Government lists of “do not travel to” places

by Abha Malpani on

This is what shows up when you open the Australian government’s federal travel website, Smart Traveler:

The website also warns travelers that if they choose to travel to a list of over 55 countries, they must do so only with a high-level of caution.

It’s great that the government shares information with their people, ensuring their safety when they travel abroad. But is it effective?

In theory, you can read the newspaper and know what’s happening around the world, which would eliminate the need for this website. However, the document — prepared by ‘assessments from Australian missions overseas, threat assessments from spy agencies’ — promises information about countries you wouldn’t normally have access to.

The US State Department website has a similar category in their travel section. However, it’s more subtle than the Australian one as it only lists updated travel warnings to about 30 countries.

My question is: how seriously do you take such websites? Do they influence your decision on where to travel?

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Why do Americans want to own guns?

by Abha Malpani on

I remain baffled by how it’s legal to own a gun in the United States. I think even the option of having one is like saying it’s OK to kill if you have a good reason.

According to a recent piece in Newsweek there are 215 million guns in America — i.e. more than half the households across the country own one.

This statistic triggered photographer and author of “Armed America” Kyle Cassidy to travel 15,000 miles across the country to ask people who own guns “why do own a gun?”, and take portraits of them in their homes.

Some of the reasons were just beyond my comprehension:

  • “My shotgun will take care of any intruder, and I know how to use it.”
  • “I own a shotgun for the same reason I own a fire extinguisher.”
  • “Gun ownership is a right and privilege, everyone should exercise it. I think everyone should have one, on the range, on the playing field, in the world.”
  • “It’s not the guns that kill, it’s the people.”
  • “I have nothing against guns, I think they are cool and I love that we have them in the house. My friends are very impressed by the collection we have.”
  • “It’s up to us as citizens to protect ourselves, our family and property. Our constitution provides us with the right and method by which to achieve that objective, and I simply choose to exercise that right.”
  • “I think the ownership of arms is not only a right, but the duty of a free people to themselves and future generation.”

Goodness gracious me.

[Full podcast here.]

Truly Explosive Holidays

by Brett Atkinson on

This week’s the anniversary of the eruption of Pompei. On August 24 AD 79, Mount Vesuvius near Naples erupted to destroy the towns of Pompei and Herculaneum creating a legend that scared a young Kiwi at bedtime for longer than he’d like to admit. (It didn’t really matter that the mountain I grew up under in Rotorua, New Zealand was actually extinct).

A recent post on Forbes Traveler listed the top ten volcanic adventures for the intrepid globetrotter. Here’s their top three.

  1. Kilauea in Hawaii. Since 1983 the 4091 foot peak has been putting on a spectacular show.
  2. Mount Liamuiga in St Kitts. You’ll need to travel for six hours through rainforest to reach the summit.
  3. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania . Technically it’s not an active volcano, but you can spy hot magma at 1300 beneath the summit. Count on a 5 day hike to conquer Africa’s highest peak.

Here’s three more I’ve been lucky enough to experience.

  1. Mount Kelimutu on the Indonesian island of Flores. There are 3 different crater lakes, all a different colour.
  2. Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador. The most fun you’ll have mountain biking from the snowline to a temperate forest.
  3. Mount Yasur on Tanna island in Vanuatu. The most fun you’ll have mountain biking on a South Pacific island.

Thanks to Matthew Winterburn on Flickr for the pic of Kelimutu.