Do you feel safe to travel internationally right now?

[idnib]

In what world do the Bogles live that 2 miles is such a long walk in an emergency? Maybe they should complain to the refugees? SMH.

[FaithManor]

Idnib, unfortunately I live in a rural area where people have become so dependent on the idea of the car that some of them will jump in their vehicle to go two blocks to the post office on a sunny, 70 degree day and return post haste, never running another errand. I don't know why. But if you walk to do an errand, they are known to ask, "Are you on an exercise program?" I just smile. I mean, they think our boys are a little odd for loving hiking so much, hiking that is not associated with shooting a deer and chasing it down from Sept. - Nov.

 

I think for some people, the idea of walking like that is a little foreign if they come from somewhere that is car dependent or where there is a bus stop on every corner. Many Americans really are used to not walking very much unless they are at the gym doing it deliberately for cardiac health.

[idnib]

Idnib, unfortunately I live in a rural area where people have become so dependent on the idea of the car that some of them will jump in their vehicle to go two blocks to the post office on a sunny, 70 degree day and return post haste, never running another errand. I don't know why. But if you walk to do an errand, they are known to ask, "Are you on an exercise program?" I just smile. I mean, they think our boys are a little odd for loving hiking so much, hiking that is not associated with shooting a deer and chasing it down from Sept. - Nov.

 

I think for some people, the idea of walking like that is a little foreign if they come from somewhere that is car dependent or where there is a bus stop on every corner. Many Americans really are used to not walking very much unless they are at the gym doing it deliberately for cardiac health.

 

I understand, but it's an emergency, they're in a walking city, and are in their 30s. It's just embarrassing to have someone publicly complain to a major newspaper about walking two miles in light of why they were walking. Sure, complain to yourself in the moment, but once you find out other people died, maybe have some class and keep your mouth shut.

 

I appreciate them getting the word out that the embassy is not the place to go, my beef is really just with the walking part.

 

Maybe it's just me. 

[FaithManor]

Oh I agree. In those circumstances, seriously, don't complain. Really. Suck it up.

 

Was it the pregnant woman complaining? I didn't catch exactly. I do remember that with my third pregnancy, the way he laid in there, I had NO BREATH from 28 weeks on, so in that instance, I could see how walking two miles would be a real burden, or for an elderly person. But, if it isn't the pregnant woman complaining, and they don't have significant health issues, than ya, put a cork in it, walk, and be grateful.

 

Okay, so that was very judgmental of me! Oh well....again, feelings on the subject are still raw. My sister has still not had word of safety from some very precious friends of hers who were going to be in that area Friday night, though thankfully not at the concert. Her heart is heavy, which makes my heart heavy, which kind of makes me want to smack people who are alive and well and think they shouldn't have to walk.

 

Sigh.....

[Penguin]

OP, I live overseas so I have to push such fears into the corner. Honestly, I feel more vulnerable to random violence when I am in the USA.

 

My personal philosophy: I am a believer in fate. You are either in the wrong place at the wrong time, or you are not. You can't script it. But I am also mindful of intuition. If something just doesn't feel right, and if I choose to heed those feelings then I do so unapologetically.

[bibiche]

I feel more nervous going to a mall in the US than I do traveling internationally, even when traveling in developing countries, even when traveling in developing countries with a history of violence. It's always a good idea to be aware of one's surroundings, of course, but you can't live life in fear (unless it is fear of tarantulas in your shoes, which is a normal and acceptable fear). ;)

[FaithManor]

I feel more nervous going to a mall in the US than I do traveling internationally, even when traveling in developing countries, even when traveling in developing countries with a history of violence. It's always a good idea to be aware of one's surroundings, of course, but you can't live life in fear (unless it is fear of tarantulas in your shoes, which is a normal and acceptable fear). ;)

OR snakes! There is no shame in being afraid of snakes. I firmly believe I should never have to encounter one in my travels.

