The world is a complex place. As I’ve made my way through it, now at a country count of 141, I’ve seen that media reports are often misleading, cities are not what they may seem to outsiders, and some of the most joyous moments of my travel have been in the places I have been warned to stay away from. That said, there is one place that I strongly hesitate to visit right now…and yet I wonder if I am guilty of the same fear-mongering.
The One Country I’m Too Afraid To Travel To: Haiti
I remember when I took my family to Israel a couple years ago many well-intentioned readers urged me not to go. I was told that it was too dangerous and that Jerusalem was bad enough, but if I took my family into the West Bank I was really showing a disregard for their safety and well-being.
While I did not simply dismiss such warnings, we went anyway and had a remarkable trip. We also felt quite safe in both Jerusalem and in Bethlehem.
Years earlier I decided to spend a weekend in…Iraq. The war was still waging, but things were calm in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan in northern Iraq. I had a wonderful time and never felt like I was in danger. In fact, I even walked from the walled city to the airport at night by myself.
People warned me not to travel to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and Afghanistan, and I did anyway. In Afghanistan, I even hired a security detail (driver, guide, and armed guard) that accompanied me everywhere, but in retrospect that probably was not necessary.
The last time I wrote about this topic (over a decade ago!), I said that I would not visit Venezuela. At the time, I felt that there was too much risk for U.S. citizens. Ten years later, the situation has not improved and there is still some angst that an airport agent would drop some drugs in my bag or something nefarious like that…but I would go to Venezuela in a heartbeat. My friend was in Caracas recently and had a lovely visit. Yes, times are tough in Venezuela, but you can enjoy a visit there and need not fear for your safety.
I’ve been hesitant to go to Somalia, but despite the elevated danger I am planning a trip there next year and want to have a coffee at Beydan in Mogadishu. I’m also ready to travel to Yemen, despite the never-ending civil war there. I am also open to Sudan.
But whether rational or not, there is one place I cannot seem to stomach even considering: Haiti. Last week I was talking to a pastor that used to do missions work there. It’s so dangerous right now. Of course I have been reading reports in the news as well about the armed gangs running Port au Prince. And then this morning this headline from the UK Daily Mail:
I don’t get (all) my news from a British tabloid, but this report merely confirms what I have been hearing over and over again.
And yet, American Airlines still flys to Haiti each day. Can it really be a total failed state if American Airlines is still sending crews there?
CONCLUSION
I want to visit every country in the world. Over time, some doors open and others close. Syria, for example, has returned to a degree of stability not seen in years and I would feel very comfortable going now and even taking my family with me. Haiti, on the hand, seems to me to be the definition of a failed state. But while it seems too dangerous to brave right now, I wonder if this (like Israel, Venezuela, Iraq, and others) is just media sensationalism rather than an accurate reflection of what is really going on.
Your headline has county instead of country.
Yes. Foolish mistake.
Haiti like Michigan has good and bad Detroit after midnight in some areas may not be a good idea
. I’ve been. Traveling to Haiti for 38 years. I agree with thoughts about por ta prince.
However a safe trip can still be made to Cap Haitian airport.
I was really curious which county it was!
There’s one county that I didn’t want to go to but had to: Floyd County, Georgia. Too far away from Atlanta for civilizing influences. Trump signs everywhere. And represented in Congress by Marjorie Taylor Greene. This LGBTQ+ northerner spent four very uncomfortable days there. And I have to go back in April.
I was in the same boat as you. Lucky to have fled from economic devastation and lockdowns in the district represented by Ilhan Omar
Good! I hope it burns your soul on the next trip.
Yeah.
I have thought of doing mission work there – as much as God forsakes no one, I know one might easily be mistaken in Haiti. I’m not certain I would last 48 hours, however,
Honduras is also pretty risky. My sister was robbed at gunpoint twice when doing work there.
Interestingly, I had a nice time in San Pedro Sula.
Looks pretty. She was in San Francisco de la Paz
Lucky you! One of the worst places on Earth. Had several people from my former company kidnapped there. Drug lords and gangs run the place.
It is violent but it’s way overrated. It isn’t a Haiti.
Interesting…I was in Honduras (around the border with Guatemala and El Salvador) and I had a great time. But everybody, locals included, advised if I had to fly out of SPS, I needed to go straight to the hotel or airport and not leave.
This is another one of my delayed reports…I’ll get to it eventually, but I walked around the city and found it just fine.
