The world, a place with almost endless destinations and cultures to discover, whether we are conventional tourists or intrepid travelers, is a dynamic stage, not a still picture, which can sometimes become dangerous. Geopolitics is a sometimes unpredictable and inexact 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 subject of passionate debate, as was seen after the evacuation of Spanish tourists in Ethiopia.

Know the

“Safety is always the most important thing. And the most important thing is the exact information of the country where you will travel, the contacts. I have just arrived from Senegal and I stopped a project because of the appearance of the guerrillas. There is nothing stable these days, it is getting more and more complicated, I am canceling several projects in West Africa, I prefer to wait”, explains an experienced traveller, travel organizer for many years (150 groups with 1,500 people), who requests anonymity.

Information with security alerts is disseminated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “I always travel to the destination of the trip I organize, I’ve been making eighteen trips for years; this is how you can control the situation. I canceled trips a month before leaving because there was 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 zone”, he adds. He does not work in Ethiopia. “I’ve been offered it a thousand times, but they’ve had guerrilla problems in a specific area for two decades.”

“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 has spent his life traveling all over the world for work and defends kindness to discover the planet for pleasure. He advises to park the fears and the comfort. He has published The world (no) is a dangerous place, with the publishing house Cossetània.

The world is very changing. “I was traveling through Burkina Faso and I stopped doing it because in two trips I had two coups d’état three days before traveling”, explains a professional in the sector. Niger and Mali, with a lot of instability, are complicating many trips.

Be consistent

“There are countries in Africa where you can be surprised by a coup. I don’t see it as recklessness, I see the traveler’s desire to know. There are many countries on the threshold of possible conflicts for years or decades. The traveler has that slightly more exploratory side of looking for exotic, different places. If there are many warnings and it’s a hot spot, yes, it’s better to avoid it”, reasons Albert Bosch, experienced traveler and adventurer.

It is essential, the experts agree, to travel in a conscious and responsible manner, taking into account one’s own limitations. There can always be unforeseen events: an accident, an attack or a natural catastrophe. “People should be consistent: if you travel to Africa or Asia you must be aware of the risks you run. Traveling to a country like Ethiopia means buying a lot of numbers so that you have a problem,” says Gual.

Traveler or tourist

The border between the traveler and the ordinary tourist is sometimes difficult to establish, but if the person organizing the trip takes this into account, problems can be saved. Especially if there are unforeseen and complex situations to manage.

“I do castings for travelers, with meetings before the trips, and there are people I say no to. There is a lot of selfishness, who reminds you that he paid you so much money when he doesn’t like something. I want to travel peacefully, 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 there yourself, you can solve the problems. I make small groups of six people”.

Professionals and agencies

If you don’t have experience, it’s better to get advice from travel professionals if you want to go beyond the usual tourist routes. “A good trip is prepared with six or seven previous trips. I have just arrived from Kenya, where I lived with a Maasai family. The tourist cannot be a number, things happen because work is not done as it should be”, warns a travel organizer.

intrusion

Along with professionals and specialist agencies that work well, there are supposed professionals organizing trips that are not in reality. “A person travels, creates a journey and neither freelancers 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 crazy what’s happening.”

The motivations

“The traveler has a very high degree of motivation, he prepares the trip very well, he values ??the risk and possible obstacles, inconveniences and obstacles in a different way. He will handle it in a very different way. The traveler wants, above all, to live unique experiences. Here is the difference between the one who just wants to do tourism, which is very respectable”, adds Bosch, a great traveller.

There are those who visit the African continent to mix the desire to discover with the desire to help. They are usually young travelers going to destinations like Gambia or Senegal.

Others travel to get to know the more 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 give things and to visit schools, and what we do to live in community. Our project employs 300 families throughout the year through tourism, with local guides, drivers… it’s an economic exchange. You don’t go to Rome to give away some pencils”.

There is a more mature group of travelers, aged 35 to 65, who are anxious to learn about other ways of life. “There are differences between the traveler and the one who will do purely as a tourist, that it is better to travel with an agency and visit the 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 he is 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. I traveled there years ago, but with adventurous people, I wouldn’t have gone there with my family”, he adds.

Travel insurance

“It is very important, sometimes it is not taken into account to save very little money. It’s a serious mistake. There are very extreme solutions, with even a rescue service. If you suffer an attack of appendicitis in Senegal, which is a safe country, how do you get out of there in 24 hours without insurance?” warns Bosch.

It is essential to take out insurance, and to do so consistently according to the trip to be made. Traveling without insurance to some countries that do not have good health coverage is reckless, all the experts consulted agree. Having good coverage can save the traveler from serious conflicts. In general, companies respond well. It’s important to read good coverage, even the fine print.