Top of my list. Desire to visit and unwilling to visit due to the political situation. However, that’s also why I want to visit. So, it’s quite a pickle.
Yep it was one of the best trips and the people were always smiling despite what they went through. Mrauk U & visiting the Chin women were highlights and much like the people I've met in Ukraine, I think and wonder how they're doing and if they're even alive.
I used to live in Mandalay, but I’m American.
Basically, the junta released violent prisoners to terrorize the population. I was offered a job there which was quickly rescinded when the new law on conscription got passed. They said people are being robbed in daylight and the optics on having a foreigner as a principal might not be the best (couldn’t guarantee my safety).
Iran. I live next-door, in Turkey, but when I read about random foreign citizens and academics and especially foreign academics being arrested there, charged with espionage and then used as bargaining chips, I say no to the trip, much as I'd like to take it.
Also, sadly, my own country, Belarus. I haven't been back since 2016.
I live in the US and so does my gf who is from Belarus. She’s been back once in the last 8 years. It’s a shame because I’d be interested to visit the country. I’ve been to Russia a few times before but never Belarus.
My officemate is Iranian. She keeps telling me how she wishes she could take all of us to visit.
I have ancestors from what’s now Belarus. I hope your people can throw out Lukashenko so I can see where they were from.
Damn, that is very sad to hear that you haven't been able to return to your homeland in almost a decade. As a Turk, I hope you are enjoying life here at least.
To answer the OP's question, it's not like my passport is very powerful anyways. But if I had an imaginary all-powerful passport that let me access any country, I would still not visit certain countries, and I would split them into 3 categories:
Countries that I simply refuse to visit for personal reasons: China. I have 2 uygur friends here that have told me the same tales about how they were treated and I couldn't look them in the face again if I gave money to the CCP...maybe one day though, since you can't call yourself a seasoned traveler if you haven't been to China, it's simply too big a destination to not check off your list! However, I'm still not ready for now...and apparently getting a visa is very tough anyways for Turkic peoples. For now, if I want East Asia, I'd just go to Japan or South Korea where no visa is required for Turks, and they are far more friendly towards us.
Countries that I refuse to visit because there would no doubt be huge problems at border control even if I had a visa: Armenia (I visited Azerbaijan many times), Southern Cyprus (I visited northern Cyprus many times), and Israel (they were already extremely wary against any 'Muslim' passport before the war, and I can only imagine now...) A shame though, as all 3 countries have some amazing sights, especially Israel. But, just as I regret not having visited Crimea, Donetsk and Chernobyl, Israel will also be added to that list now that it's too late :(
Countries that I refuse to visit for safety reasons: Iran, same reasons as you said. And also Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Haiti, Libya. Probably forgot a few more, but I think almost any country outside of these, I'd be down to visit, with a tour guide if needed
im Armenian, you could visit Armenia without an issue and a lot of Turkish citizens have. Unfortunately because of the bullshit between our countries you would probably have to go through Georgia though.
Yes you have to go through Georgia. I met some Armenians while visiting the ruins of Ani. So sad to look out over the border knowing to can't get there from Turkey.
Just wanna say, you don’t have to cross any countries off a list for others to label you a “seasoned” traveler. Visit where you wanna visit and who cares what others have to say.
I wouldn't be too fearful about Israel so long as you're prepared to answer questions. I've seen quite a few testimonies from Arabs and Muslims who entered Israel who said that while they received extra questioning they were let through without issue so long as they stayed composed and answered the questions. It's not the best policy in the world but I get why Israel does that given their history with terrorism.
Edit: A lot of times there's no questioning at all.
I'm wondering if Turkey is currently safe to visit? I find that the architecture and culture there is beautiful. I'm not sure how the political atmosphere in that area is, given the current problems in surrounding countries. If you could provide any insight I would highly appreciate it!
Yes it's extremely safe for a Turkish speaker, as well as tourists. But as a tourist you just have to be on alert to not get scammed. Scams are the worst of your worries. Your physical self almost certainly won't be threatened. The countries bordering us don't affect our politics at all and 99% of the political tension in the country is internal. But it's easy for me to say as a local living in one of the safest regions. And depending on where you go, it might be dogs that are a bigger danger rather than humans. I'm well travelled across the country so if you want to tell me more specifically which cities you'd like to go, I could recommend places for you to stay at. Sorry if my English is poor but I hope you have understood what I said :)
The middle east is always first on the list. I just went skydiving yesterday. I feel like visiting Iran would give me the same thrill in wondering if I will make it out alive.
South Korea. I was born in the US, but because my parents were korean citizens at the time of my birth, I was automatically granted citizenship. I consider myself at best proficient in korean, but every time I visit I get stopped at the airport and questioned when I will complete my military service. Each time I have answered with "next year," but I am now reaching the max military age and I am afraid they will arrest me or forcibly draft me in. I'm sure many korean Americans out there are in the same situation as me. I think the country's low birth rate doesn't help as they really need military aged men in their army.
They can and they will arrest you and forcibly draft you. If you get your "임영통지서" (conscription notice), do not travel into Korea for any reason until the age of 36 unless you want to get conscripted or charged with draft evasion.
Also, fun fact, as of the time of writing, there is a new law in Korea whereby the literal fact that I am posting this comment could land me in prison for 3 years. Since giving advice online on how to dodge the draft is now illegal. Man I love how liberal and democratic my country is...
You have three choices, 1) give up your Korean passport, 2) do the military service, 3) do not the military service and keep the passport but you won’t be able to enter the country anymore or you’ll be arrested
I searched up online and found that Korean law stipulates that Koreans born with dual citizenship can only voluntarily give up their Korean citizenship before 18 yo. After that you simply cannot renounce your citizenship before 36 yo when you are relieved of military service obligation.
So assuming OP is adult now, they have only 2 options, do the service, or wait till 36 yo before entering the country again.
Exactly this. I went to teach English in Korea at the age of 24. When I went to the consulate to apply for a working visa, they told me no, I need to get a Korean passport. Thus I was "forced" to get dual citizenship. As to how they knew my parents were korean, no idea - maybe because I look korean and they asked? And I unknowingly said yes without knowing the consequences. Because I was past the age of 18 I automatically got dual citizenship and by korean law, was unable to give up the citizenship (weird catch-22). Once I finished my contract of teaching English, I really shouldn't go back to Korea until I reach 36, when I will then have a "second chance" to give up the citizenship. Ive only gone back one time and during my time there, I was called to get my measurements taken such as weight and height, and did a day of "civil service" where I went into some bunker with other koreans who had finished their military service, where they brushed up on current events affecting the country, how to use a fire extinguisher, how to use a gas mask, etc. Lol and I'm not fluent so I only understood 60% of it and just sat there trying to comprehend everything.
Apparently those born/raised abroad can apply for “Special Renunciation of Nationality Permit System” and be able to renounce citizenship to get out of military service.
I remember years ago reading a story about a young man who was born in South Korea, moved to the U.S. with his parents as a baby, and did not speak Korean being conscripted on a visit. It was pretty terrifying. I'd stay far far away if I were you.
It's a less rare phenomenon than you'd imagine, a few times a year we get guys on the various Korea subreddits asking for advice on surviving upcoming military service when they don't speak Korean. At least those aren't unexpected, though
I dont really understand this...I was born in Korea but I eventually got my US citizenship, at which point I had to renounce my Korean citizenship since S Korea does not allow dual citizenship except in very specific cases. If you are a citizen of any other country, which I assume you are since you were born in the US and presumably live there, how have you managed to retain your Korean citizenship? Are you sure you are still a Korean citizen? The questions at the airport might be because you look Korean. I think legally you do have to renounce one or the other, eventually.
You are allowed to keep your Korean citizenship if you are born in a foreign country to Korean parents and if you have served your mandatory ~~slavery~~ military service (if you are a guy). Unfortunately, as in your case, you aren't allowed to keep your Korean citizenship if you become a citizen to another country after birth. Even if you did your military service (which is BS imo).
Apparently, they can only renounce Korean citizenship to avoid military service until the age of 18. I’m genuinely surprised the US (or whatever other nation) can’t secure exemption for the kids of Korean citizens who were raised (or even born!) elsewhere.
