Travelling the World, Go, no go, go with others.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I like to travel. I have seen most of the United States (except for New England, West Virginia, Alaska and Hawaii) I went to Mexico as a kid and also Grand Cayman as a child.

In Asia, I have been to South Korea, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. I also recently came back from Hong Kong.

I was thinking about where I would like to go if I had the time or money, and what places would be dangerous to go into, and what places would I feel more comfortable either in a tour or having someone who is native to that country. I like to call it Go, go with Others, or Not Go, because of the dangers involved. Also, a place with a good understanding of the English language.

GO:

Basically every country in Europe with the possible exception of Albania and maybe parts of the former Yugoslavia. I think even Yugoslavia is safe now. Romania and Bulgaria I would also probably do as a tour and not self travel. Russia I would love to see. I want to take the Trans Siberian railway from Beijing to Moscow, see Moscow and then go back. I think as long as I have money and not get into trouble, the rest of Europe is safe as it gets.

**Africa **would be mostly NOT GO with some countries that would fall under Go with Others. Egypt would be a Go with Others type of country. Actually Egypt would rock if you knew a local Eqyptian to take you around. Morrocco and Tunisia would also be interesting places where I would feel safe. Algeria is a dangerous country from what I hear. I saw the Michael Palin series Sahara and really enjoyed that and would love to take that trip if I was rich like Michael Palin. But he had a film crew and security. Don’t know how safe an independent traveler would be driving in the middle of Mali seeking a lost tribe.

NO GO places would be The Sudan, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Somolia, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria, just basically almost every African country, especially those that ring the Atlantic coast. Madagascar would be an interesting place to see however. Eithiopia would be fascinating, but how safe is Eithiopia?

Middle East

Go: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, UAE, Dubai, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey. (Turkey would probably be on the boundry of Go/Go with others, I would “Go with others” if we went to the eastern part of the nation.

Go with Others: Saudi Arabia (can’t go to Mecca, deserts bore me, hate camels and oil derricks are very interesting. The lack of alcohol would also be an extreme bummer.) Iran (would love to go there, however, as an American, I would have to take a tour by law. I would feel very safe in Iran.) Syria. Jordan.

Not Go: Israel (I just would not feel safe there.）The Gaza Strip, Iraq (obviously), probably the Caucuses regions.

Asia:

India I would “go with others” if I was travelling to different cities and places inside India. I am kind of torn if I want to go there or not. I do not like Indian food. The poverty, pollution, beggars and overpopulation would be challenging. If I had the money to go there, I would rather go on a group to “learn the ropes” as it were. China has that learning curve too for independent travel. Good thing about India is that most people can speak English.

Sri Lanka is another place that would be a “go with others” place because of the fact that they have recently had a civil war, and the fact that there is a lot of poverty as in other places in the region. Bangladesh would be cool to go see, because Bangladesh is such a cool name. But Bangladesh would be similiar with India with the same problems and the same infastructure.

Khazakstan would be interesting to see, but probably in a tour group. The rest of the -Stan countries would probably be a “no go”. There are some interesting sites in Uzbekistan, but I have read recently from the USA State Department that there is some terrorism/kidnapping stuff going on.

Indonesia would be on the border of “No Go/May Go”. The Phillipines the same way.

No go:

Pakistan (which really sucks because I would love to go there if it wasn’t for the terrorism and problems in that country), Afghanistan (that sucks for the same reason as Pakistan.

I wouldn’t go to North Korea, just because it is North Korea. Ever visited a relative in prison and were happy to get out of there because although you were in the prison, you were in prison. This to me is North Korea. I would not be allowed to explore the country, be fed a bunch of propaganda and lies, and knowing my money is going to tyrants who keep these people hostage. Funk that.

Myanmar (or Burma) for about the same reason as North Korea. I would be more inclined to go to Burma, because at least there are pretty temples to look at and a much more scenic landscape. Like North Korea, it would be nice if they could have a better government.

Would not venture into the -stan countries because of political instability. Kygyzstan, Tajikistan? No thanks.

Go:
Japan (love to go there.), Mongolia!

I would like to go to Australia, but I am not dying to go there. It would be fun to know someone there to stay with. New Zealand would be a beautiful country to see. I would also love to see some Pacific islands like Tahiti and so on. Take a cruise around the islands.

South America:

Go: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Equador. See the Andes. Bullfighting, Flemeenco dancing. The food would be great. Ochocinco!

May go: Brazil. I think outside of Rio and San Paulo, I wouldn’t feel any danger, but I feel I would be have to be vigilant in the bigger cities. The Amazon would be amazing to see.

No Go: Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana.

In Central America, I would feel safe going to any of those countries. Guetemala and El Salvador I probably would feel less secure in.

I wouldn’t want to travel to Mexico now, however the interior of the country is probably safe.

Canada? What would I do there that I cannot do in the USA? Tim Horton coffee?