 

Sigh, and this attitude of mine is the very reason that when we went to Badlands National Park this past summer, my dear sons insisted upon taking a picture of me next to every.single.rattlesnake.warning.sign.on.every.trail.

 

That's okay, I have my ways of getting back at them! :D

[creekland]

I feel more nervous going to a mall in the US than I do traveling internationally, even when traveling in developing countries, even when traveling in developing countries with a history of violence. It's always a good idea to be aware of one's surroundings, of course, but you can't live life in fear (unless it is fear of tarantulas in your shoes, which is a normal and acceptable fear). ;)

 

Tarantulas?  They're such cute critters it's nearly impossible to be scared of them IMO.  Snakes, OTOH, are the only thing that really makes my skin get the chills.

 

I probably should be afraid of more than I am, but I'm just not.  We flew shortly after 9/11 too, and I've been known to walk (alone) in big cities without fear.   :coolgleamA:

 

I suspect I had more "danger" odds in my youth when I was the "guinea pig" rider testing out new horses recently received at the riding stable I worked at - or just in general training horses or maybe riding cross country.

 

I'm still around and doing just fine.

[Pam in CT]

Another vote for registering with STEP and for keeping a copy of your passport on you when you leave the real one locked up in your room.  I also keep pictures of them on my phone (which also keeps all the information handy for all the %$%#@!! travel-related forms). 

 

 

[idnib]

Oh I agree. In those circumstances, seriously, don't complain. Really. Suck it up.

 

Was it the pregnant woman complaining? I didn't catch exactly. I do remember that with my third pregnancy, the way he laid in there, I had NO BREATH from 28 weeks on, so in that instance, I could see how walking two miles would be a real burden, or for an elderly person. But, if it isn't the pregnant woman complaining, and they don't have significant health issues, than ya, put a cork in it, walk, and be grateful.

 

Okay, so that was very judgmental of me! Oh well....again, feelings on the subject are still raw. My sister has still not had word of safety from some very precious friends of hers who were going to be in that area Friday night, though thankfully not at the concert. Her heart is heavy, which makes my heart heavy, which kind of makes me want to smack people who are alive and well and think they shouldn't have to walk.

 

Sigh.....

 

I probably should have phrased my initial complaint better, mentioning the "consider yourself lucky, folks" factor. Sorry about that.

 

I think it was only the husband complaining. I do feel for her being 6 months pregnant. Everyone carries differently and it might have been difficult. 

 

I know I'm being judgmental but as an American I'm just embarrassed, even more so in light of the refugees walking across Europe. My mom, who is not prone to any violence, would probably have smacked me upside the head if I complained in private, much less to the media.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your sister's friends. I hope you all hear some good news soon.

[J-rap]

I definitely think about it more than I used to, but it would not stop me.  I would not like to go to Paris this week.  (Not because I feel afraid, but it just doesn't seem like a good idea.)  I have traveled in iffy times and places before, and did have a very scary incident once.  It seems crazy now to even think about it.   But it didn't stop us from returning to the area a couple years later.  I think I've become a safer and wiser traveler since then.

 

My daughter lives in France.

 

(Edited to remove more personal info.)

 

[Samm]

Feelings are subjective.  There are so many employees whose job it it to rush to these places of incident and investigate or provide aid.  I can say I'd be uninterested in vacationing in a place where I know everyone is tense, or just a place I'd have to insist everyone around me be in a party mood when they are, in fact, in mourning.

 

A stat I read from CDC recently is a person is 2059x more likely to commit suicide than to die via terrorists.

[FaithManor]

Creekland, we went to NYC and stayed at the Roosevelt (corner of 45th and Madison across from Union Station), in 2002. We had always wanted to go to NYC and thought maybe it would be a good to spend out tourist dollars there in the wake of what had occurred. That's just kind of how we roll. I wouldn't expect everyone to feel that way, but sometimes when you talk about your family and travels, I feel like we are you and your hubby's long, lost twins, LOL!