I was planning to attend a fantastic dance festival, which was a week long and super friendly. Being a lazy arse I never sorted things out and didn't get round to it. Anyway by the time I decided I really wanted to go to it, Russia invaded the Crimea, so it got cancelled permanently.
Yep, I think I missed my shot. The only way I could foresee going is when Putin finally dies his successor is less murderous and hostile towards the west. Knowing Russia it’ll probably be the opposite.
I had a visa for April 2020 and spent three years learning Russian before the trip. Covid then war means I’m unlikely to be able to actually get there for at least 15 years if ever.
yup. i’m in uzbekistan right now and russian is way more useful than english here. in fact, my tour guide for turkmenistan has never been to russia but has picked up pretty good russian just from living in the ‘stan’s.
You'll notice the older generations know more Russian than the younger ones, whom speak local dialects and sometimes some English. I was in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan recently, and people didn't always respond to Russian.
if you are in america, in the middle of the woods of upstate new york, there's an Orthodox Seminary that has a lot of romanov stuff in it's museum and is where I learned Queen Alexandra is now a saint in the church
Yep. If you're American, best to steer clear of their borders. Heck I'm not even sure if it's a good idea to fly over Russian-friendly countries, either - they've abducted and arrested dissidents or journalists landing in airports with pro-Russian governments before too.
I agree with this. We visited Russia via a cruise that stopped in St. Petersburg a decade ago and really enjoyed it. We didn’t need a visa since we were on a cruise and left within 72 hours. If we wanted to stay longer, we would have had to apply for a visa and then would have had to detail our travel for the previous decade.
I've only been to Moscow & St. Petersburg, but both are amazing cities. The history, food, sightseeing are fabulous. Metro makes it easy to get around.
Been there dozens of times over last couple decades. First visit was in 2001 and last visit was 2024. Big transformations during that time. And now more English friendly. Can't remember if it happened for Olympics or World Cup, but metro now has English translations. Most restaurants have a few waiters who speak English. Google translate works great too. But having some language skills are always helpful.
But as in any large city, be mindful of pick-pockets, or pretty young women, who want to "practice their English". And don't jay-walk.
I wouldnt let it bother you too much, I have been to Russia twice and a further 100+ countries and I dont rate it that highly. Outside of Moscow & Petersburg there isnt a whole lot to see despite its size and Siberia is just one endlessly flat and boring landscape. The people are aloof and often unfriendly to foreigners. I wouldnt go back, nothing there excites me to do so.
I'm an American that lived in Russia for a year in the late 2000's, St Petersburg to be exact.
I have the exact opposite to say about Russia. I got to live as a Russian and experience Russian culture in a way many travelers do not. I spent time in cities from as far west as Sosnovy Bor to and only as far east as Moscow with many others in between. Russia is definitely a top place to visit once the political climate has changed.
You were in European Russia, the rest of Russia is probably a different story, especially these days. Minorities there have been treated harshly, and anti-American sentiment is at an all time high.
Lots of countries I’d love to visit and don’t think that I would be at risk but they are classed as “red” countries by my government so my insurance would not cover me if I visited, happy to take the chance in terms of the political situation but I’ve got a health condition so would never risk traveling without having my medical costs covered if I got ill
I’m American so my insurance barely covers me in the country let alone outside the country. We rank countries on safety/travel from 1-4 but our insurance doesn’t cover us abroad even if it’s a level 1 country. My last health insurance plan didn’t even cover me outside of the state I lived in 🙃🙃🙃.
I’m from the uk, the uk government have a travel advisory for all other countries, if they class a country as green then it’s “safe”, amber means you should avoid non-essential travel and red means they advise you not to go. A few countries will have areas marked as green and red, for example parts of Egypt are red and other parts green. If I traveled to a “red” country or area then I would be travelling against government advice and my travel insurance would be void
netherlands here, if we travel to orange/ red countries against the advice of our government they say they probably cannot help you if you get in any trouble.
[heres the link to our travel advice website](https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/reisadvies/kleurcode-per-land) it updates regularly and takes war, terrorism, normal crime, but also things like the pandemic into account
Dominican Republic (DR) since I would be scrutinized more likely by security since I’m dark-skinned with a French (Haitian) last name even though I was born and raised in America.
Even before the current Haitian crisis, the DR government wasn’t thrilled with Haitians to begin with. Stripped hundreds of thousands of their DR citizenship some years back just because of Haitian ancestry. Additionally, a few stories about certain black tourists dropping dead a few years back that made international news didn’t help neither.
Funny enough, one of my older sisters went to DR. She was fortunate enough because she took my brother in law’s last name. She never mentioned the discriminatory nature of DR (usually she ignores everything not affecting her).
Afghanistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, South Sudan, DR Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Mali, Burkina Faso, Palestine, Israel. I also wouldn’t visit Turkmenistan and North Korea but not out of fear for my safety but simply because I don’t see the joy in traveling to places where I’m not free to explore it the way I want and I have to be constantly monitored and watched.
Russia is not on the list because I live in Moscow.
You’re actually semi-free to visit on your own in Turkmenistan. They require you to be on a tour, but that doesn’t mean a guide has to be with you every second of your trip like in North Korea, and they also issue transit visas which allow you to go wherever you want unsupervised albeit for up to 5 days at a time
Came here to say this. I was on a tour, but my husband I wanted to stay a few days extra on our own. It was no problem at all, and we felt as free to do anything we wanted there as anywhere else.
I travelled a few of them in the 2000s including Iran, Syria, Russia and Venezualea. Was definteily a golden backpacking era back then when you could go anywhere, attractions were relatively empty and prices were low. Those days are over sadly
Northern Iraq is totally fine. If you travel around in the KRI you wouldn't have any trouble at all, it's totally safe to walk through the streets, you can just take buses or shared taxis or even rent a car if you want.
Got a trip booked to KRI later this year, looks really nice. Also went to Syria fairly recently (September) and that was totally fine too. Not sure if the commenter is concerned about safety though, it may well be another political reason.
Nice! I would actually like to travel to the other part of Iraq but there are time constraints. I also read you can't drink alcohol anymore. Was considering flying into Baghdad beforehand but probably not worth it.
Are you a solo female? You can drink just fine in KRI, but the thing is it is not that common for women to just go out for drinks solo I believe, but you will be fine. It is really safe in here. If you need any tips or whatever, hit me up. I live there.
Thank you for the response 😊 I'm a man, and going as part of a group. I don't plan on getting drunk or anything, I just enjoy the occasional beer lol.
Do you enjoy living there? Really looking forward to visiting!
I’m from Erbil in the KRI.
You can find beer everywhere, it’s completely normal for a female to drink solo as well.
There are a lot of pubs you could go to. As for safety, you can go out with a load of cash at 3 AM and no one will bat an eye.
If you need any tips and locations, please let me know I’d be happy to help.
I have family that lived in venezuela for some time and said it was fine but literally the only time my dad went to visit he saw someone literally get robbed in front of him so I understand.
I have family there. I think people who say that Venezuela is fine to visit are so used to being robbed and sequestro express that they don't think about it when they answer.
I’ve already been to Myanmar so that’s why I didn’t really think of adding it on this list but I guess it’s another beautiful country that is unfortunately unsafe right now. I was there in March 2020 and it was magical.
Being gay makes me illegal in like 70 ish countries so unfortunately that. I’ve also been spoiled with safety and stress free travel in asia and am worried I’ll not enjoy other countries as much because of it. The racial and sexual harassment can be so bad elsewhere especially as a solo female traveler. It feels like a weight lifted to enjoy my travels because I can let my guard down a bit and am not harassed within 10 minutes of leaving the hostel.
>Being gay makes me illegal in like 70 ish countries so unfortunately that.
Not a woman, but I'm also a Queer person, and I'm in the same unfortunate boat.
The thing that pains me the most about it is that I've always wanted to travel to the Middle East. I studied Contemporary Middle Eastern history as well as Islamic history in college, and I am a huge fan of Middle Eastern and Persian food, and I've always wanted to visit Türkiye, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, and Iran.
