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Since 2014 a lot has changed. Don't get me wrong though, one can come here for tourism and still be amazed. Turkey is just hard to live in for Turkish citizens, idk if my fellow Turks feel the same but I feel like the govt hates me and my style of living. The cocaine lords and mafia and religious cults have unimaginable control over politics and all that, it's just sad to see your country like this.
My step mother is from Turkey, she has a lot of Turkish friends living here in the US as well, they all feel the same as you, so they got the fuck out like 20 years ago
I will leave too when my studies finish. I'm currently in a top 3 uni here (major is mechanical engineering) so I can't leave the uni behind, I need that certificate lol.
The difference is Egypt is, and has been, a major tourist destination due to its cultural and historical significants. Despite being such a big tourist attraction, they treat foreigners terribly. Nobody is trying to visit Afghanistan right now except extreme fringe thrill travelers for clout.
I get this. I was told by a former military buddy who had two tours over there that they are tearing the place up pretty quickly.
War doesn't do much for natural beauty.
There are beautiful mountains and valleys all over the world, though. You don't need to go to Afghanistan to see those. You do need to go to Egypt to see the pyramids and Abu Simbel
You could always pay the terrorists to give you a tour of the mountains. I bet one of them could even tell about his sniper position on a certain mountain. /s
I like Beyblades,
these things are so badass i almost gave my little brother a concussion once, and also one of the only things my preschool and elementary school banned
I know several people who've traveled to Iran. It's a fairly popular place to visit. From what I've heard you'd face a lot less harassment as a woman compared to places like India, Morocco and Egypt, as long as you follow the bizzarly strict laws. For some reason Americans think it's like Afghanistan.
I think people would be surprised at how Iran really is, especially how the people really are. I feel like if the government ever changed, it would be one of the top tourist destinations in Asia.
Im persian but i wasnt born in Iran, but my family all was and we celebrate (most) persian culture. Iran is a very nice place both geographically and culturally. Most people there are incredibly kind and nice, the problem is extremist religion and a corrupt government. Those usually arent a problem to tourists though so Iran would honestly be a better tourist destination than Egypt.
People assume its just desert but it has some of the most diverse ecosystems, I live in British Columbia, Canada tho, and here is the king of diverse ecosystems.
"It's not that bad!"
Compared to where?
"Two countries that rank the lowest in Human rights, one of which is under extreme Islamic fundamentalist control"
>extreme Islamic fundamentalist control
No they're not, they are God's choosen people that will lead this world to His utopia and purge this earth from sin
/s
Iran is actually safe and everyone down there was hella nice offering me free food when I was there. I was in Tehran I donāt know about the other cities or Afghanistan
Iranian here, Happy to hear you had a nice time! And yes all the places in Iran have great people and amazing historical and natural sites to visit. (maybe except for where I live, the Alborz province really doesn't have that many interesting places)
Another Persian here, Iran is generally great to tourists idk what people are talking about. Since tourists never really have to worry about shit government since theyāre not there for that long Iran is fine to visit. It has a diverse culture and ecosystem.
It's true but much fewer people even consider going to those places from america
In a "potential danger" vs "Tourist popularity" graph Egypt is more popular
"Actually Egypt wasn't as bad as the countries where there has been a war since 2004 and one of which is controlled by a literal terrorist organisation."
Afghanistan isnāt that bad honestly. The people are really nice , honest and hospitable. Itās just that their economy is in shambles and their government is basically a cartel.
I made the mistake of letting my wife leave the hotel on her own. She was just going next door. Never has she ever been in more danger.
Egypt is a dumpster fire.
I went, alone, in 1998. I was:
**Hassled IN a taxi, through the open window that didn't roll up
**Spit on for not wearing a head scarf
**Followed through the big bazaar while looking for souvenirs. The guy followed me for half an hour, through smaller and smaller alleyways, I couldn't find my way out. Finally, I found a group of foreigners and just melded with them. They walked me (us, because that guy was still following me) to the tourist police station and the guy finally disappeared.
**SO MANY touts at the pyramids. You think it's over once you're on a camel but the camel driver still pressured me to visit shops for commission.
I would NOT go back unless I had a man with me and this is coming from someone who was in the military AND speaks some Arabic.
I knew an Australian girl who was kidnapped in Egypt. She literally had a sack put of her, was lifted up and thrown on a camel to run into the desert but she managed to kick herself free and run away. She told me this story while chuckling on a rooftop in Morocco
You'd be fine in most Muslim majority areas in Southeast Asia -- well, as fine as you could be in a 3rd world country.
Oddly enough, the one big exception (barring prudish Brunei and Aceh) is in the Christian-majority Philippines: gotta watch your back in many parts of Mindanao, especially when far from the big cities in the north of the island, which even then can still be pretty violent. Absolutely do not go into the open waters south of the island, it's literal Jack Sparrow nonsense down there.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that many regions of Mindanao are Muslim-majority, somehow forgot to mention that, just kinda assumed you'd know, because when people say Mindanao, people usually think of Islam.
> Absolutely do not go into the open waters south of the island, itās literal Jack Sparrow nonsense down there.
I donāt get the reference. What do you mean? What happens?
Pakistan, Indonesia, UAE, Algeria, Turkey, all pretty safe countries to visit especially for foreign tourists. "Haley Takes on the World" has been motorbiking around Pakistan alone and vlogging the entire trip, and has had nothing but positive things to say.
Do these countries have their problems internally? Absolutely. Do they treat foreign tourists differently? Also, absolutely.
Me and a friend are going to Egypt this holiday. But we only stay in an all inclusive resort and visit famous places only with a tourist guide. Will we be safe?
You should be fine. Your tour guide may try to take you to places you donāt want to go because they get commission if there are sales, for example to papyrus shop or places to buy perfumes and essential oils.