 

After the third picture in one day that the 18 year old stinker insisted on taking of me squashed up next to the darn snake sign, I got evil. He's afraid of spiders, and when I ran to the supermarket that night for more supplies, I ran by a dollar store and picked up a nice, big, hairy, toy tarantula. Guess who found it between his sheets that night! :thumbup:

[UmMusa]

Yes I'd feel safe traveling internationally.

[SKL]

I traveled in the Muslim parts of India when Osama Bin Ladin had issued a fatwa saying Muslims should kill Americans wherever they find them.  We had some interesting moments on that trip too - like the time all the lights went out when the merchants were crowding me, or the time we got stuck in the elevator with several rambunctious Muslim teen boys on New Year's Eve.  It was my first international trip, and a couple times I thought it might be my last.  But nothing "happened."

[Aiden]

Americans should read about the Americans turned away from the American embassy right after the Paris attacks!   The woman is 6 months pregnant and there was "no room at the inn"! 

 

But I guess you can go online to the embassy website if you happen to be running with your laptop.  Just don't expect an open door at the actual building.   (Yes, I know, it's all about security...theirs.)

 

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/atlantans-in-paris-tension-fear-silence-and-a-very/npNQm/

 

 

The article you linked said that the couple chose to walk 2 miles to the embassy rather than immediately take the metro to their hotel because they thought it would be safer. That shows a lack of awareness on their part about where it is safe to be in a crisis. The embassy is one big target during a terrorist crisis, not a safe haven. In the article that you linked, a State Department spokesman explained that that is exactly why the couple was turned away--the embassy is not a safe place to be when terrorists are attacking. The assumption always is that the American embassy is a potential target.

 

 

 

Their hotel was apparently farther away and they couldn't get a cab following the explosions/chaos going on. 

 

I would think that they probably have metal detectors of some kind at our embassy and would be able to tell that the woman was carrying a child and not wearing a suicide belt.   

 

We're paying for our dignitaries to have all kinds of protection, but the lowly American citizen in trouble should expect nothing from our embassy.   But we're probably lighting up some government building in the colors of the French flag...so we should feel all warm and fuzzy about that. 

 

Again, as stated in the article you linked, the couple was not turned away to protect the embassy from them, but to protect them from being at a location that is considered a probable target. Their hotel was accessible by Metro, as evidenced by the fact that they took the Metro there after being turned away from the embassy.

 

As far as our dignitaries (and non-dignitary Foreign Service Officers) and their families ... do you know where they probably were during this crisis? It was evening, the beginning of a weekend, so most were probably at home or out on the town somewhere. Those who were at home would have stayed there, most likely with blinds closed, away from the windows, frantically trying to contact family members and friends who were not at home, responding to frantic inquiries from family members in the U.S. Those who were not at home would have been making their way back to their homes as quickly as possible. None of them would have been scurrying to the embassy for safe haven, because they would have known that it was safer to be scattered and unnoticed than to be gathered in one well-known location. We are told to be prepared to fend for ourselves for 48 hours after any security or catastrophic event.

 

The only ones headed in to the embassy at that time would have been those who were going to work--responding to the crisis, knowing that they were leaving their safe havens (their homes) and going to a place that was more likely to be targeted in order to do the jobs that they were hired to do and for which they get the compensation of being protected as much as possible within the constraints of their jobs.

[Guest]

My personal difficulty is that DH reacts by writing places off whenever unrest occurs, and I mean locally as well as internationally. He doesn't want to go to Baltimore city anymore, since the riots that happened earlier this year. I don't understand this thinking. I worked in the city for years; it is where DH and I met! DD is bound to go to Paris at some point; she is majoring in French and has wanted to go for years. She is actively intending to go for Study Abroad. Shamefully, one of my first thoughts upon hearing this terrible news was that this will be another place DH will write off as unsafe.

[Guest]

Dp

[Sarah CB]

My attitude is probably coloured by having grown up with the continual threat of Irish Republican terrorism.  You just get on with your life.

