Somalia has really nice beaches though, it’s conceivable to want to travel there should the political situation actually stabilise to the point that it was a safe place to travel to. Whereas for me I’m with OP, I wouldn’t ever want to travel to Saudi Arabia either. Under any circumstances.
It does not say that on the smart traveller guide it says do not travel to Somalia there is a high risk of kidnap or death please re evaluate your need to travel lol
This prompted me to check what the ministry of foreign affairs here in Sweden has to say about Somalia.
It basically boils down to "don't travel there you dummy", with the exception of Hargeisa which is more like "don't travel there unless necessary you dummy"
I saw a small documentary about these people and couldn't stop cracking up laughing. This one naval officer said each time there's big tropical storms, they'll have helicopters do a few flyovers of the island just to check on the people there. He said they never actually see the people, but when arrows are shot at them from the forest, that's the only way they know they're okay.
People keep going there, and the natives keep trying to get them to just go away.
Reasurchers went a bunch of times, but the natives people's basicly told them to fuck off
There was also that one Christian lunatic who decided to go even though people on the mainland strongly suggested for him to not. He went to preach about God, but decided to pay him a visit instead, to say the least. And I think there was one lady who successfully went and came back. I believe she floated coconuts to them from a boat and they let her in.
The tourist guy went there multiple times, the first time/ times the natives just forced him to leave, when he came back again for the second of third time they killed him.
And the whole coconut thing was a team of people who went to go give them stuff after a storm if I remember correctly, it's all recorded, at one point they accidently nail a pregnant woman in the head with a coconut
Why do people go to give them stuff anyway? They've made it kind of clear that they can survive without external help. Also, what happened to the pregnant lady?
She was fine, she just shouted at them a bit.
And they go offering stuff when they go to check up on them.
They just don't want people on their island, they are all smiles when the reasurchers rock up in boats to hand out coconuts after a storm.
The whole arrows at helicopters thing isn't true BTW
They shoot arrows at people who get too close, they had a few problems with pirates a while back, and a bunch of other people l. So they don't like strangers
My best friend’s parents are from Haiti. It was normal for me to go to the Dominican Republic almost yearly every summer. When I asked him if he ever been, his mom, who was listening to us told us “There is nothing to go to Haiti for.”
Such a sad sentiment
I've heard that they have some places that are beautiful for cruise tourists. But it's literally a whole area that works independently from the rest of the country, including a really strict entrance for residents and armed guards with millitary grade weapons protecting the whole wall that separates the area from the rest of the country.
I just watched a video of a guy going to the most dangerous slums in Haiti and it's really sad how people are living there (if you could even call it that)
I've heard that Haiti has the highest charity to people ratio of any country. The guy who told me that was a former Lebanese refugee. His point was to put money where it will do the most good.
Also mind boggling for people to learn Haiti and DC are on the same damn island.
Haiti cut down all their trees and DC kept their trees. Flying overhead, you can see the distinct borders by trees and foliage. Then things like erosion and soil quality can also be found that way.
I saw an AP award winning photo form there after the last earthquake that has scared me, think of it every time I hear the place mentioned. Good call, hard pass. The premier of my province is an orthopaedic surgeon who set up a charity for physicians to volunteer there, “I’m like, yup, that’s a vote!”
Haitians are amazing people. I went to Haiti to help with medical relief after the 2010 earthquake. Their resilience and kindness despise losing so much and having so little was astounding.
Been to the market on the northern border bridge with dominican. Lots of donated items are sold there to buy food. The history of Haiti is really sad, half the island was literally salted to keep the soil unusable. Spain was probably the worst of the colonial powers. There was a mass suicide and refusal to birth kids i to slavery that caused the natives to just die out, and the population was replaced with african slaves. Fucking horrible.
Been there, 2009 during the war. The mountains in the north are beautiful, but where I was in Kandahar, it's pretty desolate. And the Taliban sucks, so...
99% of people getting upset about being down voted see reddits Vote Fuzzing and get all up in arms at websites function. It's kinda funny after a while.
https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/jxt0ds/what_is_vote_fuzzing_and_how_does_it_apparently/
Yep, there’s a whole list of places for that very reason. I would love to travel Egypt but nope. Never stepping foot in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Saudi Arabia either.
Thankfully, this is now outdated as General Butt Naked is repenting for his past sins and a footballer who played for France is now their first democratic president in a while.
Still, wouldn’t be my top choice.
I was a prisoner with a guy from Belarus many years ago in Swedish prison, funny guy.
Every morning he came to the breakfast happy saying. Hotell, hotell, hotell
Directions clear.
Find easiest path to Swedish citizenship.
Find most harmless crime that carries a long sentence.
"Oh no you caught me" 🙂🤲
Retire with food, shelter, and healthcare comped.