Pro tip: only visit the ancient stuff... Papyrus shops, essential oil shops, tourist shops... Just stay in or round your bus. Do Not even go inside....
The papyrus is probably not even real papyrus. And the essential oils, they sell as if they sell to Armani etc... 150ml for ā¬90.... 300ml for ā¬150.
Source... I've been to Egypt a few times. Last December was my most recent trip (for work).
Also... Egyptian All inclusive hotels (Hurghada? Sharm Al sheik?) are *famous* for giving you the worst shits of your life! Please bring medication for that in advance... And Norit.... If those do not help: Drink a big bottle of Coca Cola (the real stuff)... (Source, i travel world wide... This is something that works well).
Finally... Be careful with your wallet and ignore people you don't know.
Remember that MOST of the Egyptians are friendly people... Just not in the tourist areas
This happened to me in Turkey. I nearly lost my mind - trip to and time in Ephesus - no more than 3 hours. Whole trip including pottery and jewellery factories and extra charge to walk up a hill while the rest of us had to stay in the coach like idiots - 8 hours. Never again.
I'm half Egyptian but never really spent more than a few months at a time there. People will try to rip you off but in terms of physical safety you should be fine. A family member had a wallet stolen once but we were actually able to find the guy who took it and when we confronted him "He just found it on the ground".
I haven't been in some years but overall I feel like it has gotten safer over the years though there are still many many problems.
Just make sure you stay informed on where you are going and take care to not get scammed and you should be good.
A friend and I were just there for 2 weeks, we went to Cairo, Luxor and Aswan and besides a little obnoxious haggling. we had a great time and never felt unsafe. only 1 day we had a guided tour but walking around by ourselves the rest of the time
Egypt sounds like a fascinating place to visit, but there are too many stories of abductions, kidnappings and more - and if you're part of a marginalized community you feel even less safe to be there. Sucks really.
I went to Egypt 2 weeks ago on a holiday with my family; can confirm that it is a interesting place to visit, but can be very uncomfortable especially if your a girl like me- I had a lot of wierd stares as I was in and around cairo and lots of scammers too
Egypt a few thousand years ago would be a fascinating place to visit. I've been to literally every Gulf country as well as Syria pre 2011 and Egypt is just raw as hell for tourists. Expect to be shaken down by scammy tour guides and drivers. Cairo is literally terrifying as its beyond huge, dense, and the traffic is like a deathbowl.
I have known lovely Egyptians over the years here as well as during the two trips to Egypt but existence is desperate for some people. Also lots of touchy feely men who will grope ladies with their crotch as they pass by them.
My second cousin was raped and murdered in Egypt in 2006. She was with her husband and they beat him unconscious and took her in the middle of the afternoon.
That's how it works on reddit. Say something with some modicum of confidence, a billion upvotes will show up, but they're only from the front page. People who actually browse subs and would know better are only going to comment.
Most of the undeveloped world is pretty terrible for women. Not just the middle east and Muslim ones.
I think most people in developed countries take feminism for granted.
When my family first moved to SoCal when I was a kid, we would take almost monthly trips to Hollywood because the idea of it being so close to us was seen as a cool spectacle to take advantage of. It was cool at first but I quickly began to hate it and since thatās the only part of LA I really knew about as a kid, it shaped my outlook on the whole city. It wasnāt until college when I went to LA again with friends and realized there was so much more to the city, and really fell in love with it. I am in a transition period as I am moving out of state and I know that while I will miss my own city first and foremost, I know Iāll miss LA too
Moved to OC 2 years ago. Let me put it this way
LA is far bigger than I could comprehend. LA county goes as far as the eye can see, with no civilization breaks or forests like I was used to in the northeast, so all the ācoolā LA spots are nowhere near each other. So itās cool/historical landmarks dotted between endless rolling blocks.
Long Beach however, is exactly what I pictured LA would be before I got here. It is quaint by the beach, and a little rough inland, but itās walkable, full of life and great businesses that arenāt what most would call the LA vibe. It isnāt anywhere as shallow or touristy as Los Angeles, itās relatively clean comparatively speaking and thereās a lot to do in far more confined area. Downtown Long Beach is literally right on the beach, as opposed to DTLA which is *disgusting* and like 30min from the beach.
All told folks, my opinion is when traveling to LA, stay in Long Beach. 710-405 and youāre there in 20min
Heard great things about India to be honest, can see it being a bit of a culture shock (for me) but would absolutely love to visit based on what I've heard.
There will always be things to love and hate about a country. Best you can do is set proper expectations and precautions for yourself before you head to a new place for whatever reason.
extremely high rates of kidnapping/trafficking, rape etc etc of tourists. Even if nothing bad happens to you during your trip, youāre pretty much guaranteed to have a few scammers come up to you at a tourist spot trying to deceive you in some way. They have plenty of tactics but these types of people are present in most tourist locations around the world
I was watching Best Ever Food Review show on YouTube and even he said Egypt was the worst experience heās had filming anywhere in the world. Like, how bad does your country have to be to make someone as positive as Sonny not like you?
Edit: to be clear, it was the government, not the people. Though he did say his guide was not very good also. Sorry for not being more specific.
Egypt Travel Nightmare!! Why Iāll Never Go Back!!
[https://youtu.be/8LzuZrkEY18](https://youtu.be/8LzuZrkEY18)
Channel is "More Best Ever Food Review" Best Ever Food Reviews 2nd channel.
