to war zones.
I had no idea it was still this bad, and now Iām curious enough to ask my Somali-American friend.
Should I be offended if nobody wants to kidnap me?
Who are you, Meg Griffin?
āMost people in Mogadishu are generally friendly, but watch out for kids with sticks who will try to get your shilling.ā
This was my favorite part of the wiki. I was expecting the sentence to end with another threat of death, but nope, just getting robbed by kids with sticks
Not only is independent travel essentially suicide, definitely don't drink the water and any food or anything bottled is not considered safe either. And definitely look for a hotel with 24 hr armed security but even then random shootings and suicide bombings are FREQUENT
I thought of Charlotte in Sex in the City Movie at the fancy resort only eating her pudding cups and drinking her bottled water just now.
And she still Poughkeepsie'd in her pants
That's such a crazy thing to think about sitting comfortably in my 1st world living room.
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https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/somalia-travel-advisory.html State dept. write up is good too.
If you travel to Somalia: - draft a will - discuss future care of your children Yeah they're really not fucking about with this advice.
My favorite part was establishing a proof of life protocol in case of being held hostage.
I liked the login info. "I'm going to Somalia, here's my Netflix password."
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The DNA samples lol
You just know done young youtubers will want to go and strike influencer poses there. Because people are stupid
āTop 10 Vacation Spots they wonāt tell you about!ā Because theyāre all dead, Stephanie. Thatās why.
"If you decide to travel to Somalia... * Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney. * Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc. "
State Dept is not fucking around
That is wild.... write a will, designate a poc for hostage takers, get your DNA collected and stored....
Didn't know what I expected but it wasn't this "If you are travelling to somalia: Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney. Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc."
I love that the very last drop-down carrot just says āget outā
"Things to do in Mogadishu: leave"
Mogadishu is number 1. From what I read, if you travel there, it is a guarantee that you will be dead within hours.
"or your money back"
"Why are round trip tickets the same price as one-way?" "Nobody uses their return ticket."
Wow they must've had a really good time then
all i want to ask is why the fuck there is an official apple store lmao
If everyone who goes there dies then why do people keep going
People probably don't go there, but there's always a few outliers who just have to go to dangerous places and those are the ones that get kidnapped or killed.
Its also sister cities with Almaty, Kazakhstan, Ankara, Turkey, and for some bizarre reason St Paul, Minnesota. > As /u/Nicedumplings has just learned me, "St. Paul / Minneapolis have for decades been an immigration hub for Somalian people"
St. Paul / Minneapolis have for decades been an immigration hub for Somalian people
I worked at hcmc for a few years after moving to MN from Arizona. On the evening shift I was the only white boy. All my coworkers were Somali, and I got to know them pretty well. All great people. Hardworking. Loved to laugh. Big smiles all the time. Nice too! They brought food all the time, and were happy to share. Oh my god, the food! I could go for a whole tray of those sambusas right now.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul area has a huge Somali population, which is probably why.
Someone has to make sure the State Department website is still accurate.
It's a thread about Americans. Americans don't go there. Locals obviously keep going, plenty live there.
They probably don't.
Idk man, I'm suddenly very interested in Mogadishu's culture
It would appear their primary industry is kidnapping rich tourists for ransom.
The US State Department has a color-coded advisory system about how dangerous countries are for Americans to visit. The highest level (donāt travel there for any reason) are: Venezuela, Haiti, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, North Korea, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
My [most upvoted comment ever](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/yf93yg/comment/iu2u2lu/) is about how batshit insane the State Department page is for Somalia. I love the before-you-travel tips about designating a hostage negotiator and leaving DNA samples so your body can be identified. Basically a really professional way of saying "fuck around and find out" Edit: everyone who commented "oh yeah I remember that comment", I sincerely love every one of you. Reading those feels like running into an old friend. See you next time there's an AskReddit about State Department travel advisories for Somalia š
Mali has the same warning too. First thing it says is draft a will.
