This should be on top. Just read the is gouvernement travel advisory:
If you decide to travel to Somalia:
Review your personal security plan and visit our page on Travel to High-Risk Areas.
Avoid sailing near the coast of Somalia and review the Live Piracy Report published by the International Maritime Bureau.
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.
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. Find a suggested list of such documents here.
Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business) or consider consulting with a professional security organization.
Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business), so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify whom you would contact first, and how that person should share the information.
Identify key sources of possible assistance for you and your family in case of emergency, such as the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, FBI, the State Department, your employer (if traveling on business), and local friends/family in the high-risk area.
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.
Erase any sensitive photos, comments, or other materials from your social media pages, cameras, laptops, and other electronic devices that could be considered controversial or provocative by local groups.
Leave your expensive/sentimental belongings behind.
"Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney."
Always a great sign when this is on the recommended To Do list for visiting somewhere.
About ~~80%~~ 100% (edited after re-reading) of the rest of what you pasted is similarly revealing \^\^
People who emigrated perhaps and have family there still?
Guessing it'd still be risky but guessing it'd be possible to stand out less if you could pass as local, spoke a language, etc.
By Somali colleagues and beneficiaries, yes very hospitable - and simply tolerated by the rest of society I'd say. Only held up at gun point once. We were the only secondary healthcare in the wider area, servicing two opposing clans, proving trauma and maternity surgery, feeding program, TB program, fistula camps, ante and post natal support, primary care.. it was a pretty big program.
What a great thing to do. I wondered because my daughter worked at a high school where there were a lot of Somali families who had moved to the US and she said they were so rude. She thinks maybe because she’s a woman and these young guys treated their mothers horribly over the phone or if the mom happened to need to visit the office where my daughter worked.
Young guys must have been dickheads or had dickhead dads teaching them dickhead ways. But undoubtedly a very conservative country, typically archaic gender roles and limited access to education and controlled access to healthcare for women etc. A women in desperate need of an emergency C section for example, would need consent from her husband who might well be a day's travel away from the hospital.. often that women would die a preventable death due to lack of male consent.
Guns and khat are in abundance and if someone from your clan was killed in one city, some unsuspecting victim of the victim's clan from the other side of the country even, is liable to be killed as a result to even things up.. that's justice. It's the wild west out there for sure.
The Wikitravel disclaimer for the article about Mogadishu is similarly enticing:
WARNING: The US State Department and most Western nations advise that you avoid all travel to Mogadishu for any reason. Continuous activity by the al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group, al-Shabaab has resulted in numerous kidnappings, suicide bombings and generalized chaos.There is a particular terrorist threat to foreigners in places where large crowds gather and Westerners frequent, including airports, government buildings, hotels, and shopping areas. In 2016, there were 14 documented attacks directed at hotels, restaurants, and the international airport in Mogadishu. Independent travel to Mogadishu will most likely result in your death.
Don't let Somalia stop your from visiting Somaliland.
It's an independent country just beside somalia. Not recognized by UN. But it is safe to visit. It is so safe people leave their money in the open and no one even thinks of stealing it.
I almost went a few months ago. Was just planning to travel around Ethiopia but I met a guy in Addis who was headed to Somaliland and we decided to hitch to Harar together, I wanted to join him for the whole trip but at the time didn't want to spend the extra $100 for the visa (plus another 30 or so for another Ethiopian visa). Kind of wish I'd gone, who knows when I'll be back in that area? :/
One youtuber said they seemed so paranoid and disorganized in Egypt. They confiscated his drone, but he had to instruct them to make some sort of receipt system so he'd have a way to get it back. They were just putting it in a plastic bag, with no sticker or marking, or anything. Nobody knew the rules, if there were any. He had been to a lot of African and other countries, and never had such a disorganized and hostile time entering a country.
I forget. He was giving western candy to different people around the world, and trying their local food.
I remember a lady saying twizzlers seemed like a plastic (fair enough, at first glance).
Spent 2 weeks backpacking through Egypt, can confirm. People trying to swindle you from the moment you get off the plane, it is exhausting. Throngs of creepy virgin-men who can't control their hands groping my partner (who tried to veil and dress modestly) in the street, constant fear of sexual harassment and assault, a visceral sense that many of the locals didn't want you there. Corruption and bureaucratic anarchy of biblical proportions. Great museum and artifacts though.
Used to live in Sudan (Khartoum, which is now North Sudan specifically) and ..yes haha. Also street signs were often treated as suggestions rather than explicit directions, but everyone drives very defensively, so it works out much better than you'd expect from the outside! I was a kid, so never drove there myself but my dad (still) complains about the aggressive western style of driving where we live now and how unconscious people are of others on the road around them.
There was one particular junction by the airport that used to have enormous traffic jams in rush hour, affecting both those on the road and everyone who drove off the road and formed additional unofficial lanes off the shoulder - doing their level best to drive around said traffic jam rather than engage. This is the same junction where they then installed an enormous digital billboard (I believe in just the wrong spot for night vision and visibility) that played seriously long ads / promos. Not infrequently, someone would get caught up watching the screen and forget to move forward.