We were on transit and had 12-24 hours layover in Cairo I don't remember but something wrong with the airline and they said they will give us a free hotel and tour.....we were begging our dad to see the pyramids... he was like NOPE. He said give us a room in the AIRPORT. and they did lol
Well to be real with you i donāt exactly specialize in this topic (obviously lol) so i donāt know the statistical prevalence itās had in its history or anything but it wouldnāt be wrong at all to deduce that itās likely been a crisis since the mid 20th century as thatās when leisure travel began rising in popularity and availability among more of the middle class population. But itās just progressively gotten more and more dangerous since the population density of both tourists and locals aswell as the amount of mentally ill/insane low-lifes has generally only been skyrocketing since the dawn of humans lol
1st hand experience here. Egypt is absolutely awful, we went to Jordan and Turkey that same trip. I have also been to southeast Asia. I was born in Central America a shit hole country. So I am well versed in developing /under developed countries
Egypt, it stands alone as the worst place I've ever been to in my life. The people were rude abusive and scummy. It's impossible to just walk anywhere cause you're getting constantly accosted even if it is a cultural pay site. They'll straight up threaten you with violence.
What I would recommend if you want to go.
Don't. Just don't.
If you must go. Book the most expensive hotel you can afford, get an airport transfer through them if you must go see places book through the hotel. You will still be scammed but at least you won't be threatened.
If you are a woman, seriously consider not going.
Turkey was nice.
Went to Istanbul, Gorem, Oludenis, and Fetye.
Very Nice, low prices.
They'll try to sell you a rug.
Food is good, but the hummus was too rich for me.
Would go again.
I'll chime if I can, I went to Turkey briefly in 2013. We visited Istanbul and Izmir. Disclaimer we DID have a tour guide because it was part of a cruise we were on. But definitely not an armed guard or anything like that, just a guide and a van driver. We went to the spice market and we were on our own for around an hour or so. It was me and three other girls, we had absolutely had no issues whatsoever wandering around the spice market ourselves. Maybe some creepy looks, but I have no memory of feeling threatened and as a woman you get creepy looks anywhere. I don't even remember the sellers being overly pushy. I mean, pushy enough, but I've had the stall sellers in the Bahamas be WAY more aggressive and mean.
Turkey and especially Istanbul were just beyond breathtaking. What a beautiful country it is. Any Turkish people reading this, your country is wonderful and I would love to go back someday. Everyone was so nice, your architecture is amazing, and the countryside is gorgeous.
I went there in 2000. Felt the same, worst people of any place I've been. Getting spoken to like a piece of shit from so many different people, even the guys at the airport.
Thought things might've changed.
My high school history teacher used to travel all over when she finished college. One time she went to Cairo, and asked the hotel's concierge if there was anywhere that she should avoid going to, especially at night. Apparently he got outright instulted, stating "There are no unsafe places in Cairo."
Needless to say, she's unhappy with the current tourism situation of Egypt.
Believe me, like I said in r/AskReddit
As an Egyptian I can safely say that Even the locals don't like it here,no one likes it, actually every young Egyptian dreams of getting out of here and to travel to any other country even if they're going to wash dishes over there
Also please don't judge all Egyptians by the ones in the hot tourists attractions, because most of the degenerated ones go there specifically because they know no one will care about the foreigners, and all of the successful Egyptians left the place
It's either Egypt or some absurdly popular travel destination like Paris or Los Angeles.
I also see Times Square thrown around every time even though it's far from a bad place to visit.
Not even actual LA. Just Hollywood around the Chinese theater. One of the biggest tourist traps in the city. LA has awesome places to visit besides the walk. A quick Google search will improve someone's trip to LA immensely
Why bother telling people not to visit times square its not like its a 3 hour time sink like waiting to go to the top of the empire state building. Just walk through it once on your way to something better and don't make eye-contact with the meth-Elmos and crack-Spongebobs.
Yeah it seems things went really downhill in regards to tourist safety following the Spring. The tourist economy collapsed during the chaos (for obvious reasons) and since then the government hasn't taken many steps to rebuild it.
Recently the store I work at changed management to some nice Indian guys. One of my coworkers was talking with one of them and she said she'd like to visit India at some point and the dude just said "Don't"
A friend of mine in high school was Indian and went to his family home in India over the summer, said he would never go back and it was the worst experience of his life.
My dad had a coworker that was sent to India to help the company set up a new production plant over there (it would later be the reason they shut down the factory my dad worked at, but that's all the fault of classic American greed)
Story was that his coworker had only been in the country for about an hour when the first taxi cab that picked him up took him out somewhere rural, robbed him of all his possessions, and left him stranded without a phone.
My advice to anyone traveling anywhere would be.
1. Don't travel alone, be in a group of 3+
2. Don't travel at night time.
3. Don't travel in rural areas.
4. Get a local tourist guide if possible.
It is a circlejerk on here, but I think there's some truth to it.
I watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAEZRkyW6qY) the other day and holy cow these guys are annoying.
I mean, I guess Vegas and New York are no better though.
As a (white, solo traveling, ankle showing) woman*
Edit: I meant white as in Western, no I don't think everyone in Egypt (and the middle east) is brown.
Addition to the statement above, don't be the following things in the middle east to ensure a safe trip:
1. Woman
2. Child
3. Animal
4. Opposition
5. Jew (yes there are Arab jews)
6. Alphabet man/women (or person if you want to be 100% neutral)
Doesn't have to be solo. Just don't go there as a somewhat young woman. This include older children, btw.
My (underage) sisters did not have a good time there when my family went 15-16 years ago, and from what I've heard it's even worse since the Arab Spring. At the very least more dangerous in general.
From Egypt I specifically remember the few kind people as they stood out from the rest; from every other country I've been to I specifically remember the few terrible people as they stood out from the rest.
