Are Some Countries Really Too Dangerous For Tourists To Visit?

Find out if you’re safe to visit some countries

How would you feel if you visited a country that has a terrible reputation for being dangerous? Would you still go? Well, let’s talk about that.

I know that there are places, systems, and situations that make traveling sound a little too scary and difficult to happen. It’s so easy for some people to stand in front of a camera and talk about all the reasons why we should go out and travel the world when they don’t take into account that some people are at risk simply for being who they are.

As an effeminate gay man from Latin America, I have to think twice before choosing to book a trip somewhere, something that a straight white man doesn’t even have to worry about. A woman has to think twice before going to a certain country because she knows that just the fact that she is a woman she might be already at risk. So, I’m not going to pretend that the world isn’t dangerous and oppressive for some people.

However, it ain’t all bad, and it ain’t all good either. There’s so much beauty and so many possibilities to travel the world safely.

In 2019, I visited Jamaica, and only after my holiday there, I found out that the country is considered to be one of the most dangerous countries for LGBT people. That news shocked me because I had such a positive experience. I was my gayest self, and to my surprise, the locals seemed to love my flirtatious personality. I felt respected and there was never a moment that I felt unsafe for being gay.

I’m fully aware that my experience was a very tiny and privileged (but valid) one and that it does not reflect the reality of the country. But I still wonder how I ended up being able to make the most out of my experience in a country with such a terrible reputation for being dangerous for gay people. This is why I started thinking if these so-called dangerous places should actually be deleted from our bucket lists.

First thing to consider. Some travelers won’t mince their words when talking about certain countries and will choose to sound extremely negative and dramatic about them…

I know that statistics don’t lie and we should always see them as valid information to consider before going somewhere, but understand that a lot of the information we find online can be a bit too exaggerated sometimes. Some people will put out things online and sound so dramatic about certain things and countries that others might think that the places they’re talking about are not worth visiting because of “how dangerous” they are.

A great example of that is how negative and heavy language is often used to describe South American and African countries. Very often, American and European travelers use very negative and unfair language to describe what happens in these countries in a way that seems like the same (or worse) things wouldn’t happen to them back in their countries. So many people get pickpocketed, robbed, and scammed in Europe every day, but still, this is seen as “normal”. But only until it happens in other countries like Brazil, for example. If it happens in Europe, they keep it under the cover. But if it happens in other countries, they’ll always make sure to bring up drug-related and poverty issues and blame it all on the local people with the intent of trying to badger others into never visiting these places.

Racism and xenophobia are real, and unfortunately, a lot of travelers choose to portray the image that certain countries are “too poor”, “too dangerous or “not worth visiting” when in reality, they’re just letting their own experiences and prejudice paint the imagine of an entire reality. Not that what happens to you when you travel is not valid, but that we should be very careful with how we choose to talk about the places we visit.

This is why I said I have to state that it’s not because I had a positive experience in Jamaica as a gay man that oppression doesn’t exist against gay people. We have to be extremely careful with what we share online.

London, Napolis, and Paris are among some of the most dangerous places in Europe and still, people manage to visit them safely. I live in Dublin, Ireland, and very often, so many people are brutally attacked on the streets by drug-related gangs, and still, the country is seen and respected as a safe destination in Europe. People show on social media what they want to show, so be very critical when reading about something and don’t let the news dictate where to go right away.

And if you see that certain things do happen there, try to imagine if they would happen to you based on your plans. Sometimes what happens to people doesn’t necessarily mean that it’d happen to you. I’ve gone skydiving and I wouldn’t have done it if I had let all the skydiving news on accidents influence me. Of course, we should be careful (especially if you’re a minority like me) but just because it happens (or happened) doesn’t mean it will happen to you.

One thing I have learned as a world traveler: Sadly, there’s a huge difference between the reality you experience as a local and the one you experience as a tourist…

One of my co-workers is from Turkey. She moved to Ireland a long time ago, and she once told me something that stuck in my head. She said: “Gabe, Turkey is perfect if you’re a tourist. It’s the best country in the world, to be honest. All you have to do to be safe is to be a tourist. Once you start living there, you’ll see how terrible it is”.

Turkey is the 6th most visited country in the world, and it is indeed a very beautiful country with such interesting culture, architecture, and cuisine. But as a tourist, your perspective is very limited regardless of how realistic about things you are.

I once dated a guy from Turkey and he said that as a gay man there, he went through hell. To the point he had to leave the country because it became unsafe for him to live there. But, it’s funny because he once said he’s annoyed by gay tourists because “gay tourists go to Cappadocia and say that the best and most open-minded gay community in Eastern Europe is there.” Tourists don’t suffer the consequences the locals do.

The same applies to Brazil. I love Brazil so much and I’ll defend it with all of my heart. But life there is really hard. REALLY HARD. You have no idea. Inequality in Brazil is a serious issue. But do you think that my foreign friends who have been there got to experience the problems I did growing up?

It’s sad to think that as tourists we have privilege over the locals. But that makes me go back to my point. Sometimes, our 7-day trip somewhere won’t be negative because we won’t get to see and experience things as they are because we’re tourists. I know this may sound like a completely privileged and selfish statement, but what I’m trying to say here is that to be honest, if you took everything that is currently happening in the world right now too literally, you wouldn’t go anywhere.

However, let me also be very clear: Understanding your privilege and being respectful is very important. Be thoughtful of the locals. Be giving and gracious. Don’t visit during very hard times such as right after a natural disaster, or during extreme political tension. And if possible, use your privilege to bless others. Don’t be an asshole and cocky about how you get to live your privilege as a tourist while the locals are suffering. Use tourism as a tool to give back to the locals. Not to take away from them so that they keep suffering while you live your best life.

So, the secret is: Talk to as many people as possible before you decide that a country is “too dangerous” to go

Talk to them. Learn something from their experiences. See what they did to make their experience a safe one, then, decide for yourself. Maybe follow their footsteps, but, talk to those who look like you to try to understand how they felt in these places and imagine how you’d feel.

Especially, people to whom you can relate. If you’re a person of color, ask people of color how their experiences went in this and that country, if you’re part of the LGBT community, ask members of the community what they think of so and such places. Besides doing your normal research, listen to their experience and ask THEM the questions. Remember that in today’s world, with the internet, it’s so easy to reach out to so many people. So, talk to them.

What do you think about this topic? Do you think that these so-called dangerous places should actually be deleted from our bucket lists?

Let me know in the comments.