The world, a place with almost infinite destinations and cultures to discover, whether you are a typical tourist or an intrepid traveler, is a dynamic setting, not a fixed photo, which can sometimes become dangerous. Geopolitics is a sometimes unpredictable and inaccurate science. Is it reckless to travel to certain countries or regions at certain times? Are there avoidable risks? There is no manual, but there are some basic recommendations and issues to consider before getting on the plane. It is also a matter of lively debate, as was seen after the evacuation of Spanish tourists from Ethiopia.
know the destination
“Safety is always the most important thing. And the most important thing is the exact information of the country where you are going to travel, the contacts. I have just arrived from Senegal and I have stopped a project due to the appearance of guerrillas. Nothing is stable today, it is getting more and more complicated, I am canceling several projects in West Africa, I prefer to wait”, explains an experienced traveller, who has organized trips for many years (150 groups with 1,500 people), who requests anonymity .
The information with security alerts is disseminated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “I always travel to the destination of the trip that I organize, there are years that I make 18 trips; this is how you can control the situation. I have canceled trips a month before leaving because there has been a shooting, like in Samburu (Kenya), because I received a message from the local guide and I canceled one of the destinations because it was a risk area, ”he adds. He does not work in Ethiopia. “They have offered it to me a thousand times, but they have spent two decades with guerrilla problems in a specific area.”
“The vast majority of places are safe, they are not dangerous, they are interesting places to meet people, of course there are countries that are not,” says Xavier Gual, who spends his life traveling around the world for work and defends the benefits of know the globe for pleasure. He advises to park fears and comfort. He has just published El món (No) és un lloc perillós, from the Cossetània publishing house.
The world is very changeable. “I used to travel through Burkina Faso and I stopped doing it because on two trips I had two coups d’état three days before traveling,” explains a professional in the sector. Niger or Mali, with a lot of instability, complicate many trips.
be consistent
“There are countries in Africa where a coup d’état can surprise you. I do not see it as reckless, I see a desire to meet the traveler. There are many countries on the threshold of potential conflict for years or decades. The traveler has this slightly more exploratory part of looking for exotic, different places. If there are many warnings and it is a hot spot, yes, it is better to avoid it”, reasons Albert Bosch, an experienced traveler and adventurer.
It is essential, the experts agree, to travel consciously and responsibly, taking into account your own limitations. Unforeseen events can always occur: an accident, an attack or a natural disaster. “People should be consistent: if you travel to Africa or Asia you have to be aware of the risks you run. Traveling to a country like Ethiopia is buying many numbers of having a problem”, says Gual.
traveler or tourist
The border between the traveler and the tourist is sometimes blurred, but that whoever organizes the trip takes this into account can save problems. Especially if there are unforeseen events and complex situations to manage.
“I do castings for travelers, meetings before trips, and there are people to whom I say no. There is a lot of selfishness, who reminds you that he has paid you so much money when he doesn’t like something. I want to travel in peace, even if I lose money. The problem with some agencies is that they do not travel to the destination, if something happens it is the fault of the local guide, the African. If you travel, you can solve the problems. I do small groups of six people”.
Professionals and agencies
If you do not have experience, it is better to get advice from travel professionals if you want to go beyond the most common tourist routes. “A good trip is prepared with six or seven previous trips. I have just arrived from Kenya, where I have lived with a Maasai family. The tourist cannot be a number, things happen because you don’t work as you should”, warns a travel organizer.
intrusion
Along with professionals and specialized agencies that work well, there are so-called professionals organizing trips that are not really professionals. “A person travels, creates a trip and neither the self-employed nor social security pay. There is a serious problem. They are not agencies, they are private people who organize trips: a nurse, a photographer or an influencer. It’s amazing what’s happening.”
the motivations
“The traveler has a very high degree of motivation, he prepares the trip very well, he assesses the risk and the possible obstacles, discomforts and obstacles in a different way. He will manage it in a very different way. The traveler wants, above all, to live unique experiences. Here is the difference between the one who only wants to do tourism, who is very respectable”, adds Bosch, a great traveler.
There are those who visit the African continent to mix the desire to know with the desire to help. They are usually young travelers who go to destinations such as Gambia or Senegal.
Others travel to see the most ethnographic and anthropological part of indigenous communities and try to generate employment and wealth with their visits. “We live entirely in rural communities, be it in Benin or Cameroon. We forget to deliver things and visit schools, and what we do is live in community. Our project provides work for 300 families throughout the year through tourism, with local guides, drivers… it is an economic exchange. You are not going to Rome to give away pencils”.
There is a more mature group of travelers, from 35 to 65 years old, with a desire to discover other ways of life. “There are differences between the traveler and the one who is going to be a tourist, it is better to travel with an agency and visit quiet places. If you are surprised by a blockade in Ethiopia, it is not the same if you are a traveler or a tourist who does not understand what you are doing there ”, reflects Bosch. “Now it would be difficult for me to go to Mali or the area in the center of the Sahara because conflicts are very common. Years ago I traveled there, but with adventurous people, I would not have gone with my family, ”he adds.
travel insurance
“It is very important, sometimes it is not taken into account to save very little money. It is a serious mistake. There are very extreme solutions, with even a rescue service. If you have an attack of appendicitis in Senegal, which is a safe country, how do you get out of there in 24 hours without insurance?” Bosch warns.
Hiring insurance and doing it according to the trip that is going to be made is basic. Traveling without insurance to certain countries that do not have good health coverage is reckless, all the experts consulted agree. Having good coverage can get the traveler out of serious trouble. Companies generally respond well. It is important to read the coverage well, with its fine print.
