I’m in the process of having my house’s back porch enclosed, with the work being done by a contractor whose crew–at least for this job–is composed of Spanish-speaking men.
While talking with one of them, I asked where he was from, and he said, "Ecuador."
Trying for a feeble joke, I asked if there had been many revolutions when he was living there, and he replied, "Only downtown."
His attitude exhibited an interesting a point for travelers: What looks to the outsider as a major upheaval, may, to the ordinary citizens, be nothing more than an isolated occurrence that doesn’t interfere with their daily lives.
Be that as it may, travelers have to consider the likelihood and degree of political instability they might be exposed to just by being in that same place and doing the usual round of tourism attractions.
Every situation of this sort is unique and must be judged by gathering all possible information, including if possible, hearing the experiences of travelers recently returned from the area. A friend of mine was in Yemen for several weeks during the recent military actions taking place there. She reported normal conditions everywhere she went, which obviously didn’t include the area where fighting was going on. And I’ve heard similar reports from people returned from other so-called "hot spots."
So my point is, if you’re thinking of visiting an area that’s been reported as having outbreaks of political unrest, don’t let that alone stop you. Do some research—more, certainly than just reading a daily newspaper or watching TV newscasts. The U.S. Department of State publishes an annotated list of Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts, which are very helpful in determining the safety of virtually any area of the world (see http://travel.state.gov/travel ). These should be you main guide, especially if you have no first-hand information from current or recent travelers in the area.
You may find that certain areas where actions are taking place are still considered safe for travelers. But with others, although it may intrigue your sense of adventure to be able to report you were in Laplokovakistan while a border war was raging in the North, be very cautious in deciding whether or not to expose yourself and whoever might be traveling with you to situations you very likely would not be able to handle.
Personally, I limit my adventure traveling to seeing how much foie gras I can consume in one week.
Have any of you had experience traveling in areas of political instability? I’d appreciate hearing about it.
Pamela "Safety First" Gifford