Warning: Some sensitive material ahead.
You have wanderlust. You're a born traveler, ready to hop on a plane and head off to parts unknown. But even you know that it's not recommended to go to certain places, especially those with precarious human rights records. It's a big and beautiful world out there. Unfortunately, it's not always secure or safe.
People had a lot to say about the places they wouldn't venture after Redditor TrinityQuill asked the online community,
"Which country will you NEVER travel to?"
UAE
"There are a couple that are not at all popular destinations anyway like Haiti and North Korea, but Dubai is the one I'd avoid most. It's marketed as a hip and modern place to shop or relax but it's built largely by slave labor and if you're not a citizen and run into any kind of problems requiring the police you can count on getting zero help.
My sister was thinking about going there to work for a couple of years a while back and I pointed out the case of the teenage French boy who had been abducted repeatedly. I'm grateful that she listened to me and did not go."
Dubai has often been criticized for feeling fake––its history of ongoing slave labor is horrific to read about, too.
Egypt
"I would never return to Egypt after being sexually assaulted in a shop and seeing my husband arrested for assaulting the pervert."
North Korea
"North Korea fascinates me in a morbid way but no way would I give their government my tourist dollars. You're closely monitored by a chaperone and restricted to a few approved hotels during your stay."
As an American, I am fascinated by North Korea but admit I probably would not go. It's pretty scary.
Saudi Arabia
"Saudi Arabia. I feel like it's a "no" for many people, but as a Jewish person, it's doubly so."
I met a reporter who worked in Saudi Arabia for a year––he's also gay and the stories he told me about concealing his sexuality fascinated me.
India
"India. I am a man of order, neatness, and rules. My buddy that lived there for a year told me I would have a stroke or heart attack in less than 24 hours."
Take Your Pick.
"Anywhere where it's illegal to be gay.
I spent years escaping the closet, I'm not going back in that horrible thing just to see some pyramids I can quickly Google."
They're not wrong. The coast of Somalia is known for high rates of piracy.
China
"China. I don't know anyone there, I'm not accustomed to the culture, and I just can't deal with a crap ton of people. It gets me super nervous and paranoid."
Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan. They have a bit of a nasty tendency of beheading us in the streets, or launching full-scale pogroms against us while chanting "death to Armenians" in the streets. And also starting full-scale wars over lands we have inhabited for centuries that were illegally given away by another country (Russia) to them and then building parks with racist caricatures of Armenians celebrating our deaths. Not to mention, that aside they literally have some of the lowest ratings for freedom and safety, you can be imprisoned on false charges and rot in there, and the government is a horrific totalitarian dictatorship."
Venezuela
"Venezuela. My birthplace. It's just horrifying and the corruption makes it so I cant get out if I get in, which is why millions of immigrants move to countries like Colombia and Peru and some have fortunately got into America. Luckily my parents moved out when I was one and a half and I am VERY grateful."
It's a shame, but such is the reality in many parts of the world. As a gay dude, I can definitely tell you that there are plenty of places I would love to see––but know I'd be putting myself at serious risk if I visited. Oh, Iran. If only.
Have some opinions of your own? Feel free to tell us in the comments below!
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@IrnaEnglish/X
