Is it dangerous to travel now? Is it dangerous now? Tourist places and attractions

Among the many, one might say, heavenly corners of our planet, most Russian travel lovers prefer to spend their legal vacation period or weekends in the amazing Dominican Republic, surrounded by greenery. Which is not at all surprising, because these are the places that can deservedly boast of a luxurious exotic beach area, covering hundreds of kilometers, where all the conditions for excellent rest and relaxation are created.

Of course, the most convenient way for Russian tourists to travel a considerable distance is by air. However, many are wondering: is it possible to fly to the Dominican Republic now?

Tourists arriving in the country will be able to:

bask in the gentle rays of the sun for as long as you like, sitting comfortably on the snow-white coast;
admire the unsurpassed natural beauty, especially coral reefs;
get acquainted with a very original, but very interesting local culture.

And, of course, there is the opportunity to make unforgettable excursions to numerous attractions of the ancient country, the discoverer of which is considered to be H. Columbus. No matter where the traveler goes, he will definitely be greeted with a warm welcome by the locals, who warmly welcome all guests.

In particular, our compatriots were very alarmed by the hurricane in the Dominican Republic on the night of September 19, 2017, or rather, by its strength and power. Let's try to analyze the topic of interest more carefully and consider what other dangers are fraught with a vacation on an island surrounded by greenery.

Is it dangerous to vacation on a very popular resort island?

If you carefully analyze the main question, is it dangerous to fly to the Dominican Republic now, then it is not so easy to find a clear answer. After all, everything that is currently happening on the island is, of course, the restoration of the Republic after the serious damage caused by a natural disaster.

However, some areas that were not heavily damaged by the hurricane have been almost completely restored and are able to receive guests, offering a very reasonable price for a vacation. Of course, it will not be possible to fully appreciate the former beauty of the dilapidated Republic, but every guest will be able to explore the natural attractions.

Whether it is worth going to the Dominican Republic now, of course, everyone must decide for themselves. And if the answer is positive, you should definitely find out what dangers a resort island remote from Russia is fraught with, regardless of the time of year, and tourist operators are trying with all their might to hide quite significant shortcomings.

If we take this issue seriously, the situation in the Dominican Republic is such that danger can await a tourist almost anywhere and at any time of the day. However, it is quite simple to protect your vacation and make it truly memorable if you familiarize yourself in advance with the main points that you must, as they say, “bypass” and in no case become a participant in them.

TOP 10 dangers that can await tourists in the Dominican Republic

Here are some potential hazards to avoid:

First of all, do not come into contact with French-speaking black citizens, of whom there are quite a few in the southern part of the island or near the capital. The fact is that they are Haitian migrants who arrived on the island in search of work. Not everyone can find a job in the Dominican Republic, and since money is constantly needed for food, naive tourists can become victims of organized criminal groups.
Given the confirmed presence of numerous infectious diseases on the island, including syphilis, yellow fever, malaria and even rabies, it is advisable to be vaccinated before traveling. While on vacation, you need to wash your hands thoroughly, preferably 2-3 times, with soap and running water. Men should try not to “contact” with local beauties.
The water quality on the island is, to put it mildly, not the best. Therefore, it is recommended to use bottled water for drinking and cooking. After washing vegetables and fruits under running water, they should be thoroughly rinsed with boiling water. This situation has been in the Dominican Republic for a long time.
Typhoons are another danger that awaits guests and residents of the Republic. That is why comfortable hotels are built not on the coast itself, but at a certain distance. And answering the question whether it’s worth going to the Dominican Republic now, given the possibility of typhoons, you can answer this way: the safest time for a holiday on the island is considered to be the period starting from the end of November and ending in March.
In these wonderful places, unfortunately, a turbulent seismic situation can be seen. There is a high probability of earthquakes, since the island is located in an incompletely formed alpine zone. Tourists should not be too afraid about this, because special services announce a possible earthquake in advance, but remembering exactly where things and documents are left should always be remembered by everyone without exception. Studies have proven that the areas of Punta Cana and La Romana have the lowest intensity of seismic waves, therefore, if possible, it is best to choose hotels located in these quietest areas of the island.
First-time tourists should definitely know that the ancient religion is still used on the island, especially in the provincial areas. There are many Voodoo sorcerers here. Whether it is necessary to seek meetings with its representatives, or, on the contrary, to try to protect oneself from such communication - of course, everyone needs to decide for themselves.
An exciting form of recreation - diving - is available to everyone. After all, many ships sank near the waters washing the island, and what adventure lover would refuse to try his luck in searching for countless sunken treasures. However, before you give your consent to participate in underwater research, you should carefully consider whether you are ready to entrust your own life to an unknown team, going with them to conquer the depths of the sea.
An excellent holiday on a magnificent yacht, which can be rented for the entire duration of your holiday, will undoubtedly appeal to everyone without exception. But those who value their own health should avoid swimming and diving from a yacht into open sea waters. The fact is that it is in these places that you can often find large-sized sharks that attack water vessels without fear, mistaking the vehicle for ordinary bait. The habit of predators can be explained quite simply - relatively recently, the so-called golden generation of vacationers, as entertainment, fed ferocious sharks with the favorite delicacy of predators, directly from their hands.
Taking into account the statistics, the activities of local thieves' organizations are developed in the Dominican Republic. To avoid becoming a victim of criminals, regardless of the area that the traveler has chosen for vacation, ordinary vigilance and caution in dealing with very suspicious individuals will help.
You should also not use the services of exchange offices operating in private street pavilions if local currency remains available after the end of the holiday period. This operation should be performed only in special institutions, despite the fact that street offers will be more profitable. As previously noted, in this Republic the level of fraud is quite high, so the currency of gullible tourists can be easily exchanged for perfectly counterfeit dollars.