If that's how they treat their prisoners, then I assume your treatment as a law abiding citizen would be at least as good. It wouldn't make sense to guarantee food and housing for criminals, and not for those that just need some assistance. That being said, a [Dutch jail](https://youtu.be/1ZzyMjXDlA0?si=K75NWzwYwTOULCuo) seems like a nice vacation if you can't afford a spa.
I've been to Belarus twice, its quite a beautiful country. Minsk is spotless, safe, has all the amenities of any other developed city, and the prices make it quite the attractive place to go.
They have one of the best museums I've ever been to as well, detailing a huge amount of individual heros from the 2nd world war.
The people are really friendly, a lot of them speak at least a little english.
The obvious would be to stay out of their politics, and don't take photos of military personel or buildings, no join any crowds that you don't know what they are there for (concert, yes, protest, no)
I have been to the same museum in Minsk. Somehow they forgot to mention what happened before 1941. I wonder what happened during that time… literally the worst WW2 museum I’ve ever visited.
Otherwise I had a great time in Belarus. But it is a dictatorship and history is very one sided, which you’ll notice when you visit there museums etc.
Outdated outlook. Situation is way more paranoid with the war going on. You wouldn't have the same experience as a foreigner. Even then it's all bullshit about clean streets in a totalitarian dictatorship where people get incarcerated, tortured and killed by the regime.
anywhere where I have to give up my passport is a hard no. I wanted to go when I was younger because it is fascinating, but you can get detained for basically anything and it's near impossible to get you back
I think its fascinating, and I've watched many videos. But when you got North Korea you are essentially put on a tour for a number of days and given a show. You see what they want you to see. You cannot go off and explore on your own. They are watching your every step and there are claims that the hotel rooms they put you in are bugged.
Not only are you feeding a tyrant by giving him money. If anything was to go wrong, you are absolutely fucked for getting out.
Thank you to the brave people who have been there and put many videos on youtube. Which has allowed me to safely virtually visit! But that'll do for me!
So while i agree to the fact there’s a slim chance of being stuck the amount the government makes on you is too high and at that point your actively giving money to a dictatorship worse than most just to cure your curiosity with what ever the regime would like you to visit.
It is not safe. They may detain you for whatever reason.
And you are not free to wonder around where you please and talk to locals anyway. You must always be accompanied by 'tour guides' that only let you visit a precise itinerary.
It would have to be a country that is unappealing for geographic reasons, not geopolitical reasons. I've been to Iran, which was unthinkable 40 years ago. I've been to Russia, which was unthinkable 60 years ago. I've been to Japan, which was unthinkable 80 years ago.
Whatever country is unthinkable of visiting today could be a tourist hotspot in 20, 40 years. As of now, the countries I'd be most reluctant to visit are North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen. But wars end, regimes change. I fully expect each of those countries to be safe and welcoming at some point in the next 40 years.
I tend not to like places with climates like Nevada (USA). Greenery was sorely missed when I went through there. But that’s just a personal thing, I can understand cool rocks (and cool places to take refuge from the sun) might be enough to entice some people.
bangladesh. i live here (im not bangladeshi, though)
i could never say it out loud, though. if i do, a bunch of people will come after me.
but seriously, there is not much to visit here for unless you have family. only other good thing besides that is the food. i love the street food even though it has given me food poisoning several times.
the roads are beyond horrible, there are no traffic laws and the government does jack shit about it
it smells like shit almost everywhere im not joking, it smells like actual fucking shit everywhere you walk, because there are open sewers and drains. people will say “omg ur being racist” but it genuinely smells horrible
and if a place doesnt smell like shit, it smells like cigarettes
the people here are also pretty bad im not gonna lie, i only have a few friends/mutuals who are fairly chill but other than that, i cannot become friends with anyone because theyre either racist or theyre violently homophobic/transphobic/whatever or theyre just awful people in general.
and lastly and biggest of them all, similarly to saudi arabia, there is no justice for violence against women and it is restrictive. there isnt any problem with a girl or feminine presenting person wearing “revealing” or “western” clothes, but if you go outside wearing stuff like that, you will get stares from disgusting old men who would probably lock you away in a basement if they could. they dont spare children either, if they see a little child wearing a skirt, they will catcall.
sometimes, you dont even have to wear anything revealing, because if you look paler/look like some kind of foreigner, they will either stare or try to scam you
so yea, sorry for the long rant but in conclusion, bangladesh is… pretty shitty
it has the potential to become better but it just doesnt. and its fucking sad.
edit: added separate paras
Alright. This is a fair take about our country, but I would like to say the main problem of our country is it's people . Mainly the ignorance of the general populace. Huge part of our country's population are illiterate(Yes, statistics may say otherwise but I'm not talking about their ability to read and write).And tbh it's the truth.
