DOFA Red areas - 'DO NOT TRAVEL' But would you ?

Lapin

The Department of Foreign Affairs website issues travel advice for Irish Citizens throughout the globe.

It is an excellent source of information for anyone travelling to some of the lesser visited destinations, (although I'd prefer if information relating to some territories were updated more frequently).

On the right hand side of the screen is a colour coded table advising would be travellers.

Green is fine. "Take normal precautions". Anywhere in the EU and most western nations. We have embassies in most of these countries.

Red is no way. "Do not travel". We have no embassies here and the locals are kicking the crap out of each other. You're on your own bucko.


Personally - I'd rather see the 'Red Zones'.

Real shít is happening there.

You can send a postcard from Paris or Malaga anytime.

I'd rather be in Syria right now than be at a poolside on the Costa del somewhere. (And I don't say that lightly.)


Would you ignore DOFA advice 'Not to travel' and go to where you wanted to go regardless ?

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/

Iwasfrozen

Got a link to that picture we're supposed to be discussing op?

bboybaboy19

What are the countries?

endacl

Syria looks a bit shyte, tbh...

Sir Arthur Daley

I wouldnt anyway.

Sulla Felix

55% We've discussed using pictures to enliven your presentations before Mr. Lapin. You can do better than this.

Lapin

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Got a link to that picture we're supposed to be discussing op?

Feck, I knew I forgot something.

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/

Link added to OP as well.

Sugar Free

Lapin wrote: »

Feck, I knew I forgot something.

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/

Link added to OP as well.

Would be more useful if they filled in the countries with the colour of the threat level, rather the skinny coloured lines pointing to the countries.

The Diabolical Monocle

You also qualify as a candidate for an honorary associate Darwin award by visiting such places.

Of course the essential criteria must be completed, but that shouldn't be too difficult.
Anyone seriously considering visiting Syria should most definitely go. Please.

Arthur Beesley

You'd rather go to Syria? You a jihadist or something?

TheDriver

Ah lad, Gaza looks like a dusty place, Syria looks bit bare and east Ukraine?? Nearly know the place backwards having seen,enough of it on tv this past week. I would prefer my holidays knowing i was coming out alive...,

EyeSight

Sugar Free wrote: »

Would be more useful if they filled in the countries with the colour of the threat level, rather the skinny coloured lines pointing to the countries.

You're right, even the image is tiny. I can't tell, but is Syria marked as green? I hope not!


Handy if they listed the countries in a green section and a red section.
No need to be testing our geography!

M5

Nothing to see in Syria????

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/21
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/22
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/20
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1229
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/23

That said, I'll probably wait for a while

Chance The Rapper

EyeSight wrote: »

You're right, even the image is tiny. I can't tell, but is Syria marked as green? I hope not!


Handy if they listed the countries in a green section and a red section.
No need to be testing our geography!

You need to check your... eyesight.


Awwwwww yeeeeeaaaaahhh

mickydoomsux

Lapin wrote: »

Personally - I'd rather see the 'Red Zones'.

Real shít is happening there.

You can send a postcard from Paris or Malaga anytime.

I'd rather be in Syria right now than be at a poolside on the Costa del somewhere. (And I don't say that lightly.)

You're so cool.

Muahahaha

endacl wrote: »

Syria looks a bit shyte, tbh...

I've broken DOFA advice quite a bit. Those snooty diplomats aren't how I roll.

Was in Syria a few years ago. Lovely place. Wouldn't advise going now though.
Have been in Iran shortly after their President was talking about wiping Israel off the map. Lovely place, superb history, very friendly locals, especially the Persian hotties
Travelled through Colombia back in 2003 when FARC were regularly kidnapping tourists and the 3 IRA 'bird watchers' were in prison there at the time. DOFA told me not to go, I told them I'd say hi to the three lads for them. Got in and out of a FARC controlled jungle for a six day trek, no Marxist guerrilla caught this fox.

