Safety versus exoticism versus encouraging the blighters

[fivemack]

[Poll #1333743]

Comments

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

I always used to say that I'd never go to Dubai and I'd never go to Thailand.

Just over two years ago, I found myself on a plane from Dubai to Bangkok, which was more than a little bit odd...

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

Good point, maybe Dubai and Saudi Arabia should have featured on the list.

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

There's really *no way* I'd go to Saudi Arabia. Especially not now I've been to Dubai.

[hilarityallen.livejournal.com]

There are places I'd visit for work that I wouldn't visit for pleasure. (The big one here being the US.) And I *might* go through somewhere in transit that I wouldn't otherwise visit, though I might look for alternatives if possible.

Also, I'm more interested in European cultures than other ones, as I already know things about Europe, which does mean that I can easily suppress an urge to go and visit Thailand ;)

[scat0324.livejournal.com]

I probably won't visit France, mind, until I've seen everywhere interesting in the UK.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I don't actually know what the visa rules for most of those places are...

[sraun]

I'll agree with that. And I'm also not certain what their current political regime or tourist safety ratings are.

I chose France, because it's the only one of the list that I'm actually interested in visiting at all. I suppose I could have selected US, but that's where I live, which I think would violate the spirit of the poll.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

...although in the case of DRC it's fairly clear that the government isn't actually in control of its borders so perhaps they are a bit moot.

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I don't know the issues about most of the places TBH. I vowed never to return to Thailand when the government suffocated people in a ISO container. But I've not followed whether the regieme has changed. Thanks generally the problem, you need to be active to hold a moral position.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

All of which rather presupposes that I could get to them, given that I don't fly.

[aldabra]

I don't know, for most of them. I'd need a very good reason indeed to consider Israel or the Congo. I've got a very good reason indeed for the US, which otherwise I might have been reluctant to visit before the regime change.

[redbird]

Even if you buy a ticket now, you'd be unlike to arrive in the U.S. before noon tomorrow.

[aldabra]

... I might have been reluctant to visit between eight years ago and noon tomorrow.

[redbird]

Understood entirely (one of the people I love hasn't been to my home for just this reason), but it's because of that regime, you can come see us now.

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

This is a really fascinating poll, so thanks for posting it; if I don't get around to answering it, it's probably because the questions are too hard for me! (For instance, I have only the vaguest of knowledge about conditions in over a third of the countries you state.)

[papersky.livejournal.com]

How easy it is to avoid going to places where I don't want to go!

I am not going frivolously into the US. And I'm unlikely to get to go to the other places any time soon, but that's mostly because I can't afford to.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

As I pointed out to Tom below, one of the two of us will have no choice about visiting North America this year, although technically that's only Canada (http://taff.org.uk/ballots/taff2009.html).

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Canada and the US are in fact different countries.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Er, yes, which is why I said the TAFF only has to visit Canada (which is part of North America), although a US leg would be fairly inevitable.

[redbird]

I didn't check the U.S. because I can't count it as visiting. And in some cases it's not about "the current regime": I wouldn't visit Namibia for reasons akin to why I don't go to Burning Man, namely that there seems to be nothing there but desert, and I don't do well in very hot places.

[rezendi.livejournal.com]

There are some very nice towns in Namibia, and it's not actually that hot.

From this list, I have not visited Syria, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Israel or Turkey, but I happily would. The only country I'd have second thoughts about visiting for pleasure/leisure isn't here: Burma/Myanmar. (Some years ago Aung San Suu Kyi asked tourists to stay away.)

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

It'll be a while after the Inauguration before the TSA and Homeland Security undergo the necessary reforms to make entry to the USA a safe and pleasant experience.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

I don't think you or I have any choice about expressing a basic willingness to visit Northern America.

[naath.livejournal.com]

I'm all indecisive! I want to visit China but they are Teh Ebil. I also don't want to fly and don't have the money/vacation-time to spend weeks on trains. So I guess that from that list I would go only to France.

[pavanne.livejournal.com]

Um, I may not have answered that very thoughtfully! I meant to say OK to France, anyway. And I don't really know about most of them, but I don't want to fly anywhere for fun.

I've been to Israel and the US on business in the past 4 months, and I just got back from the United Arab Emirates. All of these are run by ethically dubious regimes, or were at the time. Israel was the biggest pain from a 'getting in and out' point of view (they made me go through security 5 times because women alone have obviously been bombed by their boyfriends).