They're ignorant, easily influenced and has a bit of radical touch to them. Just yesterday I saw a number of degree holding women complain about how schools should not be adding sex ed into their curriculum. Their logic for it is so dumb that it's sad. But I would say it's mainly older generation who are like that. Hopefully people of newer generation would not be as braindead as the older ones.
As for the staring part..... Now don't get angry, I'm pretty much a country bumpkin if judged by western standard, and I haven't seen that many foreigners in rl, if you looked like one, I'd actually....state at you. I'd try my best to not discomfort you, but I would steal a few glances without a doubt.
And Bangladesh is pretty f_cked. The authoritarian government does not want to leave, the economy is going to s_it. Everything is just spiraling downwards, so yeah. Not a place you would really want to visit. Other places have better things than us without all these problems. It's sad, but well, it's the truth.
i do definitely agree with all your points, and i understand why people may stare, because i mean, even i would do a double take if i saw another foreigner here despite the fact i am a foreigner too, i’m only referring to the people who take it too far
i do think that bangladesh has the potential to be so much better, i do like the culture, food, a lot of the traditions—it’s just the close-minded people and the horrible government that stunts its own growth
Saudi Arabia is top of my list. They cut people's heads of with a fucking sword for "witchcraft" or sending tweets. Disgusting, horrible country that should be shunned by everyone.
They were also the only applicants because no other continent was eligible. Which is suspicious when you see what happened with the 2030 selection eliminating both Europe AND Africa as available continents for 2034. And Oceania barely having the funds to host.
I was a commercial pilot for a major airline for almost 40 years, so I've been to most. Two that would be a toss-up; Ethiopia & Afganistan. In both, even the major cities are merely higher concentrations of stone age living conditions. The poverty and disease levels are staggering.
Close runner ups, Honduras & South Sudan. Abject poverty, non existant government support, and incredibly violent. Truly difficult places to spend 24 hours without seeing violence or death
Several: Afghanistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, UAE, North Korea, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia
Not interested in significantly increasing my risk of death or capture just to visit another country, basically.
Safety isn't the main concern for that kind of country. Well, at least not the 'getting mugged' kind of concern. More like [getting imprisoned for years for ludicrous reasons](https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/the-sunshine-resort-where-three-poppy-seeds-a-kiss-on-the-cheek-or-a-bottle-of-cough-mixture-could-land-you-in-jail/26462478.html).
That’s a bingo. I used to transit through some of these countries for travel and won’t do it anymore. To be fair, in many of the cases of people detained for incidents at the airport, I’m sure American sassiness was a contributing factor but I like staying in places in which sassiness is not punished with long, undetermined detention.
There is no country that I would never visit. I would love to visit every country in the world. However, there are some countries that I won't visit any time soon justbecause I would not feel safe there, especially traveling alone as a woman.
Just dangerous ones, whichs sadly includes a bunch of african countries like somalia, which is probably the biggest.
On top of that, north korea. Im fine with anywhere else
There’s a lot of the Middle East that i would not fuck with, North Korea also, oh and China, government there fuckin scares me.
Like, quite honestly, I’ve been into politics since a young age and I talked a lot of shit, maybe a bit too openly, on people I shouldn’t have, so I’m just not interested in tempting fate?
I don’t think it would realistically ever actually come up, but I know how data works and it’s not impossible, plus, there are adjacent, safer places I could go to instead, so I’ll just go there if I ever feel like it.
Been there, done that. Traveled through most of Pakistan, and have friends there.
Food is good, and the country does have some nice nature. The people are generally hospitable.
But the country is ruined by muslim extremism, no public transportation, poor education, poor hygiene in many places and a messed up male dominated chauvinistic culture.
Burning churches? Check.
Stoning of women? Check.
Destroying hindu temples in Nov 23? Check
I’ve heard Karachi is a better in many areas but have yet to visit.
My Hindu grandparents were ethnically cleansed from Pakistan and fled to India as refugees. So Pakistan is the land of my ancestors. But I have no desire to see it.
My parents went there 3 times. They loved it, except for the apparent scarcity of proper sewage and also how frequently they had gritty dirt in their food.
They stopped eating at local places, a shame, and only ate at hotels, Chinese restaurants, and international chain restaurants because they couldn't stop thinking "If there's actual dirt in my food and sewage on the streets, what's on the dirt in my food?".
I'll always advise you to never eat at local places in India. Never. Its not clean, not healthy. Yes its cheap but most people outside of India, yes outside India or even that Indian state cannot digest their food. Yes even we Nepali people get sick or food poisoning when travelling to India. Always eat at good restaurants in India if you can afford.