2

You do yourself a disservice completely discounting Africa. The vast majority of Africa is peaceful and safe, and indeed West Africa is often cited as one of the safest places for women traveling solo. In 99% of the places you go, you won’t encounter anything worse than what you’d see in South East Asia.

Senegal, Mali, Ghana and Burkina Faso are all amazing places to travel. Egypt has a well-trodden tourist trail, and Ethiopia is a bit of an adventure, but my friends assure me it’s not to be missed. I would without hesitation travel any place that has a Peace Corps program (Peace Corps is extremely serous about safety- they live and die on PR), following Peace Corps safety rules and travel restrictions for that country. That said, for travel in West Africa you really do need to speak some French.

India is a difficult place to travel, and it is a really intense experience. I thought it was totally worth it, but I won’t argue with anyone who felt like it was too much.

As for me, there would be no place I wouldn’t go. For active conflict zones I’d imagine I wouldn’t be wandering in as a tourist, but rather going for work and my organization would have a safety plan. Any place I’d go as a tourist, I’d be fine going solo. My big “I wanna go” country right now is Ethiopia.

3

FWIW.
North Africa: Morrocco and Tunis are safe and worth a look. I personally would steer clear of Saudi Arabia, however, Jeddah is worth a look, but after the horrific floods they had I’m not sure what the ‘Pearl of the Red Sea’ looks like presently. Qatar is boring but safe. There are Arabian Experience tours to the Inland Sea. Oman, sigh, I loved Oman, Oman over any of the other gulf counties.

Former Yugoslavia: Slovenia great place, friendly easly to travel solo along Croatia well worth a trip. (Don’t care for the wine but beers are good) And don’t forget Montenegro, cheap and beautiful. They say don’t go walking through fields in parts of Bosnia Herzegovina, might be land mines left over.

Russia, take a tour unless you can speak/read Russian. I was lost is St. Petersburg of over an hour, on my own, even with a map, couldn’t read the street signs. No taxi would pick me up:(.

4

I don’t think that anyone wants to debate this issue. It would seem to be a better fit for seeking informed opinions, so it is off to IMHO.

5

I am honestly having a tough time thinking of places I wouldn’t travel to, and do it alone. I’ve been to several places you wouldn’t go to, some of them alone. I’ve lived in Israel and the Balkans and traveled around both extensively, sometimes alone. Never really had a big problem. I don’t think I would ever travel with a tour group, unless it was totally impractical not to - I did buy a tour package to travel around Turkey a few years ago because the deal I was offered was so much cheaper and more convenient than I could have done on my own, but it hadn’t been my original plan.

I’d be mildly concerned about going to China without someone who couldn’t speak Chinese, but I’d probably give it a shot anyway.

even sven’s warning about traveling around West Africa without speaking French gives me pause. My French is non-existent. OTOH, my best friend is French and loves West Africa (she’s been to Senegal three times, I think), I bet I can tag along with her.

Traveling in Latin America without Spanish would probably be a huge challenge. I think I met one guy who spoke English in Colombia. Fortunately, while I am not fluent, I do well enough.

6

The problem with West Africa is that you WILL get stopped by police looking for bribes and the like. It’s not dangerous and it’s easy to talk your way out of. It’s just a form of mild harassment and it quickly becomes like a game. But you need to know enough French to understand what is going on (lest you be constantly scared that the police are robbing you or whatever) and you need to be able to talk your way out of it.

I’ve never been to Senegal, and I know the trail is a better better worn there. I imagine if you are flying in for a beach vacation and not doing a ton of overland travel, you would be perfectly fine.

China can be done without Chinese. I know people who have lived there for years and even lived with serious girlfriends who never bothered to learn more than “I’d like another beer.” It can be easy in some ways because people don’t expect foreigners to speak Chinese. There are also so many people that the tourist trail is well-worn and populated with English speakers- the hostels will know what to do with you and have good guidance about how to get around the city.

In any case, most college-aged people can speak passable English, and are usually more than willing to help you figure stuff out. Crime is rarely a problem, so it’s not quite as important for security. That said, if you don’t speak Chinese you will probably have to plan some stuff ahead- have your hotel/hostel write out the name of wherever you are going to show the taxi drivers, carry your hotel’s business card with you so taxi drivers can take you back, memorize the names of a few dishes so you don’t always have to eat in tourist areas, etc.

7

My school has a mandated consulting component to the curriculum, and has sent kids to Rwanda for the last couple of years (you don’t have to bid for an international project, but they’re very popular). They’re extremely obsessive about ensuring the safety of the teams they send out. I think Rwanda has actually become something of a tourist destination and has moved away from the genocidal hellhole image most people probably have of it.

8

You don’t need to know Russian in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Both have extensive subway systems that are easy to navigate. I can’t imagine walking for more than an hour and not passing a station. Both cities felt pretty safe to me, even though I usually was out well past midnight.

