Good afternoon,
I have been traveling around Europe (and not only) for many years, so now I will dispel the main fears regarding the dangers in Europe.
The European continent has achieved its high standard of living and safety through trial and error, which is why it has the most boring traffic rules, prohibitions and ubiquitous police surveillance of public order.
Roads
All European countries have roads of good or excellent quality. Holland is especially different here: their autobahns have a dividing strip, noise barriers, cameras at all junctions, as well as traffic police who patrol the main routes. The mortality and accident rate here is tens of times lower than in the CIS.
Tourist places and attractions
Of course, pickpockets are present in any crowd of people: both in the Moscow metro and in the center of Berlin, but basic security measures will protect your things with 100% probability.
Outskirts of cities
In all big cities, there are disadvantaged areas where the level of danger is significantly higher. But if you don’t walk around the dark alleys of the outskirts with an expensive camera at 2 am, then the chances of getting into trouble are significantly lower than in your homeland.
Migrants
This topic is not presented entirely objectively in the Russian-language segment of the media. Migrants are fleeing war, are aware of their status and therefore do not want to attract unnecessary attention from law enforcement officers. They are compactly settled on the outskirts of cities, and given the ratio of the number of migrants to the population of Europe, your chances of encountering them at all tend to zero.
Conclusion: the level of danger in European cities is significantly lower than in Russian ones, which is confirmed by many statistical data. In city centers, in hotels and on the roads it is completely safe. You can safely travel to any country and do not be afraid of rumors: they are very exaggerated.
For most, the holiday season is just around the corner, and for some it has already begun, so it’s time to puzzle over the choice of destination and place for a summer vacation.
For families with children, youth and people on a limited budget, the number one holiday destination has always been Turkey. Due to recent political events, this country was closed to Russian tourists, and people were forced to look for an alternative.
However, in the fall of 2016, the tourist flow began to gain momentum again. The upcoming season promises to return the Turkish shores to their former popularity and love of tourists, however, vigilant citizens have concerns about whether it is dangerous to travel to Turkey in the summer of 2019. Let's figure out whether such fears are justified.
The main external problem of the country is that Turkey borders Syria, a country where military operations are ongoing with terrorist groups. The common border, purely theoretically, creates opportunities for radical Islamists to penetrate into Turkish territory.
Military operations in Syria have not stopped at the moment, so there may be unrest in Turkey, which borders Syria. However, all resort areas are located in another part of the country at a considerable distance from the Syrian border.
In order to worry less about their safety, I would like to recommend the following to those going on vacation.
- If possible, do not leave the hotel premises again.
- If you leave the territory, try to avoid crowded places (markets, public transport, mass performances).
- When leaving the hotel, be sure to take your voucher and copies of your international passports with you (we remember that the police will be very vigilant).
- Many people ask whether it is possible to go on holiday to Istanbul and other cities besides the coastal ones. Still, refrain from leaving resort areas. It is better not to tempt fate and postpone trips to the eastern regions of the country and to cities bordering Syria.
I hope the information helped you make the right decision regarding choosing a vacation spot!
Answer from Conscientious[guru]
Ride without problems. Of course, it’s hard to go into a combat zone, but in general you can get through, some points are open. Only sometimes they shoot suddenly at the buses of the DRG of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And to other areas no problem. By the way, if you are in the West, you will be surprised at the absence of young men. And don’t talk too much about how we live in Russia. Let them think that we have hunger, cold, drunkenness and our army is fighting in Ukraine. That is, there is no need to actively disappoint them. Just bring more photos. Good luck.
Answer from Wolverine[guru]
If you go to Donbass, it’s dangerous.
Answer from Neurologist[guru]
it's better to stay at home
Answer from Iar[guru]
No
Answer from AC[guru]
If not to Donetsk and Lugansk (I also mean the surrounding area), then it’s safe.
Answer from Jamara Steshenko[guru]
Chernihiv region. Safely.