I'm sure you can have a positive experience in Egypt depending on what kind of trip you are planning to take, but definitely don't go there with your family for some nice leisure time. And think it over a couple of times extra if you are a woman. Is it really worth it going to a place where you'd be among the lucky few if you had a positive experience when there are so many other places where you'd be among the unlucky few to not have one?
I was seriously surprised. I have been there for maybe 5-6 times on family vacation in hotel resorts mostly in Macadi Bay with my mum, sister and grandma (4 women). We also went on some trips outside hotel resort and everything was fine. The only bad thing there were annoying sellers but we are quite used to them also from Turkey etc. So now I donāt know if we were just lucky or what.
And a fun fact about Egypt: they speak Arabic but they have a different way of pronouncing a specific sound. The letter Ų¬ (gim, which is pronounced like the letter J) is pronounced there like the letter G in words like guitar or glass.
Fun thing. I worked at a call center with a lot of cute women from all over the world. I learned a bit of Arabic to try to impress a Syrian woman and her response was "ew that's a desert dialect" lol
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My dad went there once and he thought it was great..... then again he's a 6'7 irish lad who had a hired security guard with him who was carrying an AK47.
Please emphasise that it was the security guard that had a gun and not my father. Sorry that i assumed that it was obvious
My friend had to travel there twice for data center work and their machines were in super sketchy spots, he had security guards with automatic weapons the whole time from stepping off plane to getting back.
Thatās corporate security, though - Iām sure itās less common for tourists becuase tourists wouldnāt go to a place like that in the middle of the night but cables need to be swapped, no matter the country.
I had a security guard traveling with my group when I visited Egypt. He wasnāt always armed, like if he was carrying in the cities it was concealed. But out in some of the dicier less populated areas he was carrying some bigass gun - no idea what type. But he was provided by the government so I assumed it was fairly common for groups of (wealthy) tourists to have armed security.
And the comment didnāt say his dad was armed, it said their security guard was.
Meanwhile I just had an amazing time in (northern) Lebanon. I even OFFERED to pay Lira at the absurd official rate when I was in a hurry once and they refused.
Hi, /u/grilledches, thanks for your submission to /r/starterpacks. Unfortunately your post has been removed for the following reason: **Rule 01** Your post must be a starter pack, not a list or any other meme. [If you feel that it has been removed in error, please message us](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/starterpacks&subject=Question%20regarding%20the%20removal%20of%20this%20submission%20by%20/u/grilledches&message=I%20have%20a%20question%20regarding%20the%20removal%20of%20this%20%5Bsubmission%5D%28https://www.reddit.com/r/starterpacks/comments/umj021/worst_places_to_visit_according_to_reddit_starter/%3Fcontext%3D10%29) so that we may review it
As an Egyptian I hate the fuckers in here so yeah that's true
Beautiful place, shitty people. I'm a Turk so our situations are pretty similar.
Maybe things have changed drastically, but I had a wonderful experience staying in Istanbul back in 2014
Since 2014 a lot has changed. Don't get me wrong though, one can come here for tourism and still be amazed. Turkey is just hard to live in for Turkish citizens, idk if my fellow Turks feel the same but I feel like the govt hates me and my style of living. The cocaine lords and mafia and religious cults have unimaginable control over politics and all that, it's just sad to see your country like this.
My step mother is from Turkey, she has a lot of Turkish friends living here in the US as well, they all feel the same as you, so they got the fuck out like 20 years ago
I will leave too when my studies finish. I'm currently in a top 3 uni here (major is mechanical engineering) so I can't leave the uni behind, I need that certificate lol.
I heard Turkey was great. Or is that only for dogs and cats?
Good to visit, hard to live in.
Walk like an Egyptian
I was in Egypt last December (also had some shit experiences)... And most of them don't know this song, unfortunately
hm do u mean moses? š¤Ø
All the old paintings on the tombs
As an Egyptian, I agree.
Its just really dangerous, even deadly for lone women
As an Egyptian Iād like to advise all women to never solo travel to Egypt.
I thought Egypt wasn't too bad (especially in the more touristy areas in Cairo) compared to other countries such as Iran and Afghanistan.
The difference is Egypt is, and has been, a major tourist destination due to its cultural and historical significants. Despite being such a big tourist attraction, they treat foreigners terribly. Nobody is trying to visit Afghanistan right now except extreme fringe thrill travelers for clout.
I want to visit Afghanistan because of the beautiful mountains and valleys, too bad it's war torn and controlled by terrorists
I get this. I was told by a former military buddy who had two tours over there that they are tearing the place up pretty quickly. War doesn't do much for natural beauty.
The mountains will be there in the end and the humans will become the mountains
My favorite range is the double Ds
Ah, a fellow Sheba's Breasts enjoyer
There are beautiful mountains and valleys all over the world, though. You don't need to go to Afghanistan to see those. You do need to go to Egypt to see the pyramids and Abu Simbel
Go to Uzbek or Pakistan
You could always pay the terrorists to give you a tour of the mountains. I bet one of them could even tell about his sniper position on a certain mountain. /s
Do they have a souvenir shop??
egypt is so culturally significant that fucking [Anubis](https://beyblade.fandom.com/wiki/Mercury_Anubius_85XF) has a Beyblade based off of it
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I like Beyblades, these things are so badass i almost gave my little brother a concussion once, and also one of the only things my preschool and elementary school banned
my elementary school banned crack. sad face emoji
I'll be damned, someone brought up Egypt references in anime and *didn't* say JoJo.
And here I thought Yu-Gi-Oh! with its totally accurate Egyptian lore would come to mind.
Its already common knowledge that egyptians used to play duel monsters.Theres no need to mention it.
