Visiting 'Dangerous' Places

I received several calls from family members this week, mostly about my travel plans tomorrow.

"ARE YOU IN TURKEY?" read the email from my dad, days before my scheduled departure. Another family member was a bit more brazen: "I don't think I approve of you going there." Brian, one of my travel peeps, checked to see if my travels were registered with the US Department of State. I promptly let the government know my plans.

There's a lot that's gone on Turkey these last few days: a powerful earthquake that took the lives of about 850 on the northern shore, killings of Turkish soldiers by Kurdish militants and a subsequent counterattack, and a suicide bomber in the southeast part of the country.

It's safe to say that I prefer to travel to places that are off the beaten track. Nicaragua? Check. Warsaw? Check. Iceland in the winter? Been there, done that.

It doesn't matter that I always do my homework before I take off, that I'm reasonably cautious and that I'm (now) a veteran traveler. Someone, some place will always turn up angry with me for insisting that the war that the long-ended war in Nicaragua is still ongoing and is a threat to my life. I'm grateful that this time--with Turkey--my loved ones are up on foreign affairs and are concerned for my well-being. Yet, I'm still moving forward, with no plans to stop in those affected regions that are 500 miles away. Could an earthquake move to my region? Of course.

I get it. Most of us have a fear of the unknown. For weeks, I've been stressing over what could, can, might happen after I leave my job --and I haven't even left it yet. You really just don't know. What I do know is that earthquakes, terrorist attacks, plane crashes and the like can and do happen just about anywhere. I witness an earthquake AND a hurricane in Manhattan just weeks ago. I'm not going to waste time predicting when and where they might happen and spend good time avoiding things that may not come to pass. Do people avoid New York because of an earthquake in San Francisco?

I do, however, think some cautiousness is healthy as it keeps on our toes. That said, I'm always nervous or cautious when traveling to a new place. We all should be. I'm not traipsing into North Korea or Afghanistan tomorrow, but I am going to Turkey.


I love this recent post from BootsnAll on 'dangerous destinations' that are worth the risk. I've been to South Africa. Loved it. I'm headed to Colombia pretty soon. But real talk, I'm afraid of Brazil. Where wouldn't you go?

Wheels up!