Article - Most Dangerous Honeymoon Locations

kavc016

I don't usually post on this board, but i read an interesting article and thought i would post it. It's from aol.

http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/06/24/most-dangerous-honeymoon-locations/?icid=main|main|dl4|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.travel.aol.com%2F2010%2F06%2F24%2Fmost-dangerous-honeymoon-locations%2F

ohyouhavemyheart

cool thanks for sharing! i HATE spiders..as appealing as those destinations are..i don't know that i would visit any of those places after knowing about the civil unrest and creepy crawlers that there are!

LaFemmeRousse

Interesting, thanks!

The article touches on one thing I've never understood about people wanting to go to Jamaica- I just don't see the appeal of cloistering yourself inside an AI that sells the illusion of "paradise" while you're surrounded by killer poverty and civil unrest.

kristinanddan

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_article-dangerous-honeymoon-locations?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:c818ceb5-4956-44f8-a4f4-745e49dfe850Post:629a5665-d2d0-47ba-bdfe-57f25a5698e9">Re: Article - Most Dangerous Honeymoon Locations</a>:
[QUOTE]Interesting, thanks! The article touches on one thing I've never understood about people wanting to go to Jamaica- I just don't see the appeal of cloistering yourself inside an AI that sells the illusion of "paradise" while you're surrounded by killer poverty and civil unrest.
Posted by LaFemmeRousse[/QUOTE]

I've never understood the appeal either.

alithebride

this is one of the worst articles i've ever read. bunching an entire country into a post about a town or 2 is the height of generalization. journalists who write so carelessly need to be taken out and beaten with their pen.

woodsandminkin

I agree alithebride- certain parts of Jamaica are bad, just like certain parts of every country. If you stay away from the areas they tell you to stay away from, you will be fine. Most of the drug problems are in Kingston which is on the complete opposite side of the island from most tourist attractions. As for the other countries- I haven't had experience, but research the area the crimes are occuring compared to where you are vacationing. This article is basically like saying one shouldn't go to Florida because there are kidnappings going on in Virginia.

LaFemmeRousse

I don't know.  I agree with some of these points- I think the portion about Australia is very silly- but the paragraphs on Jamaica and Thailand ring true to me.  Acapulco is another popular tourist destination that has an outrageous drug/violence problem right now.  I was there a few years ago and wouldn't go today.

Although Kingston might not be walking distance from any all-inclusive Jamaican resorts, that doesn't mean that the resorts have nothing to do with or are entirely separate from the endemic poverty and social ills that plague the country, including the drug wars.  Where do you think the thousands of staff who work at the resorts live/ are from?  This is something that troubles me about many islands in the Caribbean.

And as for Thailand, I know several people who have traveled there and had their trips affected by the riots and violence troubling the country for the past year.  I don't think it's silly to think about those things, nor would I expect a ten-page thesis on the problems from a brief, sort of lighthearted article on aol.com.

Denise91980

I agree with alithebride...It is a shame that they scare people from going to amazing and beautiful places and hurt the tourism of other countries. I am going to the Riviera Maya and I am not afraid to go. I have been there before, and I just had a friend come back from Cozumel who stated that she felt extremely safe and the natives of the area are upset that they get lumped into the category of drug lords in Mexico. The fact of the matter is that you need to be careful in any unfamiliar area. You can get murdered, raped, mugged, or hurt in LA, NYC or Philadelphia (all 3 areas I have been to but did not feel unsafe), as well as any big city in the US or any other country. Should people not travel to the US because of rioting that may occur in Chicago or Washington DC. The resort areas in these places (ie Jamaica and Mexico) are not effected. They want the tourism.

LaFemmeRousse

I think there's a big difference between randomly scaring people away from visiting, say, New York City because someone's best friend's sister got mugged there once and choosing not to visit countries with terrible infrastructure, nasty governments, or tourist economies that don't assist local populations. 

Notice that I didn't lump in Mexico with my critique of some Caribbean nations- I believe that the tourist economy and the government there are doing their best to use the influx of tourism dollars to actually help address serious issues in the country.  Are they perfect, no.  I do not think the Jamaican government is operating in this same way, nor would I want to go play at paradise there for a week knowing the strife existing outside of my resort's walls.  For the same reason, I would not visit the Maldives- it might be beautiful, but the conditions for the people who live and work there are terrible, and my visit would only further support the sketchy government responsible for it, not assist those in need.

It's not always only a case of "you'll be safe within the resort walls."  I'm not one to shy away from places that many others have wrung their hands over because of perceived danger or otherness, but I also try to keep some sense of morality and responsible tourism with me when I travel.

Laur0813

I think it was a good post.  whether the article was 100%  accurate or not, it brings attention to honeymooners to consider what may be happening in a certain country/place; and to realize that there may be dangers traveling, from riots to deadly spiders.  And i think it was successful, it brought discussion as to where good places are, and arent, for others that read this post.  its all about being aware of your surroundings.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_article-dangerous-honeymoon-locations?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:c818ceb5-4956-44f8-a4f4-745e49dfe850Post:29848239-7ef0-4e51-be1a-fb4f9748ad73">Re: Article - Most Dangerous Honeymoon Locations</a>:
[QUOTE]this is one of the worst articles i've ever read. bunching an entire country into a post about a town or 2 is the height of generalization.<strong> journalists who write so carelessly need to be taken out and beaten with their pen.</strong>
Posted by alithebride[/QUOTE]

I totally agree. I don't believe much of what the mainstream media tells me. We just got back from Jamaica and it was totally fine, we had a wonderful time. I have memories that will be with me forever.