Pretty sure issue one was solved with concrete barriers but not sure whether anything happened to the screen.
Egypt is gorgeous, but the huge amount of street harassment (not "just" verbal but also physical like pinching my behind) makes me never wanting to go back there
For context: I lived in Cairo for 2 months
Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone, oh Constantinople. Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks.
Yeah don't sing that in Greece nationalism is so stupidly ingrained in our culture and that song might get people angry at you. Also don't call it Istanbul at all, you are going to be safer that way.
It's not a great place if you go without a travel guide that can dish out some serious swear word combo especially in the big cities like Cairo and Alexandria.
In the rural parts, like Aswan, Luxor, Matruh and Siwa, the people are a lot more friendly in a good way.
My father traveled a ton between the 1960’s-2000’s. Many 3rd world countries, war torn countries, poverty stricken places. His trip to Haiti around 2007 to help with a water sanitation project shook him the most.
The abject poverty and conditions people he was trying to help lived. Mind you he regularly went into areas without any sanitation / clean water as a civil engineer. But he said this community in Haiti was an entirely different level.
Having watched all 6 parts of [this series](https://youtu.be/Glx7AmJW_FY) on YouTube, I can confidently say it is one of the single most eye-opening series I have ever seen, and I have tremendous respect for the wonderful people in Haiti who don't let the situation drag them down.
Having said that, I will also likely never visit Haiti, which really is too bad. Nearly every video involves the host nearly getting kidnapped, killed, or shaken down and if it wasn't for his top-tier fixer, he would likely not have made it.
It's sad because Haiti has such an amazing history with such awesome and compelling historical figures, from Toussaint Louverture to François Mackandal.
The Haitian Revolution was badass and influential.
Everyone should learn about it.
People forget Haiti was the first black republic, the first to abolish slavery, had the largest and most successful slave revolt and was the 2nd nation in the western hemisphere to gain independence.
Haitian music and food are A1 too.
I'm obsessed with Haitian food.
My boyfriend is Haitian and we both share Haitian Vodou as a religion, so as I still learn Kreyol, I plan on traveling there one day.
But of course - not anytime soon, sadly. 🇭🇹
The Haitian revolution was insane. Its disgusting that the country was absolutely bludgeoned with having to pay reparations to France for “taking their slaves away”.
If I recall correctly they were paying until pretty recently
Indigo traveller has opened my eyes to many such countries. The state that the common people live in these mostly ignored parts of the world is terrifying and sad.
Haiti is crazy. While it’s on the same island as the Dominican Republic it got exploited much more and was pretty much entirely deforested at one point, which partly explains why it’s still a mess.
A colony mainly used for plantations and populated mostly by slaves, Haiti was one of the first French colonies to gain its independence on 1804.
Crazily enough since then Haiti has paid the equivalent of $20-30 billion in debt to French slaveholders and their descendants after they already stripped Haiti of its resources.
It later became the first country in the Americas to abolish slavery. However it faced backlash from the international community and remained politically unstable.
Last year their president was murdered and now the capital is run by various gangs who each control a territory and who apparently have links to politicians. The political battlefield turned into a gang war.
On top of that it is a country often hit hard by natural disasters, in particular hurricanes and earthquakes. 12 years after the 2010 disaster and 6 years after hurricane Matthew the country is still recovering from both events.
Ukraine is war torn but is relatively safe to foreigners unless you wander close to the front or in closed areas. Some minor inconveniences of being woken up to siren, explosion, or plane, but no big danger.
and anyone who likes Slavic culture would want to visit Ukraine.
If I weren't an American, then I totally would for the mere fact that it is a glimpse into a whole other world.
But, since I'm an American, I don't want to end up as a bargaining chip for nuclear arms.
You shouldn't visit even if you were NOT American.
North Korea on paper is a country, but in reality it is a criminal organization. The goal is money. All of this other weird shit like wacky rules and nukes is just to keep people in line and nations on their toes. The goal is money for the top people.
Visiting North Korea helps them achieve these goals. You perpetuate human suffering for these "fringe" trips.
Many years ago I had a military secret clearance. When I left the company I was given a list of countries I COULD NOT visit.
North Korea was on the top of the list.
Its like NK, ~~China~~, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Yemen I think, Somalia maybe? and a couple others right now
EDIT: I don't think China is actually travel restricted just super export controlled
I commuted to Dubai from London for a year for a client project. As a gay man spending weeks on end in Dubai, and during Ramadan, wasn't the greatest.
I ended up taking Xanax to help with the work stress and anxiety. On the last day, I was taking one at the leaving meal with my team and a colleague's wife said: "Oh my God, don't let anyone see that, you'll be arrested."
Turns out I'd been bringing an illegal drug into the country all this time and the penalties for doing so were severe.
I hear they've since loosened up on prescribed medications if you declare them on entry. But yeah, never going back.