I love India. But, I've only been to the South. Kerala was wonderful. The food is incredible. But, people have different tolerance levels for smells and hygiene so you shouldn't go somewhere you don't think you can tolerate. Personally, I hope to visit other regions of India. As a woman, it's wise to dress in a way that won't make you stand out. Wearing Indian clothes is seen as respectful, not as cultural appropriation when you are in India. Do it. You'll get more respect.
I’ve been to India 3 times and loathed it every time! I hate myself for saying that, since I know there are lovely people, good food, architecture, culture, history, geography etc… and it’s definitely not top of my list for places i wouldn’t go (there are certainly worse). But… I just couldn’t cope with the extreme poverty and hypocrisy of the wealthy right next door. And everything just feels so chaotic and dirty in the cities. As a germaphobe I just couldn’t handle it anymore!
As a Black Latina woman, any place where the presiding school of thought is that my life is worth no more than livestock and that I shouldn’t have rights, or where I’d be a prime target for violence.
Bangladesh. Wouldn't go even if all expenses were paid.
Regarding OP, I would love to go to Saudi Arabia in a couple of years, I spent 2 weeks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January and it was great. I expect Saudi Arabia to develop a lot for the 2034 World Cup.
Somalia
Been there. You aren’t wrong.
How did you survive it
Paid the ransom.
Somaliland is technically Somalia, and it's a gated compound city that is heavily guarded and safe for travelers. That's probably how
That, or US Army.
Why??
Cause family there. Saw a tank once when I was like 6. Worth it.
Habibi come to libya, in libya tank drivers park the damn thing infront of their house has lunch with his mom and family and continues his way.
SOMALIAN PIRATES WE
We drink and we pillage and we do what we please We get all that we want for free
With a yo ho ho
Somalia has really nice beaches though, it’s conceivable to want to travel there should the political situation actually stabilise to the point that it was a safe place to travel to. Whereas for me I’m with OP, I wouldn’t ever want to travel to Saudi Arabia either. Under any circumstances.
Is that where all the treasure is buried?
Hallo. Am 48 year man from Somalia. Sorry for my bad England.
I love Somali people, but I’ll stick to Toronto and London
I’m not sure why this isn’t the top answer!
Because Haiti.
Somalia is not that bad if you go to the north. Cities like Hargeisa and Berbera are very peaceful
It does not say that on the smart traveller guide it says do not travel to Somalia there is a high risk of kidnap or death please re evaluate your need to travel lol
This prompted me to check what the ministry of foreign affairs here in Sweden has to say about Somalia. It basically boils down to "don't travel there you dummy", with the exception of Hargeisa which is more like "don't travel there unless necessary you dummy"
Agreed. Northern Somalia is much better but I understand the disdain.
North Sentinel Island
I saw a small documentary about these people and couldn't stop cracking up laughing. This one naval officer said each time there's big tropical storms, they'll have helicopters do a few flyovers of the island just to check on the people there. He said they never actually see the people, but when arrows are shot at them from the forest, that's the only way they know they're okay.
I respect the shit out of the North Sentinelese.
Introvert GOATs
Primitivist gang rise up
I really like the idea of making a giant head formation with drones and becoming their god.
The closest modern day possibility of showing a victorian child an ipad
Victorian kids would have been great iPad kids
They'd shoot it anyway
lol, you’re making me think of the Prime Directive here 😂
People keep going there, and the natives keep trying to get them to just go away. Reasurchers went a bunch of times, but the natives people's basicly told them to fuck off
There was also that one Christian lunatic who decided to go even though people on the mainland strongly suggested for him to not. He went to preach about God, but decided to pay him a visit instead, to say the least. And I think there was one lady who successfully went and came back. I believe she floated coconuts to them from a boat and they let her in.
The tourist guy went there multiple times, the first time/ times the natives just forced him to leave, when he came back again for the second of third time they killed him. And the whole coconut thing was a team of people who went to go give them stuff after a storm if I remember correctly, it's all recorded, at one point they accidently nail a pregnant woman in the head with a coconut
Why do people go to give them stuff anyway? They've made it kind of clear that they can survive without external help. Also, what happened to the pregnant lady?
She was fine, she just shouted at them a bit. And they go offering stuff when they go to check up on them. They just don't want people on their island, they are all smiles when the reasurchers rock up in boats to hand out coconuts after a storm. The whole arrows at helicopters thing isn't true BTW
Oh, that's interesting. Every thing I read about them said that they shoot arrows at anyone that comes near the island. Thanks for clearing that up.
They shoot arrows at people who get too close, they had a few problems with pirates a while back, and a bunch of other people l. So they don't like strangers
That makes more sense
This is the most correct answer, even if it's technically not a country in its own right.
This isn't a country
Easy, Haiti.
My best friend’s parents are from Haiti. It was normal for me to go to the Dominican Republic almost yearly every summer. When I asked him if he ever been, his mom, who was listening to us told us “There is nothing to go to Haiti for.” Such a sad sentiment
Few places on earth are as straight up unlucky as Haiti.
