How do current affairs affect your travel plans?

[Bindibuys]

Sae Paulo in Brazil is the only place I did not feel comfortable.
When I was in Athens back in the late 70's on my own, I made a concious decision to be back at my hotel before dark. Have no idea why, just going with my gut feeling at the time.

 

[juddles]

Though figures show that in the last 30 days 1203 people have been killed in terrorist attacks.Doubt that lightning gets that many.

Those stats include hill people in far away lands that have no trees, or cluster in groups to hear religious fanatics. Maybe a better comparison of stats would be Aussie terrorist deaths versus electrical deaths?

 

[alieninperth]

There is no way that I would change my plans because of a single attack.

If my parents did this when I was younger I would have hardly ever gone to school. the North of Ireland in the 80s was not a nice place to be.

I was on the London underground the day after the July terrorist attacks. I was in Warrington a few weeks after the IRA bomb, I worked in the Marks and Spencer that the IRA destroyed. If you change what you do, where you go and who you talk to because of the cowardly b*stards then they have won. And they will not beat me.

Sure, I'll take precautions. I was in Bangkok during one of the periods of protest. I still went out and saw the city. I always carried a map and had eligible consulates and embassies marked on it so that if things did go south I knew where to go. Modify your behaviour if you feel you must, put contingencies in place if you can, but don't stop living your life.

just my 2c.

Edit re car bomb.

If a car is 'packed' with explosives then you will be able to see that in the rear suspension, it will significantly impacted. Normal cars can't handle the weight of a significant bomb. That's why the irish paramilitaries now use larger 4x4s or vans. There was a 'car'-bomb at the start of March in Belfast. They used a van.

BTW there were almost 700 bomb scares in Northern Ireland (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...-alerts-in-the-last-three-years-34322911.html) from 2012 to 2015. almost 1 every other day. How many people would avoid NI or the rest of Ireland because of this.

 

[drron]

Those stats include hill people in far away lands that have no trees, or cluster in groups to hear religious fanatics. Maybe a better comparison of stats would be Aussie terrorist deaths versus electrical deaths?

Not at all.I have provided the statistics elsewhere.
The problem with lightning deaths is people's guesses bear no relationship to actual deaths.Official statistics are that Australia averages 0.1 death per million per year for the last 35 years.The rate is decreasing as people move to the cities.
Australian terrorist deaths in Bali by themselves beat the lightning deaths.

 

[dajop]

Australian terrorist deaths in Bali by themselves beat the lightning deaths.

Lightning deaths is probably not a good comparison, but there seems to be a much greater acceptance of risks associated with road accidents, than risks associated with terrorism. I wonder what the road toll is for Australians in Bali vs terrorist deaths. Yet whilst people are scared of terrorists, they are happy to be free of the shackles of the "nanny state" if it means they can ride their scooters around with no helmets in shorts and singlets.

 

[Abdul_A350]

I lived in Tokyo at the time of the subway gassings, which came a couple of months after the big Kobe quake. It was just generally a very depressing mood, and a little bit eerie travelling on the subway, but of course essentially no physical danger.

Then again after 3/11 I basically watched the French embassy get evacuated, but it soon became clear the radiation dangers were minimal in Tokyo. The mental health issues were another story, though. Five years later many people have still to fully recover.

In a way I'm glad (not quite the right word) I got to live in Tokyo at those times, as it certainly enhanced my understanding of life there, and I have tighter bonds with many people there as a result.

Most uncomfortable position I've found myself in outside the Middle East and Central Asia was an anomaly in New York... I had had dinner with a friend down near Wall Street and decided to walk it off, and on the way back past Times Square encountered a crowd... it turned out to be the day Bin Laden had been killed, and there was quite a gathering. One tiny fragment of that decided to have a go at me. But nothing more than probabilistically challenged numbskulls of the sort who think they can infer all sorts of things about me from the way I look.

 

[JohnK]

I do.But I believe what Lee Trevino said so I always use my 1 iron.
"Not even god can hit a 1 iron".

But you can. I was impressed with the way you hit a 1 iron. I really struggle with the longer irons these days.

 

[amaroo]

I intend to dress like this in some locations, in the hope of not waving red flag "Tourist" to every tout. But did not think it would be necessary in Turkey....
I have a day in the city on my own (hubby doing the food tour) Mrs.Dr.Ron, do you think it was just because of your western clothes or do you think Turkish men would touch a women no matter what she was wearing?
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FWIW, we spent 10 days in Turkey - 5 in IST. SWMBO didn't have any issues - it's a fantastic city and country. We'll be taking the kids there sometime in the future.

 

[Fiches Mouser]

FWIW, we spent 10 days in Turkey - 5 in IST. SWMBO didn't have any issues - it's a fantastic city and country. We'll be taking the kids there sometime in the future.

Yeah, my experience (which was as a solo white male, so take that for what it is) a few months ago – just before the bombing in Sultanahmet Square – was nothing short of wonderful. The Turkish seem to have a certain generosity and integrity which you don't see everywhere. Huge fan of Istanbul. Always felt safe. Generally found lovely, caring people. Can't wait to go back.

 

[clazman]

Are we seeing more violence now or just better / quicker reporting?

 

[Boca68]

I just returned from Turkey yesterday. I was blown away by the Turkish people and their hospitality. (Ok, they were trying to sell you a carpet most of the time, but milk it, I say).
I had an amazing time. The day after the latest bombing in Ankara, the mood in Istanbul was sombre. That day I spent in Kadikoy Markets, which has a high proportion of Kurdish people. For them it was a real day of tension. Speaking to one restaurant owner in broken english, he was close to tears, mostly he feared the retribution that most likely would come to his people. This was before the PKK claimed responsibility. To use his words "No matter if the PKK did it , somehow they will make excuse to blame us"

He went onto mention how the PKK had his support many years ago, but now he hates them. It reminded me of how many Irish viewed the IRA in the late 80's and 90's.

I would return to Turkey in a heartbeat. That's my conclusion.

 

[juddles]

...... I was blown away by the Turkish people ...... The day after the latest bombing in Ankara.....I would return to Turkey in a heartbeat......

I hear you, but unfortunate choice of words??

 

[Boca68]

I hear you, but unfortunate choice of words??

Very true! Unfortunate, did not realise. oops!