Most places are safe to visit as long as you aren't an idiot

One of the things that I get a great deal of joy out of is to look at the USA State Department's list of countries that are considered "dangerous" to travel to. I have no idea what criteria they are looking for while they make these designations but I think a lot of it has to do with things that aren't related to actual travel safety and has more to do with political or trade-related reasons. If you don't do what the US government tells you to do about everything they put you on a "naughty" list.

Of the current list of places that the State Department advises you do not travel do are places that I have been to and have been treated wonderfully while i was there.

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Maybe you can see this map and maybe you can't. But using the above color code check out the map below. If you want a full-sized version of it you can look at it here

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Looking at this map you are instructed to definitely NOT visit Burma (Myanmar) and Belarus. I have been to both of these countries at one point or another and have seen nothing but kindness and probably a higher degree of safety than I experience in large cities in the USA. Obviously you don't want to visit any war torn areas or places where there are rebel fighters or whatever you want to call them, but honestly, if you are anywhere NEAR these sorts of places when you are traveling you have a special kind of death wish and deserve what is coming your way.

I see that around half of Central American nations are considered "reconsider" or "Do not travel" but once again, these places have been just fine by all of my extensive travel to them. I don't really understand what the metrics are here. I think you are far more likely to be ripped off or robbed in good ol' US and A than you are in Venezuela, even now.

If you wander the streets flashing your cash with a giant gold chain around your neck I think you are kind of asking for it. Generally speaking, if you book a hotel and a hotel transport you are going to be supremely well looked after even in somewhat danger filled countries like Haiti, which I have also been to and do not recommend traveling to not because it is dangerous but because the residents have ruined almost everything there.

Something really funny about the above map is that they are asking you to reconsider travel to New Zealand. What? That is one of the most docile countries on earth that I have ever been to. I suppose someone at the pubs might try to bash your head in if you are acting like a jackass but there's an easy way to avoid that: Don't be a jackass.

China also is recommended that you do not travel to it and this is just insane. I have never been to a more regimented and absolutely safe country in my life as China was. I don't like China because it is a totalitarian state where you are always being watched and almost none of the internet works there, but unsafe? It definitely is NOT unsafe.

I'm going to go ahead and agree with them about many of the African nations but again, this is not because they are inherently unsafe, it is because they are a combination of scammy and there is nothing to really see there. It seems everyone wants to take a wonderful trip to Egypt but good grief do some actual research before you dive into that crap. The "sites" or so unbelievably overrun with tourists and scams that it is almost impossible to enjoy yourself.

I can only speculate that Mexico, a country that I spend more time in than any other, is purple right now because of the cartel stuff that was blown way out of proportion by the media and then completely faded from the news cycle because the media didn't want to admit that this was never as big of a deal as they were making it out to be. I have friends who are permanent residents of Jalisco - where a lot of the "trouble" was happening - and they told me that the trouble was brief and it was never targeting civilians and definitely not targeting tourists. The cartels make a ton of money off of tourism, why would the cannibalize their own resources?

I think there are a set of rules that you can follow as a traveler and be safe almost anywhere. These aren't terribly complicated rules but they consist of not being a moron with your expensive smartphone next to a street, not flashing a big wad of cash in public, not carrying all of your access to currency in one wallet, avoiding obviously bad parts of town, and just not being a jerk in public. Almost all places, and I would say especially the more poor places in the world, are extremely welcoming to visitors who are going to spend money there and they will do whatever it takes to ensure you are safe.

This is especially true in Mexico where the US constantly advises is a dangerous place yet I don't personally know anyone that has been a victim of violence (aside from scraps in bars that they definitely deserved) or something like armed robbery there but I know plenty of people that have been victims of these things (I'm one of them!) in the United States.

So, I'm not advising people to find the most dangerous place on a map and go there but I am advising that the State Department doesn't really seem to have a good grasp on what "safety" actually means. There is another motive in their advisement for a lot of these places and I think a lot of this is rooted in politics rather than actual concern for their citizenry. Just be cautious and don't do anything stupid... you know? like a normal person would do in their home country... and you are going to be fine.