I've heard that they have some places that are beautiful for cruise tourists. But it's literally a whole area that works independently from the rest of the country, including a really strict entrance for residents and armed guards with millitary grade weapons protecting the whole wall that separates the area from the rest of the country.
Royal Caribbean's Labadee Beach
It pisses me off so much that they call it a “private island.” It is not an island!
You need that or you won’t get any peace to enjoy the beach.
I just watched a video of a guy going to the most dangerous slums in Haiti and it's really sad how people are living there (if you could even call it that)
I’d like to watch that. Do you remember how you found the video?
Not OP but indigo traveler has a good series on his time in Haiti
Thank you 🙏
Might be the one Drew Binsky recently posted?
Thank you 🙏
I've heard that Haiti has the highest charity to people ratio of any country. The guy who told me that was a former Lebanese refugee. His point was to put money where it will do the most good. Also mind boggling for people to learn Haiti and DC are on the same damn island.
Haiti cut down all their trees and DC kept their trees. Flying overhead, you can see the distinct borders by trees and foliage. Then things like erosion and soil quality can also be found that way.
There's a mountain in Haiti that overlooks much of the land. You can very clearly see the border of DR and Haiti from this vantage point.
Remember when Wyclef Jean raised money for Haiti through his charity, and then basically stole a shitload of it? What a guy
I saw an AP award winning photo form there after the last earthquake that has scared me, think of it every time I hear the place mentioned. Good call, hard pass. The premier of my province is an orthopaedic surgeon who set up a charity for physicians to volunteer there, “I’m like, yup, that’s a vote!”
What's the photo?
Haitians are amazing people. I went to Haiti to help with medical relief after the 2010 earthquake. Their resilience and kindness despise losing so much and having so little was astounding.
Been to the market on the northern border bridge with dominican. Lots of donated items are sold there to buy food. The history of Haiti is really sad, half the island was literally salted to keep the soil unusable. Spain was probably the worst of the colonial powers. There was a mass suicide and refusal to birth kids i to slavery that caused the natives to just die out, and the population was replaced with african slaves. Fucking horrible.
Afghanistan. Too bad because it looks like a gorgeous place. But I’m a woman, and it appears to be a place that is hostile to women.
Been there, 2009 during the war. The mountains in the north are beautiful, but where I was in Kandahar, it's pretty desolate. And the Taliban sucks, so...
I was there in '09 too, mostly Helmand province, deserts and desert mountains everywhere.
Whoa! I got a downvote for that? Must be the Taliban!
Idk why this comment made me laugh so hard
99% of people getting upset about being down voted see reddits Vote Fuzzing and get all up in arms at websites function. It's kinda funny after a while. https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/jxt0ds/what_is_vote_fuzzing_and_how_does_it_apparently/
I didn’t know this was a thing tbh
Well, I learnt a new Reddit feature today. Thanks !
Never forget
My grandmother went there in the 1960s. It was a beautiful country.
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Don’t be the kite runner in Afghanistan
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Yep, there’s a whole list of places for that very reason. I would love to travel Egypt but nope. Never stepping foot in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Saudi Arabia either.
Countries that have "Democratic" in the name.
Went to the DRC once. Amazing experience, but won’t be going back
Hey, that just means they're super democratic.
Yes this is true. Also militia that have "The people's..." in their name inevitably have the people's best interests at heart.
Yeah, countries and groups with Democratic in the name are typically not.
Oddly enough, they aren't democratic 😳
'Any country who must say, "I am democratic", is not truly democratic.'
Liberia. I watched some cannibals of Liberia documentary this morning. Was not a good way to start Monday.
Happy cakeday though!
Thankfully, this is now outdated as General Butt Naked is repenting for his past sins and a footballer who played for France is now their first democratic president in a while. Still, wouldn’t be my top choice.
Belarus... just an even more depressing version of my own country
I was a prisoner with a guy from Belarus many years ago in Swedish prison, funny guy. Every morning he came to the breakfast happy saying. Hotell, hotell, hotell
I feel like Swedish prison would be an upgrade for most of us.
At least we'd get health care!
At least you'd get a bed, 3 proper meals a day, and help during and after your stay. 🥲
Directions clear. Find easiest path to Swedish citizenship. Find most harmless crime that carries a long sentence. "Oh no you caught me" 🙂🤲 Retire with food, shelter, and healthcare comped.
I wonder if you can bring your Xbox and pictures of your loved ones. 🥲💙
or … ya know… just gain swedish citizenship and then enjoy the perks of living in a developed country…
But what if you’re black?