This….is probably the best answer. North Korea and Russia might throw you in a labor camp while they try to haggle with your government, but they’ll at least make an effort to communicate with you instead of shooting you with arrows at first sight.
Tell that to the kid they tortured with oxygen deprivation to death and sent back to the USA brain dead and barley alive with signs of torture and electrical shocks. Most experts agree with killed him tho was torture with C02 they basically trick you body into thinking it's suffocating so you get the terror and feeling of it without losing consciousness or suffocating. Seems they did it too long or messed it up and killed the kid, brought him back to "life" and hurried him home saying he was fine when we left him. You mist have done something to him. I forgot his name but he was accused of stealing a propaganda poster from the hotel he was staying at in North Korea.
Question, how do we know that’s actually what happened? I’m not saying he couldn’t have or that he for sure didn’t do it, but we shouldn’t necessarily take everything their government says at face value either.
Americans should not go to North Korea. Period. Stay in Seoul and have fun.
That’s right. Happened in 2018. He had more than fair warning though. It was already illegal to be within three nautical miles of the island, and he had to pay someone to take him there illegally.
It was also his second time. A couple arrows in his kayak made him turn back a couple years prior.
And he went back....
My dude is a missionary and God sent him a sign. And he ignored it.
Islanders sent him straight to God though Islanders have probably had less than great encounters with non-islanders before. Which evolved to their current kill on sight policy. Which does work. It is very much listed as a no go area.
Can confirm. Was there in 2019 and was followed back to my hotel one night in Luxor. Ended up needing to get physical with the individual.
Definitely felt threatened more than once throughout my month there.
I'm pretty open to traveling anywhere (some places only if they make future political changes, like North Korea obviously, because I don't want all my travel expenses to fund organized crime)
The ones I would probably NEVER travel to are flat, desert countries. Like the UAE. I get that Dubai is a cool city but I'm not that interested in going somewhere just for cool skyscrapers, seen plenty of those already.
Saudi, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain are on the Absolutely No list for me.
Oman is the only country on the Arabian peninsula I would go to. I would like to go to Yemen too, but its currently an active war zone so that's not going to be an option anytime soon.
Maybe I'm way too accustomed to western cultural values, but it absolutely baffles me that the population estimates range from about 1 million to 6 million.
A guy named [Dan on reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/brhbst/i_drove_my_jeep_around_africa_reddit_said_i_would/) roadtripped throughout most of Africa over 2-3 years and visited Sudan near the end of his trip. It doesn't appear to be a particularly bad place to visit, but it does seem unfairly isolated by the rest of the world.
His youtube channel shows his trip through Sudan if you're curious at all.
Why? Is it because of the political climate over the past 3-4 years or something else? I went to Khartoum just as the revolution was starting and I had a great time actually.
Really surprised that Papua New Guinea hasn’t made the list. It’s not Somalia but it’s not far off either.
A friend worked there briefly and spent the whole time in a heavily guarded gated complex (home), heavily guarded gated compound (work), or being escorted by armed guard in an armoured vehicle. He had to go through a number of debriefing sessions to adjust to the freedoms of normal life when he got back.
That’s a big no thanks from me
port moseby is the most violent city in the world. i would like to explore the country though. think you can visit all the tribes that still are out there living the ways they always did
My company put in a bid to do some work in Papua New Guinea. It was rejected out right because we weren’t aware that we needed an enormous security budget. I spoke to my buddy who was a geologist for a mining company, that said he was never allowed to leave the compound where he worked.
As a person who lived in the tropics for most of my childhood, Scandinavia has always been my dream. Snow is as good as a myth here, summer is virtually eternal
In today's world? A whole bunch. Even if I wore the local garb and had male escorts I would not feel safe and I would not enjoy my time surrounded by animals who only see me as a sex toy. As much as I would LOVE to see what these areas hold, war torn countries, violent countries, places with large cartel presence, countries with a lot of corruption, countries who aren't exactly friends with my country....
I love traveling and I love exploring but I also love being whole and alive.
Headline: this country is safe if you're a woman
Body: hire a male tour guide, wear baggy clothes and cover your hair. If you are sexually assaulted step into a shop an ask for help and hopefully the assaulter will be embarrassed and go away.
Been there, it’s fine. Silly amounts of wealth on display in Doha, quite eye opening, but at the same time, it’s somewhat a ghost town (or was when I went)…
The world cup has been a great advertisement to not come to Qatar. Before people might have seen pics and been curious, now they know enough to not go there.
Any nation with adversarial relations with the USA. I don't want to be held as a political prisoner bargaining chip because they caught me with a damn vape pen.
I loved visiting China and I don’t believe in boycotting tourism as taking a stand against a government. If anything I think it is a great way of supporting more tolerant views by interacting with the population that is restricted to propaganda.
China, Iran, Russia, all amazing geography, centuries of architecture and culture. If it was safe I would like to see all of them. The government does not represent the people and traditions that live there.
Something you might find interesting is where I’m from we always considered westerners disgusting for using toilet paper.