You should also not use bank cards to pay for various goods. It is best to withdraw your own savings from ATMs operating inside the hotel complex.

Have a healthy holiday in the Dominican Republic, but be aware of the risks

It should be kept in mind: if a traveler does become a victim of scammers, then contacting the local police is unlikely to correct the current situation, because for local authorities, a tourist is primarily an additional source of income. In such circumstances, it is best to contact a police agency that works directly with tour operators to increase the chance of recovering stolen money or personal items.

To summarize, we can come to the following conclusion: the situation in the Dominican Republic, taking into account the risks, is practically no different from other resort places. After all, the above fears can await tourists in any, even the most modern country.

Therefore, answering the question whether it is worth going to the Dominican Republic now, you can answer this way: of course, it is worth it if you familiarize yourself in advance with the risks of staying on a magnificent paradise island surrounded by greenery. Additional knowledge will help create a vacation that will remain in the memory of every tourist, and a lot of entertainment and viewing the incredible beauty of natural attractions will turn spending time in a mysterious country into the most memorable and wonderful adventure. We hope that our article helped you understand what the current situation is like for tourists in the Dominican Republic.

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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 no one not only laid a finger on me, but didn’t even say a bad word. You need to watch less TV, radical youth are everywhere, but most of them are ordinary people with their own everyday problems.

Answer from Stepan Mazur[guru]
don't really go

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 with 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, Türkiye 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 holiday 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!

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 Türkiye. 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!

The situation in Jordan for tourists and how security is ensured in this country are all of interest to many travelers who are going on holiday to Jordan in the 2016-2017 season. Is it safe to vacation in Jordan in the 2016-2017 season? After all, this country has borders with Syria and Iraq, and is also located near the Sinai Peninsula, which is also considered a troubled region.

Is it dangerous to travel to Jordan now? Of course, we will not guarantee your complete safety, so the decision about whether to go on vacation to Jordan or not must be made by you and only you. However, I would like to note that during my stay in Jordan in cities such as Amman, Madaba and Aqaba, I never even thought that there was a war going on somewhere several hundred kilometers away. During my trip to Jordan, I never once worried about my safety, like many other tourists with whom I was able to communicate in Jordan itself and on Russian forums.

As far as I know, the safety of tourists in Jordan in the 2016-2017 season comes first among the goals of the country's main tourism department. But the Jordanian government is concerned about the safety of not only tourists, but also local residents, so even in non-tourist areas of Jordan you can feel more or less safe. Although I am not used to ruling anything out, I will still tell you why I believe that there will not be any serious incidents in Jordan in the near future. Firstly, until this point, Jordan had remained aloof from militant attacks, with the exception of an incident on the Syrian-Jordanian border. Secondly, I believe that the militants do not want to drag the ground forces of another country into the war, and in the event of a serious attack on Jordan, this is most likely what will happen. But, again, these are just my thoughts out loud.

In any case, the safety of tourists in Jordan in 2016 and 2017 will be ensured at a high level, as the country's government understands that the entire Middle East region currently remains unstable. You can feel safe in hotels and airports in Jordan. The Jordanian authorities took into account the mistakes made by the Egyptians in ensuring security at airports, so immediately after the crash of a plane carrying Russian tourists in Sinai, they took care of providing the country’s airports with additional security systems. When it comes to hotel security, Jordan has had to learn from its mistakes, as several hotels in the country have been attacked in the past.

Regarding other aspects of security in Jordan, it can be said that Jordan is a typical Arab country with friendly and hospitable people. However, it is recommended not to forget about the habits and traditions in an Arab country, so outside of hotels you should try to behave as the locals do, that is, appropriate clothing, adequate behavior, sobriety. We also do not recommend carrying a lot of cash and some jewelry with you, but if you do take something valuable with you, then try not to let anyone see it.

In terms of road safety, in most places in Jordan the traffic is very calm and cars are rare. Only in the Amman area is traffic very intense, so accidents often occur here. Overall, Jordan is one of the best countries in the Middle East for road safety.