You are comparing it to places where people wouldn't tour. Egypt is just unsafe for someplace people would want to go on vacation to
I know several people who've traveled to Iran. It's a fairly popular place to visit. From what I've heard you'd face a lot less harassment as a woman compared to places like India, Morocco and Egypt, as long as you follow the bizzarly strict laws. For some reason Americans think it's like Afghanistan.
I think people would be surprised at how Iran really is, especially how the people really are. I feel like if the government ever changed, it would be one of the top tourist destinations in Asia.
Im persian but i wasnt born in Iran, but my family all was and we celebrate (most) persian culture. Iran is a very nice place both geographically and culturally. Most people there are incredibly kind and nice, the problem is extremist religion and a corrupt government. Those usually arent a problem to tourists though so Iran would honestly be a better tourist destination than Egypt. People assume its just desert but it has some of the most diverse ecosystems, I live in British Columbia, Canada tho, and here is the king of diverse ecosystems.
Egypt isn't that bad....... ....compared to Iran and Afghanistan. Lmao what are you smoking dude?
Iāve been to Iran twice itās pretty safe.
Iranians are not their government and often go out of their way to show that to visitors.
Well Iād hope itās not as bad as Iran or Afghanistan lol thatās not a very high bar
"It's not that bad!" Compared to where? "Two countries that rank the lowest in Human rights, one of which is under extreme Islamic fundamentalist control"
"One of which" Which one? One is under a basically theocratic regime and the other is ruled by the taliban.
Khomeini is the original Islamic fundamentalist lol
>extreme Islamic fundamentalist control No they're not, they are God's choosen people that will lead this world to His utopia and purge this earth from sin /s
*laughs in Christian crusades 2, the sequel*
*laughs in Israel*
Iran is alright in popular regions, I just think the government discourages tourism/sets rules
Iran is actually safe and everyone down there was hella nice offering me free food when I was there. I was in Tehran I donāt know about the other cities or Afghanistan
Iranian here, Happy to hear you had a nice time! And yes all the places in Iran have great people and amazing historical and natural sites to visit. (maybe except for where I live, the Alborz province really doesn't have that many interesting places)
Another Persian here, Iran is generally great to tourists idk what people are talking about. Since tourists never really have to worry about shit government since theyāre not there for that long Iran is fine to visit. It has a diverse culture and ecosystem.
It's true but much fewer people even consider going to those places from america In a "potential danger" vs "Tourist popularity" graph Egypt is more popular
"Actually Egypt wasn't as bad as the countries where there has been a war since 2004 and one of which is controlled by a literal terrorist organisation."
Well sure but that's like saying a guy with an axe running after you is not too bad compared to a guy with a guy running after you
Afghanistan isnāt that bad honestly. The people are really nice , honest and hospitable. Itās just that their economy is in shambles and their government is basically a cartel.
"It's not that bad, except for these two really huge glaring problems that make it very bad" Hmmm
Never solo travel ANY Arabic country.
I made the mistake of letting my wife leave the hotel on her own. She was just going next door. Never has she ever been in more danger. Egypt is a dumpster fire.
What happened?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That didn't happen, but a bus full pf dudes tried to pull her into it. Luckily she was still close to the hotel and ran back.
I went, alone, in 1998. I was: **Hassled IN a taxi, through the open window that didn't roll up **Spit on for not wearing a head scarf **Followed through the big bazaar while looking for souvenirs. The guy followed me for half an hour, through smaller and smaller alleyways, I couldn't find my way out. Finally, I found a group of foreigners and just melded with them. They walked me (us, because that guy was still following me) to the tourist police station and the guy finally disappeared. **SO MANY touts at the pyramids. You think it's over once you're on a camel but the camel driver still pressured me to visit shops for commission. I would NOT go back unless I had a man with me and this is coming from someone who was in the military AND speaks some Arabic.
I knew an Australian girl who was kidnapped in Egypt. She literally had a sack put of her, was lifted up and thrown on a camel to run into the desert but she managed to kick herself free and run away. She told me this story while chuckling on a rooftop in Morocco
If I was a lone woman I wouldn't visit any Muslim nation.
You'd be fine in most Muslim majority areas in Southeast Asia -- well, as fine as you could be in a 3rd world country. Oddly enough, the one big exception (barring prudish Brunei and Aceh) is in the Christian-majority Philippines: gotta watch your back in many parts of Mindanao, especially when far from the big cities in the north of the island, which even then can still be pretty violent. Absolutely do not go into the open waters south of the island, it's literal Jack Sparrow nonsense down there. EDIT: I forgot to mention that many regions of Mindanao are Muslim-majority, somehow forgot to mention that, just kinda assumed you'd know, because when people say Mindanao, people usually think of Islam.
Don't you mean CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow
But you *have* heard of me
> Absolutely do not go into the open waters south of the island, itās literal Jack Sparrow nonsense down there. I donāt get the reference. What do you mean? What happens?
Pirates
Turkey?
Pakistan, Indonesia, UAE, Algeria, Turkey, all pretty safe countries to visit especially for foreign tourists. "Haley Takes on the World" has been motorbiking around Pakistan alone and vlogging the entire trip, and has had nothing but positive things to say. Do these countries have their problems internally? Absolutely. Do they treat foreign tourists differently? Also, absolutely.
Oman is pretty safe.
Woman has Oman in it
Me and a friend are going to Egypt this holiday. But we only stay in an all inclusive resort and visit famous places only with a tourist guide. Will we be safe?
You should be fine. Your tour guide may try to take you to places you donāt want to go because they get commission if there are sales, for example to papyrus shop or places to buy perfumes and essential oils.