 

Yes.  That's what we noticed about people from the UK.  We lived in London for two years - during 9/11 and were pretty impressed by the "just get on with your life" mentality.  We were freaking out somewhat, as there was talk of London being a potential target, but our friends were pretty unconcerned.  They said if you let it get to you you'd never leave your house.

[Pam in CT]

Yes.  That's what we noticed about people from the UK.  We lived in London for two years - during 9/11 and were pretty impressed by the "just get on with your life" mentality.  We were freaking out somewhat, as there was talk of London being a potential target, but our friends were pretty unconcerned.  They said if you let it get to you you'd never leave your house.

 

FWIW, that's how people in Israel speak about life there as well.  I expect it's true of hot spots throughout the entire world.  (Sigh.)

[Laurie]

The article you linked said that the couple chose to walk 2 miles to the embassy rather than immediately take the metro to their hotel because they thought it would be safer. That shows a lack of awareness on their part about where it is safe to be in a crisis.  

 

They weren't the only ones who were concerned about the safety of the metro.  I heard Geraldo Rivera on tv talking about his daughter who was in the stadium when the attacks began.   He talked to her right after she had left the stadium and she and her friends were trying to figure out how to get back to their apartment.  He said that he told her not to take the metro. 

 

This is an important lesson for travelers.  As you've said,  when something like this happens you're on your own for at least 48 hours.  

 

[FaithManor]

Yes, and believe me, I've thought about what that would look like when we are in Egypt...48 hours on our own. I mean we will be with friends who have lived there for years so we won't be entirely alone, but just the concept of being American in North Africa 48 hours into a crisis. Not sure how one prepares for something like that. We'll have cash, basic first aid supplies, some food and water, but if your shelter isn't safe, if walking isn't safe but public transportation isn't safe either, what is the plan? Thankful to have knowledgeable friends because I'm not certain we have enough experience to make the best choices.

 

It can be longer too. When I was in Jamaica, we had no embassy/consulate contact, no ability to contact America - literally relatives had no idea if we were dead or alive - for nearly three weeks. That makes 48 hours seem like nothing. Though with modern technology, a three week scenario of no contact is unlikely now.

 

No matter what, you have to fight the urge to panic and keep your wits about you. It's very frightening. We all like to think that our consulates are there for us when we need them, but it is a false notion.

[creekland]

They said if you let it get to you you'd never leave your house.

 

I like to look on the bright side of things.  If something were to happen, I won't have to worry about cleaning the house, paying the bills, or figuring out what medical issues are going on.   :coolgleamA:   My guys know they should focus on mom (& probably dad) leaving this life doing what they loved doing, then enjoy the insurance money setting up a life for themselves that includes as much travel and experiences as they need to feed their junkie habit.

 

Fellow boardies can remember this if need be too - esp considering I overheard that DC is the threatened "next target" and we're flying into one of the DC area airports...

 

I have thought of putting a spin on it all and using fear of flying into DC as an excuse for extending our stay, but then people would probably expect us to drive home instead. :glare: 

 

We'd be in far more danger on I 95...

[Sneezyone]

What happened in France has really rocked me.  We were going to book a family  trip to Europe (with France as one of the possible destinations) last week.   I really wanted to give this to my 5 kids for Christmas.  We did something like that last year, but a U.S. trip instead. 

 

 

But now I am really shaken up and scared.   I am now second guessing everything and just thinking we should stay in the states.  Although I really want to go and I know if I don't "they win. "  Which is really easy to say, but for me hard to follow through on.

 

Does anyone else feel like this?

Will this stop any of your plans to travel internationally?

Will it change any of your travel plans at all?

 

I am always cautious when we travel, no more or less after as before. Paris is one of my favorite cities and we are moving to the middle east next spring. Unless we are told we cannot travel, we will travel. Death can come for us anytime, anywhere and so long as I have life, I'm going to enjoy it.

[FaithManor]

Ugh, I 95, Ugh!

