Travel not advised by Department of States

USA today had some good articles about traveling and kidnappings. If you go to this link, you can pull up the world map and its highlighted on the risk areas.

I doubt that a map with risk factors will keep me out of Mexico, or the Philippines, however, no way I venture into middle africa. That place is a hotbed of lots of bad things merging together all at once, and as a foreigner walking around the streets of Lagos Nigeria, in the middle of some civil unrest, Boko Haram running rampant blowing apart churches with people in them and IED's around a church corner,.....I don't think so.

Not giving those guys in that part of the world a chance to try to kill me AGAIN!!!


The State Department warns Americans not to travel to certain zones

I was kind of surprised to see Mexico, The Phillipines and Colombia on that list. Colmbia has a lot of drug activiy but itt's all about were you go. You head to major cities and you won't have a problem- the Colombia coast is very beautiful and has excellent beaces. Mexico is the same way, while they have seen an increase in violence in some major cities (such as Guadalajara and most notable the border) some cities are still extremely safe.
I agree with you on central Africa, i have no desire to hang out in Lagos or Abuja among other cities, no thank you. Does anyone know for DL f/a's that fly to places like LOS whether the company tells thme they must stay in their hotels and not come out? I would not be too happy to get a layover in LOS.

Regards,

Chepos

Our very wealthy retired CEO friends always hired a bodyguard when they visited friends in Mexico City. Interesting link/story.

Mexico, obviously due to the cartel situation there, also kidnappings in Mexico City for business men is quite on the rise. Philippines has had the issue with radical extremist in the Mindanao region, abu sayif for many years. Manila has become a rough area for crime, lots of mean carjackers and bank robbers. They get killed by the police, and the newspapers show bodies strewn out and photographed. Kind of a daily situation. Where there is plenty of poverty, that's what you get. I agree its where you go, what you do, how you attract attention in these places. I know in LOS they have some gated compound where the so called hotel is located, and armed military escorts the flight crews to and from the hotels. Talked to a guy that went there on a run and he said he would never go back there again, too scary a situation, felt very uncomfortable. I don't blame the guy. You can chase the money, but things can get hairy in a pinch in those kind of places where there is poverty, civil strife, and boko haram kickin around looking for targets.

It's kind of funny. Around some 25 years ago or so, I would welcome that kind of danger. Going to hotspots, shipping out at sea, ship full of explosives in foreign countries, including Desert Storm. Didn't think nothing of it. I liked it. I embraced the unknown and dangers. We joked about it. Even before that while in the service. Young and dumb. Invincable. Everything will turn out all right as it always has. If my ship hits a mine in the Persian Gulf, who cares, I go up in one huge bang, don't feel a thing, and just get erased. No big deal.

Fast foward now to my present time. Say what? Was I crazy or what? Probably so, not any crazier than I am now, but I wouldn't do those crazy things anymore, cuz if I go and get myself killed in these hotspots, my wife would KILL ME even more!!!!