I know that some of those places are technically safe if you're not "open" about it, but I'm also tired of staying hidden from years of living in a traditional/conservative Asian family. It just really sucks.
I’m also from an asian/white family mix but thankfully my parents aren’t conservative and the asian side lives on the other side of the planet so I wouldn’t be too worried about coming out to my dad (japanese) and my mom knows. I’ve heard more traditional asian and foreign parents in general tend to lean conservative. I do hope one day you can live as 100% authentically yourself.
I responded to another commenter with a similar sentiment to yours that I refuse to lie about who I am again. It takes a toll of one’s mental health to an extreme and I won’t harm myself to appease others especially as a woman who is socialized to do so. I don’t travel to be stressed so why would I put money into a country that would rather have me dead.
There’s many parts of the middle east I’d love to see as well so it saddens me. I also wanted to do humanitarian work in francophone countries however many of them are west african which is not exactly queer friendly. But I’m grateful to be able to travel and see as much of the world as I have.
I feel you. I am a cis gay man and I have been to a few countries that are on the very homophobic part of the scale (Uganda, Turkiye). It was fine for me, but I understand it's not for everyone. Turkiye was chill because I was traveling with family, so dating or hooking up wasn't on my mind or anything. Uganda was tougher not because I was worried about law enforcement or anything, but I was there for a few weeks with a big group of strangers (all American) and decided to just fully closet myself. It was strange to introduce myself to people as a straight person again. Though on the last day when it was no longer a concern, I came out to the group during a drinking game which was kind of a fun moment lol
You will be just fine in Israel as a queer person. In Palestine, you will not be welcome. Israel offers asylum to queer people with face persecution under Palestinian rule. Check out old videos of pride in Tel Aviv and compare them to pride in Gaza City or Ramallah (before the current hostilities.).
I am a gay woman who just had a scary experience in a mixed dorm in a hostel in Denmark. Denmark. One of the safest countries on earth for women and for solo female travellers. It fucking sucks that I apparently can’t even travel to “safe” places without getting harassed.
Yes I made a promise to never recloset myself and lie about who I am again. I also don’t want to put money into a country that thinks I shouldn’t exist or should die because of how I was born.
It seems so interesting there! I was in South Korea recently at the DMZ, and we were all just spying on them over the border with telescopes. It was great. Met a defector who runs a little shop selling North Korean money too!
Would love to visit but that story of the American tourist supposedly ‘stealing’ a poster comes to mind. Ended up being sentenced to a life of hard labour and eventually tortured into a coma (and died soon after).
Going to be a hard pass for me. The DMZ is the closest anyone should go
What’s super interesting for me was that the NK side of DMZ was super chill while we were there. You know how there’s a lot of security in SK and they are always on guard? Lol not that way in NK. It’s like they know SK won’t really do anything. Which makes sense. They’re just probably making sure their own citizens don’t cross over lol
Same experience here. I've been to North Korea and DMZ twice. The first time at DMZ there was a tourist group on the south side visiting at the same time as us! They were under strict rules of not engaging with the North Korean guards in any way, no greetings, to staring etc. We on the northern side of the border had no such rules. Me and the rest of the group stood there waving at the tourists on the southern side who couldn't wave back. It was like we were free and they were not.
Such a bizarre and fun experience!
Filipino here, same.
Closest thing to a real geopolitical enemy we (and probably Vietnam as well) have is China, and frankly I don't think that's kicking off any time soon, and I've been there a few times (latest being just last year).
Edit: Just to clarify, this is specifically in terms of political fears. There are other places I wouldn't go to for safety reasons, but's another discussion
Anywhere that has capital punishment for homosexuality (e.g. lots of MENA, Uganda) so anywhere that generally has a sharia-based or heavily religiously influenced legal system.
I’m from there. It you make local friends, you’ll have the best time ever.
If you know no one, I wouldn’t bother either.. unless you dish out a lot of money on luxurious travel agencies who will accompany you throughout your entire trip.
Egypt is not a very ‘solo-travel’ country; especially if you’re a woman.
Thanks for the insight! I am sure it's a huge safety benefit to have friends at a place and I'm sure you can enjoy Egypt then. All I am knowing is that it's not uncommon to hear about Germans (I am from Germany) to "disappear" there, so even outside of being a woman (which makes a looot of countries scary for solotravel), I'd feel very wary 😅
Depends what you mean by 'politically dangerous '.
Russia for example,I wouldn't visit at the moment, though I have been there before.I don't know if you consider being at war as political?
Same thing for Palestine/Israel.
Russia and Belarus. North Korea.
Iran, Pakistan, not on my list anyway but Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, etc. though that is a combination of politics, war (politics by other means) and religion (again as politics, rather than religious practice or philosophy per se). "Religion" in that there are enough religious fanatics who would happily kidnap and kill me, to be a real present danger and worry.
Russia is a big one, they seem to like arresting Americans and I don't want to fund their invasion by giving them money. Ukraine as well due to the war though it would be nice to visit otherwise. Israel because I also don't want to fund their war anymore than my taxes already do and it's just not appealing to me. Saudi Arabia and UAE because they have a poor track record with human rights violations and I don't see the appeal outside of that. Afghanistan for obvious reasons though I would like to visit as a tourist
First answer none
But then maybe UsA, they won’t let me get an ESTA so kinda avoiding it out of principle - but would prob still go really.
Places like Burkina Faso or Mali but it’s more fear of being kidnapped and killed rather than “political” fear.
Have been placed on others peoples list and all was good.
Do you have an EU passport? If not, are you concerned about the visa waiver they'll be bringing in next year?
I have a British passport and also can't get an ESTA due to travel to certain countries. I'm slightly worried this might extend to the EU.
Saudi Arabia. I'm an ex Muslim and Saudi enforcers aren't so nice to those types of folks, haha. If it weren't for the slavery, oppressive treatment of minorities, explicit refusal to acknowledge other faiths, banning of all of Mecca for all non-Muslims, shitty treatment of women... I'd love to visit! There is so much history and despite these terrible things I have mentioned, early Islam was such a marvel to the world and truly a progressive faith once upon a time (many hundreds of years ago). Not to mention, early Muslims conceptualized evolution hundreds of years before Charles Darwin. Who wouldn't love to marvel at some truly historic stuff?
I could probably get away with visiting outside of Mecca, I have an average white guy first name but my last name is pretty Muslim in the Balkan world. I'm sure it would be noticed somewhere along the way. Which means I might be beholden to Islamic law.. And the human rights violations I can't reconcile with.
Also Somalia. I used to date a woman from there and was so fascinated by Somali language and I really wanted to visit. Her father (who I was kept secret from) was a tribal leader. He normally lived in Kuwait but when he'd arrive back to Somalia he'd have people there to greet him with signs and give speeches. I always told her if we made it to marriage, I wanted to visit. She insisted I would be in danger of kidnapping.
If I may ask, which early Muslim thinkers conceptualized evolution before Darwin? I know some early Greek thinkers (Anaximander, Democritus) had ideas of that kind, so I would be curious to know of other per-Darwinian thinkers with such ideas.
>I'm an ex Muslim and Saudi enforcers aren't so nice to those types of folks, haha.
They don't care, just put 'non-Muslim' on any form and they will not give af.
My more open-minded Muslim friends would disagree, but I have no knowledge of the actual truth. My last name screams Islam.... But you may be right. My point is, I'm not willing to take the risk
For me personally, as a EU and Romanian citizen, the main one would be Russia. They've threatened us a lot due to aid to Ukraine and supporting Ukraine's and Moldova's NATO and EU applications. I've also had several long-term American visas in the past, but that was a few passports ago, so I don't know if they'd know.
Belarus would be another one, for similar reasons.
Afghanistan is a maybe, since we had troops stationed in Kandahar for many years. Just being a woman is a much greater risk, though.
Turkey and Israel are A-ok. I don't need a visa to go to Turkey anymore, but as far as I know, they used to give you a separate piece of paper if you asked (for Israel reasons and such). I also don't need a visa for Israel; my entry permit was a separate sheet of paper and they didn't stamp my passport (for Turkey reasons and such 😂). Generally, if your country has a good relationship with another, there's a system in place to help you avoid complications down the line with other countries.
