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Government lists of "do not travel to" places
This is what shows up when you open the Australian government's federal travel website, Smart Traveler:- "We advise against travel to these destinations." Countries listed: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan.
- "Reconsider your need to travel to these destinations." 21 countries are listed including Burma, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Yemen, and Indonesia.
It's great that the government shares information with their people, ensuring their safety when they travel abroad. But is it effective?
In theory, you can read the newspaper and know what's happening around the world, which would eliminate the need for this website. However, the document -- prepared by 'assessments from Australian missions overseas, threat assessments from spy agencies' -- promises information about countries you wouldn't normally have access to.
The US State Department website has a similar category in their travel section. However, it's more subtle than the Australian one as it only lists updated travel warnings to about 30 countries.
My question is: how seriously do you take such websites? Do they influence your decision on where to travel?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Katie Jan 16th 2008 5:41PM
Indonesia, wait a minute...I've been there recently. Are they saying that huge country is not safe. I understand the other countries on your list but Indonesia has so many beautiful outposts...way away from the cities and conflicts from those urban areas. Is the State Department saying all of Indonesia should be delegated as unsafe, I think not
Scott Jan 23rd 2008 7:52PM
Katie, I spent the entire month of December in Jakarta. It was the third trip there for my three year old.
As far as crime / terrorism, I think being in Jakarta is a whole lot safer than being in Philadelphia!
The people there are incredibly friendly. The food is wonderful.
However.... The risk of Typhoid / Typhus / Dengue fever / food poisoning / etc. is quite real.
I'm certain that Indonesia is on the list for political reasons. The actual chance of being in a place like the Australian Embassy / Kuta beach / Jimbaran / JW Marriott / etc. while JI is blowing it up is infinitesimal.
The total of all the people killed in those bombings is 244. Meanwhile 17,000 people a year are murdered in the United States and 100,000 raped.
On the other hand... You do pretty much stand out as a bule.
neil_metblogs Jan 16th 2008 5:41PM
It's heavily advertised here in Australia and they can be quite useful for things such as visa requirements. Before a trip to Thailand, I checked out the site, which declared parts of the country dangerous. Read through and made a decision that Bangkok was probably safe enough to travel to.
travelingmom.com Jan 16th 2008 8:47PM
For family travel, absolutely. And families are going to exotic places. However, I am not sure that planning a trip to the Philippines or even Haiti would prompt an experienced traveling mom to check the US's list of dangerous places.
Wondering if Katie traveled to Indonesia with kids.
Always looking for family travel tips and concerns for www.travellingmom.com.
nzm Jan 16th 2008 10:43PM
Indonesia was added to Australia's unsafe list because of the Bali bombing which killed tourists who were predominantly Ockers.
It really does depend on your nationality too. Oz stuffed up their citizens' freedom to safe travel by aligning themselves with the US in Iraq.
To be fair, all the countries on the Australian Foreign Affairs' lists are nations in conflict or have militant factions which have targeted tourist hot spots within their own countries.
Saudi Arabia is the only one on that list which puzzles me, but then the Magic Kingdom is an enigma unto itself, and its culture and customs make it difficult for non-Muslims (especially females) and also muslimahs travelling on their own to visit it.
State departments are protecting themselves by issuing these warnings. In other words, they're saying, "we did warn you and don't expect us to be able to rescue if you do get into trouble."
As a kiwi who frequently travels with a German partner, I have no problems in most countries and am greeted as a long lost friend - Oman and Jordan for example.
The only countries I have had problems in as far as Immigration clearance at airports have been fellow Commonwealth countries - Canada and the UK. The only theft and violence we've ever encountered were in Berlin, Paris and Prague. Go figure.
aspegne Jan 18th 2008 9:55PM
Frankly, I appreciate the state dept advisories - I lived overseas in Asia for 10 years and sometimes find these things rather entertaining as well as useful. For example, the one on Guyana talked about the "choke and grab" assaults by cab drivers coming from the airport, something Mr. "Blue Sky" Rick Steves would never tell you for fear of looking politically incorrect.
Mike Sanders Jan 19th 2008 2:27AM
I take them dead seriously!
I wonder whether Mexico has an advisory from the U.S. government... I intend to check this out, now, because I've been reading some aweful stories out of Baja.
Thanks, for the link to the State Department.
WakullaMike Jan 19th 2008 4:15AM
Most dangerous? Try going to Miami without speaking spanish ... oh ... never leave your car alone anywhere and stay in it and keep your doors locked and engine running.
Scott Jan 23rd 2008 8:03PM
Kate, what brought you to Indonesia?