Basically the world isn't as dangerous as the media would have you believe. But you'd be bat **** crazy to go to Syria right now OP. For one they won't give you a visa, even journalists can't get in unless they're going to run the border, a dangerous prospect if they Syrian Army have a shoot to kill policy right now,which they likely do.

But if you can get in then you could easily have a nice two week holiday there and never even know that there is a civil war raging. Every dictator who is worth his salt always has a summer palace in the mountains to get away from the heat. You just need to find the area in Syria where that is and I'll bet it's surrounded by lots of houses which are owned by senior military officials and the Syrian ruling elite. So find yourself a nice hotel in that area and I guarantee that you won't have a clue there's a war going on. You can hob nob with Syrian high society for a couple of weeks and talking about shopping in London with them, they'll not care or be bothered about the war, don't even mention it. Just keep telling them how hot it was down in Damascus and how lovely it is to be cool up in the mountains, they'll all be nattering along the same lines anyway.

Friend of a friend worked in the Green Zone in Baghdad, Kerryman selling cars to American troops on the base. He said the base was so big that there wasn't a chance of one of the rebels rockets ever landing anywhere near him. The most dangerous part was the road from the airport to the Green Zone, once you were deep inside there then you're relatively safe vis a vis the anarchy at times outside the zone.

So yeah it's perfectly feasible to go to an actual war zone and be actually reasonably safe. Your difficulty is getting to and from that safe zone from the port of entry.

But if you wanna see some action like some kind of war-tourist filming it all on your iphone then probably better stick to Call of Duty

Canis Lupus

endacl wrote: »

Syria looks a bit shyte, tbh...

Supposedly some of the nicest people you could ever meet and quite popular for cycle tourists before the troubles began.

I cycled through Mauritania. Was a poor as sh*t country but people seemed no less friendly than anywhere else. I did get a bollicking from the police for taking a break under a tree. He told me I'd end up being kidnapped. First night I stayed in a desert bedouin tent place and just as I was about to drop off to sleep two dudes with AK47s popped into the tent which scared me till I found out they were local army and sent to protect me... Noisy bastards kept me up half the night talking.

I met a Swedish fella and spent some time with him in Mauritania and he was heading to Mali on a motorbike with a friend. Mali was supposedly safe at the time. He ended up being kidnapped along with 2 others I think and one person resisted and was shot dead. They are still being held over 2 years later poor f*ckers. So... going to these places can end up being fine OR you can find yourself in the sh*t...

Dude on the left.
PICTURE

Muahahaha

Sh1t, is the Swedish govt doing much to try get him out of there? Any ransom demands or is it religious?

Aussie guy I travelled with ended up in a Columbian prison for two years till he could afford to buy himself out. But it didn't bother him that much, he was fluent in Spanish & Portugese and had a ball in there, could come and go from the prison as he pleased so he made a few quid during the day selling charlie to backpackers and then got home to prison at night. Took him two years to save up the money to buy his freedom but he freely admits that he could have done it in 9-12 months if he wanted to !

Canis Lupus

Muahahaha wrote: »

Sh1t, is the Swedish govt doing much to try get him out of there? Any ransom demands or is it religious?

Aussie guy I travelled with ended up in a Columbian prison for two years till he could afford to buy himself out. But it didn't bother him that much, he was fluent in Spanish & Portugese and had a ball in there, could come and go from the prison as he pleased so he made a few quid during the day selling charlie to backpackers and then got home to prison at night. Took him two years to save up the money to buy his freedom but he freely admits that he could have done it in 9-12 months if he wanted to !

Usual Al Qaeda rubbish. I was in contact with his mate for a while but I was still on the road cycling for a good number of months after the incident and lost contact with him over time. I have no idea what's happening in regards to getting him back. I check the news from time to time to see if there are any updates. Dudes name is Johann Gustafsson. Just google his name and Mali kidnap for the details.

Erm... That Aussie was pretty brave but I currently live here in Australia so I know they can be an odd bunch

wendell borton

"The threat from terrorism in Great Britain has been raised from “substantial” to “severe,” the second highest alert level, which suggests that an attack is highly likely. "