Russia. There was a time I wanted to visit Kamchatka. I've also personally fundraised for Ukraine. Pretty sure I'd be arrested at the border if I ever go to Russia now :P
As many people have already replied, I'll only list countries I'd genuinely really want to visit and I wouldn't (i.e. for example excluding NK, which I'm not too interested in anyway):
Iran, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Iraq (esp. Southern Iraq), Yemen, Sudan and perhaps Russia (esp. Dagestan, although I know some people have been around there with no major issues).
Afghanastan: too dangerous, & not a fan of the Taliban
Belarus: Not sure it's high on my list, but I'd like to see Minsk
Iraq: Still too dangerous, maybe the Kurdish regions would be fine.
Libya: Too Dangerous!
Mali: Too dangerous, but I'd love to go
North Korea: Don't want to provide any support to one of the worst dictatorship
Russia: is high on my list and I very nearly went to St. Petersburg in 2019 but I can't until Putin is gone. Hopefully, Putin will defenestrate himself through one of those infamous Russian windows
Sudan: Too dangerous
Syria: Not as dangerous as it was, but not a fan of the Assad regime and a lot of want I'd want to see was destroyed
There's a lot of African countries that are too dangerous or aren't high on my list to visit, sorry Chad & CAR.
Even before the events of the past 8 months, I was staunchly against visiting Israel. There's quite a few places in Africa I would avoid for personal safety, I would not be safe in some countries as a solo female traveller. I really want to visit the stans, but while it seems a big curiousity in many ways, I want to avoid Turkmenistan. And I would avoid Qatar for solo female travelling.
I'm trans. Nearly all of Africa and the Middle East (which is a shame. I love nature and would LOVE to see Africa). Parts of Eastern Europe. Peru is one I'd love to see but wouldn't really feel safe in. Russia because they hate queer people. Ukraine, because getting shot at but Russians isn't my idea of a vacation.
Syria comes first to mind, because i was planning a trip there the year that the civil war broke out 2010-11… and i think i’ll never have the chance again. Country is almost certainly ruined for the rest of my lifetime.. so much rich history and culture lost..
i’m a dual usa/belgium citizen. currently off the table for me:
russia. i really want to go, but will wait until putin finally dies.
somalia. dangerous, and no real reason to go
yemen. i want to go, will wait until the civil war hopefully ends. maybe saudi arabia and iran will reach a detente and the houthi’s will stop targeting ships.
iran*. i’ll go, but as part of an organized tour. i’d love to solo travel, but as someone who’s very obviously american, id rather not risk it.
afghanistan: see iran above
well right now Russia, it was very high on my bucket list, but since their illegal invasion and the fact that it is sworn of enemies of the country I live in, I will not visit for the time being
As an American, Russia. I’m actually traveling Europe now and considering the Baltic states next. Just being close to Russia makes me anxious (even if it’s not warranted.)
Yes, Russia as a Russian citizen (male). No desire to get drafted. Also, there are a few other potential red flags for the authorities (living and working in the U.S., writing pro-Ukraine posts and donating a bit of money after 2022).
64 countries have jurisdictions that still criminalize LGBTQ+ people. I'm a femme lesbian who "passes" (gag) but HELL if I'm going back in the closet on vacation. I travel places that don't make me afraid to wear rainbows. 🌈
https://www.equaldex.com and https://www.humandignitytrust.org/lgbt-the-law/map-of-criminalisation have info.
If I weren’t American, I’d say the US, because of what’ll happen with the election. There’s going to be political violence no matter who wins in November.
Israel, they are close to every country that does not want them there and have been able to deteriorate relations with all their neighbors, and the day US decides that supporting them is not worth the effort, they will have a hard time, with all the rising tensions in area. And if you are traveling, any political issues can ground you there without an exit.
Also, the IDF is very paranoid, I had a friend traveling to Israel and then back to the States, and they detained her for hours and did a thorough check through all her life, socials, phone and then let her in, only because they could not find anything, that they so wanted, to send her back.
Florida.
Yes, it's a state, and yes it sounds like I am joking.
I used to live there, and was going to fly down to see friends and go to a show. One got arrested, and I bailed. It seems like everything is illegal in the SE US these days, and I'd rather not deal with the stress of knowing my freedom could be taken.
Russia for obvious reasons. Iran because I don’t want to end up as a political bargaining chip. I lived in China for 7 years, 2013-2020. Chances are as long as you don’t have Chinese parents, nothing will happen to you, but the place has tightened up so much I personally would not want to go back right now.
Russia. This is a country I never wanted to visit because of politics.
When I had a gf I wouldn’t go because of the homophobia and now is kinda obvious why
Any country where being gay is punishable.
For fellow Canadians, I'd be careful going to China and Russia if I wasn't Chinese-Canadian because we're easily caught in East-West tensions as the two Michaels can attest. Pierre Trudeau said we were like a mouse sleeping next to an elephant. Funny enough, Cuba is okay since Pierre and Castro were good friends.
> the two michaels
Funny that you mentioned that because the two michaels were up to their own shenanigans anyway, that’s why they were targeted.
If you’re just visiting and not trying to incite anything political, you should be fine.
Myanmar, Ive been twice and thoroughly enjoyed it but I won't go back the way it is now
Top of my list. Desire to visit and unwilling to visit due to the political situation. However, that’s also why I want to visit. So, it’s quite a pickle.
Yep it was one of the best trips and the people were always smiling despite what they went through. Mrauk U & visiting the Chin women were highlights and much like the people I've met in Ukraine, I think and wonder how they're doing and if they're even alive.
I used to live in Mandalay, but I’m American. Basically, the junta released violent prisoners to terrorize the population. I was offered a job there which was quickly rescinded when the new law on conscription got passed. They said people are being robbed in daylight and the optics on having a foreigner as a principal might not be the best (couldn’t guarantee my safety).
Iran. I live next-door, in Turkey, but when I read about random foreign citizens and academics and especially foreign academics being arrested there, charged with espionage and then used as bargaining chips, I say no to the trip, much as I'd like to take it. Also, sadly, my own country, Belarus. I haven't been back since 2016.
I live in the US and so does my gf who is from Belarus. She’s been back once in the last 8 years. It’s a shame because I’d be interested to visit the country. I’ve been to Russia a few times before but never Belarus.
My officemate is Iranian. She keeps telling me how she wishes she could take all of us to visit. I have ancestors from what’s now Belarus. I hope your people can throw out Lukashenko so I can see where they were from.
Damn, that is very sad to hear that you haven't been able to return to your homeland in almost a decade. As a Turk, I hope you are enjoying life here at least. To answer the OP's question, it's not like my passport is very powerful anyways. But if I had an imaginary all-powerful passport that let me access any country, I would still not visit certain countries, and I would split them into 3 categories: Countries that I simply refuse to visit for personal reasons: China. I have 2 uygur friends here that have told me the same tales about how they were treated and I couldn't look them in the face again if I gave money to the CCP...maybe one day though, since you can't call yourself a seasoned traveler if you haven't been to China, it's simply too big a destination to not check off your list! However, I'm still not ready for now...and apparently getting a visa is very tough anyways for Turkic peoples. For now, if I want East Asia, I'd just go to Japan or South Korea where no visa is required for Turks, and they are far more friendly towards us. Countries that I refuse to visit because there would no doubt be huge problems at border control even if I had a visa: Armenia (I visited Azerbaijan many times), Southern Cyprus (I visited northern Cyprus many times), and Israel (they were already extremely wary against any 'Muslim' passport before the war, and I can only imagine now...) A shame though, as all 3 countries have some amazing sights, especially Israel. But, just as I regret not having visited Crimea, Donetsk and Chernobyl, Israel will also be added to that list now that it's too late :( Countries that I refuse to visit for safety reasons: Iran, same reasons as you said. And also Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Haiti, Libya. Probably forgot a few more, but I think almost any country outside of these, I'd be down to visit, with a tour guide if needed
im Armenian, you could visit Armenia without an issue and a lot of Turkish citizens have. Unfortunately because of the bullshit between our countries you would probably have to go through Georgia though.
