Expatify.com asked the question, “Where would you be the safest if World War III broke out tomorrow?” The answers arrived in a post titled “10 Best Places to Live for Avoiding World Conflict.” Irrelevant as it may seem to you, the claws of conflict affect a revolving roster of nations. The knowledge of where not to go because of conflict, or better yet, where to go to avoid it, can be useful if you’re planning to live, or even just spend some time, abroad. According to this article, countries that make the safety cut are: Switzerland, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Seychelles, Finland, Tuvalu, Iceland, Bhutan, and New Zealand. Most of these choices make sense to me, based on what I know, but the undeniably gorgeous Seychelles seems like a somewhat uncertain choice. News stories covering the Somali pirates swarming the Seychelles area are prevalent. To be fair, I’m not convinced Somali pirates are a current threat for World War III. What are your thoughts? Where would you move in order to be as far removed from world conflict as possible?
Explore More Options with These Art Maps for the Home
If you prefer cute and cuddly animals to the Big Five on safari, you may want to consider a trip to the Netherlands. VICE’s Cute Show takes a look this week at a guinea pig village in Holland, where the hairy rodents go to “retire” when their owners can no longer look after them. You can adopt a guinea pig or just visit them (I’m partial to the scrappy and long-haired Droopy).
The guinea pig village is located in Bakkeveen, about 2 hours northeast of Amsterdam. It’s open Wednesdays and Saturdays to the public, more info available here. Guinea pigs not your thing? Watch the Cute Show visit baby sloths in Costa Rica.
Each year, non-profit organization Ethical Traveler conducts a survey of the world’s developing nations, analyzing their progress toward promoting human rights, preserving their environment, and developing a sustainable tourism industry. The study, run by Ethical Traveler’s all-volunteer staff, factors in country scores from databases like Freedom House, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the World Bank, then dives into actions that governments have taken to improve circumstances within their countries in the previous year.
The top countries are celebrated in Ethical Traveler’s annual list of the Developing World’s Best Ethical Tourism Destinations, with the hope that increased tourism will help those countries continue to improve. “Travel and tourism are among the planet’s driving economic forces, and every journey we take makes a statement about our priorities and commitment to change,” they say. “Ethical Traveler believes that mindful travel is a net positive for the planet. By choosing our destinations well and remembering our role as citizen diplomats, we can create international goodwill and help change the world for the better.”
Key to Costa Rica is offering a 10% discount on tours going to Costa Rica now through November 30, 2011. The focus of these tours is eco-tourism, with itineraries being planned by green travel consultant Beatrice Blake who has not only lived in Costa Rica for 13 years, but has been advising travels since 1996. For those who may not be familiar with eco-tourism, it is a type of travel, usually to a protected or fragile area of land, that is low-impact on the Earth and is meant to educate travelers, provide money for ecological programs, and give insight into the culture.
Travelers have the option to create customized Costa Rican tours or choose from one of the Key to Costa Rica trips, such as Enchanting Costa Rica, which includes bird watching, hiking, visiting an organic coffee farm, and lodging in traditional-style thatched roof cabins. Trips include itineraries for active families, children, nature lovers, and bird enthusiasts. There are also tours specifically for those who want to experience Slow Travel as well as those wishing to volunteer in the region.
News reports of ongoing crime and attacks on travelers in Mexico have land vacationers looking for alternative destinations and cruise ships headed in the opposite direction. Sure, those beheadings, murders and shootings are happening in remote areas of Mexico for the most part, but stories of such activity combined with travel warnings by trusted sources are enough to shift our focus elsewhere.
Checking in first with the US Department of State for travel warnings or alerts, Costa Rica has the higher rating of the two.
“Adventure tourism is popular in Costa Rica, and many companies offer white-water rafting, bungee jumping, jungle canopy tours, SCUBA diving, and other outdoor attractions. U.S. citizens are urged to use caution in selecting adventure tourism companies.” says the Department of State, adding “The Government of Costa Rica regulates and monitors the safety of these companies, and registered tourism companies with operating permits must meet safety standards and have insurance coverage.”
Still, the murder of an Argentinian tourist on Thursday raises the question of security and safety for tourism in the Central American country which receives every year more than 2 million visitors.
It seems there is danger anywhere if we look hard enough.
Maybe we should look at this whole security issue a bit differently by seeing where construction of new tourist destinations is happening. With the idea that surely no responsible company would build a multi-million dollar property someplace unsafe to travel, let’s take a look at Panama.
The Westin Playa Bonita Panamá, the first Westin in Panama, is set to be unveiled in October of this year. Currently under construction, the 100 million dollar beach hotel will offer the largest meeting and banquet space in the Republic of Panamá and is being brought to life by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Bern Hotels & Resorts.
“We believe the first Westin in the Republic of Panamá is one of the most exciting new prospects the destination has seen in decades. Our goal is to create an exclusive lifestyle beach hotel that showcases the Republic of Panamá’s natural beauty and redefines the nation’s travel industry,” said Herman Bern Jr., President of Bern Hotels and Resorts. “The beach hotel will cater to the luxurious demands of a diverse set of international consumers that visit the destination. With our premier location, accommodations and amenities, we will provide guests with an inimitable business or leisure experience.”
Conceived as what the operators call “a contemporary luxury oasis”, the 611-room Westin Playa Bonita Panamá will offer beachfront views of the Pacific Ocean through the lobby’s massive floor to ceiling windows along with seven restaurants, four bars and 65,000 square feet of meeting space.
A 20-minute drive from Panamá City, the beach hotel is also in close proximity to various attractions, historic landmarks and national parks. Known primarily for the Panama Canal, Panama also lists world-class surfing, a low risk of hurricane problems and use of the US dollar as it’s currency among other reasons for Americans to visit the southernmost Central American country.
Panama may be just far enough away from Mexico to avoid crime problems that spill over the borders of neighboring countries yet positioned quite nicely to be a good choice for secure travel in a warm-weather climate.
22-year-old Ali Philbrick thinks so and will call Panama home for the next six months as she teaches English to middle or high school students in the Central American country’s capital reports Gazzette.net.
“While I’m young, I might as well help people,” said Philbrick, who earned an undergraduate degree in math in 2010. “The ability to speak English is really important to [Panamanians] because with the Panama Canal, their economy is changing.”
Panama is the newest program opened by WorldTeach, a nonprofit organization that provides about 500 volunteer teachers annually to meet needs identified by foreign governments.
Companies building, non-profits sending in people to help, these are all non-typical, documentable indicators of a safe destination to visit. While travelers are urged to be aware of security alerts and warnings and pay attention to news reports, it seems there is often more to the story of travel security.