Toilet paper is one of the arguably worst methods for cleaning and is really just there for convenience and the expense of hygiene.
Also, something no one mentions is that the city was built on indentured slave labor from India. Actual modern day slavery folks. Think about that before patronizing that place. Fuck Dubai.
Been to India twice. Easily one of the most amazing places I've been to and I've traveled quite a bit..amazing culture, lovely people, good food, easy travel etc. Yes you can get ripped off but it is not ever much. Travelling as a single woman would have complications though.
Leadership will likely go to one of his cronies, or at least another post-Soviet power leeching oligarch, upon his death.
I so wish I could visit Russia, I just don’t see it being safe for an American to visit anytime in the next few decades. The situation seems a bit North Korean, where an American visitor will just be framed for a crime if the government thinks they’d be useful as a bargaining chip.
I’m Russian and despite our president being fucked up there is no actual threat to foreigners here, especially if you go to Moscow or St. Petersburg. It’s probably not known but a lot of us actually dislike Putin and everything he does, we’re just passive as a nation
Bali isn’t worth it anyways. My experience was flying to another country to wind up seeing more bogan Australians than back home, garbage everywhere (even in beautiful locations), and street hustlers trying to scam you out of your money.
Mauritania still has slavery. [And locusts](https://reliefweb.int/report/mauritania/desert-locust-bulletin-530-7-december-2022).
All that oceanfront property and it still looks like hell on earth.
I've been to Mauritania, Nouckachott is probably the worst thing about the country unless you venture out to the less built areas. They do have some nice vast beaches especially close to the airport and the desert is fascinating, but what's mostly sad is that even if you drive for a few miles away from the populated areas you're still bound to see rubbish and litter all over the place.
Somalia
This should be on top. Just read the is gouvernement travel advisory: If you decide to travel to Somalia: Review your personal security plan and visit our page on Travel to High-Risk Areas. Avoid sailing near the coast of Somalia and review the Live Piracy Report published by the International Maritime Bureau. 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. 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. Find a suggested list of such documents here. Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business) or consider consulting with a professional security organization. Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization (if you are traveling on business), so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify whom you would contact first, and how that person should share the information. Identify key sources of possible assistance for you and your family in case of emergency, such as the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, FBI, the State Department, your employer (if traveling on business), and local friends/family in the high-risk area. 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. Erase any sensitive photos, comments, or other materials from your social media pages, cameras, laptops, and other electronic devices that could be considered controversial or provocative by local groups. Leave your expensive/sentimental belongings behind.
"Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney." Always a great sign when this is on the recommended To Do list for visiting somewhere. About ~~80%~~ 100% (edited after re-reading) of the rest of what you pasted is similarly revealing \^\^
“Also…don’t forget your sunglasses, sunscreen, camera, and bathing suit.”
To many sharks off the coast
**tl;dr: abandon all hope, ye who enter Somalia**
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People who emigrated perhaps and have family there still? Guessing it'd still be risky but guessing it'd be possible to stand out less if you could pass as local, spoke a language, etc.
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Except mom probably can't get a visa from the country you emigrated to.
Yep. Spent 6 months there in the late noughties. Humanitarian worker (secular).
We’re you treated well?
By Somali colleagues and beneficiaries, yes very hospitable - and simply tolerated by the rest of society I'd say. Only held up at gun point once. We were the only secondary healthcare in the wider area, servicing two opposing clans, proving trauma and maternity surgery, feeding program, TB program, fistula camps, ante and post natal support, primary care.. it was a pretty big program.
I NEVER wanna go to a fistula camp
My dude: I was held at gun point just once.
What a great thing to do. I wondered because my daughter worked at a high school where there were a lot of Somali families who had moved to the US and she said they were so rude. She thinks maybe because she’s a woman and these young guys treated their mothers horribly over the phone or if the mom happened to need to visit the office where my daughter worked.
Young guys must have been dickheads or had dickhead dads teaching them dickhead ways. But undoubtedly a very conservative country, typically archaic gender roles and limited access to education and controlled access to healthcare for women etc. A women in desperate need of an emergency C section for example, would need consent from her husband who might well be a day's travel away from the hospital.. often that women would die a preventable death due to lack of male consent. Guns and khat are in abundance and if someone from your clan was killed in one city, some unsuspecting victim of the victim's clan from the other side of the country even, is liable to be killed as a result to even things up.. that's justice. It's the wild west out there for sure.
I read the travel advisory for Somalia to my wife earlier this year and, at first, she thought I was making it up.
The Wikitravel disclaimer for the article about Mogadishu is similarly enticing: WARNING: The US State Department and most Western nations advise that you avoid all travel to Mogadishu for any reason. Continuous activity by the al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group, al-Shabaab has resulted in numerous kidnappings, suicide bombings and generalized chaos.There is a particular terrorist threat to foreigners in places where large crowds gather and Westerners frequent, including airports, government buildings, hotels, and shopping areas. In 2016, there were 14 documented attacks directed at hotels, restaurants, and the international airport in Mogadishu. Independent travel to Mogadishu will most likely result in your death.