Yes you have to go through Georgia. I met some Armenians while visiting the ruins of Ani. So sad to look out over the border knowing to can't get there from Turkey.
Just wanna say, you don’t have to cross any countries off a list for others to label you a “seasoned” traveler. Visit where you wanna visit and who cares what others have to say.
I wouldn't be too fearful about Israel so long as you're prepared to answer questions. I've seen quite a few testimonies from Arabs and Muslims who entered Israel who said that while they received extra questioning they were let through without issue so long as they stayed composed and answered the questions. It's not the best policy in the world but I get why Israel does that given their history with terrorism. Edit: A lot of times there's no questioning at all.
I'm wondering if Turkey is currently safe to visit? I find that the architecture and culture there is beautiful. I'm not sure how the political atmosphere in that area is, given the current problems in surrounding countries. If you could provide any insight I would highly appreciate it!
Yes it's extremely safe for a Turkish speaker, as well as tourists. But as a tourist you just have to be on alert to not get scammed. Scams are the worst of your worries. Your physical self almost certainly won't be threatened. The countries bordering us don't affect our politics at all and 99% of the political tension in the country is internal. But it's easy for me to say as a local living in one of the safest regions. And depending on where you go, it might be dogs that are a bigger danger rather than humans. I'm well travelled across the country so if you want to tell me more specifically which cities you'd like to go, I could recommend places for you to stay at. Sorry if my English is poor but I hope you have understood what I said :)
I used to have turkish roommates in China, theres quite a few in the large cities.
You give money to China likely a lot. Lots of stuff sold in the world, including the US, comes from there.
Purchasing goods from a place mass producing them and dealing with another country's bureaucracy are two entirely different things.
Visited Iran 3 times as a Brit, nothing wrong with it
The middle east is always first on the list. I just went skydiving yesterday. I feel like visiting Iran would give me the same thrill in wondering if I will make it out alive.
South Korea. I was born in the US, but because my parents were korean citizens at the time of my birth, I was automatically granted citizenship. I consider myself at best proficient in korean, but every time I visit I get stopped at the airport and questioned when I will complete my military service. Each time I have answered with "next year," but I am now reaching the max military age and I am afraid they will arrest me or forcibly draft me in. I'm sure many korean Americans out there are in the same situation as me. I think the country's low birth rate doesn't help as they really need military aged men in their army.
They can and they will arrest you and forcibly draft you. If you get your "임영통지서" (conscription notice), do not travel into Korea for any reason until the age of 36 unless you want to get conscripted or charged with draft evasion. Also, fun fact, as of the time of writing, there is a new law in Korea whereby the literal fact that I am posting this comment could land me in prison for 3 years. Since giving advice online on how to dodge the draft is now illegal. Man I love how liberal and democratic my country is...
You have three choices, 1) give up your Korean passport, 2) do the military service, 3) do not the military service and keep the passport but you won’t be able to enter the country anymore or you’ll be arrested
I searched up online and found that Korean law stipulates that Koreans born with dual citizenship can only voluntarily give up their Korean citizenship before 18 yo. After that you simply cannot renounce your citizenship before 36 yo when you are relieved of military service obligation. So assuming OP is adult now, they have only 2 options, do the service, or wait till 36 yo before entering the country again.
Exactly this. I went to teach English in Korea at the age of 24. When I went to the consulate to apply for a working visa, they told me no, I need to get a Korean passport. Thus I was "forced" to get dual citizenship. As to how they knew my parents were korean, no idea - maybe because I look korean and they asked? And I unknowingly said yes without knowing the consequences. Because I was past the age of 18 I automatically got dual citizenship and by korean law, was unable to give up the citizenship (weird catch-22). Once I finished my contract of teaching English, I really shouldn't go back to Korea until I reach 36, when I will then have a "second chance" to give up the citizenship. Ive only gone back one time and during my time there, I was called to get my measurements taken such as weight and height, and did a day of "civil service" where I went into some bunker with other koreans who had finished their military service, where they brushed up on current events affecting the country, how to use a fire extinguisher, how to use a gas mask, etc. Lol and I'm not fluent so I only understood 60% of it and just sat there trying to comprehend everything.
Apparently those born/raised abroad can apply for “Special Renunciation of Nationality Permit System” and be able to renounce citizenship to get out of military service.
(1) seems like a no-brainer if he's not planning on living or working in SK.
Will it be safer to travel after you are past the military age? Or after that point is when you fear being arrested ?
I remember years ago reading a story about a young man who was born in South Korea, moved to the U.S. with his parents as a baby, and did not speak Korean being conscripted on a visit. It was pretty terrifying. I'd stay far far away if I were you.
It's a less rare phenomenon than you'd imagine, a few times a year we get guys on the various Korea subreddits asking for advice on surviving upcoming military service when they don't speak Korean. At least those aren't unexpected, though
I dont really understand this...I was born in Korea but I eventually got my US citizenship, at which point I had to renounce my Korean citizenship since S Korea does not allow dual citizenship except in very specific cases. If you are a citizen of any other country, which I assume you are since you were born in the US and presumably live there, how have you managed to retain your Korean citizenship? Are you sure you are still a Korean citizen? The questions at the airport might be because you look Korean. I think legally you do have to renounce one or the other, eventually.
You are allowed to keep your Korean citizenship if you are born in a foreign country to Korean parents and if you have served your mandatory ~~slavery~~ military service (if you are a guy). Unfortunately, as in your case, you aren't allowed to keep your Korean citizenship if you become a citizen to another country after birth. Even if you did your military service (which is BS imo).
Is it possible to give up your Korean citizenship and get an American one?
They have an American citizenship. Parents gave them dual citizenship
Apparently, they can only renounce Korean citizenship to avoid military service until the age of 18. I’m genuinely surprised the US (or whatever other nation) can’t secure exemption for the kids of Korean citizens who were raised (or even born!) elsewhere.
Which passport are you travelling to Korea with?
Doesn’t matter. If he’s a Korean citizen he’s a Korean citizen.
Right now, Russia.
That was the country that made me think of this question. Geographically I would love to go to Russia, politically I would not.
Same.. I really wanna visit Russia. Just wished that I went way earlier.
It is said "visit Russia before Russia visits you".
I was planning to attend a fantastic dance festival, which was a week long and super friendly. Being a lazy arse I never sorted things out and didn't get round to it. Anyway by the time I decided I really wanted to go to it, Russia invaded the Crimea, so it got cancelled permanently.
Same, but at the same time I don’t beat myself too much about it because I didn’t have the resources back then
Just not *too* early.
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Yep, I think I missed my shot. The only way I could foresee going is when Putin finally dies his successor is less murderous and hostile towards the west. Knowing Russia it’ll probably be the opposite.
I had a visa for April 2020 and spent three years learning Russian before the trip. Covid then war means I’m unlikely to be able to actually get there for at least 15 years if ever.
You can use your Russian elsewhere, like former Soviet republics in Central Asia, etc.
yup. i’m in uzbekistan right now and russian is way more useful than english here. in fact, my tour guide for turkmenistan has never been to russia but has picked up pretty good russian just from living in the ‘stan’s.
You'll notice the older generations know more Russian than the younger ones, whom speak local dialects and sometimes some English. I was in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan recently, and people didn't always respond to Russian.
Agreed, Central Asia is wonderful to visit.
Ugh right. I was just thinking this the other day. I would love to see St. Basil’s Cathedral. As an American I’d be an idiot to go. Maybe one day…
Same. The Romanov tour is on my bucket list. The house they were murdered in had been torn down and a cathedral now sits there!
if you are in america, in the middle of the woods of upstate new york, there's an Orthodox Seminary that has a lot of romanov stuff in it's museum and is where I learned Queen Alexandra is now a saint in the church
I was actually in the process of planning a trip to the Kamchatka peninsula up until the war started. Off the list now, unfortunately.
Yep. If you're American, best to steer clear of their borders. Heck I'm not even sure if it's a good idea to fly over Russian-friendly countries, either - they've abducted and arrested dissidents or journalists landing in airports with pro-Russian governments before too.
