If you are travelling in France and expect to pass somewhere unfriendly such as Paris or Rouen. By making your transit when the locals are at lunch you will miss much of the expected traffic. Lunch in France is from 12 noon untill 2 or 2.30 pm.

This is a tricky one ..... everyone has a different perception of risk so it would be difficult to set the advice to reflect the right level of risk and of course if you are American the whole world is high risk these days I have a map on the wall of my office which is published by a major US insurance broker and if is titled " Political and Economic Risk Map" but it makes me laugh because so much of the world is coloured for 'medium-high' and 'high' risk in their view that you'd never leave the country if you believed what they say.
High risk countries in the same category as Afghanistan and Iraq are Kenya, Cuba, Ecuador, Nepal, Albania and Venuzuela to mention a few and Medium-High risk are Ukraine, Libya, Mongolia and Madagascar , again just a selection.
Call me sceptical but my old Mum & Dad went to Libya on a cruise recently and loved it . I've been to Ukraine a few times and think it's great and you can walk into any travel agent in Europe and book a package holiday to Cuba and my girlfriend regularly visits Kenya and has nothing but praise for the place so having a map suggesting certain places are risky is so subjective I think it would just be meaningless. Best thing is to research the specific section in the HUBB and read what people are saying - they are either there or have been there and you'll get a more objective opinion based on first had experiences.

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Kenya????? I lived there from '98-'03 and never had any problems, even when I ventured into the dark depths of 'Nairobbery'! How dare they! Odd that Colombia isn't on the list, but Equador is. If you don't hear from me next month, you'll know they were correct. Or else, that I'm just having a wonderful time and can't be bothered to log on. ;-)
Lorraine

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Lorraine:
Don't you know, Colombia is soooo dangerous its not even on the scale!

It was so dangerous, I had to leave at the end of my 60 day permit - or I might not have left - captivated by the country which is not the same as captivated by the FARC.

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quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Good for you Lorraine. Colombia is deemed to be medium risk according to this all knowing American font of all knowledge and Bolivia and Ecuador are more dangerous according to them too ... :confused1: It's probably because they have so many CIA agents and Narco undercover cops running around there they they just can't admit that their presence hasn't made a damn bit of difference ..... no doubt next year Iraq and Afghanistan will be upgraded because of all the good work done there by Uncle Sam and his armies
I have a freind out in Colombia , he went to visit about 4 years ago and never came back and it wasn't because he was kidnapped or abducted , he just loves the place and stayed

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Salut Old

Just to make the thread's point...what's wrong with Rouen or Paris? Now South London's a different matter...full of nutters behind the wheel...mind you the French love to tailgate.....Italians are lethal with a car..shouldnt be allowed out of the house, that lot....near me in Haute Loire farmers like to launch tractors from fields as you get near them..but dont they all, everywhere?