Answer from Paint[guru]
It depends on where exactly... And depending on how you get there. If you go by plane to Kyiv or Odessa, it’s fine. But you MUST take a foreign passport with copies. If you travel by bus or by car from the Rostov or Belgorod regions, it’s as God decides. 50x50, I recently drove while driving through militias - no problem (they only inspected the car for weapons, drugs and alcohol - but we didn’t have anything like that). And when we passed the front, we were stopped 4 times, 2 of them - they kept mucking about for a long time. A couple of times we saw empty cars with bullet holes on the road, then relatives told us that soldiers from the National Guard battalions would simply take the cars away and go for a ride themselves (it didn’t affect us, we were lucky. Maybe no one was too coveted).
Answer from ? Mr. Leo?[guru]
Dangerous!
Answer from Polina Savelyeva[guru]
If this is not Donetsk, then it is absolutely safe. And the wallet can be stolen anywhere. I was in Kyiv on business for 10 days in January, I was not encrypted, I spoke only Russian and not only did no one lay a finger on me, but they didn’t even say a bad word. You need to watch less TV, radical youth are everywhere, but for the most part ordinary people live there with their own everyday problems.
Answer from Stepan Mazur[guru]
don't really go
Frightening terrorist attacks: an explosion in Cairo, a shootout in Luxor - a popular tourist destination, a terrible tragedy in Sousse (Tunisia), a bomb explosion in Thailand - led to a huge number of refusals of trips to hot spots. The armed conflict on the border of the Sinai Peninsula has left many tourists baffled. This is understandable, because Sharm el-Sheikh is just a stone's throw from the places where armed groups clashed. Egyptian authorities, trying to prevent future guests from fearing the country, say that the troops are in complete control of the peninsula. They can be understood. The three billion dollars that flow into the Egyptian treasury annually are the contribution of our compatriots. Question: “Is it dangerous to go to Egypt now?” every sane tourist asks. We will try to answer it. Our story is based on genuine reviews from Russians who spent the summer of 2018 in Egypt.
flickr.com/soyignatius
Sofia Egorova (vacated in Sharm in July 2018):
“The atmosphere throughout the resort is calm. The only thing that immediately caught my eye was the large number of roadblocks. At the exit from the city, at the entrances to entertainment centers, at the main attractions there are armed people in black uniforms. I have never heard a single warning or word about a threat.”
flickr.com/davidden
The country is truly unsettled. For 4 years, reports about Egyptian military events have constantly appeared in news releases:
Chronology of events
Winter - 2011. Revolution in Egypt. Resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Street demonstrations, thousands of victims.
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About 40 thousand Russians vacationed at Egyptian resorts in February 2011. However, Moscow companies have stopped selling tours to Egypt.
Summer 2013. The overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, anti-government demonstrations, riots. A state of emergency has been declared in the country.
Egypt has begun evacuating tourists from Finland and Norway. Tour operators in these countries have canceled the sale of Egyptian tour packages. The Russian Foreign Ministry recommended that Russian citizens refrain from traveling. The Federal Tourism Agency did not deal with evacuation, since, according to him, Russian tourists are in no hurry to go home, despite the state of emergency introduced in the country. Excursion programs: trips to Israel, Cairo, etc. are prohibited, but the curfew at the main resorts has been lifted.
flickr.com/titanjad
Summer - 2015. June 10 - suicide bombing at the Karnak Temple in Luxor. July 1 - Fierce clashes occurred between government forces and Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula.
flickr.com/ericbowers
The huge flow of tourists on vacation in Egypt resembles mountain rivers exactly the opposite. In bad weather, rivers boil and overflow their banks, and on fine days they become shallow. During the political calm, tourists travel to Egypt in orderly ranks, or rather, by plane, and in times of troubles these ranks noticeably thin out. But they don’t run out! Some citizens are attracted by tempting discounts, others by low occupancy of hotels, etc.
Two views on one situation
The country is “storming”, but our tourists continue to relax in Sinai. What is this - the stupid Russian “maybe it’ll blow by” or something else? We are publishing two views on the situation with the sale of tours to Egypt in the summer of 2013.