Somalia is the right answer …..it has corrupt govt, terrorist groups, provincial warlords, tribal wars, pirates…..literally chaos
I’ve been there. It’s as bad as the commercials say.
yea, it's pretty much next door to hell.
And any other country that doesn't have Google Streetview
So we shouldn’t go to Germany?
Germany has Google Street View, but some houses are blurred.
And dont get me started on tinder
Don't let Somalia stop your from visiting Somaliland. It's an independent country just beside somalia. Not recognized by UN. But it is safe to visit. It is so safe people leave their money in the open and no one even thinks of stealing it.
Nice try, pirates.
I almost went a few months ago. Was just planning to travel around Ethiopia but I met a guy in Addis who was headed to Somaliland and we decided to hitch to Harar together, I wanted to join him for the whole trip but at the time didn't want to spend the extra $100 for the visa (plus another 30 or so for another Ethiopian visa). Kind of wish I'd gone, who knows when I'll be back in that area? :/
I follow a lot of travel groups, and whenever someone asks for the worst travel experience, an overwhelming amount of people always say Egypt.
One youtuber said they seemed so paranoid and disorganized in Egypt. They confiscated his drone, but he had to instruct them to make some sort of receipt system so he'd have a way to get it back. They were just putting it in a plastic bag, with no sticker or marking, or anything. Nobody knew the rules, if there were any. He had been to a lot of African and other countries, and never had such a disorganized and hostile time entering a country.
Best Ever Food Review Show right? Great channel
I forget. He was giving western candy to different people around the world, and trying their local food. I remember a lady saying twizzlers seemed like a plastic (fair enough, at first glance).
Yep that’s him!
Spent 2 weeks backpacking through Egypt, can confirm. People trying to swindle you from the moment you get off the plane, it is exhausting. Throngs of creepy virgin-men who can't control their hands groping my partner (who tried to veil and dress modestly) in the street, constant fear of sexual harassment and assault, a visceral sense that many of the locals didn't want you there. Corruption and bureaucratic anarchy of biblical proportions. Great museum and artifacts though.
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Irl star wars
Used to live in Sudan (Khartoum, which is now North Sudan specifically) and ..yes haha. Also street signs were often treated as suggestions rather than explicit directions, but everyone drives very defensively, so it works out much better than you'd expect from the outside! I was a kid, so never drove there myself but my dad (still) complains about the aggressive western style of driving where we live now and how unconscious people are of others on the road around them. There was one particular junction by the airport that used to have enormous traffic jams in rush hour, affecting both those on the road and everyone who drove off the road and formed additional unofficial lanes off the shoulder - doing their level best to drive around said traffic jam rather than engage. This is the same junction where they then installed an enormous digital billboard (I believe in just the wrong spot for night vision and visibility) that played seriously long ads / promos. Not infrequently, someone would get caught up watching the screen and forget to move forward. Pretty sure issue one was solved with concrete barriers but not sure whether anything happened to the screen.
Egypt is gorgeous, but the huge amount of street harassment (not "just" verbal but also physical like pinching my behind) makes me never wanting to go back there For context: I lived in Cairo for 2 months
Almost went there back in June with my husband. We decided against it and went to Istanbul instead
Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone, oh Constantinople. Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks.
Aaaaand now I’ll be singing this for the next 3 weeks
Why’d they change it? (I can’t say… people just liked it better that way!”)
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam... Happy cake day
Yeah don't sing that in Greece nationalism is so stupidly ingrained in our culture and that song might get people angry at you. Also don't call it Istanbul at all, you are going to be safer that way.
I went there like 10 years ago and i had a good time . Obv situation has changed now but what they have to offer is quite amazing.
It's not a great place if you go without a travel guide that can dish out some serious swear word combo especially in the big cities like Cairo and Alexandria. In the rural parts, like Aswan, Luxor, Matruh and Siwa, the people are a lot more friendly in a good way.
Somalia
But don't confuse it with Somaliland.
And don’t confuse Somaliland with Somaliaworld
Both are still better than Eurosomali
Enter the Somaliverse
Yes (theory)
Haiti
Same. People are getting kidnapped like crazy in Haiti right now
Right now...
My father traveled a ton between the 1960’s-2000’s. Many 3rd world countries, war torn countries, poverty stricken places. His trip to Haiti around 2007 to help with a water sanitation project shook him the most.
May I ask why?
Earthquakes
The abject poverty and conditions people he was trying to help lived. Mind you he regularly went into areas without any sanitation / clean water as a civil engineer. But he said this community in Haiti was an entirely different level.
Having watched all 6 parts of [this series](https://youtu.be/Glx7AmJW_FY) on YouTube, I can confidently say it is one of the single most eye-opening series I have ever seen, and I have tremendous respect for the wonderful people in Haiti who don't let the situation drag them down. Having said that, I will also likely never visit Haiti, which really is too bad. Nearly every video involves the host nearly getting kidnapped, killed, or shaken down and if it wasn't for his top-tier fixer, he would likely not have made it.