I’ve been in Tegucigalpa recently, and it’s fine. It’s boring, and you stand out, but it didn’t even “feel” unsafe.
Agree. The violence in Central America is nowhere near Haiti’s level.
Did you really put Haiti, Venezuela and Iraq on the same bucket as Israel in terms of danger? I know dozens of people that have travelled to Israel this year and they had absolutely no problem at all. Catholic, Jewish, atheists, etc… they all had a fantastic time. Yes, there are some crazy people there that sometimes will bomb something but Israel is in no way on the same level of danger than the other countries you named. Also, the level of poverty in those other countries is so much worse than what you will find in Israel and that adds to the level of violence.
There was never any doubt I would go to Israel and I personally don’t put it into the same category. I was just noting that others did and I found that quite telling concerning reality vs fiction.
Some crazy people might even demolish your home or shoot you for no reason at all, whether you are a journalist, at a checkpoint, tending to your olive fields, etc.
Nah bro. Only if you say sneak in and murder children using terror tunnels.. or use children in front of your home you shoot rockets from onto civilian targets.
Then, yes, you (and your home) will get wiped. This is called “getting what you rigthfully deserve.”
Carry on.
There is a minor spelling error in the article title; county/country. And such a shame about Haiti considering the Haitians I know and have worked with are truly amazing people. So sad the people of Haiti never got the assistance they needed after the earthquake — certainly has to be one of the reasons they are a failed state. Haiti 10 years later: What happened to the billions pledged to help the people of Haiti? https://globalnews.ca/news/6421625/haiti-10-years-later-billions-pledged
Confidential Documents: Red Cross Itself May Not Know How Millions Donated for Haiti Were Spent https://www.propublica.org/article/confidential-documents-red-cross-millions-donated-haiti
True, and well documented, and yet the Red Cross was never held accountable for the $625 or so million they “mislaid”.
How The Clintons Robbed and Destroyed Haiti https://www.africanexponent.com/post/7108-how-the-clintons-robbed-and-destroyed-haiti
Actually, as pointed out below:
“To be fair a lot of Haiti’s problems are due to the US and France forcing Haitians to pay reparations to their former slaveholders drowning the country in debt they could never repay from its very inception. This of course kept Haiti trapped in a cycle of corruption and poverty that persists today.”
Singling out the Clintons as being the only reason for the island’s woes and poverty gives hints towards some potential bias on your end, regardless of much you may deny it.
Aaron, the Clinton’s have a long, corrupt and well-docuemnted history with Haiti and this article only scratches the surface. So it’s not bias. Just facts. And FFS, please do some research first before commenting! On this and other topics. Otherwise, we can’t have an informed discussion. I can’t be giving ‘101’ level information in every comment. If you can’t find the info on Google, use DuckDuckGo. Information. Age.
“Aaron, the Clinton’s have a long, corrupt and well-docuemnted history with Haiti and this article only scratches the surface. So it’s not bias. Just facts. And FFS, please do some research first before commenting! On this and other topics. Otherwise, we can’t have an informed discussion. I can’t be giving ‘101’ level information in every comment. If you can’t find the info on Google, use DuckDuckGo. Information. Age.”
Yes, it would be nice to have an informed discussion with someone who didn’t have a biased agenda. I was not disputing what you said, just that you were singling out certain people, because…? It’s not like anything I said wasn’t true. And FFS, reading. Comprehension.
How is me providing three separate articles on Haiti singling them out? Only one was about the Clinton’s before you commented. I provided multiple stories to show the big picture.
Multiple things can be correct at the same time. The Clinton’s added criminal insult to existing major injury.
And off topic, in case you missed it:
Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Linked to Blood Clotting: FDA
https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-linked-to-blood-clotting-fda_4930377.html.
You were saying the vaccines wouldn’t be a problem?
Oh no, not an article from The Epoch Times lol
The FDA is the one saying this. Not sure why you can never overlook the source to analyze the content.
FDA researchers find Pfizer COVID vaccine linked to blood clots in ages 65 and up https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/coronavirus/fda-researchers-find-pfizer-covid-vaccine-linked-blood-clots-ages-65
Thank you for your unbiased honesty!!
Not so well documented but very popular conspiracy theory. I’ve worked in Haiti since 2008, and there has never been any proof of the claims made about the Clintons’ absconding or misappropriating funds intended for Haiti, no matter how popular a target they are.
It’s well documented to me: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=laura+silsby+haiti
They had plenty of assistance. Haitians stole it then demanded more. This subject and comments are about grammar?
