When Dangerous Places Beckon

I can't recommend travel to dangerous places. That's because I've done it - and while it may seem romantic or daring for some, it is terrifying, soul-destroying - and takes a long time to get over.

It could also cost you your life.

In the late 1980s I was shot at in Beirut during the war - my fault entirely for standing up on a rooftop during sniper fire. I still remember the crunch of the concrete as I dove down, my teeth hitting the dirt, my clothes tearing as I desperately rolled away from the snapping sound (bullets sound a lot dryer and tinny in person than on television...)

A television colleague of mine wasn't so lucky. He left behind a wife and four young children.

Wildlife returns to Mozambique
Photo: otaillon via Flickr

Some years later, in Mozambique after that country's war ended, I was writing a story on Gorongosa National Park and its recovery. Chief ranger Roberto Zolho and I were riding along a recently demined dirt road looking for remnants of wildlife.

All of a sudden the road ended.

We were lost - and we were in a minefield.

For twenty excruciatingly long minutes, we drove in circles, expecting to be blown up at any moment. I remember praying - I don't do that often - and I recall the visceral knowledge that I would never see my family again. It's a knowledge that goes beyond your head and heart right into your cells. I understand what it means to have your insides turn to jelly. Literally.

We of course did eventually find our way out of the minefield but I still have that acid taste of fear more than a decade later.

I have a far healthier respect for life these days - danger may still lurk but I won't run towards it with open arms.

There are many valid reasons to travel to the world's most dangerous places - being a journalist or humanitarian worker are only two of them. If you MUST go - be prepared. Choose your destination wisely. Practice safe travel. Take every precaution you can.

Where is that war zone, anyway?

Today there is no lack of dangerous places. Books have been written about them, and these places are hailed as beacons for the young and adventurous all over cable television and documentary film channels.

It seems many women, for their own reason, want to push the envelope.

Danger has always been around. But today we are closer to it.

Refugees in Darfur: still not open for travel
Photo: Radio Nederland Wereldomroep via Flickr

I can't say it enough: certain places should nearly automatically be off-limits to you. As I write this I think of Iraq, Darfur, the Eritrean-Ethiopian border, Afghanistan, Gaza, DRC, Chad...

But if you can't or won't stay away, the least you can do is protect yourself as well as you can.

Here are just a few suggestions on how to stay safe when dangerous places beckon.

Conflict is best avoided
Photo: Brandon Perkins via Flickr

Be prepared. I can never make the case enough - you'd be amazed how many people neglect even the most basic precautions when heading out to dangerous places.

Make sure you've told someone where you're going, and when you're due. Carry copies of all your important papers. Register immediately with your embassy or consulate when you get to the country (most countries have web listings of all the embassies represented there). Especially carry the phone number of your consulate or embassy in the country - and phone and check to make sure the number is correct before you head upcountry.

Be discreet. You'll notice that many airports and military installations forbid you from taking pictures. Please obey. You whip out your camera at your own risk - and you may think no one is watching, but you'd be amazed at how quickly you can be surrounded by armed uniforms when your camera clicks.

Conflicts do eventually end...
Photo: John Brennan via Flickr

Watch where you walk. At the risk of stating the obvious, stay away from minefields and areas that have seen recent fighting. Minefields are often marked - but not always, as I learned the hard way.

And many former battlegrounds still contain UXO, or unexploded ordnance. In Laos, children still get maimed every day when they pick up the pretty yellow balls they find buried in fields... those balls are explosives, and are often still live.

So be vigilant. Look for markings (skull and crossbones are a good indication). Be sensitive to anomalies - if a field lies fallow in the middle of farmland, wonder why. Ask locals - they are the first to know which areas are safe and which aren't.

Keep a fake wallet at hand - with enough money to satisfy criminals but not enough to force you to go back home. About $50 usually seems realistic. Keep a credit card and some identification you are prepared to lose. If you're mugged or stopped at a roadblock, this is the wallet you pull out. Do it slowly - you don't want anyone thinking you're pulling out a weapon.

Stay out of religious buildings - unless you belong to that faith and are going inside to pray or pay homage. Obviously in many places, especially large northern cities, this mostly doesn't apply - but in areas that are fragile or in conflict, entering a religious building may take on a meaning well beyond simple curiosity or tourism.

Your best sources

If you need up-to-the-minute information on the world's hotspots, my best source is the United Nations' ReliefWeb, which keeps humanitarian relief workers in the loop about the immediate situation in these countries.

You can find additional political information and travel advisories through the various web services provided by Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. And finally, if you're partial to dangerous travel, you can always try Come Back Alive, the website of Robert Young Pelton, who has made it his life's work to travel towards danger - and tell others about it.