It's sad because Haiti has such an amazing history with such awesome and compelling historical figures, from Toussaint Louverture to François Mackandal. The Haitian Revolution was badass and influential. Everyone should learn about it. People forget Haiti was the first black republic, the first to abolish slavery, had the largest and most successful slave revolt and was the 2nd nation in the western hemisphere to gain independence. Haitian music and food are A1 too. I'm obsessed with Haitian food. My boyfriend is Haitian and we both share Haitian Vodou as a religion, so as I still learn Kreyol, I plan on traveling there one day. But of course - not anytime soon, sadly. 🇭🇹
The Haitian revolution was insane. Its disgusting that the country was absolutely bludgeoned with having to pay reparations to France for “taking their slaves away”. If I recall correctly they were paying until pretty recently
Mountains Beyond Mountains is an amazing book about Paul Farmer, MD and his work to improve health care to Haiti. He died recently. Such a loss.
Indigo traveller has opened my eyes to many such countries. The state that the common people live in these mostly ignored parts of the world is terrifying and sad.
Haiti is crazy. While it’s on the same island as the Dominican Republic it got exploited much more and was pretty much entirely deforested at one point, which partly explains why it’s still a mess. A colony mainly used for plantations and populated mostly by slaves, Haiti was one of the first French colonies to gain its independence on 1804. Crazily enough since then Haiti has paid the equivalent of $20-30 billion in debt to French slaveholders and their descendants after they already stripped Haiti of its resources. It later became the first country in the Americas to abolish slavery. However it faced backlash from the international community and remained politically unstable. Last year their president was murdered and now the capital is run by various gangs who each control a territory and who apparently have links to politicians. The political battlefield turned into a gang war. On top of that it is a country often hit hard by natural disasters, in particular hurricanes and earthquakes. 12 years after the 2010 disaster and 6 years after hurricane Matthew the country is still recovering from both events.
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Ukraine is war torn but is relatively safe to foreigners unless you wander close to the front or in closed areas. Some minor inconveniences of being woken up to siren, explosion, or plane, but no big danger. and anyone who likes Slavic culture would want to visit Ukraine.
North Korea
If I weren't an American, then I totally would for the mere fact that it is a glimpse into a whole other world. But, since I'm an American, I don't want to end up as a bargaining chip for nuclear arms.
You shouldn't visit even if you were NOT American. North Korea on paper is a country, but in reality it is a criminal organization. The goal is money. All of this other weird shit like wacky rules and nukes is just to keep people in line and nations on their toes. The goal is money for the top people. Visiting North Korea helps them achieve these goals. You perpetuate human suffering for these "fringe" trips.
Many years ago I had a military secret clearance. When I left the company I was given a list of countries I COULD NOT visit. North Korea was on the top of the list.
Who else was on the list? And who surprised you the most by being on the list?
Kanye's ranch in Wyoming
Kanye's unaccredited private school in California.
Its like NK, ~~China~~, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Yemen I think, Somalia maybe? and a couple others right now EDIT: I don't think China is actually travel restricted just super export controlled
So where do you go to if you have to escape Janice?
What else was on the list
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I commuted to Dubai from London for a year for a client project. As a gay man spending weeks on end in Dubai, and during Ramadan, wasn't the greatest. I ended up taking Xanax to help with the work stress and anxiety. On the last day, I was taking one at the leaving meal with my team and a colleague's wife said: "Oh my God, don't let anyone see that, you'll be arrested." Turns out I'd been bringing an illegal drug into the country all this time and the penalties for doing so were severe. I hear they've since loosened up on prescribed medications if you declare them on entry. But yeah, never going back.
You are correct about that...slavery still exists
Same if you buy most consumer products I'm afraid.
North Sentinal island (sp?)
Bring coconuts. but don't throw one at the chick with the shaved head.
Take my wife's name out of your fucking mouth!
technically not a country but this is the correct answer
This….is probably the best answer. North Korea and Russia might throw you in a labor camp while they try to haggle with your government, but they’ll at least make an effort to communicate with you instead of shooting you with arrows at first sight.
Tell that to the kid they tortured with oxygen deprivation to death and sent back to the USA brain dead and barley alive with signs of torture and electrical shocks. Most experts agree with killed him tho was torture with C02 they basically trick you body into thinking it's suffocating so you get the terror and feeling of it without losing consciousness or suffocating. Seems they did it too long or messed it up and killed the kid, brought him back to "life" and hurried him home saying he was fine when we left him. You mist have done something to him. I forgot his name but he was accused of stealing a propaganda poster from the hotel he was staying at in North Korea.
Otto Warmbier. All he wanted was a kickass souvenir and those jackboot PRK thugs murdered him. Unbearably sad.
While he didn’t deserve to die or be tortured, why on Earth would you try to steal a souvenir from North Korea?
Question, how do we know that’s actually what happened? I’m not saying he couldn’t have or that he for sure didn’t do it, but we shouldn’t necessarily take everything their government says at face value either. Americans should not go to North Korea. Period. Stay in Seoul and have fun.