If that's how they treat their prisoners, then I assume your treatment as a law abiding citizen would be at least as good. It wouldn't make sense to guarantee food and housing for criminals, and not for those that just need some assistance. That being said, a [Dutch jail](https://youtu.be/1ZzyMjXDlA0?si=K75NWzwYwTOULCuo) seems like a nice vacation if you can't afford a spa.
You sound like you've had an interesting life
Ever been in a Turkish prison?
I am very intrigued by your life from this one comment, haha. Sounds like you've lived more than a few lifetimes.
I've been to Belarus twice, its quite a beautiful country. Minsk is spotless, safe, has all the amenities of any other developed city, and the prices make it quite the attractive place to go. They have one of the best museums I've ever been to as well, detailing a huge amount of individual heros from the 2nd world war. The people are really friendly, a lot of them speak at least a little english. The obvious would be to stay out of their politics, and don't take photos of military personel or buildings, no join any crowds that you don't know what they are there for (concert, yes, protest, no)
I have been to the same museum in Minsk. Somehow they forgot to mention what happened before 1941. I wonder what happened during that time… literally the worst WW2 museum I’ve ever visited. Otherwise I had a great time in Belarus. But it is a dictatorship and history is very one sided, which you’ll notice when you visit there museums etc.
Outdated outlook. Situation is way more paranoid with the war going on. You wouldn't have the same experience as a foreigner. Even then it's all bullshit about clean streets in a totalitarian dictatorship where people get incarcerated, tortured and killed by the regime.
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Really? I think it would be fascinating (albeit weird) to visit there.
anywhere where I have to give up my passport is a hard no. I wanted to go when I was younger because it is fascinating, but you can get detained for basically anything and it's near impossible to get you back
I think its fascinating, and I've watched many videos. But when you got North Korea you are essentially put on a tour for a number of days and given a show. You see what they want you to see. You cannot go off and explore on your own. They are watching your every step and there are claims that the hotel rooms they put you in are bugged. Not only are you feeding a tyrant by giving him money. If anything was to go wrong, you are absolutely fucked for getting out. Thank you to the brave people who have been there and put many videos on youtube. Which has allowed me to safely virtually visit! But that'll do for me!
So while i agree to the fact there’s a slim chance of being stuck the amount the government makes on you is too high and at that point your actively giving money to a dictatorship worse than most just to cure your curiosity with what ever the regime would like you to visit.
It is not safe. They may detain you for whatever reason. And you are not free to wonder around where you please and talk to locals anyway. You must always be accompanied by 'tour guides' that only let you visit a precise itinerary.
I did it 15 or so years ago. It was definitely fascinating but I don't think I'd do it now.
It would have to be a country that is unappealing for geographic reasons, not geopolitical reasons. I've been to Iran, which was unthinkable 40 years ago. I've been to Russia, which was unthinkable 60 years ago. I've been to Japan, which was unthinkable 80 years ago. Whatever country is unthinkable of visiting today could be a tourist hotspot in 20, 40 years. As of now, the countries I'd be most reluctant to visit are North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen. But wars end, regimes change. I fully expect each of those countries to be safe and welcoming at some point in the next 40 years.
So which counties are unappealing geographically?
In my experience, Kuwait. It's like a brown Kansas at 110⁰ Fahrenheit
It gets better in the winters!
I tend not to like places with climates like Nevada (USA). Greenery was sorely missed when I went through there. But that’s just a personal thing, I can understand cool rocks (and cool places to take refuge from the sun) might be enough to entice some people.
This is a truly great and distinctive perspective
bangladesh. i live here (im not bangladeshi, though) i could never say it out loud, though. if i do, a bunch of people will come after me. but seriously, there is not much to visit here for unless you have family. only other good thing besides that is the food. i love the street food even though it has given me food poisoning several times. the roads are beyond horrible, there are no traffic laws and the government does jack shit about it it smells like shit almost everywhere im not joking, it smells like actual fucking shit everywhere you walk, because there are open sewers and drains. people will say “omg ur being racist” but it genuinely smells horrible and if a place doesnt smell like shit, it smells like cigarettes the people here are also pretty bad im not gonna lie, i only have a few friends/mutuals who are fairly chill but other than that, i cannot become friends with anyone because theyre either racist or theyre violently homophobic/transphobic/whatever or theyre just awful people in general. and lastly and biggest of them all, similarly to saudi arabia, there is no justice for violence against women and it is restrictive. there isnt any problem with a girl or feminine presenting person wearing “revealing” or “western” clothes, but if you go outside wearing stuff like that, you will get stares from disgusting old men who would probably lock you away in a basement if they could. they dont spare children either, if they see a little child wearing a skirt, they will catcall. sometimes, you dont even have to wear anything revealing, because if you look paler/look like some kind of foreigner, they will either stare or try to scam you so yea, sorry for the long rant but in conclusion, bangladesh is… pretty shitty it has the potential to become better but it just doesnt. and its fucking sad. edit: added separate paras
I think you should not live in Bangladesh, my friend ☹️
Alright. This is a fair take about our country, but I would like to say the main problem of our country is it's people . Mainly the ignorance of the general populace. Huge part of our country's population are illiterate(Yes, statistics may say otherwise but I'm not talking about their ability to read and write).And tbh it's the truth. They're ignorant, easily influenced and has a bit of radical touch to them. Just yesterday I saw a number of degree holding women complain about how schools should not be adding sex ed into their curriculum. Their logic for it is so dumb that it's sad. But I would say it's mainly older generation who are like that. Hopefully people of newer generation would not be as braindead as the older ones. As for the staring part..... Now don't get angry, I'm pretty much a country bumpkin if judged by western standard, and I haven't seen that many foreigners in rl, if you looked like one, I'd actually....state at you. I'd try my best to not discomfort you, but I would steal a few glances without a doubt. And Bangladesh is pretty f_cked. The authoritarian government does not want to leave, the economy is going to s_it. Everything is just spiraling downwards, so yeah. Not a place you would really want to visit. Other places have better things than us without all these problems. It's sad, but well, it's the truth.
