Americans Urged to Visit Anywhere

It’s been said that Americans are like Bulgarian wine--they don’t travel very well. As a group, Americans are considered to be some of the least adventurous people in the world.

We’re predictable. In the summer we go to Europe. In the winter we go skiing. One of the reasons may be that we scare very easily.

One isolated terrorist incident or bombing, and we run. In many cases we’ve allowed these actions to restrict our travel and vacation agendas.

It’s unfortunate. It is safe for Americans to travel anywhere in the world, except for a few places.

The United States prohibits Americans from traveling to only one country--Lebanon. (Americans can even visit Libya--they just can’t work there.)

What about the other countries? If you want to go to North Korea, can you go? How about Nicaragua, Iran, South Africa, Ethiopia or Haiti?

You Can Get There

Before you wince and run for cover, consider this: You can get there, and with ease.

With some planning you can even have a great time in the process. A growing number of specialty tour firms and travel agents offer these trips on a regular basis. And you don’t have to be a mercenary in military fatigues to sign up.

There are countries with dangerous reputations that just aren’t true. For example, trips to East Germany, Haiti and the Soviet Union can be easily arranged.

The State Department is no longer cautioning Americans about travel within a 100-mile radius of Chernobyl, and travel to Kiev (about 60 miles from the site of the April 28, 1986, disaster) is slowly rebounding.

It’s important to read beyond the headlines to determine if a country or destination is really as safe--or as dangerous--as some claim. And you can get such information.

The State Department issues advisories on trouble spots around the world. It has advisories on 36 locations divided into eight geographic regions. The advisories deal with civil unrest, natural disasters and disease.

To receive a travel advisory is simple. Dial (202) 647-5225. You can ask for a specific country--assuming there is an advisory in effect for that country.

Some advisories are strongly worded: the most recent, on travel to Afghanistan, warns against travel by Americans. “A high level of risk” exists, says the advisory. It also informs prospective travelers that the U.S. Embassy was evacuated of all American personnel on Jan. 31, 1989, and also warns that if travel to the region is a must, avoid Afghanistan’s national airline, due to its extremely poor maintenance record.

Another advisory warns against trekking along the Thai-Burmese border because there have been reports of bandits (and of course, drug traffickers).

Proper Perspective

But don’t rely only on State Department advisories. Just because the State Department issues an advisory does not necessarily mean that a particular country or region of that country is unsafe.

For example, Fiji experienced two coups in 1987. The State Department issued advisories. Few Americans traveled there. But there was no violence. No foreigners were killed. The same happened during the upheaval in the Philippines that preceded the departure of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.

Advisories should be treated as such, and then placed in perspective as they relate to your specific travel needs.

To be sure, every form of travel involves certain risks. But I’ve often found more adventure and risk in flying from Los Angeles to New York City or in changing planes in Atlanta than I’ve ever been threatened with in the West Bank of Israel.

Certain myths persist, however. Just ask the Turkish government how many Americans didn’t go there--and still don’t go there--after viewing the movie “Midnight Express.” Or the Greek government after the Achille Lauro incident (which didn’t even occur in Greece).

However, there have been some changes of attitude. North Korea, once forbidden and closed to the West, is beginning to open its doors to tourists. So is Vietnam.

Until recently the United States has taken a particularly hard line against any of its citizens traveling to Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba. (While there are no specific State Department restrictions on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba, there is a Treasury Department restriction on Americans spending U.S. currency in Cuba without a “license.”)

This means that no U.S. travel agent can sell tickets or book hotel rooms there. But if you want to go to Cuba, any number of Canadian travel agencies can arrange the trip and can obtain the proper Cuban visas. Also, any U.S. travel agent can book you a flight to Beijing, (for separate flights to Pyongyang) or Bangkok (for separate flights to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City).

No Official Travel Ban

For example, of 100,000 tourists in Nicaragua last year, 40% were Americans. And while the United States maintains a trade embargo against Nicaragua (prohibiting direct commercial flights), there is no official travel ban.

But paradise can be found--or disputed--without seriously threatening your life. If anything, it has been argued that travel promotes world peace more than anything else.

Slowly, more Americans are beginning to realize that they can safely visit Vietnam, North Korea and Burma, that they can vacation in Central and South America, that they can visit Eastern European countries and the Middle East.

Not only is travel to these countries possible, but being there also can be a rewarding experience. Well-informed travelers who break down the misperceptions are doing all of us a great service.