Sorry folks about the spelling error in the title. Dumb move on my part.
but with a country count of 141.. jeez, you are blessed. #jealous
I wouldn’t go to any country that was run by blacks.
How stupid is that comment? Seriously? What’s wrong with you? Race, gender, religion has nothing to do with greed and corruption. The countries that are named here are simply run by corrupt disgraceful people that rip off the decent and gar working population to their own benefit.
+1
-1
You really don’t believe that race isn’t a factor in violent crime. You really don’t dispute violent crime rates and crime statistics about who has made Sweden, Paris, or Manhattan unsafe. You just will do mental gymnastics to validate what you’ve been groomed to believe as a child by every institution because you don’t want to admit you’ve been lied to.
My +1 still stands. Crime is a huge issue and one I care about but I wasn’t commenting about that. I was agreeing with his other points about greed and corruption.
Crime statistics don’t lie. It’s not politically correct to say but it’s fact that Blacks commit the highest amount of violent crime every single place they are on earth compared to any other race. This applies in Chicago, in Paris, in South Africa, or Haiti. Genetics is a factor in predisposition to violent crime just like genetics is why Pit Bulls commit the highest amount of unprovoked attacks. Nurture does not overcome nature. You think the way you do because schools have thought you to ignore what’s staring us in the face. We can’t tell the truth because it offends even if our safety and lives are on the line.
L’ignorance et la mauvaise foi font parti de votre génétique. Vous oubliez le passé. Vous ignorez le présent. L’esclavage c’est l’oeuvre des Haïtiens. Les deux guerres mondiales les Haïtiens sont les responsables. La guerre actuellement entre l’Ukraine et la Russie vient du génie des Haïtiens.
Toutes les armes de destruction massives sont fabriquées par les Noirs en général et les Haïtiens en particulier. Vous avez du toupet. Vous avez le front tout au tour de la tête.
Actually, crime statistics do lie. Like any statistic, you can tweak the parameters and get drastically different results. Statistics are only as good as the data from which they are produced. Furthermore, a single statistic is limited in what it can explain or take into account.
The vague, unsourced crime statistics to which you refer do not take into account the financial abilities of those charged with crimes to afford legal representation and contest the charges over potentially extended period of time.
Further, they don’t take into account the varying circumstances that led to the conviction. See e.g., the story of a man in North Carolina who served decades in prison for the nonviolent theft of a TV during a time when Jim Crow-era laws were in place.
Additionally, crime statistics (especially when you look internationally) do not account for the possibility of corruption or differences in the structure of the criminal justice systems. Substantive differences between criminal justice systems may include standards of evidence, methods of fact-finding (such as bench trials vs. jury trials), or recourse to appellate review.
Finally, you have to allow for human error, since criminal justice is a system created by, operated by, and applied to fallible human beings. The same facts presented in the same way by the same lawyers with the same clients may get different results if presented to a different judge or different jury. There was a study done a few years ago that indicated that in one court system in the U.S. (can’t remember which), a judge’s decision was likely affected by the time of day when a case was heard. I think that right before lunch and right after lunch saw particularly different outcomes.
Statistics aside, I think you have some serious confirmation bias going on. You are using random generalizations to support your predetermined conclusion that black people are criminals and bad managers.
Amazing. Excellent perspective. Please comment more often.
John,
You seem to be all about telling the truth even if it’s offensive. I saw you comment farther down that you have Haitian friends. Have you talked them about this subject of genetics and predisposition? Surely you would not hide it from them because they need to know the truth even if it’s offensive. Or are you just courageous on the internet?
Also, since you seem to have such great knowledge about genetics and predisposition (unless you read all that on the internet somewhere one time), I guess white people have a predisposition to suicide and self harm. You want to talk about safety, and yet white people (based off the statistics) are stupid enough to do it to themselves.
Would love to hear your abounding knowledge about this subject.
*Reading from Beauharnois, Québec, Canada.
Wow !! Beautiful… so well said !
As an Haitian man in my late 40’s, I am kudo’ing your intervention. That’s all.
PAP (Port-au-Prince and a few wanna be or copy cats outside of PAP. But the rest of the country is fine.
Go to Jacmel (south of Haiti) right now, there are least 1000 to 2000 white folks on the beach. How do they get there. A small plane from the airport to the rest of the country.
Haitian Cap (North of Haiti ), where Black Panther movie has ended is vibrant and moving on. Theirs is a daily life better than PAP.
