I think about this a lot,in choosing where to travel and where to recommend to others. There’s so much volatility in the world and anyone who pays attention rightly worries we’re approaching a powder-keg moment.
How is that affecting everyone’s plans,if at all? Flying to Europe from Australia now,planes must avoid active war zones in Ukraine,Europe,North Africa and the Middle East.Cruise ships are rescheduling Red Sea and Suez Canal itineraries because of the risk of piracy.
The bubble we travel in can sometimes come up abruptly against the repercussions of war,in minor ways such as cancelled flights,but more seriously,finding ourselves in a place where our safety is compromised. We’re fortunate indeed that most often we only suffer inconvenience.
We can try to sensibly avoid places where we feel there’s a risk of violence (always checksmartraveller.gov.au),but violence almost always comes out of the blue,where and when we least expect it. And it doesn’t have to be the usual suspects,as the tragic incident at Bondi Westfield has just shown us.
With so many “bad actors” in the world – this includes corrupt governments,war-mongering military complexes and individuals hellbent on pushing violent agendas – it’s probably best not to dwell on what might happen,or we’d probably go nowhere.
If you can go anywhere in the world,should you go anywhere in the world?
Are there countries more deserving of our tourist dollars than others? Are there some places that should be shunned,as a way of protesting their human rights or other abuses?