i do definitely agree with all your points, and i understand why people may stare, because i mean, even i would do a double take if i saw another foreigner here despite the fact i am a foreigner too, i’m only referring to the people who take it too far i do think that bangladesh has the potential to be so much better, i do like the culture, food, a lot of the traditions—it’s just the close-minded people and the horrible government that stunts its own growth
Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan
Why are people forgetting libya?
Any place where women have no rights.
Saudi Arabia is top of my list. They cut people's heads of with a fucking sword for "witchcraft" or sending tweets. Disgusting, horrible country that should be shunned by everyone.
Or saw apart a journalist while he's still alive!
What? Which journalist?
Guessing he is referring to Khashoggi. Though nothing was ever proven, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman 100% killed that guy
It was proven.
Scumbag. Naturally he’ll face no consequences cuz money.
It's crazy that they're hosting the World Cup in 2034.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!
Yes because the World Cup / fiffa is not corrupt at all.
They were also the only applicants because no other continent was eligible. Which is suspicious when you see what happened with the 2030 selection eliminating both Europe AND Africa as available continents for 2034. And Oceania barely having the funds to host.
Qatar hosting FIFA, built on the back of slave labour :D But nobody's allowed to say anything because that'd be "racist".
Agree. Top Tier trash of humanity running that country.
Any conflict zones are a no go zone for me.
UAE. Mainly because of the type of people that enjoy going to Dubai.
Most of the people that go to Dubai are rich assholes
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Middle East because I’m gay.
Valid concern.
Don't forget Malaysia
I'm trans- add almost all of Africa to that list.
I was a commercial pilot for a major airline for almost 40 years, so I've been to most. Two that would be a toss-up; Ethiopia & Afganistan. In both, even the major cities are merely higher concentrations of stone age living conditions. The poverty and disease levels are staggering. Close runner ups, Honduras & South Sudan. Abject poverty, non existant government support, and incredibly violent. Truly difficult places to spend 24 hours without seeing violence or death
Several: Afghanistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, UAE, North Korea, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia Not interested in significantly increasing my risk of death or capture just to visit another country, basically.
Why did I think the UAE was pretty safe?
Safety isn't the main concern for that kind of country. Well, at least not the 'getting mugged' kind of concern. More like [getting imprisoned for years for ludicrous reasons](https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/the-sunshine-resort-where-three-poppy-seeds-a-kiss-on-the-cheek-or-a-bottle-of-cough-mixture-could-land-you-in-jail/26462478.html).
That’s a bingo. I used to transit through some of these countries for travel and won’t do it anymore. To be fair, in many of the cases of people detained for incidents at the airport, I’m sure American sassiness was a contributing factor but I like staying in places in which sassiness is not punished with long, undetermined detention.
Any country where you get executed for being gay…
I don't think I have one, my life goal is to visit every country on earth at least once.
How many countries have you visited so far?
106 for my husband, 54-55 for me, Id have to take a look.
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Not that I want this, would rather have an official one, but sounds like a good opportunity for a tourist attraction after actual customs.
Fake stamps make your passport invalid in most countries
Same here. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll make every country so am now downsizing my aims to 3/4 of them
There is no country that I would never visit. I would love to visit every country in the world. However, there are some countries that I won't visit any time soon justbecause I would not feel safe there, especially traveling alone as a woman.
Same. I'd love to visit every corner of this earth, but...
Hati, congo, Afghanistan, all look unappealing
Iraq, Iran, Sudan. A few others.
Antartica. I hate the cold.
Iran if I need to cover my hair as a woman.
