Risky travel: how much is too much?

Risky travel: how much is too much?

Is it safe to travel Turkey or other areas of unrest? After several weeks in the country, we think about the latest attacks and ask how much risk is too much

On Tuesday, June 7, 2016, a bomb went up in the center of Istanbul, in which 11 people were killed and 36 more injured. The news was particularly sobering because we were only in the city a day and a half earlier.

We had spent a few weeks to travel through parts of the West Turkey Halt in Istanbul, Selçuk and Ephesus, Denizli, Pamukkale and Cappadocia and ends in Istanbul.

On the return flight to London, I planned the post that I wanted to write: A call for tourists to start visiting Turkey again to experience the iconic landscapes, the historical architecture, the delicious food and the amazing people from Turkey.

We had met numerous locals who suffered from the free fall of tourism. Hotels were half empty everywhere and some reported a business decline of 70 %. Osman from Kirkit Horse Riding told us that the turbulence were "catastrophic" for his business and his family.

My contribution wanted to ask people to return Turkey there. We only have limited influence, but we could certainly help a little? After all, we had traveled half the length of the huge country and experienced nothing but complete openness and warmth.

alt = “IST-DAS-Reisen-in-Turkei-Sicher-2 ″>

And then the bomb went up in Istanbul. The tragic attack not only wiped out human life, but also had serious consequences in the whole country. As far as we are concerned, we have published a reserved contribution to the clothing regulations of the Blue Mosque instead of a battle cry for tourism.

Just three weeks after the bombing of June 7, the city suffered a second attack, this time at the International Airport Ataturk, in which 41 people died and another 239 were injured.

This has increased the fatal total number in the past eight months to five bombings in Istanbul and four in Ankara. Suffering from Kurdish and IS fighter, Turkey was clearly not as sure as we thought.

We were asked to ask how much risk is too much?

I would visit Turkey again next month? Probably. Would I advise our readers to visit them next month? Probably. Would I be happy if my little sister were visiting next month? No.

Of course, the risk is shown in different shades and intensities - but how much is too much?

Our ethos at Atlas & Boots is traveling with dedication, and if there is a solid guiding principle that we can offer, it should be. We will not visit the most dangerous countries in the world in the foreseeable future, but as independent travelers we would urge our colleagues to explore as much as their nerves allow it.

We will soon plan a six -month journey through Africa, including some dangerous countries like Burundi. We know that there are risks and even talked about writing will before we go - but we will go.

If we were frightened by Turkey, we never saw some of the most unique landscapes in 60 travel countries.

I'm not as spiritual as I used to be, but I still think it is your time when it is your time. The worst thing you can do is not "suck out the whole mark of life" before this time has come. This can mean different things. For some it means to spend more time with their children; For others it is the pleasure of luxurious things. For travelers it means to see the most beautiful things that our planet has to offer.

Maybe the extreme climber Jimmy Chin explains it best: "The two great risks are to risk too much, but also to risk too little. Everyone has to decide that. Nothing to risk is worse than death."
.