[mommymilkies]

The only place I can afford to travel is somewhere I can hitchhike, too.  So while I think that is unsafe, I'd totally get on a plane today to Europe without a second thought as to safety and more than any other trip near to home.

[idnib]

For me the most "dangerous" part of any air journey seems to be dealing with security. I am always pulled aside for extra screening.

 

Some brief highlights:

 

In 1989 I missed a connecting flight from Amsterdam to LAX because I was pulled out for a screening in which they individually examined everything I had and x-rayed it, then dumped it into a pile for me to re-pack. I was a teenager at the time, traveling alone.

 

Leaving Israel tuned out to be more difficult than entering, every time I've gone. Once I almost missed a flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto but they held it for me and took me to the plane on a motorized cart. Everyone on the flight hated me because they thought I had held up the plane. My laptop, taken away for "security reasons," was never seen again.

 

On the trip I just took to the Midwest this month, the airport was one of those where you check in and then take your luggage over the the massive machine for screening. I approached with the kids and was told how to place the suitcases (facing backward, handles up if they were rollers) and I paused to ask the guy how he wanted the booster seat placed. He told me, verbatim, "Now you're loitering." I put the seat down next to the suitcases and walked away, toward security, and I heard him talking on the radio. As I approached security, someone on a radio pointed me out to someone else and all of my things were swabbed for explosives. A different TSA agent was behind me (I had to stand on a special mat) and asked if a particular bag was mine. I turned and said it wasn't, and I was reprimanded for turning around (still on the mat) and they started the entire procedure over again. Later, we stopped short of our gate and sat at an empty one because I wanted to charge my phone and the charging stations were all full at our actual gate. My kids and I were sitting by ourselves at the gate, with nobody else around, and a TSA agent came and asked whose phone it was. I was sitting next to it.

 

Honestly, I am more scared of the TSA than I am of random terrorists abroad. Nothing on a typical trip makes me sweat bullets more than when I am standing in lines at the airport and I am relived each time the plane takes off and I'm on it.

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

Faith, I have a few suggestions for preparedness based on a family member's experience during 9-11.  Wear sturdy shoes, ones you can run in if need be.  And tell family here not to tie up the phone during a crisis calling your home so that you can't get through if by chance you manage to phone.  And I think I'd carry a scarf with me in case I got stuck in the sun or for warmth or multiple other uses I can think of.  Shoes are the big one, though.

 

Nan

[Peaceful Isle]

I hate flying. Flying has always bothered me since I was very little. It has nothing to do with the recent activities of the past 15 years.

 

I will drive, even though I know statistics say flying is safer, at least my wheels are on the ground. 

 

Personally, I love my home. We are driving to Vegas in January for a family vacation, but honestly, I would be just as happy having a staycation at home. My eldest is just like me, my other daughter is a free spirit and wants to live abroad someday. sigh. away from me.. ;)

[annandatje]

Yes.

[Garga]

I think I'd feel safe. Hard to say from the kitchen of my tiny little house in my tiny little town. There is absolutely NOTHING of interest around here to attract the attention of a terrorist. I worry more about a crazy student shooting kids in school or crazy shooters in a movie theater.

 

I think logically I would know that an attack could happen anywhere at anytime in the world, but it would most likely happen in a large city in any country in the world. So, I suppose heading to the closest American city would cause me to pause as much as heading to a far European city would.

 

I won't avoid big American cities, so I don't think I'd avoid big foreign cities. They're all targets right now, I suppose.

[Pam in CT]

For me the most "dangerous" part of any air journey seems to be dealing with security. I am always pulled aside for extra screening.

 

Some brief highlights:

 

In 1989 I missed a connecting flight from Amsterdam to LAX because I was pulled out for a screening in which they individually examined everything I had and x-rayed it, then dumped it into a pile for me to re-pack. I was a teenager at the time, traveling alone.

 

Leaving Israel tuned out to be more difficult than entering, every time I've gone. Once I almost missed a flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto but they held it for me and took me to the plane on a motorized cart. Everyone on the flight hated me because they thought I had held up the plane. My laptop, taken away for "security reasons," was never seen again.