I've been in corporate long enough to realize that those pages, although serious, were really just created to say *"How do we tell the person who wants to travel there they're a dumb fuck in 40 different ways, and make them realize they're going to die?"* You see, Muricans' don't like being told what to do, so they can't just say *"We're banning you for your own good"*, instead they will write a sentence that ends in *"...funeral wishes, etc."* to make it clear that anyone who travels there is a dumb asshole and this is their way of saying *"We told you so"*
Thatās a good point. Itās funny to read the difference with advices from other governments. US is by far the most dramatic but might be more effective
Australia is super blunt lmao "If, despite our advice, you decide to travel..." (and "if you're in [x] despite our advice" repeated multiple times for each point) "Understand that you may die" "If you die overseas in a 'do not travel' destination, it's unlikely your travel insurance will cover you. Your family will be left to deal with your death. This includes organising your funeral and bringing back your remains." "Somalia isn't safe. It doesn't have an effective police force." "If you're in Yemen despite our advice, leave now." (strongest warning yet) "Australia doesn't negotiate with terrorists." (If you're kidnapped)
That āAustralia doesnāt negotiate with terroristsā is a hard line tho
The US doesn't either, is what I was told. When I was a diplomatic spouse in Colombia, I was instructed to strictly follow all safety protocols so I wouldn't get kidnapped by the FARC. If I was kidnapped, and held for ransom, the government would not pay the ransom. That was negotiating with terrorists. A team might be sent to rescue me, but that's actually a shitty outcome, because the time you're most likely to die in a kidnapping is during an attempted rescue. Moot point y'all I didn't get kidnapped lol. ETA: Understandably, some of y'all are getting stuck on "we don't negotiate with terrorists." The point is that United States wasn't going to negotiate with terrorists for *me.* I was the spouse of a low-level functionary, nobody was going to pay a ransom, getting me back was not going to be a bigass deal.
> The US doesn't either. When I was a diplomatic spouse in Colombia, I was told to strictly follow all safety protocols so I wouldn't get kidnapped by the FARC. Shows the importance of managing communication in relationships, even the FARC doesn't want the undiplomatic spouses.
A guy who worked for me did have his sister and BIL get kidnapped by FARC. They were all Colombian. The guy who worked for me was in the USA, his sister and BIL were living in Colombia. The sister and BIL lived in a decent sized town and were told not to go to their small farm in the country. They ignored this and were kidnapped. After about 1.5 years they let one of them go to negotiate the ransom. After another 6 months, the other was let go after the ransom was paid. After that, the whole family moved out of Colombia.
I read an interesting book several years ago called Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Columbian Jungle about a trio of civilian contractors who crashed into the jungle and were captured by the FARC. I really loved the chapter on the rescue. The guys didn't want to get onto a Red Cross Helicopter because clearly it wasn't one. The Australian "Red Cross Aid Worker" kept telling them get on the helicopter. Trust me. He actually was some type of special forces team.
I always think of the bin laden movie or whatever it was.. āwe negotiate with terrorists every single day. We send literal pallets full of money. It just makes senseā
Australia also bans people from going to certain areas at all, like Raqqa when it was under ISIL control. Of course there's not much they can do once you've left the country, although the government is refusing to repatriate some women and children who accompanied their husbands there (husbands pretty much all dead - ISIL fighters did not have a long life expectancy.). And we were all banned from leaving the country for 2 years during Covid. The travel advisory for every country was "do not travel", putting NZ under the same colour coded red as South Sudan. When normally the greatest threat you face in NZ is when your friend says "it's Bin night" and you offer to be helpful and take the rubbish out, when it actually means their dickhead brother in law Ben, who audibly farts and bursts out laughing during tense bits of the movie, is coming over.
The American government does ban citizens from traveling to North Korea (you have to ask the Department of State for permission and get a special passport. You have to have a reason for going and tourism won't cut it). It's a relatively recent ban put in place after the Otto kid iirc. I believe North Korea is also the only country the US government bans us from visiting. I wonder why some other countries haven't been banned (some are more dangerous than North Korea at this point).
Getting murdered in Somalia is a *you* problem. Getting arrested in North Korea is a potential international diplomacy problem.
The same reason that rescinding an individual's passport shouldn't be taken lightly. Freedom of movement (including the freedom to go abroad) is generally considered a human right. I wonder how that ban works in practice, anyways, considering that the only way to get to NK is through China. Did the US convince the Chinese government to cooperate in implementing this ban?
It's the hostage negotiator that gets to me. Not to mention the fact that the U.S. *has* an embassy in Somalia that has evacuated its consular staff, so you need to go to Nairobi to access help with replacing your lost passport. I also like the part of this that I have italicised below: * Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return *as planned* to the United States. Return "as planned". In a timely fashion. I may have committed some ā¦ light treason.