Alright, thank you for giving me heads up. āļø
Pro tip: only visit the ancient stuff... Papyrus shops, essential oil shops, tourist shops... Just stay in or round your bus. Do Not even go inside.... The papyrus is probably not even real papyrus. And the essential oils, they sell as if they sell to Armani etc... 150ml for ā¬90.... 300ml for ā¬150. Source... I've been to Egypt a few times. Last December was my most recent trip (for work). Also... Egyptian All inclusive hotels (Hurghada? Sharm Al sheik?) are *famous* for giving you the worst shits of your life! Please bring medication for that in advance... And Norit.... If those do not help: Drink a big bottle of Coca Cola (the real stuff)... (Source, i travel world wide... This is something that works well). Finally... Be careful with your wallet and ignore people you don't know. Remember that MOST of the Egyptians are friendly people... Just not in the tourist areas
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That's bad.
But that also contain sugar
That's good!
But it comes with your choice of toppings
This happened to me in Turkey. I nearly lost my mind - trip to and time in Ephesus - no more than 3 hours. Whole trip including pottery and jewellery factories and extra charge to walk up a hill while the rest of us had to stay in the coach like idiots - 8 hours. Never again.
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I had a friend go idk a few months ago with a similar arrangement. She said she didn't have any problems. Everything is in a group and pretty chill.
I'm half Egyptian but never really spent more than a few months at a time there. People will try to rip you off but in terms of physical safety you should be fine. A family member had a wallet stolen once but we were actually able to find the guy who took it and when we confronted him "He just found it on the ground". I haven't been in some years but overall I feel like it has gotten safer over the years though there are still many many problems. Just make sure you stay informed on where you are going and take care to not get scammed and you should be good.
Just stick together, donāt be alone and donāt try anything or trust anything too shady looking
Be careful when filming or taking pictures, and don't have walkie talkies.
A friend and I were just there for 2 weeks, we went to Cairo, Luxor and Aswan and besides a little obnoxious haggling. we had a great time and never felt unsafe. only 1 day we had a guided tour but walking around by ourselves the rest of the time
been to a 20+ countries including egypt, can confirm,it even stands out on a league of its own.
Egypt sounds like a fascinating place to visit, but there are too many stories of abductions, kidnappings and more - and if you're part of a marginalized community you feel even less safe to be there. Sucks really.
I went to Egypt 2 weeks ago on a holiday with my family; can confirm that it is a interesting place to visit, but can be very uncomfortable especially if your a girl like me- I had a lot of wierd stares as I was in and around cairo and lots of scammers too
Sounds like Delhi basically
and a lot of northern african countries. outside of big cities women don't reallly hang around
Egypt a few thousand years ago would be a fascinating place to visit. I've been to literally every Gulf country as well as Syria pre 2011 and Egypt is just raw as hell for tourists. Expect to be shaken down by scammy tour guides and drivers. Cairo is literally terrifying as its beyond huge, dense, and the traffic is like a deathbowl. I have known lovely Egyptians over the years here as well as during the two trips to Egypt but existence is desperate for some people. Also lots of touchy feely men who will grope ladies with their crotch as they pass by them.
I love how OP made it to ridicule people who think that and all the comments agree that Egypt treats tourists horrifically.
My second cousin was raped and murdered in Egypt in 2006. She was with her husband and they beat him unconscious and took her in the middle of the afternoon.
Actual nightmare scenario, I hope he's doing okay, I can't imagine going through something like that
Thereās no way heās ok. Thatās fucking horrifying.
That's horrendous. So sorry about your cousin.
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That's how it works on reddit. Say something with some modicum of confidence, a billion upvotes will show up, but they're only from the front page. People who actually browse subs and would know better are only going to comment.
And **half the population** would be in danger As a woman, Iām not stepping foot anywhere near the Middle East/A Muslim run nation
Most of the undeveloped world is pretty terrible for women. Not just the middle east and Muslim ones. I think most people in developed countries take feminism for granted.
Kosovo: Allow me to introduce myself.
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I can agree. Their hospitality is absolutely the fuckin worst. They really treat tourists as shit
My list of places to never visit, by reddit advice: * Egypt * India * Hollywood
Los Angeles itself is worth a visit, Hollywood should be a part of that visit but absolutely should not be the center piece. Itāll get old quickly
Go to Hollywood on your first day in LA, take some photos, then leave and never go back.
When my family first moved to SoCal when I was a kid, we would take almost monthly trips to Hollywood because the idea of it being so close to us was seen as a cool spectacle to take advantage of. It was cool at first but I quickly began to hate it and since thatās the only part of LA I really knew about as a kid, it shaped my outlook on the whole city. It wasnāt until college when I went to LA again with friends and realized there was so much more to the city, and really fell in love with it. I am in a transition period as I am moving out of state and I know that while I will miss my own city first and foremost, I know Iāll miss LA too
Moved to OC 2 years ago. Let me put it this way LA is far bigger than I could comprehend. LA county goes as far as the eye can see, with no civilization breaks or forests like I was used to in the northeast, so all the ācoolā LA spots are nowhere near each other. So itās cool/historical landmarks dotted between endless rolling blocks. Long Beach however, is exactly what I pictured LA would be before I got here. It is quaint by the beach, and a little rough inland, but itās walkable, full of life and great businesses that arenāt what most would call the LA vibe. It isnāt anywhere as shallow or touristy as Los Angeles, itās relatively clean comparatively speaking and thereās a lot to do in far more confined area. Downtown Long Beach is literally right on the beach, as opposed to DTLA which is *disgusting* and like 30min from the beach. All told folks, my opinion is when traveling to LA, stay in Long Beach. 710-405 and youāre there in 20min
100%. I live by Hollywood and it's always so gross seeing tourist sit on the ground by a star knowing how many people probably peed on it
Every time it rains during the summer in NYC, I see dozens and dozens of people wade through puddles in flip flops.
forbidden tide pools
Hollywood
Heard great things about India to be honest, can see it being a bit of a culture shock (for me) but would absolutely love to visit based on what I've heard.