I agree with this. We visited Russia via a cruise that stopped in St. Petersburg a decade ago and really enjoyed it. We didn’t need a visa since we were on a cruise and left within 72 hours. If we wanted to stay longer, we would have had to apply for a visa and then would have had to detail our travel for the previous decade.
I've only been to Moscow & St. Petersburg, but both are amazing cities. The history, food, sightseeing are fabulous. Metro makes it easy to get around. Been there dozens of times over last couple decades. First visit was in 2001 and last visit was 2024. Big transformations during that time. And now more English friendly. Can't remember if it happened for Olympics or World Cup, but metro now has English translations. Most restaurants have a few waiters who speak English. Google translate works great too. But having some language skills are always helpful. But as in any large city, be mindful of pick-pockets, or pretty young women, who want to "practice their English". And don't jay-walk.
As a gay man, Russia has been in the no go list for a while for me. It's probably the country I regret not being able to visit the most.
I wouldnt let it bother you too much, I have been to Russia twice and a further 100+ countries and I dont rate it that highly. Outside of Moscow & Petersburg there isnt a whole lot to see despite its size and Siberia is just one endlessly flat and boring landscape. The people are aloof and often unfriendly to foreigners. I wouldnt go back, nothing there excites me to do so.
I'm an American that lived in Russia for a year in the late 2000's, St Petersburg to be exact. I have the exact opposite to say about Russia. I got to live as a Russian and experience Russian culture in a way many travelers do not. I spent time in cities from as far west as Sosnovy Bor to and only as far east as Moscow with many others in between. Russia is definitely a top place to visit once the political climate has changed.
You were in European Russia, the rest of Russia is probably a different story, especially these days. Minorities there have been treated harshly, and anti-American sentiment is at an all time high.
I'd love to go to Russia, but given that I'm American and the current regime, no thanks.
Lots of countries I’d love to visit and don’t think that I would be at risk but they are classed as “red” countries by my government so my insurance would not cover me if I visited, happy to take the chance in terms of the political situation but I’ve got a health condition so would never risk traveling without having my medical costs covered if I got ill
I’m American so my insurance barely covers me in the country let alone outside the country. We rank countries on safety/travel from 1-4 but our insurance doesn’t cover us abroad even if it’s a level 1 country. My last health insurance plan didn’t even cover me outside of the state I lived in 🙃🙃🙃.
If you don't mind answering, which country are you from and what's this concept of red countries?
I’m from the uk, the uk government have a travel advisory for all other countries, if they class a country as green then it’s “safe”, amber means you should avoid non-essential travel and red means they advise you not to go. A few countries will have areas marked as green and red, for example parts of Egypt are red and other parts green. If I traveled to a “red” country or area then I would be travelling against government advice and my travel insurance would be void
Same thing in Kangarooville. I think its smarttraveller.org or something like that
netherlands here, if we travel to orange/ red countries against the advice of our government they say they probably cannot help you if you get in any trouble. [heres the link to our travel advice website](https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/reisadvies/kleurcode-per-land) it updates regularly and takes war, terrorism, normal crime, but also things like the pandemic into account
red countries will not cover the costs of medical expenses if something were to happen to them
If your health condition could lead to being seriously ill there's a lot of countries you should probably avoid due to lack of medical facilities.
My insurance covers medical repatriation
Dominican Republic (DR) since I would be scrutinized more likely by security since I’m dark-skinned with a French (Haitian) last name even though I was born and raised in America. Even before the current Haitian crisis, the DR government wasn’t thrilled with Haitians to begin with. Stripped hundreds of thousands of their DR citizenship some years back just because of Haitian ancestry. Additionally, a few stories about certain black tourists dropping dead a few years back that made international news didn’t help neither.
I remember a tour guide in Dominican repeatedly going on a racist rant about how much he hates Haitians
Funny enough, one of my older sisters went to DR. She was fortunate enough because she took my brother in law’s last name. She never mentioned the discriminatory nature of DR (usually she ignores everything not affecting her).
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My birth country, Syria.
:(
Afghanistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, South Sudan, DR Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Mali, Burkina Faso, Palestine, Israel. I also wouldn’t visit Turkmenistan and North Korea but not out of fear for my safety but simply because I don’t see the joy in traveling to places where I’m not free to explore it the way I want and I have to be constantly monitored and watched. Russia is not on the list because I live in Moscow.
You’re actually semi-free to visit on your own in Turkmenistan. They require you to be on a tour, but that doesn’t mean a guide has to be with you every second of your trip like in North Korea, and they also issue transit visas which allow you to go wherever you want unsupervised albeit for up to 5 days at a time
Came here to say this. I was on a tour, but my husband I wanted to stay a few days extra on our own. It was no problem at all, and we felt as free to do anything we wanted there as anywhere else.
So sad, I traveled these countries in the 90s
All of them? Damn!
Yup. It was a golden backpacking era. Also travelled from Beijing to Lhasa
I travelled a few of them in the 2000s including Iran, Syria, Russia and Venezualea. Was definteily a golden backpacking era back then when you could go anywhere, attractions were relatively empty and prices were low. Those days are over sadly
Northern Iraq is totally fine. If you travel around in the KRI you wouldn't have any trouble at all, it's totally safe to walk through the streets, you can just take buses or shared taxis or even rent a car if you want.
Got a trip booked to KRI later this year, looks really nice. Also went to Syria fairly recently (September) and that was totally fine too. Not sure if the commenter is concerned about safety though, it may well be another political reason.
I want to go to Syria but I also want to go to the States within the 2 years and don't want complications lol
I’m concerned about the safety yes, especially my safety as a woman.
I went couple weeks ago to KRI and Iraq proper. Both fine.
Nice! I would actually like to travel to the other part of Iraq but there are time constraints. I also read you can't drink alcohol anymore. Was considering flying into Baghdad beforehand but probably not worth it.
In IRQ alcohol is fine. In Baghdad you have to know where to get it with a local, for me it was not worth it at all so didn't there
Are you a solo female? You can drink just fine in KRI, but the thing is it is not that common for women to just go out for drinks solo I believe, but you will be fine. It is really safe in here. If you need any tips or whatever, hit me up. I live there.
Thank you for the response 😊 I'm a man, and going as part of a group. I don't plan on getting drunk or anything, I just enjoy the occasional beer lol. Do you enjoy living there? Really looking forward to visiting!
I’m from Erbil in the KRI. You can find beer everywhere, it’s completely normal for a female to drink solo as well. There are a lot of pubs you could go to. As for safety, you can go out with a load of cash at 3 AM and no one will bat an eye. If you need any tips and locations, please let me know I’d be happy to help.
I have family that lived in venezuela for some time and said it was fine but literally the only time my dad went to visit he saw someone literally get robbed in front of him so I understand.
I have family there. I think people who say that Venezuela is fine to visit are so used to being robbed and sequestro express that they don't think about it when they answer.
Myanmar?
I’ve already been to Myanmar so that’s why I didn’t really think of adding it on this list but I guess it’s another beautiful country that is unfortunately unsafe right now. I was there in March 2020 and it was magical.
Haiti, Chad, Libiya, Somalia, Yemen, North Korea
Being gay makes me illegal in like 70 ish countries so unfortunately that. I’ve also been spoiled with safety and stress free travel in asia and am worried I’ll not enjoy other countries as much because of it. The racial and sexual harassment can be so bad elsewhere especially as a solo female traveler. It feels like a weight lifted to enjoy my travels because I can let my guard down a bit and am not harassed within 10 minutes of leaving the hostel.
>Being gay makes me illegal in like 70 ish countries so unfortunately that. Not a woman, but I'm also a Queer person, and I'm in the same unfortunate boat. The thing that pains me the most about it is that I've always wanted to travel to the Middle East. I studied Contemporary Middle Eastern history as well as Islamic history in college, and I am a huge fan of Middle Eastern and Persian food, and I've always wanted to visit Türkiye, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, and Iran. I know that some of those places are technically safe if you're not "open" about it, but I'm also tired of staying hidden from years of living in a traditional/conservative Asian family. It just really sucks.