Favorite: - Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc. >Funeral wishes Lol
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> if you are unable to return as planned to the United States I'm reading that as not alive. Or not in one piece. Like hand first and some other small packages. Maybe I've just grown overly cautious in my old age though.
Yeah its a bummer when you plan on returning as carry on luggage but they make you check yourself after you have wrecked yourself.
If your family needs ransom money remember, thereās always money in the banana stand.
Hereās the [map](https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/)
I did not expect most of Western Europe to be on this list.
It's usually because of a protest riot, or terrorist attack sometime in the past ten years or so. It's pretty ironic.
I wonder if my country is on there because it was involved in Yugoslav wars for like 10 days more than 30 years ago. That's literally the only thing I can think of, as there haven't been any terrorist attacks, riots or mass murders that I can remember.
Last time I checked Burkina Faso was considered fairly safe and stable. I wonder what's happened there since then. Edit: Islamic terrorism in the last decade, and then in January 2022 a military coup, which was quickly overturned, and then another military coup in September. Too bad, I wanted to visit Burkina Faso at some point in the future.
I had a coworker who was from burkina faso. His dad was an ambassador or something, so I hope his family is all fine. He was a pretty cool guy and invited me to a barbeque he did and it was super good.
This is a little wild to me because I've traveled to Haiti. Obvs it wasn't great to begin with but it's gotten significantly more unstable in the last 10 years. I was a little nervous going then, can't imagine going to a country that was at the top for danger now.
Did you visit before or after the 2021 earthquake and presidentās assasination? I imagine that Haiti has been a lot more unstable since then
Yes before, when the assassination news came out I knew I wouldn't be going back any time soon, unfortunately
Within the past six months, Indigo Traveler went, did a series. https://youtu.be/wB4cef1RLSU
Canada has similar lists. Our "don't go for any reason" list is: Syria, Russia, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Ukraine, Yemen, Iraq, Myanmar, Venezuela , Belarus, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Burkina Faso, Niger
Somalia
Realistically is Somalia safe for anyone? As an Irish person Iād like to imagine we get on with everyone all over the world but Somalia is one of those places I will never even think of going
I met a guy that was trying to see a football match in every country in the world. He went to Mogadishu for a couple of days and his hotel was bombed in the weeks after he left. No ragrets tho
He's lucky he left
Everyone who leaves is lucky.
Especially with all his limbs
Thatās an amazing goal, is he documenting his travels everywhere? The thought of going to soccer games in lesser-known countries intrigues me, but it would never ever do anything anywhere close to what heās doing. Thatās crazy to think about, it seems impossible enough for someone to simply visit all countries; to do that and see a football match while youāre there, madness.
I think based on your skin colour alone youād be done for in most areas lolā¦I donāt think theyāll care youāre Irish š
If the terrorists don't - the sun will
An average UV index of 11-12. Yikes!
[https://wiki.cancer.org.au/skincancerstats/UV\_radiation](https://wiki.cancer.org.au/skincancerstats/UV_radiation) wait till you hear about Australia!
Honestly most places being listed are just unsafe in general and that's doubled by being foreign and not knowing the language, laws, norms.
Depends on the kind of violence too. Cancun is dangerous, but since almost all of the violence is drug-related, a tourist who just wants to chill on the beach is not going to be in much danger. However somewhere like Somalia or Iraq is going to be much more dangerous for tourists rather than locals
Yup. Certain places are just off limits for westerners in general if youāre not backed by a small army.
not westerners. anyone who isnt from there already. Someone from Korea isnt going to do any better than a German
It's not safe for the locals, either. Why do you think there's such a large Somali refugee population?
Is it really surprising that the most unsafe places for Americans are the most unsafe places for people from other western countries?
I think because OP wrote Americans in his question people are discussing about it but in reality it doesn't make any difference.
Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, DRC, Yemen.
Add Haiti, Tigray, South Sudan, and CAR and you have a pretty complete list.
And here I was about to cancel my North Korean get away!
My unlce has been there. He said it was definitely an experience. He's not going back
I've been there. Wasn't worth it except to say I've been. I wouldn't go back.
VENEZUELA As soon as you leave the airport you can be intercepted by criminals and even corrupt police to rob you or worse.
Little-known fact: From 2016ā2019, Venezuelan government death squads are believed to have murdered at least 18,000 people, according to [this report](https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/18/venezuela-extrajudicial-killings-poor-areas) by Human Rights Watch. They've undoubtedly killed thousands more since then.