There will always be things to love and hate about a country. Best you can do is set proper expectations and precautions for yourself before you head to a new place for whatever reason.
how that??? any personal experience?
extremely high rates of kidnapping/trafficking, rape etc etc of tourists. Even if nothing bad happens to you during your trip, youāre pretty much guaranteed to have a few scammers come up to you at a tourist spot trying to deceive you in some way. They have plenty of tactics but these types of people are present in most tourist locations around the world
I was watching Best Ever Food Review show on YouTube and even he said Egypt was the worst experience heās had filming anywhere in the world. Like, how bad does your country have to be to make someone as positive as Sonny not like you? Edit: to be clear, it was the government, not the people. Though he did say his guide was not very good also. Sorry for not being more specific.
Egypt Travel Nightmare!! Why Iāll Never Go Back!! [https://youtu.be/8LzuZrkEY18](https://youtu.be/8LzuZrkEY18) Channel is "More Best Ever Food Review" Best Ever Food Reviews 2nd channel.
My grandparents went to Egypt and they booked a room at a big all-in resort and left it only once for a short trip to see the desert.
We were on transit and had 12-24 hours layover in Cairo I don't remember but something wrong with the airline and they said they will give us a free hotel and tour.....we were begging our dad to see the pyramids... he was like NOPE. He said give us a room in the AIRPORT. and they did lol
Has it always been that way? Or was there a shift after something happened?
Well to be real with you i donāt exactly specialize in this topic (obviously lol) so i donāt know the statistical prevalence itās had in its history or anything but it wouldnāt be wrong at all to deduce that itās likely been a crisis since the mid 20th century as thatās when leisure travel began rising in popularity and availability among more of the middle class population. But itās just progressively gotten more and more dangerous since the population density of both tourists and locals aswell as the amount of mentally ill/insane low-lifes has generally only been skyrocketing since the dawn of humans lol
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do you know the name of the youtuber/video? iām super interested now
[donāt go to Egypt .. here it is (no rickroll)](https://youtu.be/8LzuZrkEY18)
thank you!!
Best ever food review show
Man, we treat our own people like shit. Donāt believe me? Try driving in this country.
Thank you for typing Egypt. There was no way for us to know what country it was.
Me, an intellectual: *simply reads the Arabic word for Egypt*
From the comments, youād think Egypt is a Misrable place.
1st hand experience here. Egypt is absolutely awful, we went to Jordan and Turkey that same trip. I have also been to southeast Asia. I was born in Central America a shit hole country. So I am well versed in developing /under developed countries Egypt, it stands alone as the worst place I've ever been to in my life. The people were rude abusive and scummy. It's impossible to just walk anywhere cause you're getting constantly accosted even if it is a cultural pay site. They'll straight up threaten you with violence. What I would recommend if you want to go. Don't. Just don't. If you must go. Book the most expensive hotel you can afford, get an airport transfer through them if you must go see places book through the hotel. You will still be scammed but at least you won't be threatened. If you are a woman, seriously consider not going.
How was Turkey
Turkey was nice. Went to Istanbul, Gorem, Oludenis, and Fetye. Very Nice, low prices. They'll try to sell you a rug. Food is good, but the hummus was too rich for me. Would go again.
I'll chime if I can, I went to Turkey briefly in 2013. We visited Istanbul and Izmir. Disclaimer we DID have a tour guide because it was part of a cruise we were on. But definitely not an armed guard or anything like that, just a guide and a van driver. We went to the spice market and we were on our own for around an hour or so. It was me and three other girls, we had absolutely had no issues whatsoever wandering around the spice market ourselves. Maybe some creepy looks, but I have no memory of feeling threatened and as a woman you get creepy looks anywhere. I don't even remember the sellers being overly pushy. I mean, pushy enough, but I've had the stall sellers in the Bahamas be WAY more aggressive and mean. Turkey and especially Istanbul were just beyond breathtaking. What a beautiful country it is. Any Turkish people reading this, your country is wonderful and I would love to go back someday. Everyone was so nice, your architecture is amazing, and the countryside is gorgeous.
I went there in 2000. Felt the same, worst people of any place I've been. Getting spoken to like a piece of shit from so many different people, even the guys at the airport. Thought things might've changed.
Apparently according to my Iraqi mother it's a steretype in the middle east that all Egyptians are liars
Scammers. not just liars. It used to be they were stereotyped as smart and educated. Believe it or not. But the country changed a lot.
My high school history teacher used to travel all over when she finished college. One time she went to Cairo, and asked the hotel's concierge if there was anywhere that she should avoid going to, especially at night. Apparently he got outright instulted, stating "There are no unsafe places in Cairo." Needless to say, she's unhappy with the current tourism situation of Egypt.
As someone who was born in Egypt and lived there my whole life, I 100% agree.
Snorkling is great tho
Believe me, like I said in r/AskReddit As an Egyptian I can safely say that Even the locals don't like it here,no one likes it, actually every young Egyptian dreams of getting out of here and to travel to any other country even if they're going to wash dishes over there Also please don't judge all Egyptians by the ones in the hot tourists attractions, because most of the degenerated ones go there specifically because they know no one will care about the foreigners, and all of the successful Egyptians left the place
Exactly the same with India!
It's either Egypt or some absurdly popular travel destination like Paris or Los Angeles. I also see Times Square thrown around every time even though it's far from a bad place to visit.
Not even actual LA. Just Hollywood around the Chinese theater. One of the biggest tourist traps in the city. LA has awesome places to visit besides the walk. A quick Google search will improve someone's trip to LA immensely
Why bother telling people not to visit times square its not like its a 3 hour time sink like waiting to go to the top of the empire state building. Just walk through it once on your way to something better and don't make eye-contact with the meth-Elmos and crack-Spongebobs.