Official
REN program “News 24 Hours”:
“Russian tourists, apparently, have adopted the principle: Egypt is a godsend for extreme sports enthusiasts. Against all odds, they travel to a war-torn country. The Federal Tourism Agency provided data that no more than 2-3 people come on the flight. Those who are already vacationing on the Red Sea are not going to return ahead of schedule.”
flickr.com/97238650@N08
Informal
“I bought a tour to Sharm six months before the trip. I was attracted by the early booking system - I wanted to save money. A month before departure, when I learned about the unrest in Egypt, I was horrified. How to fly with a child to a troubled country? I ran to the agency to return the ticket or redirect the tour. But, alas! “Until Rostourism bans flights, we will not return money if you cancel your trip!” - this was the response of the tour operator. They reassured me that the resorts were carefully guarded, that it was safe there and there was no reason to worry, in general, they persuaded me. I flew with a heavy heart. And although everything went well, even excellent, I decided for myself to never use the early booking service, our world is too fickle.”
flickr.com/fdotguido
August - 2016. Situation at the resorts of Egypt
Heat, a sparkling sea with a dozen boats on the horizon, tanned tourists bargaining furiously with stall sellers - this is what Sharm el-Sheikh looks like today. And although the situation in Egypt today is calm, soldiers with weapons are a common sight on the streets of resorts. For Egyptians, tourism is a huge, and sometimes the only, source of income. Therefore, they care about the safety of vacationers. D. Medvedev, having attended the opening of the Suez Canal in early August, recommended that Russians definitely go to the Red Sea.
flickr.com/guebosch
Nadezhda (Rested in Hurghada at the Palm Beach Resort in August 2016):
“I am so glad that, on the advice of my relatives, I chose this hotel! The animation is luxurious. We were not allowed to get bored. The hotel photographer arranged a photo shoot for us, and we were jealous of ourselves: we turned out so happy and beautiful. Rest for 5+.”
Andrey (traveled to Egypt in 2016):
“Everything was good. I didn’t like two things: ants in the room and lack of sunbeds on the beach.”
As you can see, Russians go to Egypt on vacation and the political situation worries them less than the lack of sun loungers on the beach, and ants seem to be the main problem of an Egyptian vacation. Therefore, to the question: “Is it possible to go to the country of camels now?” we answer: “Yes!”. The situation in 2015 is difficult, but does not pose a danger to tourists. We will talk further about what is really dangerous in Egypt.
flickr.com/archer10
Forewarned is forearmed
Warning 1. Beware of sunlight!
There is a lot of talk about the Egyptian heat. In August 2016, the earth's star broke all records - it warmed the Arabian air to + 55 C°. Protective creams, Panama hats, and umbrellas should be packed in the suitcase first.
flickr.com/hernanpc
Warning 2: Avoid renting a car!
It’s convenient to leave the hotel, get behind the wheel and drive along your route. You can be free and not depend on tour operators and taxi drivers in any country in the world, with the exception of Egypt. Traffic rules for Egyptians either do not exist at all, or they are drawn up according to laws unknown to the whole world. We do not recommend understanding them. Get into a minibus and they will drive you in any direction for pennies. You will not see buses that overturn on the highways and you will not become passengers. The country's authorities have banned long trips until the situation for tourists in the country becomes more favorable.
flickr.com/sebastienv
Warning 3. Be picky about what you eat!
Horror stories about food in Egyptian hotels are shaking the Internet. These are fairy tales in which the truth reaches no more than 2%. The restaurant chef is responsible for the quality of the buffet. Not everyone can be called a master of their craft. That's why reviews about nutrition are so contradictory. Sometimes tourists confuse poisoning with overeating, because the symptoms: nausea, bloating, diarrhea are the same for these conditions. Remember! The volume of a single meal should fit into a regular glass, no more. Use only bottled water to brush your teeth and drink. You can read more about food in Egyptian hotels.
flickr.com/stevendepolo
Warning 4. Beware of poisonous aquatic life!