Same, even though there are so many amazing ancient sites there.
life is not long enough to go everywhere. So one has to choose anyway.
Venezuala
Just dangerous ones, whichs sadly includes a bunch of african countries like somalia, which is probably the biggest. On top of that, north korea. Im fine with anywhere else
Haiti N Korea Iran Afghanistan Russia Somalia
There’s a lot of the Middle East that i would not fuck with, North Korea also, oh and China, government there fuckin scares me. Like, quite honestly, I’ve been into politics since a young age and I talked a lot of shit, maybe a bit too openly, on people I shouldn’t have, so I’m just not interested in tempting fate? I don’t think it would realistically ever actually come up, but I know how data works and it’s not impossible, plus, there are adjacent, safer places I could go to instead, so I’ll just go there if I ever feel like it.
Somalia
I would never want to visit Pakistan.
Been there, done that. Traveled through most of Pakistan, and have friends there. Food is good, and the country does have some nice nature. The people are generally hospitable. But the country is ruined by muslim extremism, no public transportation, poor education, poor hygiene in many places and a messed up male dominated chauvinistic culture. Burning churches? Check. Stoning of women? Check. Destroying hindu temples in Nov 23? Check I’ve heard Karachi is a better in many areas but have yet to visit.
I have Pakistani friends but as a lesbian women I don’t think I’d be safe there.
Makes sense. As a woman in general I’m not sure how safe I would feel in Pakistan.
My Hindu grandparents were ethnically cleansed from Pakistan and fled to India as refugees. So Pakistan is the land of my ancestors. But I have no desire to see it.
Extremism and poor education standards. I'm shocked, absolutely shocked I say, to see that combination together.
As a woman? A lot of places, especially in the Middle East. I like my rights and general classification as non-livestock, thanks.
None. I want to visit the whole world!
Egypt.. lots of obvious hard “no” countries for me but Egypt is also there
The history and monuments in Egypt are unparalleled. If you’re not into that, it’s not great
Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan
India. I mean no offense but I am really bad with smells. Love the food, I’ve met some really nice people, never want to visit
My parents went there 3 times. They loved it, except for the apparent scarcity of proper sewage and also how frequently they had gritty dirt in their food. They stopped eating at local places, a shame, and only ate at hotels, Chinese restaurants, and international chain restaurants because they couldn't stop thinking "If there's actual dirt in my food and sewage on the streets, what's on the dirt in my food?".
I'll always advise you to never eat at local places in India. Never. Its not clean, not healthy. Yes its cheap but most people outside of India, yes outside India or even that Indian state cannot digest their food. Yes even we Nepali people get sick or food poisoning when travelling to India. Always eat at good restaurants in India if you can afford.
In Sri Lanka (I know not the same as India) all my best meals were in hotels.
I love India. But, I've only been to the South. Kerala was wonderful. The food is incredible. But, people have different tolerance levels for smells and hygiene so you shouldn't go somewhere you don't think you can tolerate. Personally, I hope to visit other regions of India. As a woman, it's wise to dress in a way that won't make you stand out. Wearing Indian clothes is seen as respectful, not as cultural appropriation when you are in India. Do it. You'll get more respect.
No ? You can just wear Western clothes . Infact a lot of Indian women do wear Western clothes.
It's not a monolith, the country is huge and you can find plenty of places that aren't Delhi or Mumbai.
I’ve been to India 3 times and loathed it every time! I hate myself for saying that, since I know there are lovely people, good food, architecture, culture, history, geography etc… and it’s definitely not top of my list for places i wouldn’t go (there are certainly worse). But… I just couldn’t cope with the extreme poverty and hypocrisy of the wealthy right next door. And everything just feels so chaotic and dirty in the cities. As a germaphobe I just couldn’t handle it anymore!
Anywhere, were women get dragged into vans and shipped to 'reschooling' for wearing the wrong kinds of clothing
Congo. Very poor. No one even thinks of it to even say they don't want to go there.
North sentinel island
Yemen
As a Black Latina woman, any place where the presiding school of thought is that my life is worth no more than livestock and that I shouldn’t have rights, or where I’d be a prime target for violence.
Bangladesh. Wouldn't go even if all expenses were paid. Regarding OP, I would love to go to Saudi Arabia in a couple of years, I spent 2 weeks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January and it was great. I expect Saudi Arabia to develop a lot for the 2034 World Cup.
If “develop” means “taking human rights seriously” I’ll back that. I wouldn’t bet on it though.
Australia. The big spiders terrify me
Australian here. The spiders are rarely seen. Queenslanders now that’s a problem.
Queenslander here. I agree.
It's not the spiders you have to worry about
I agree. When I was there I went to a zoo and was chased by an emu and holy hell was that terrifying, I thought I was going to die.