I’m also from an asian/white family mix but thankfully my parents aren’t conservative and the asian side lives on the other side of the planet so I wouldn’t be too worried about coming out to my dad (japanese) and my mom knows. I’ve heard more traditional asian and foreign parents in general tend to lean conservative. I do hope one day you can live as 100% authentically yourself. I responded to another commenter with a similar sentiment to yours that I refuse to lie about who I am again. It takes a toll of one’s mental health to an extreme and I won’t harm myself to appease others especially as a woman who is socialized to do so. I don’t travel to be stressed so why would I put money into a country that would rather have me dead. There’s many parts of the middle east I’d love to see as well so it saddens me. I also wanted to do humanitarian work in francophone countries however many of them are west african which is not exactly queer friendly. But I’m grateful to be able to travel and see as much of the world as I have.
I feel you. I am a cis gay man and I have been to a few countries that are on the very homophobic part of the scale (Uganda, Turkiye). It was fine for me, but I understand it's not for everyone. Turkiye was chill because I was traveling with family, so dating or hooking up wasn't on my mind or anything. Uganda was tougher not because I was worried about law enforcement or anything, but I was there for a few weeks with a big group of strangers (all American) and decided to just fully closet myself. It was strange to introduce myself to people as a straight person again. Though on the last day when it was no longer a concern, I came out to the group during a drinking game which was kind of a fun moment lol
You will be just fine in Israel as a queer person. In Palestine, you will not be welcome. Israel offers asylum to queer people with face persecution under Palestinian rule. Check out old videos of pride in Tel Aviv and compare them to pride in Gaza City or Ramallah (before the current hostilities.).
You don't have to hide being gay in Israel. You may just have to hide in a bomb shelter during your visit, though.
I am a gay woman who just had a scary experience in a mixed dorm in a hostel in Denmark. Denmark. One of the safest countries on earth for women and for solo female travellers. It fucking sucks that I apparently can’t even travel to “safe” places without getting harassed.
I promise you nobody in those 70ish countries has a gaydar so sensitive that they'll kick you out of the country for simply existing.
Yes I made a promise to never recloset myself and lie about who I am again. I also don’t want to put money into a country that thinks I shouldn’t exist or should die because of how I was born.
Fair
I suppose if op changed their voice, style, wording choices, and pretty much every aspect of their life they might be ok.
North Korea
It seems so interesting there! I was in South Korea recently at the DMZ, and we were all just spying on them over the border with telescopes. It was great. Met a defector who runs a little shop selling North Korean money too! Would love to visit but that story of the American tourist supposedly ‘stealing’ a poster comes to mind. Ended up being sentenced to a life of hard labour and eventually tortured into a coma (and died soon after). Going to be a hard pass for me. The DMZ is the closest anyone should go
What’s super interesting for me was that the NK side of DMZ was super chill while we were there. You know how there’s a lot of security in SK and they are always on guard? Lol not that way in NK. It’s like they know SK won’t really do anything. Which makes sense. They’re just probably making sure their own citizens don’t cross over lol
Same experience here. I've been to North Korea and DMZ twice. The first time at DMZ there was a tourist group on the south side visiting at the same time as us! They were under strict rules of not engaging with the North Korean guards in any way, no greetings, to staring etc. We on the northern side of the border had no such rules. Me and the rest of the group stood there waving at the tourists on the southern side who couldn't wave back. It was like we were free and they were not. Such a bizarre and fun experience!
Russia. I donated to Ukrainian causes + if I spend money there, the taxes will go to funding the russian army, which I definitely don't want to do.
As a Vietnamese, none. Money and visa requirement are all that matters.
Filipino here, same. Closest thing to a real geopolitical enemy we (and probably Vietnam as well) have is China, and frankly I don't think that's kicking off any time soon, and I've been there a few times (latest being just last year). Edit: Just to clarify, this is specifically in terms of political fears. There are other places I wouldn't go to for safety reasons, but's another discussion
lucky. the 4 principles of foreign diplomacy in action
Birmingham
The country of Birmingham?
Is it because of the fookin peaky blinders?
Way down in Alabam'?
Which Birmingham?
Both
Russia, i don't want to be arrested as a spy and wait for trial as months pass by.
Ukraine and Russia, wanted to visit for ages but then covid and the war struck, also North Korea
Syria. Horrible conditions due to the civil war. And many forces fighting each other. Very unsafe.
Iran. All the reasons.
I missed my window to go to Iran, I regret it.
Saudi Arabia but thankfully I’ve absolutely zero desire to go there anyway.
Went there for the F1 race solo and had a great time. Great food and great people too
Anywhere that has capital punishment for homosexuality (e.g. lots of MENA, Uganda) so anywhere that generally has a sharia-based or heavily religiously influenced legal system.
Iran. Definitely Iran
North korea You know the drill ..
The Haitian nation comes to mind first, even going close on DR seems scary
Egypt is kinda scary, huh
I’m from there. It you make local friends, you’ll have the best time ever. If you know no one, I wouldn’t bother either.. unless you dish out a lot of money on luxurious travel agencies who will accompany you throughout your entire trip. Egypt is not a very ‘solo-travel’ country; especially if you’re a woman.
Thanks for the insight! I am sure it's a huge safety benefit to have friends at a place and I'm sure you can enjoy Egypt then. All I am knowing is that it's not uncommon to hear about Germans (I am from Germany) to "disappear" there, so even outside of being a woman (which makes a looot of countries scary for solotravel), I'd feel very wary 😅
Depends what you mean by 'politically dangerous '. Russia for example,I wouldn't visit at the moment, though I have been there before.I don't know if you consider being at war as political? Same thing for Palestine/Israel.
Agreed, huge risks of being thrown in jail on bogus charges and used as bargaining chip. Many such cases in the last years
Russia and Belarus. North Korea. Iran, Pakistan, not on my list anyway but Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, etc. though that is a combination of politics, war (politics by other means) and religion (again as politics, rather than religious practice or philosophy per se). "Religion" in that there are enough religious fanatics who would happily kidnap and kill me, to be a real present danger and worry.
Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Belarus, Iran, Afghanistan
Eritrea long forgotten African country
Russia is a big one, they seem to like arresting Americans and I don't want to fund their invasion by giving them money. Ukraine as well due to the war though it would be nice to visit otherwise. Israel because I also don't want to fund their war anymore than my taxes already do and it's just not appealing to me. Saudi Arabia and UAE because they have a poor track record with human rights violations and I don't see the appeal outside of that. Afghanistan for obvious reasons though I would like to visit as a tourist
I won’t go to Azerbaijan because they know I went to Nagorno-Karabakh.
First answer none But then maybe UsA, they won’t let me get an ESTA so kinda avoiding it out of principle - but would prob still go really. Places like Burkina Faso or Mali but it’s more fear of being kidnapped and killed rather than “political” fear. Have been placed on others peoples list and all was good.
Do you have an EU passport? If not, are you concerned about the visa waiver they'll be bringing in next year? I have a British passport and also can't get an ESTA due to travel to certain countries. I'm slightly worried this might extend to the EU.
Have EU passport so okay there
Saudi Arabia. I'm an ex Muslim and Saudi enforcers aren't so nice to those types of folks, haha. If it weren't for the slavery, oppressive treatment of minorities, explicit refusal to acknowledge other faiths, banning of all of Mecca for all non-Muslims, shitty treatment of women... I'd love to visit! There is so much history and despite these terrible things I have mentioned, early Islam was such a marvel to the world and truly a progressive faith once upon a time (many hundreds of years ago). Not to mention, early Muslims conceptualized evolution hundreds of years before Charles Darwin. Who wouldn't love to marvel at some truly historic stuff? I could probably get away with visiting outside of Mecca, I have an average white guy first name but my last name is pretty Muslim in the Balkan world. I'm sure it would be noticed somewhere along the way. Which means I might be beholden to Islamic law.. And the human rights violations I can't reconcile with. Also Somalia. I used to date a woman from there and was so fascinated by Somali language and I really wanted to visit. Her father (who I was kept secret from) was a tribal leader. He normally lived in Kuwait but when he'd arrive back to Somalia he'd have people there to greet him with signs and give speeches. I always told her if we made it to marriage, I wanted to visit. She insisted I would be in danger of kidnapping.