This is really dangerous! Stinging cells that corals release at night, stone fish, electric stingrays, poisonous fish and urchins - acquaintance with these representatives of the Red Sea should be avoided. “Don’t touch anything in the water!” - this is how Arab guides begin excursions in Egypt.
flickr.com/julesnene
Warning 5: Sharks!
The Red Sea is among the outsiders in the list of zones where attacks by toothy predators on people are not uncommon. The first place in this list is occupied by the coasts of Australia, America and South Africa.
flickr.com/michaelaston
Alexander Kasumyan (Doctor of Biological Sciences ):
When going on vacation with your beloved child, you need to be prepared for any surprises, and when going on vacation to another continent, you need to be fully prepared, not 100%, but 200%! What medications to take with you, what to feed the child, what clothes to pack, what to do if the child suddenly gets sick - these and many other questions torment parents. To avoid troubles, before departure we recommend reading the tips for those traveling to Egypt with a child.
And finally
The purpose of our story is not to scare, but to warn about troubles that could disturb a relaxing holiday. Foreign travel from Russia due to economic reasons decreased by 30%. Egypt, according to statistics from the Federal Tourism Agency, lost only 14% of potential tourists. Our compatriots, trusting the advice of friends and relatives, boldly fly to Egypt. The Red Sea is amazing and everyone should see it!
Jun 6, 2018 Kate
Is it dangerous to travel to Turkey? Türkiye is a relatively safe country, as is Russia. Which dangers in Turkey are real and which are imaginary, how to behave correctly in different situations in Turkey, what can be done and what cannot be done? Here are some clarifications on holiday safety in Turkey.
In 90% of cases, we ourselves are to blame for our troubles! Don't ignore recommendations!
Real dangers
- Insurance is the second most important purchase after a trip or air ticket! The most real danger in Turkey is the bill for calling an ambulance or, God forbid, for treatment in Turkish clinics. In Turkey, all this is expensive, and the cheap insurance that comes with the trip is unlikely to help you, because this is the cheapest basic insurance option. Is it dangerous to travel to Turkey with such insurance? Yes, quite risky. When I went on my first trips to Turkey, I did not take out insurance - this way I saved money. But now, after several “cases on the edge”, I completely abandoned such imaginary savings. Now I am firmly convinced that purchasing additional travel insurance is a reasonable and justifiable expense when traveling. I advise you to read my detailed article about...
- Road traffic accidents– this is the second, in my opinion, real danger in Turkey. Turks themselves drive carelessly, and although the quality of roads in Turkey is good, the features of the roads (serpentines, tunnels, mountain passes) often lead to car accidents. When purchasing long-distance excursions, I recommend asking in advance how many drivers will be on the bus (see). There are cases when, in order to save money, for a trip on a long excursion they hire one driver, who spends the whole day behind the wheel and, accordingly, gets tired. This happened to me when I went on an excursion from Alanya to Pamukkale for the whole day. Those who rent a car (see), should be more careful on the road and pay attention to what troubles are covered by the insurance that you buy when concluding a rental agreement.
You have to be extremely careful when driving a car in Turkey!
Imaginary dangers
- Political situation. In Turkey, a coup attempt was foiled in 2016, after which a state of emergency was introduced in the country. It is still in effect today. It consists of all kinds of restrictions for Turkish citizens, for example, it has become more difficult for them to travel abroad. The state of emergency does not particularly affect our tourists.
- They are Muslims and we are Christians. This does not cause difficulties or any troubles, but quite the opposite. Turks are tolerant of other religions. Yes, indeed, very rarely they may ask what faith you are, but that’s all. Once my wife, my 2-year-old daughter and I were traveling around Central Turkey. In the city of Konya (the most conservative Islamic city in Turkey) we were looking for an inexpensive hotel. One of the people we interviewed asked what faith we were. We honestly answered that we were not Muslims, but this did not stop the man, and he then helped us a lot in finding a good inexpensive hotel.
- Drinking water in Turkey it is not dangerous and there is a lot of it. You can safely drink water from drinking fountains on the street. Affordable bottled water is also sold in stores. You can read my separate article about, everything is described in detail there.