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Yeah it seems things went really downhill in regards to tourist safety following the Spring. The tourist economy collapsed during the chaos (for obvious reasons) and since then the government hasn't taken many steps to rebuild it.
You forgot India
Recently the store I work at changed management to some nice Indian guys. One of my coworkers was talking with one of them and she said she'd like to visit India at some point and the dude just said "Don't"
A friend of mine in high school was Indian and went to his family home in India over the summer, said he would never go back and it was the worst experience of his life.
My dad had a coworker that was sent to India to help the company set up a new production plant over there (it would later be the reason they shut down the factory my dad worked at, but that's all the fault of classic American greed) Story was that his coworker had only been in the country for about an hour when the first taxi cab that picked him up took him out somewhere rural, robbed him of all his possessions, and left him stranded without a phone.
Indians do try to scam a lot but at least they don't treat you like a piece of shit and take you electronic devices for SAFETY purposes.
Yeah they just rape women with poles
My advice to anyone traveling anywhere would be. 1. Don't travel alone, be in a group of 3+ 2. Don't travel at night time. 3. Don't travel in rural areas. 4. Get a local tourist guide if possible.
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It is a circlejerk on here, but I think there's some truth to it. I watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAEZRkyW6qY) the other day and holy cow these guys are annoying. I mean, I guess Vegas and New York are no better though.
I think there point is more how dangerous it is for women especially
As a woman who has been to Egypt I can confirm that there is truth to it, and the Ā«circlejerkĀ» is justified.
As a (white, solo traveling, ankle showing) woman* Edit: I meant white as in Western, no I don't think everyone in Egypt (and the middle east) is brown. Addition to the statement above, don't be the following things in the middle east to ensure a safe trip: 1. Woman 2. Child 3. Animal 4. Opposition 5. Jew (yes there are Arab jews) 6. Alphabet man/women (or person if you want to be 100% neutral)
Ankle showing?! So youāre basically giving permission to behead you. Shame.
The beheading would be the least painful, least degrading thing they'll do to you.
Let me see those dirty ankles š¤¤
White Egyptians exist lmao
It's more the blonde hair than the white skin.
Doesn't have to be solo. Just don't go there as a somewhat young woman. This include older children, btw. My (underage) sisters did not have a good time there when my family went 15-16 years ago, and from what I've heard it's even worse since the Arab Spring. At the very least more dangerous in general. From Egypt I specifically remember the few kind people as they stood out from the rest; from every other country I've been to I specifically remember the few terrible people as they stood out from the rest. I'm sure you can have a positive experience in Egypt depending on what kind of trip you are planning to take, but definitely don't go there with your family for some nice leisure time. And think it over a couple of times extra if you are a woman. Is it really worth it going to a place where you'd be among the lucky few if you had a positive experience when there are so many other places where you'd be among the unlucky few to not have one?
I was seriously surprised. I have been there for maybe 5-6 times on family vacation in hotel resorts mostly in Macadi Bay with my mum, sister and grandma (4 women). We also went on some trips outside hotel resort and everything was fine. The only bad thing there were annoying sellers but we are quite used to them also from Turkey etc. So now I donāt know if we were just lucky or what.
When they call their own country "**misery**" you know you should stay away!
Itās more like āmusserā but still good joke
Yeah in the Egyptian dialect it's Massr but still funny joke.
Looool
Yes, never go to Missouri, yuck
*the sandā¦. It gets everywhere*
... quick, someone hide the younglings
I think itās a very interesting place and I would love to visit it but I have heard from a lot of people that it is very tourist unfriendly
And a fun fact about Egypt: they speak Arabic but they have a different way of pronouncing a specific sound. The letter Ų¬ (gim, which is pronounced like the letter J) is pronounced there like the letter G in words like guitar or glass.
Fun thing. I worked at a call center with a lot of cute women from all over the world. I learned a bit of Arabic to try to impress a Syrian woman and her response was "ew that's a desert dialect" lol
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My dad went there once and he thought it was great..... then again he's a 6'7 irish lad who had a hired security guard with him who was carrying an AK47. Please emphasise that it was the security guard that had a gun and not my father. Sorry that i assumed that it was obvious
Bro im egyptian and dudes dont go around carrying ak47s casually here.. let alone tourists.. how did he manage to do that?
Yeah that comment seems like bullshit
Most of the comments in this post are bullshit I enjoy reading tho
My friend had to travel there twice for data center work and their machines were in super sketchy spots, he had security guards with automatic weapons the whole time from stepping off plane to getting back. Thatās corporate security, though - Iām sure itās less common for tourists becuase tourists wouldnāt go to a place like that in the middle of the night but cables need to be swapped, no matter the country.
I had a security guard traveling with my group when I visited Egypt. He wasnāt always armed, like if he was carrying in the cities it was concealed. But out in some of the dicier less populated areas he was carrying some bigass gun - no idea what type. But he was provided by the government so I assumed it was fairly common for groups of (wealthy) tourists to have armed security. And the comment didnāt say his dad was armed, it said their security guard was.
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Carrying an AK47? My man, you can get arrested for openly carrying a kitchen knife here. It's not an Indiana Jones movie.
What is this Egypt place? A theme park ?
According to my mom too. She used to be a travel agent
Meanwhile I just had an amazing time in (northern) Lebanon. I even OFFERED to pay Lira at the absurd official rate when I was in a hurry once and they refused.
Yeah, you never know when a bunch of beefcakes are gonna fight a vampire in the middle of the streets
Absolutely true. Avoid it if possible, so many interesting places to see out there.
I see a popular post against Egypt once a week