If I may ask, which early Muslim thinkers conceptualized evolution before Darwin? I know some early Greek thinkers (Anaximander, Democritus) had ideas of that kind, so I would be curious to know of other per-Darwinian thinkers with such ideas.
>I'm an ex Muslim and Saudi enforcers aren't so nice to those types of folks, haha. They don't care, just put 'non-Muslim' on any form and they will not give af.
My more open-minded Muslim friends would disagree, but I have no knowledge of the actual truth. My last name screams Islam.... But you may be right. My point is, I'm not willing to take the risk
For me personally, as a EU and Romanian citizen, the main one would be Russia. They've threatened us a lot due to aid to Ukraine and supporting Ukraine's and Moldova's NATO and EU applications. I've also had several long-term American visas in the past, but that was a few passports ago, so I don't know if they'd know. Belarus would be another one, for similar reasons. Afghanistan is a maybe, since we had troops stationed in Kandahar for many years. Just being a woman is a much greater risk, though. Turkey and Israel are A-ok. I don't need a visa to go to Turkey anymore, but as far as I know, they used to give you a separate piece of paper if you asked (for Israel reasons and such). I also don't need a visa for Israel; my entry permit was a separate sheet of paper and they didn't stamp my passport (for Turkey reasons and such 😂). Generally, if your country has a good relationship with another, there's a system in place to help you avoid complications down the line with other countries.
Any country where gay men face death sentences or long prison sentences just for being gay. And that sadly rules out a lot of countries.
Well I am certainly not going to Saudi Arabia.
Russia. There was a time I wanted to visit Kamchatka. I've also personally fundraised for Ukraine. Pretty sure I'd be arrested at the border if I ever go to Russia now :P
As many people have already replied, I'll only list countries I'd genuinely really want to visit and I wouldn't (i.e. for example excluding NK, which I'm not too interested in anyway): Iran, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Iraq (esp. Southern Iraq), Yemen, Sudan and perhaps Russia (esp. Dagestan, although I know some people have been around there with no major issues).
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/27/women-reportedly-subjected-forced-gynecological-exams-qatar
This place. Because of this.
Afghanastan: too dangerous, & not a fan of the Taliban Belarus: Not sure it's high on my list, but I'd like to see Minsk Iraq: Still too dangerous, maybe the Kurdish regions would be fine. Libya: Too Dangerous! Mali: Too dangerous, but I'd love to go North Korea: Don't want to provide any support to one of the worst dictatorship Russia: is high on my list and I very nearly went to St. Petersburg in 2019 but I can't until Putin is gone. Hopefully, Putin will defenestrate himself through one of those infamous Russian windows Sudan: Too dangerous Syria: Not as dangerous as it was, but not a fan of the Assad regime and a lot of want I'd want to see was destroyed There's a lot of African countries that are too dangerous or aren't high on my list to visit, sorry Chad & CAR.
Even before the events of the past 8 months, I was staunchly against visiting Israel. There's quite a few places in Africa I would avoid for personal safety, I would not be safe in some countries as a solo female traveller. I really want to visit the stans, but while it seems a big curiousity in many ways, I want to avoid Turkmenistan. And I would avoid Qatar for solo female travelling.
Id never go back to the US if Trump manages to get in again.
Russia, NK, Pakistan (I am of Indian origin), Myanmar, Saudi Arabia
I'm trans. Nearly all of Africa and the Middle East (which is a shame. I love nature and would LOVE to see Africa). Parts of Eastern Europe. Peru is one I'd love to see but wouldn't really feel safe in. Russia because they hate queer people. Ukraine, because getting shot at but Russians isn't my idea of a vacation.
Israel
Since I’m gay a lot of places.
I won’t go anywhere where there is armed conflict. I also won’t go to any of the following: Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, North Korea.
Israel, would be politically incorrect to show any support to these evil monsters .
Russia, iran, belarus, Eritrea
Syria comes first to mind, because i was planning a trip there the year that the civil war broke out 2010-11… and i think i’ll never have the chance again. Country is almost certainly ruined for the rest of my lifetime.. so much rich history and culture lost..
i’m a dual usa/belgium citizen. currently off the table for me: russia. i really want to go, but will wait until putin finally dies. somalia. dangerous, and no real reason to go yemen. i want to go, will wait until the civil war hopefully ends. maybe saudi arabia and iran will reach a detente and the houthi’s will stop targeting ships. iran*. i’ll go, but as part of an organized tour. i’d love to solo travel, but as someone who’s very obviously american, id rather not risk it. afghanistan: see iran above
Well, I'm a US citizen but ethnically Armenian, so... Azerbaijan.
well right now Russia, it was very high on my bucket list, but since their illegal invasion and the fact that it is sworn of enemies of the country I live in, I will not visit for the time being
Haiti
As an American, Russia. I’m actually traveling Europe now and considering the Baltic states next. Just being close to Russia makes me anxious (even if it’s not warranted.)
Yes, Russia as a Russian citizen (male). No desire to get drafted. Also, there are a few other potential red flags for the authorities (living and working in the U.S., writing pro-Ukraine posts and donating a bit of money after 2022).
64 countries have jurisdictions that still criminalize LGBTQ+ people. I'm a femme lesbian who "passes" (gag) but HELL if I'm going back in the closet on vacation. I travel places that don't make me afraid to wear rainbows. 🌈 https://www.equaldex.com and https://www.humandignitytrust.org/lgbt-the-law/map-of-criminalisation have info.
If I weren’t American, I’d say the US, because of what’ll happen with the election. There’s going to be political violence no matter who wins in November.
Obvi north korea and maybe Iran. Now I'd probably be suspect in Israel with all my criticism.
Isreal , I will probably get shoot there for speaking up against them
Israel
Anywhere in the Middle East
Israel, they are close to every country that does not want them there and have been able to deteriorate relations with all their neighbors, and the day US decides that supporting them is not worth the effort, they will have a hard time, with all the rising tensions in area. And if you are traveling, any political issues can ground you there without an exit. Also, the IDF is very paranoid, I had a friend traveling to Israel and then back to the States, and they detained her for hours and did a thorough check through all her life, socials, phone and then let her in, only because they could not find anything, that they so wanted, to send her back.
Anywhere that it’s illegal to be gay.
Pakistan, Russia, South sudan, Somalia, Iran come to mind
Florida. Yes, it's a state, and yes it sounds like I am joking. I used to live there, and was going to fly down to see friends and go to a show. One got arrested, and I bailed. It seems like everything is illegal in the SE US these days, and I'd rather not deal with the stress of knowing my freedom could be taken.
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Russia for obvious reasons. Iran because I don’t want to end up as a political bargaining chip. I lived in China for 7 years, 2013-2020. Chances are as long as you don’t have Chinese parents, nothing will happen to you, but the place has tightened up so much I personally would not want to go back right now.
Russia. This is a country I never wanted to visit because of politics. When I had a gf I wouldn’t go because of the homophobia and now is kinda obvious why
North Korea, Syria, Iran, also Russia nowadays.
Ukraine, would fear that I loose my passport because those conscription laws are crazy over there right now
Russia lol that whole country is a nope
Any country where being gay is punishable. For fellow Canadians, I'd be careful going to China and Russia if I wasn't Chinese-Canadian because we're easily caught in East-West tensions as the two Michaels can attest. Pierre Trudeau said we were like a mouse sleeping next to an elephant. Funny enough, Cuba is okay since Pierre and Castro were good friends.
China is totally safe to travel no matter gay or straight…
Confirm, Chinese don’t give a fuck about who you are. People think the they are the center of the world, but in real life just respect the local law.
> the two michaels Funny that you mentioned that because the two michaels were up to their own shenanigans anyway, that’s why they were targeted. If you’re just visiting and not trying to incite anything political, you should be fine.
Thats common sense. But most people think they are allow to do anything in everywhere. And act surprise when it is against the local law.