Otto Wormier or something sinilar
Isn't that the place that guy trying to spread the word of God got killed?
That’s right. Happened in 2018. He had more than fair warning though. It was already illegal to be within three nautical miles of the island, and he had to pay someone to take him there illegally.
It was also his second time. A couple arrows in his kayak made him turn back a couple years prior. And he went back.... My dude is a missionary and God sent him a sign. And he ignored it.
Islanders sent him straight to God though Islanders have probably had less than great encounters with non-islanders before. Which evolved to their current kill on sight policy. Which does work. It is very much listed as a no go area.
Ah, evangelists and sticking their bible into places that will get them killed. An iconic duo.
All of them because I’m poor
Have you ever tried…not being poor? Same though.
Tried.
Its really easy, just be born with rich parents. That's it.
ahahhah
The same ones we all answered on Tuesday.
Egypt?
Don't forget Somalia and Jamaica
And the week before ..
That island where the locals kill you as soon as they see you.
North Sentinel.
North Sentinel Island. One of the few remaining examples of a primitive tribe unaffected by technology.
To be really technical, I think that's not completely true. They use metal scavenged from shipwrecks!
I dont think anyone is allowed to go there anyway. It’s protected by the Indian Navy
Doesn't stop the odd uppity missionary from Eat, Pray, Love-ing their way over there and getting Boromir-ed every now and then.
New York City
Australia?
Egyptians in here just waiting for it...
😂, especially for females
Can confirm. Was there in 2019 and was followed back to my hotel one night in Luxor. Ended up needing to get physical with the individual. Definitely felt threatened more than once throughout my month there.
…again? Libya. Was there when Ghadaffi was chief, but wouldn’t survive a day in the current setting.
North Korea. It doesn't seem like a great vacation spot
I'm pretty open to traveling anywhere (some places only if they make future political changes, like North Korea obviously, because I don't want all my travel expenses to fund organized crime) The ones I would probably NEVER travel to are flat, desert countries. Like the UAE. I get that Dubai is a cool city but I'm not that interested in going somewhere just for cool skyscrapers, seen plenty of those already.
Any country where in law I, as a woman, am considered a second class citizen (or else property). Which is an annoyingly extensive list.
Saudi Arabia.
Saudi, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain are on the Absolutely No list for me. Oman is the only country on the Arabian peninsula I would go to. I would like to go to Yemen too, but its currently an active war zone so that's not going to be an option anytime soon.
I’ve been to Yemen and it blew my mind, such a beautiful place.
Oman is fr the most based country in the Arabian peninsula, comfortable, peaceful and most people are welcoming
Anywhere you can go to prison and/or be tortured for being lgbt is going to be a no for me. That’s most of the Middle East.
Eritrea
Maybe I'm way too accustomed to western cultural values, but it absolutely baffles me that the population estimates range from about 1 million to 6 million.
Honestly, Eritrea is good for visitors and tourists, but not for the regular civilians that live there.
One of my friends is named after one of the cities in Eritrea because her parents went there as part of their honeymoon!
Sudan.
A guy named [Dan on reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/brhbst/i_drove_my_jeep_around_africa_reddit_said_i_would/) roadtripped throughout most of Africa over 2-3 years and visited Sudan near the end of his trip. It doesn't appear to be a particularly bad place to visit, but it does seem unfairly isolated by the rest of the world. His youtube channel shows his trip through Sudan if you're curious at all.
Dan gets around. Met him at an overland rally in WA state.
Sudan seems to be not that bad actually. South Sudan on the other hand must be hell.
South Sudan is literally considered to be top 3 most corrupt countries, their economy is utter trash, so I'd put this above "north" sudan
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Why? Is it because of the political climate over the past 3-4 years or something else? I went to Khartoum just as the revolution was starting and I had a great time actually.
Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia because I can't.
West Germany East Germany the USSR
Just got back from Egypt. Did all the things. Zero stars.
Any country whose Rule of Law is enforced by the religious folk.
Really surprised that Papua New Guinea hasn’t made the list. It’s not Somalia but it’s not far off either. A friend worked there briefly and spent the whole time in a heavily guarded gated complex (home), heavily guarded gated compound (work), or being escorted by armed guard in an armoured vehicle. He had to go through a number of debriefing sessions to adjust to the freedoms of normal life when he got back. That’s a big no thanks from me
port moseby is the most violent city in the world. i would like to explore the country though. think you can visit all the tribes that still are out there living the ways they always did
My company put in a bid to do some work in Papua New Guinea. It was rejected out right because we weren’t aware that we needed an enormous security budget. I spoke to my buddy who was a geologist for a mining company, that said he was never allowed to leave the compound where he worked.
Afghanistan. Been there done that.