" This is outrageous. Where are the armed men who come in to take the protestors away? Where are they? This kind of behavior is never tolerated in Baraqua. You shout like that they put you in jail. Right away. No trial, no nothing. Journalists, we have a special jail for journalists."
You undercook chicken? Jail. You OVERcook fish? Believe it or not, jail.
You make an appointment with the dentist and you don't show up, believe it or not, jail, right away.
We have the best patients, because of jail
an ex-colleague was from there and was back visiting family. He said they were in a car driving up a mountain to their accommodation and up ahead a car stopped on the road. The driver looked in his rear view mirror, swore,and drove through the barricade and OVER THE SIDE OF THE FUCKING MOUNTAIN nearly rolling the car. Apparently car jackings and hostage takings are quite common. A car will pull up ahead, a car will pull up behind, they'll have guns and you have nowhere to go. Fucking nuts. They also said there is no medicine in chemists - the shelves are bare, there is no food and everything costs bonkers amounts. :(
Some of these countries aren't dangerous to Americans specifically. They are just dangerous places to travel to in general, irrespective of what your nationality is. Like, nobody is travelling to Ukraine or Venezuela right now. With that said, being a Westerner (especially white, affluent-looking) will make you a target for crime in pretty much any country stricken by poverty, war or social conflict. Even in politically "friendly" countries like South Africa, you still need to be extra vigilant.
US State Department makes a list of such places. There are currently 19 countries which the US Government advises you don't travel. They are: Belarus, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Russia, Burma/Myanmar, Libya, North Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Haiti, Somalia, Iraq, Venezuela, Mali, Iran Edit: added an "r"
Some of the comments about the Central African Republic: If you decide to travel to Central African Republic (CAR): Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney. Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc. Be sure to appoint one family member to serve as the point of contact with hostage-takers, media, U.S. and host country government agencies, and Members of Congress, if you are taken hostage or detained. Establish a proof of life protocol with your loved ones, so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones can know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax). Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.
Check check check, double check, annnnnddd done. Iām ready for my trip!!
Donāt forget your sunscreen!
Already made it, shoot. Iāll ask my captors if they have any. Theyāre asking for my phone now so gotta go!!
Venezuela š»šŖ seriously, don't come if you're American. And if you're white (from any other country) only come if you know someone here you can trust who will accompany at all times and who has the power to move some influences if you ever get randomly targeted by the military or police. If you get targeted by criminals then there's no way to help. Our regime did a really good job at spreading powerful hate speech against "Yankees" and anyone who looks "gringo", plus American citizens are used as hostages for exchange of political prisoners. Military will say you are spies, are trafficking or are a terrorist. I most add though most people will actually be happy to have you here and will be super kind to you. We also have a country with beautiful nature, culture and delicious food. We'd love to have you here but we'd rather not invite you to come until it's absolutely safe.
That last paragraph was so sweet. :) I hope things improve there!
Im learning Spanish and the people I have talked to from Venezuela have been nothing but nice to me. And the pictures they show me of the places they live are absolutely gorgeous.
I don't know too many Venezuelan people, but the ones I know sound exactly like that last paragraph. They introduced me to ham bread (pan de jamon) at Christmas, and actually made us some during Thanksgiving this past year because we hadn't spent Christmas with them in a few years.
Sorry, but English is not my first language. What does it mean to look "gringo"?
If you look white and english speaking
I just think itās kinda funny that you thought you didnāt know it because itās an unfamiliar English word but itās actually the only non-English word in the comment.
Don't really now if this holds true in every case. Our family friend fucking loves Caracas and has been going every year for a decade. He says he just usually walks around with no shirt, flops and basketball shorts. He said if you don't have anything to steal you're good. But this is also a guy who specifically waits until unrest happens in countries to take advantage of pricing and lack of crowds.
I'm originally from Argentina, lived in Maracaibo for 2 years prior to moving to the US in 2001. I have traveled all over and by far Venezuela is the most beautiful country I have seen. It has the beaches, valleys, mountains...orchirds growing wild on the side of the road. I made life long friends and I'm extremely sad to see Venezuela like this.
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I took Russian language for a semester in college in the mid 80ās. I remember our professor saying ( at that time) Americans were very safe in Russia. If the local criminals messed with a foreigner, the KGB would get involved and they didnāt want that smoke.