 

On the trip I just took to the Midwest this month, the airport was one of those where you check in and then take your luggage over the the massive machine for screening. I approached with the kids and was told how to place the suitcases (facing backward, handles up if they were rollers) and I paused to ask the guy how he wanted the booster seat placed. He told me, verbatim, "Now you're loitering." I put the seat down next to the suitcases and walked away, toward security, and I heard him talking on the radio. As I approached security, someone on a radio pointed me out to someone else and all of my things were swabbed for explosives. A different TSA agent was behind me (I had to stand on a special mat) and asked if a particular bag was mine. I turned and said it wasn't, and I was reprimanded for turning around (still on the mat) and they started the entire procedure over again. Later, we stopped short of our gate and sat at an empty one because I wanted to charge my phone and the charging stations were all full at our actual gate. My kids and I were sitting by ourselves at the gate, with nobody else around, and a TSA agent came and asked whose phone it was. I was sitting next to it.

 

Honestly, I am more scared of the TSA than I am of random terrorists abroad. Nothing on a typical trip makes me sweat bullets more than when I am standing in lines at the airport and I am relived each time the plane takes off and I'm on it.

 

Gah.

 

I am sorry you had to deal with that.  Good grief.

[Amira]

For me the most "dangerous" part of any air journey seems to be dealing with security. I am always pulled aside for extra screening.

 

Some brief highlights:

 

In 1989 I missed a connecting flight from Amsterdam to LAX because I was pulled out for a screening in which they individually examined everything I had and x-rayed it, then dumped it into a pile for me to re-pack. I was a teenager at the time, traveling alone.

 

Leaving Israel tuned out to be more difficult than entering, every time I've gone. Once I almost missed a flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto but they held it for me and took me to the plane on a motorized cart. Everyone on the flight hated me because they thought I had held up the plane. My laptop, taken away for "security reasons," was never seen again.

 

On the trip I just took to the Midwest this month, the airport was one of those where you check in and then take your luggage over the the massive machine for screening. I approached with the kids and was told how to place the suitcases (facing backward, handles up if they were rollers) and I paused to ask the guy how he wanted the booster seat placed. He told me, verbatim, "Now you're loitering." I put the seat down next to the suitcases and walked away, toward security, and I heard him talking on the radio. As I approached security, someone on a radio pointed me out to someone else and all of my things were swabbed for explosives. A different TSA agent was behind me (I had to stand on a special mat) and asked if a particular bag was mine. I turned and said it wasn't, and I was reprimanded for turning around (still on the mat) and they started the entire procedure over again. Later, we stopped short of our gate and sat at an empty one because I wanted to charge my phone and the charging stations were all full at our actual gate. My kids and I were sitting by ourselves at the gate, with nobody else around, and a TSA agent came and asked whose phone it was. I was sitting next to it.

 

Honestly, I am more scared of the TSA than I am of random terrorists abroad. Nothing on a typical trip makes me sweat bullets more than when I am standing in lines at the airport and I am relived each time the plane takes off and I'm on it.

 

I'm sorry, idnib. I wish this didn't happen.

[LisaKinVA]

Currently, we aren't allowed to travel to France...let alone Paris (this doesn't apply to regular Americans, only US military/civilian DOD personnel).

I have been warned about border crossings and our plans to drive to Germany in 4 weeks.  We may be flying.

 

How do I feel?  I don't feel any less safe in Europe than I do when I think about going home -- in a general sense.  We are more cautious about our driving plans, and dh's travel requires extra precautions it didn't before.

 

It is more likely that I'll have a rock (normal-sized rock...vs. bolder-sized rock) tossed at my car as I drive on the high way as part of a insurance/cash scam than see a terrorist -- but there were a series of armed robberies on the tang (toll road) last week, they were targeting "nice" cars...mine is not nice.   FTR, I have had a rock thrown at my car...it has made me more nervous around certain areas.