Hospitality and friendliness
People in Turkey are smiling and friendly
Terrorist threat
I would like to write about this separately. The fact is that it is this question that greatly worries those who are thinking about whether to go to Turkey on vacation or not to go. Tourists are thinking: on the one hand, there are very attractive offers from tour operators, on the other hand, “Is it safe there?” The tourist wants to receive a definite answer: “No” or “Yes”. Is it dangerous to travel to Turkey because of this?
The trick is that given the current situation in Turkey, no one will give you such an answer. It is impossible to say an unequivocal “no”; after all, Turkey is not Syria or Afghanistan. On the other hand, it is true that recently there have been more cases than before. But not everyone understands that these were mostly “internal disputes”; they were aimed mainly at the military and the police. These incidents generally did not occur in tourist areas, with the possible exception of Istanbul.
People are afraid of terrorism and flying by plane, although the biggest danger during vacation is traveling by car from home to the airport. This is a stubborn statistic.
- If they ask me, if I go to Turkey myself, my answer will be this. Yes, I'm going to Turkey, alone or with my wife, to continue working on this guide. We need to visit Istanbul and travel along the coast of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.
- If they ask me, if I go to Turkey with children, then my answer will be this. Yes, we will probably go with the children if they do not want to spend the summer in the village with their grandmother. If we are with children, then we would like to go on a package tour or rent a house on the seashore.
- If they ask me, should they go to Turkey, then my answer is this. You must decide this yourself.
Portraits of Kemal Ataturk on administrative buildings
Memo: how to behave as a tourist on vacation in Turkey
- Get medical insurance in addition to your trip. As I already wrote, this is the second most important purchase after buying a voucher or air ticket. Read more about insurance and which one is better to buy.
- Don't take pictures police, military, military facilities, border zones and all kinds of government institutions. I only photographed the tourist police after asking permission first.
- Don't visit the eastern part of the country near the Syrian border. There is a war going on in Syria and, as a result, it is not recommended to be near the border zone. This may even end with you being suspected of being a terrorist, with all the ensuing consequences.
- Alcohol. In Turkey they drink little - Islam does not approve of alcohol consumption. I once visited a teahouse in central Turkey where men watched boxing on TV and drank only tea and mineral water. This has a significant advantage: there are no drunk people with inappropriate behavior on the streets. Alcohol is sold only in tourist places, and throughout the country in special rare stores. Being drunk is categorically discouraged, especially in conservative areas of the country.
- How should girls behave correctly in Turkey? I strongly do not recommend traveling alone to avoid unnecessary adventures that could end badly for you. As for trips on a voucher, it is quite possible to go alone. When traveling alone with a man, introduce yourself as a married couple, even if you are not. Many Turks consider European girls more approachable, so dress conservatively.
- Cloth. Shorts and short sleeves in tourist places will not cause any complaints. But in Central Turkey, where there are few or no tourists, this may be a problem for you. Girls should especially pay attention to clothing: when away from tourist places, dress in such a way that there are as few exposed areas of the body as possible, the head should be covered and the hair should not be loose.
- Avoid talking about politics. Don’t remind us of Kurdish separatism, the problem with Cyprus, the Armenian genocide. Don't talk about NATO, the US or Russia-Turkey relations. Don't criticize Ataturk. Ataturk is the founder of the Turkish Republic. His portraits and monuments are found in large numbers throughout Turkey. The Turks revere him, just as we once revere Lenin. Kemal Ataturk, like Lenin, has a mausoleum in the Turkish capital Ankara.
- Don't argue whose religion is more correct. Although Turks are tolerant of other religions and Turkey is a secular country (religion is separated from the state), you should absolutely not be impolite towards their faith or insult their religious traditions. By the way, if there is a mosque near your place of residence, then be prepared for the call to prayer (namaz) to be heard loudly from the speakers five times a day.
I gave my vision of the question “Is it dangerous to go to Turkey in 2019?”, which, apparently, is shared by hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists who visited Turkey in 2018. But the decision which country to choose for your holiday is always yours.
Good luck to you! Take care of yourself!