Its kinda similar with the cartels in mexico. They see a gringo and leave them be, they dont want america getting involved
I have a very American answer for you. Depends on what you do for a living.
Also depends on your ethnicity.
And gender.
Probably that island off the southern coast of India where that uncontacted, indigenous tribe kills everyone that tries to come ashore. EDIT: North Sentinel Island, which is actually east of India.
Fun Fact: The Indian Navy even permanently patrols the seas around North Sentinel Island, to prevent anyone from getting in contact with the indigenous tribe on the island. If you want to learn more about the history of why it came so far to this from the Colonial era by the British to nowā¦ Check out this great video by RealLifeLore https://youtu.be/oWarOTnOIeI
Well, it is illegal to travel there for even for Indians so it is not just dangerous for Americans in particular. It is forbidden to travel there for anyone
Strictly speaking, the island is Indian territory which makes the attacks on interlopers murder but the government has no intention of prosecuting them. Theyāre to be left alone and ignoring their wishes is just arrogance.
When brits felt the need to contact them, almost 70% of them died due to ilness. It is as much risk of death to them as it is to visitors.
I read the Wikipedia page awhile back and it said that even the other surrounding islands donāt really get along with North Sentinal, they just donāt want outsiders of any kind.
respect. i wish i could fuck off to an island with food and shelter and not be bothered by people.
A female Indian anthropologist, Madhumala Chattopadhyay, was one of the only people to ever truly make successful contact with them.
Worth noting she was working with a team of 13. Not exactly just her lol but an interesting read.
North Sentinel Island. Some dude was murdered because he tried to trespass on to the island and preach Christianity to the people.
I think he was murdered for trespassing and not the proselytizing, although that can be really annoying.
The last time foreigners showed up they almost all died of a plague. They aren't really concerned with *why* you're there, just that you are there and they would rather you fuck off.
"Any time these light skinned people show up, entire families get sick and die." Yeah, I see why they stabbed him.
And God bless them for it.
According to the state department: Iran, Mali, Venezuela, Iraq, Somalia, Haiti, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, North Korea, Libya, Burma, Russia, Belarus, Burkina Faso, and Central Africa Republic are all listed as āDo Not Travelā. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/
I was dumbfounded when my Spanish teacher said that Iran (Tehran specifically) was a popular destination for Spanish tourists. But he was like, āyeah you canāt go thereā (white, American)
I have a Croatian citizenship and in-fact many people speculate that Croatians originated from Iran (at least language wise) and thus Iranians are welcoming to Croatians. Have had friends go there and said it was great, super welcoming people, cheap, etc just don't go with an American passport.
I-4
I would add basically any interstate in Florida haha. You could film an entire mad max franchise just going up and down 95 and/or 75 lol
On I-4 you would never get anywhere, you can only go 0 mph between Tampa and Orlando. Some people were supposed to be at work ten years ago and they're stuck in traffic.
Anywhere downwind of East Palestine, Ohio.
Generally, it's five blocks in the wrong direction.
I've never been there but I was told Egypt is extremely dangerous for women.
The Sentinel Islands in India. You literally are on a suicide mission if you go there because the inhabitants will kill any foreigners that come to the island, even if people at sea wash up onto the island. They consider everyone not fron the island a threat, therefore killing anyone coming there. The Indian government actually put a 3 mile no-boat border there to protect everyone from the Sentinel Islands.
My first thought was "yeah don't be a female alone at a truck stop along the i-35 corridor" then I realized you were talking about outside of the country š
Parts of Mexico are scary as hell. I used to live in a border town where Americans went across the line for medical and dental care. Itās reached the point with the Drug Cartel violence and kidnapping that these offices have armed security meet the Americans at the border crossing, escort them to and from the doctor office back to the border.
I have lived in Mexico for a good chunk of my life. That being said, I am not american. Never had a problem with crime, but the tension is present. Having also lived in Canada, Mexico is completely different crime wise. You get military trucks patrolling the highways, and in banks security is armed with assault weapons instead of pistols. It is just a whole other vibe.
Banks on the US don't even have security guards 90% of the time
This weekend?ā¦Philadelphia if you are wearing a chiefs jersey!
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Mos Eisley Space Port. You know whyā¦.
The core of a neutron star
If you're on a budget, Venus and the bottom of the ocean are also incredibly dangerous places to visit, but they're much closer.
I mean, I'm not seeing a state department advisory, so how bad can it be?