Taxis in China can be fun. They are very cheap, so if you are not in a hurry, getting lost can be interesting. Communication with taxi drivers will be impossible, so either have your destination written down in Chinese, or if you know the area, just point to which direction you want to go. I will be in Taiwan and mainland China for eight or more months starting in a couple of weeks, so I hope to increase my Mandarin vocabulary enough to give directions. This will be my first time outside of southern NJ for more than a three week period.

For Asia, I would add Malaysia to your list. I haven’t been, but have heard many recommendations to travel there. Both Peninsular and Borneo.

If I get tired of wandering about China, I may cross the border into Vietnam, then head down to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

India is a country I would really love to visit, but I have no idea where I would begin. There are just too many choices, so I don’t think I would go unless I had several months to cover a lot of territory.

I don’t know why you put Colombia as a no go. It would be one of my top choices for my first trip to South America.

9

Wouldn’t you love to be able to say you’ve actually been to Timbuktu?

10

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel abroad in the last couple of years. Every time was with a group of people that I was very familiar with, and had someone who was (more or less) a local and spoke the language.

So, each of these are my experience with others.

Tanzania - Gorgeous country, fantastic tours. We were booked up on safaris and organized outings so didn’t get much of a chance to get the local flavours and social interaction. Everywhere we went was friendly and inviting. We did go to a local market one day which was a little intimidating as we stood out as tourists and attracted people to ‘help’ translate and get us to buy the right things.

**Serbia **- Went for a family wedding, and we are glad we went (including our 9-year old twins). Very interesting to see and I never felt uneasy or nervous even when walking around by myself. That said, I don’t think there was anything that I would recommend as a tourist destination.

**Turkey **- Have an uncle and his girlfriend who live there to show us around. She is Turkish and was able to discuss and get information everywhere we went. I don’t doubt that we would be able to get around almost as easily, although probably a little more expensive. Even in the smaller towns in central Turkey weren’t a problem. We were thrilled to be there and to see the history so close, highly recommended.

**Ukraine **- My dad and his girlfriend went there this summer and managed to enjoy themselves, but he (almost) speaks the language. He’s glad he went, but probably wouldn’t go back. He didn’t think it was somewhere for us to go…but then, what does he know…
**Britain **- Easy to get around, expensive (especially gas/petrol), easy to understand except rural Wales or Newcastle. Getting lost in Leeds and driving around some of the public housing made us more nervous than the whole time in Serbia.

**Canada **- I’ve been trying to think what sort of tour we would take relatives on here near Toronto. I can think of stuff to see and do, but it pales in comparison to UK or Turkey.

11

After a brief glance, I’d definitely vote for Australia. I just spent a week in Sydney with Prince Charming and it was a lot of fun. We found a week’s worth of stuff and more to do just in the greater metro area. A lot of it is walkable.

Another place you mention, Singapore is really, really interesting. For food, it is paradise. Get the Makansutra Guide if you go. Also it’s beautiful, there’s a ton to do: night safari, anyone? Bats! The Ferry to Pulau Ubin. Kaya toast. Endless hawker (food) centers. Sentosa. Orchids. The MRT as cheap tour bus. Haw Par Villa. And if you get an add value transit card, it’s really easy to get around on the clean and laughably cheap buses. I liked it a lot!

12

Bhutan is a good place for bragging rights that you’ve been there. The required per-day amount to be exchanged – I think it’s US$200 a day, may have changed – keeps the tourist hordes away. Plus it’s a smoke-free country, all smoking banned by law.

13

My wife went when we were posted to Bamako, and had the most frightening plane ride of her life. I refused to go because Air Mali uses old Russian aircraft that are poorly maintained. If it were me, I would much rather visit Djenne, which can be driven to. Amenities are scarce in some of the West African countries.

I would highly recommend Tanzania and Botswana, if money isn’t a factor. The wildlife safaries are wonderful.

14

You can drive to Timbuktu, as well. But I can tell you from experience it’s a challenging way to spend your vacation!

15

True, but you’d be well advised to have a guide. We drove to the Bandiagara Escarpment, but without a guide would have been lost very quickly. The drive is overland, through dry washes and over cattle trails, through scrub and fallow fields. I know people who drove (or attempted to drive) to Timbuktu, who ended up having to be towed out by livestock.

Oh, and it’s ‘safaris’, not ‘safaries’. Thought I’d head off the spelling nazis.

16

I never understand people who wonder if they should go traveling alone.

I have never traveled with another person and have been all over Asia including India.

Do you think that you’ll be the only traveler there?

Although I was traveling to India alone, I met some one on the plane who was also interested in going to Bodhgaya. We ended up staying together at the Red Shield Guest House in Calcutta and went together to Bodhgaya. After a couple of days he was going on to Delhi, but I wanted to see Varanasi, so we said our goodbyes. However there were lots of travelers on the train heading to Varanasi so I wasn’t alone for long. This kind of thing happened constantly during the 3 months I was there.

If you do travel with someone, there is a possibility that you two will spend much of your time together and you will miss out on the opportunity to meet other travelers from all over the world. Traveling “alone” forces you to be open to other people, locals and other travelers.