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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
mamagogo1 · 04/08/2025 21:32

@Waggytail

sri Lanka is safe, more likely to have issues in Spain! (Or London). India is mostly fine, just avoid the north

JHound · 04/08/2025 21:32

ForgottenPasswordNewAccount · 04/08/2025 21:09

I have been to Haiti but tbh it fairly barron.

I would love to go to Iraq /jordon/

Petra is incredible.

Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:32

BCBird · 04/08/2025 21:31

Me too. Always fancied it. Would like to go to China and Cuba too.

Show quote history

Cuba and China are both safe!

ELS20 · 04/08/2025 21:32

ForgottenPasswordNewAccount · 04/08/2025 21:09

I have been to Haiti but tbh it fairly barron.

I would love to go to Iraq /jordon/

Jordan is safe to visit, I know people who went recently. You can fly with EasyJet or Wizz air.

SqueakyDinosaur · 04/08/2025 21:32

Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:28

Ooh lucky you getting to see Syria before the war. It used to be a beautiful and cultured country with an ancient history. I'd love to have seen it before it was all destroyed

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Syria was amazing - I went in 2008. I remember being in a hotel with a spectacular view of Krak des Chevaliers, watching BBC World News about the collapse of Lehman Brothers and wondering if I'd have a job to go back to. Aleppo and Damascus were both fantastic - a massive restoration project funded by the Aga Khan had just finished in Aleppo Old City.

Like so many here, I'd love to go to Russia, and also I wish I could go back in time and go to Odessa. And definitely Kashmir too.

Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:31

N0Tfunny · 04/08/2025 21:27

South Africa

It's entirely possible to visit south Africa and have a good safe holiday. My daughter had her honeymoon there last year. Fly drive with safari, it was an amazing experience

BCBird · 04/08/2025 21:31

Sally2791 · 04/08/2025 21:07

Russia

Me too. Always fancied it. Would like to go to China and Cuba too.

JHound · 04/08/2025 21:31

wizzywig · 04/08/2025 21:08

Croatia, Albania. I'm too scared of racism to go there

Reason why I am too scared to go to Lebanon!

mamagogo1 · 04/08/2025 21:30

Kashmir in India, were going to take the plunge then they had more terrorism so can’t get travel insurance or bike insurance. India is amazing but I want to go north, ideally right up to Leh

Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:30

I would love to have seen Afghanistan, maybe in the 1970s when it was on the hippy trail (I was too young)

ELS20 · 04/08/2025 21:29

ScaredOfRat · 04/08/2025 21:05

Great idea for a thread! Mine is Mexico.

Mexico is safe to visit

JHound · 04/08/2025 21:29

I should say I answered this with countries I would be scared to visit full stop. If the question is solo travel then my list is longer.

ELS20 · 04/08/2025 21:29

Iran. Such a rich, fascinating history and wonderful historic sites and architecture.

Sportsdaywinner · 04/08/2025 21:28

Russia

GasperyJacquesRoberts · 04/08/2025 21:28

I'd love to see the Roman ruins at Jerash in Jordan.

JHound · 04/08/2025 21:28

Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:27

I'd like to visit Iran, for the history, culture and the scenery

Iran is high on my list once the current set of middle eastern hostilities does down.

Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:28

SchoolDilemma17 · 04/08/2025 21:26

I have been to Lebanon and Syria (pre-war obviously) would love to go to Iran. Also loved Jerusalem, one of the most interesting cities in the world. Would love to return.

Ooh lucky you getting to see Syria before the war. It used to be a beautiful and cultured country with an ancient history. I'd love to have seen it before it was all destroyed

JHound · 04/08/2025 21:27

Snoopysimaginaryfriend · 04/08/2025 21:05

Russia, so much history

I actually rather liked Russia. Moscow specifically but I was there for work so spent a lot of time in local hang-outs.

N0Tfunny · 04/08/2025 21:27

South Africa

Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:27

I'd like to visit Iran, for the history, culture and the scenery

SchoolDilemma17 · 04/08/2025 21:26

I have been to Lebanon and Syria (pre-war obviously) would love to go to Iran. Also loved Jerusalem, one of the most interesting cities in the world. Would love to return.

Original poster
Gawwwd · 04/08/2025 21:26

SuburbanLegend · 04/08/2025 21:21

Mine's a bit daft, but Japan. I know tons of people go there and it's very safe but I am irrationally scared of being in an earthquake and I would be constantly afraid. I went to California a few years ago and I didn't fully relax until I was on the plane home.

Yep, I get that. I was in San Francisco for a few months and was constantly picturing myself trapped under rubble….it was a claustrophobic thing. I’d also love to visit Japan though, tectonic plate shifts notwithstanding 😊

OP posts:
Jdkaksbd · 04/08/2025 21:26

soupyspoon · 04/08/2025 21:08

All of the places I would love to visit are a bit risky

Would love to visit Russia, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Cuba. Always been fascinated with these countries even from a young child before I knew too much about them.

Luckily Ive already been to Egypt but I would have liked to go to Alexandria but thats unlikely now.

Cuba isn't risky. I took my two teenagers there a a single parent, we travelled around in local taxis etc, people were nice and we felt very safe, including walking around Havana in the late evening.

Fen476 · 04/08/2025 21:26

Mexico is wonderful, buses are really easy and there's a new tourist train around the Yucatan peninsula. We've been with twice, once with ds and it's his favourite holiday. Definitely go - just don't stay in Cancun/PDC.

Also took DS to Cuba, fantastic country. Travelled around there too - nowhere else like it. Again I'd recommend not staying in resorts, the food is not exciting though.

I wouldn't like to visit Haiti, I think it would be extremely depressing. I do plan to visit Uzbekistan, everything I've seen suggests it's very safe, Japan is on the list too.

My two unsafe destinations I'd love to visit are Israel and Myanmar both for the historic sites.

Apollonia1 · 04/08/2025 21:25

In safer times, I’ve been to a lot of the places mentioned - Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Colombia, Honduras, Cuba. I’d love the opportunity to go back, also to Syria.

For places I haven’t been to, I’d love to go to Iraq, Kashmir, Venezuela.