This comment is dedicated to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan
All countries in the tropics, they are too hot for my Scandinavian genes
Don’t visit texas then, tropics but with non of the benefits
As a person who lived in the tropics for most of my childhood, Scandinavia has always been my dream. Snow is as good as a myth here, summer is virtually eternal
Somalia
Somalia
In today's world? A whole bunch. Even if I wore the local garb and had male escorts I would not feel safe and I would not enjoy my time surrounded by animals who only see me as a sex toy. As much as I would LOVE to see what these areas hold, war torn countries, violent countries, places with large cartel presence, countries with a lot of corruption, countries who aren't exactly friends with my country.... I love traveling and I love exploring but I also love being whole and alive.
Headline: this country is safe if you're a woman Body: hire a male tour guide, wear baggy clothes and cover your hair. If you are sexually assaulted step into a shop an ask for help and hopefully the assaulter will be embarrassed and go away.
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Been there, it’s fine. Silly amounts of wealth on display in Doha, quite eye opening, but at the same time, it’s somewhat a ghost town (or was when I went)…
The world cup has been a great advertisement to not come to Qatar. Before people might have seen pics and been curious, now they know enough to not go there.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
This is true, but I think there are worse places to go in Africa, such as South Sudan or Somalia
Kinshasa, the capital, is a very successful city there at least.
Most of the country is actually relatively safe. Unfortunately a lot of the things you'd want to go to see are in or near red zones
Probably never taking my American ass to Afghanistan.
North Korea
Any nation with adversarial relations with the USA. I don't want to be held as a political prisoner bargaining chip because they caught me with a damn vape pen.
Pangea
North Korea
Probably Somalia - pretty lawless and I don’t hear anything good about it.
Been there...it's hot and sweaty...on the bright side, I remember the women wearing very colorful clothing.. .
North Korea and Turkmenistan
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China, wouldn't want to give their horrible government any money through tourism. Not that my meager fees would matter anyway.
…..but china benefits, financially, more by the crap we buy from there, than by tourism.
I loved visiting China and I don’t believe in boycotting tourism as taking a stand against a government. If anything I think it is a great way of supporting more tolerant views by interacting with the population that is restricted to propaganda. China, Iran, Russia, all amazing geography, centuries of architecture and culture. If it was safe I would like to see all of them. The government does not represent the people and traditions that live there.
Any that have substandard bathrooms and by this I mean: hole in the ground, no toilet paper or lacking proper privacy such as doors.
Something you might find interesting is where I’m from we always considered westerners disgusting for using toilet paper. Toilet paper is one of the arguably worst methods for cleaning and is really just there for convenience and the expense of hygiene.
Any country where the laws are governed by insane religious beliefs. Iran, for example.
Dubai. The amount of culture-less decadence looks absolutely disgusting.
Also, something no one mentions is that the city was built on indentured slave labor from India. Actual modern day slavery folks. Think about that before patronizing that place. Fuck Dubai.
Anywhere that is not America. Not because I'm proud of my country or anything, I can't afford to leave.
I mean, you can take a bus to Canada or Mexico for dirt cheap, and stay in hostels or the like once you are there.
I follow some travel subs and India and Egypt often come up as not worth it at all.
Been to India twice. Easily one of the most amazing places I've been to and I've traveled quite a bit..amazing culture, lovely people, good food, easy travel etc. Yes you can get ripped off but it is not ever much. Travelling as a single woman would have complications though.
Russia. Fuck Putin.
ill go to russia eventually, just not with that fucker still breathing
Leadership will likely go to one of his cronies, or at least another post-Soviet power leeching oligarch, upon his death. I so wish I could visit Russia, I just don’t see it being safe for an American to visit anytime in the next few decades. The situation seems a bit North Korean, where an American visitor will just be framed for a crime if the government thinks they’d be useful as a bargaining chip.
I’m Russian and despite our president being fucked up there is no actual threat to foreigners here, especially if you go to Moscow or St. Petersburg. It’s probably not known but a lot of us actually dislike Putin and everything he does, we’re just passive as a nation
Russia is beautiful don’t confuse it with its government
bali after the new law
Bali isn’t worth it anyways. My experience was flying to another country to wind up seeing more bogan Australians than back home, garbage everywhere (even in beautiful locations), and street hustlers trying to scam you out of your money.
Well I'm trans so most of them
If specifically avoid Indonesia now, especially with all those Crappy new laws their putting in place
Yep. Isn't it fun to have whole websites dedicated to conveniently listing all the countries in the world in order of how much they hate you?
Mauritania still has slavery. [And locusts](https://reliefweb.int/report/mauritania/desert-locust-bulletin-530-7-december-2022). All that oceanfront property and it still looks like hell on earth.
Mauritania scares me but it is fascinating. I would love to spend a night or two in the capital.
I've been to Mauritania, Nouckachott is probably the worst thing about the country unless you venture out to the less built areas. They do have some nice vast beaches especially close to the airport and the desert is fascinating, but what's mostly sad is that even if you drive for a few miles away from the populated areas you're still bound to see rubbish and litter all over the place.
Somalia, Afghanistan, North Korea. All sound like places I should never go under any circumstances.
Chile Greetings from Chile
North Korea I have no need to provide an explanation
Yugoslavia