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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask where you’d love to visit but are too scared to visit.

237 replies

Gawwwd · 04/08/2025 21:04

Mine is Haiti. Such a fascinating place and such an interesting (and predictably oppressed) history. I would so love to go there, but even if things improved there I’d likely still be far too chicken shit, truth be told.

OP posts:
Idontknowhatnametochoose · 04/08/2025 22:28

The pyramids

zeddybrek · 04/08/2025 22:25

drspouse · 04/08/2025 22:22

@zeddybrek try Lamu or Kilwa for similar beaches. Or even Tanga or Bagamoyo.
It's been years since i was there and I'm very wary of going to Zanzibar for fear of crowds not terrorism!

Thanks for the tips, the bucket list is growing! I did manage to go to Lamu about 20 years ago. The food, the people, the beaches are just heavenly in East Africa. Favourite part of the world.

drspouse · 04/08/2025 22:22

@zeddybrek try Lamu or Kilwa for similar beaches. Or even Tanga or Bagamoyo.
It's been years since i was there and I'm very wary of going to Zanzibar for fear of crowds not terrorism!

TheLivelyViper · 04/08/2025 22:21

Redcrayons · 04/08/2025 21:06

India and Russia

India is perfectly safe and loads of people travel there regularly, you'd be fine with that.

zeddybrek · 04/08/2025 22:20

Iran, during pomegranate season.
North Korea, to do the marathon and tour.
Mozambique, love the East African coastline. Maybe even the beaches in Somalia as I imagine they'd be like Zanzibar.

MrsHamlet · 04/08/2025 22:19

Iran has been top of my list for a while.

I went to Cuba when Castro was in power - fascinating place.

IsItTimeToRetireYet · 04/08/2025 22:17

Afghanistan is apparently a beautiful country and I’m intrigued by Pakistan but won’t be going to either any time soon

fizzynotflat · 04/08/2025 22:16

USA, Mexico, Iran, Syria.

Mondaytuesdayhappydays · 04/08/2025 22:16

saraclara · 04/08/2025 21:09

What?!

I've visited Uzbekistan twice. It's a wonderful country and there are no significant warnings about going there. On fact it's become very popular with tour groups, which people are starting to complain about.

ETA that I just looked, and the advice about terrorism relates to a tiny border corner of the country. You would have absolutely no need to go anywhere near that address as a tourist.

Edited
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Genuinely- loads of people go there it’s actually quite mainstream !
my knee consultant is going cycling there between now and my next appt , looks lovely x

drspouse · 04/08/2025 22:16

LeavesOnTrees · 04/08/2025 21:14

I would love to travel through Mozambique from Tanzania to South Africa.

This route shouldn't cause problems.

WestwardHo1 · 04/08/2025 22:15

Iran. A beautiful, historic, wonderful country.

If only the mullahs would fuck off.

RichardMarxisinnocent · 04/08/2025 22:15

Gawwwd · 04/08/2025 21:56

Fuck me!

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I suspect that might have been a private luxury train rather than a Russian railways train. There are no showers on most of the trains on trans siberian routes (one route has bathrooms shared between 2 compartments in deluxe class) and it certainly doesn't cost £30,000. Pre the invasion of Ukraine prices were from £200 to £800 for the whole journey one way, depending on which class and which route you took.

Iris2020 · 04/08/2025 22:15

Australia, because of the fauna....

Israel.

South Africa, although I'm not sure how safe it is.

Blingismything · 04/08/2025 22:14

I’d love to do a Russian ballet tour.

NotDarkGothicMama · 04/08/2025 22:14

DRC. I would love to go but am too scared.

Ditto Syria, Iran and Libya. I'd also like to go to Tunisia and Morocco but have been put off after being relentlessly pestered by sleazy men in Egypt.

Holidaytimeyay · 04/08/2025 22:11

Not a country but a continent, I would love to travel through South America but heard so many horror stories when I was back packing elsewhere.
I have travelled to a few of the countries mentioned, travelled from South Africa through Namibia, visiting Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi. Also spent quite a lot of time in Israel and Egypt even been through Gaza. Jerusalem is amazing but so sad to see the way people are treated. Visited India, would love to travel more there but I found it challenging.

TreeSturgeon · 04/08/2025 22:11

Russia. I’d love to visit St Petersburg.

LaurieFairyCake · 04/08/2025 22:07

Yeah there’s a whole load of places people have said that are actually safe for tourists because they’re totalitarian states like Saudi/north Korea/china/

still wouldn’t want to go and take part in the charade that it’s all fine, nothing to see here

I don’t want to go anywhere anyone has mentioned apart from maybe Cuba, looks like a great place

OtherS · 04/08/2025 22:06

Socotra, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and Iran. Maybe Saudi Arabia too. And Timbuktu. And definitely the tepuis in Venezuela. Plus Israel / Palestine.

SpottyAardvark · 04/08/2025 22:04

I worked with & got to know a group of Russian people when my then employer had a joint venture with a Russian business. It was great to get the opportunity to go there, and I would love to go back but that’s sadly not possible, or at least extremely unwise, at the moment. Such a great country with a fascinating history.

Maybe one day Putin will fuck off & Russia can become a normal, peaceful, democratic European country. Maybe…

thatsnothtepoint · 04/08/2025 22:02

Russia
North Korea
Iraq

Thepeopleversuswork · 04/08/2025 21:59

North Korea. I've always been fascinated by it. I wouldn't be scared exactly but I'd feel too much like a grief tourist: I would find it very uncomfortable going somewhere where the ordinary people are forced to collaborate in an elaborate charade and pretend they are happy.
I'd love to visit the Silk Road countries (Uzbekistan etc). I would go but not as a solo traveler.
Russia is about the only country in the world I wouldn't go to. I've been before and found it utterly fascinating but just not worth it at the moment.
Other than Russia and Gaza I don't think there's anywhere in the world I'd be too scared to go. Maybe some parts of central Africa but they don't hold much appeal.

saraclara · 04/08/2025 21:57

BCBird · 04/08/2025 21:49

It more bring a solo traveller and in China the food- stomach issues.

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As a solo traveller, I was in receipt of more acts of kindness in China then any other country I've visited. Which surprised me as Chinese people tend to sound so abrupt and angry when you're around them (due the the sound of the language, I think!)
I was genuinely surprised how easy it was. There are very few English speakers, but somehow one would appear out of nowhere and actively want to help me, whenever I was standing looking slightly lost or bemused.

BlackCatsAreBrilliant · 04/08/2025 21:56

drspouse · 04/08/2025 21:07

Russia- I'd love to do the train from St Petersburg to Moscow. Or even the trans Siberian.
Maybe some day!

Many years ago I did the train from Moscow to Irkutsk. It was an experience but I wouldn't recommend it..

I was also fortunate to visit Lebanon and Syria back in 2001 (I feel so old writing that). Both beautiful countries.

Original poster
Gawwwd · 04/08/2025 21:56

FoxtrotOscarFoxtrotOscar · 04/08/2025 21:54

I looked into the Trans Siberian a few years ago.
A berth with private bathroom was something like £30,000.

Fuck me!

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