Either way, Haiti needs you even you don’t need it or Her as a mother of strong people.
Here’s what Victor Hugo thought of Haiti:
By Michael Roy
Hauteville House, March 31, 1860.
You are, sir, a noble sample of this black humanity so long oppressed and misunderstood.
From one end of the earth to the other, the same flame is in man; and blacks like you prove it. Were there several Adams? Naturalists can argue the question; but what is certain is that there is only one God.
Since there is only one father, we are brothers.
It was for this truth that John Brown died; it is for this truth that I fight. You thank me for it, and I cannot tell you how much your beautiful words touch me.
On earth there are neither whites nor blacks, there are spirits; you are one. Before God, all souls are white.
I love your country, your race, your freedom, your revolution, your republic. Your magnificent and gentle island pleases free souls at this hour; she has just set a great example; it has broken despotism.
It will help us break slavery.
Because servitude, in all its forms, will disappear. What the Southern states just killed was not John Brown, it was slavery.
As of today, the American Union can, whatever President Buchanan’s shameful message says, be considered broken. I deeply regret it, but it is now fatal; between South and North there is Brown’s gibbet. Solidarity is not possible. Such a crime cannot be carried out by two.
This crime, continue to brand it, and continue to consolidate your generous revolution. Continue your work, you and your worthy fellow citizens. Haiti is now a light. It is beautiful that among the torches of progress, illuminating the path of men, one sees one held by the hand of a Negro.
Your brother,
VICTOR HUGO.
Victor Hugo, Acts and Words. During exile, 1852-1870, Paris, Michel Lévy Frères, 195-196
https://revue.alarmer.org/tenebres-de-lesclavage-lumieres-de-la-revolte-une-lettre-de-victor-hugo-a-exilien-heurtelou-1860/
Tell us how you really feel Mike, nobody wants you there. Be sure to let us know where you’re from so us “blacks” can be sure to never visit a place with racists like you.
+1
With you on that one
I fly JFK-PAP-JFK all the time. I’ve never left the vicinity of the aircraft though 🙂
Matthew. Freedom of speech can be restricted on these forums right? I think someone can remove @Mike’s comment.
I’m surprised he could see through his white sheet to even post the comment. #ZeroToleranceForRacism
It’s not racism if it’s true. If so then facts are racist. Sorry if that hurts your feelings. Blacks are obviously pre disposed to violence proven by statistics from everywhere blacks are located.
Aaron, the Clinton’s have a long, corrupt and well-docuemnted history with Haiti and this article only scratches the surface. So it’s not bias. Just facts. And FFS, please do some research first before commenting! On this and other topics. Otherwise, we can’t have an informed discussion. I can’t be giving ‘101’ level information in every comment. If you can’t find the info on Google, use DuckDuckGo. Information. Age.
Replied in the wrong spot. Delete if possible.
The US is the most violent and litigious non-war country; yet Americans always ask if it is safe to travel to certain countries. Afghanistan and Haiti are among many countries that the world cannot waste its resources to lift them up simply because they have no natural resources sand quality human resources and leadership to advance. As for why AA still flies to Haiti, we need to go back to the early days of Covid in January of 2020 when we watched the news in China where the government shut down the country, dragged its citizens to quarantine and lock the entrance doors to keep them indoors. And the famous Chinese doctor died of Covid after being ostracized by the government for exposing the deadly Covid virus while all airlines still landed in and departed from China until mid March. Less than a month later, CEOs of US carriers flew private jets to Washington pleading the federal government for a bail out. I read Fodors, bloggers and comments from readers to plan my overseas trips. I am glad that I visited Bhutan and HK in 2018 before the violent protests and Covid , after reading Lucky’s trip report.
How about we all pray for the people of Haiti . Those families of the oppressed , beaten , killed and raped ,the dear people of Haiti, only God knows how much suffering and turmoil these dear people have been put through and how much they can endure.. Pray for protection, peace and provision for the dear people.
I agree with you on Haiti. It’s a huge shame because it’s a lovely country in a lot of ways. My siblings and I spent a summer there when we were children, staying with our grandfather in Le Cap. I promised myself that I’d return but impressively enough things have managed to get consistently worse every decade.
As an aside, how did you manage to get into Iran? I’d love to go. At least at a more stable time. Theocracies tend to like scapegoats and tourists from The Great Satan would qualify handily.
https://liveandletsfly.com/a-spur-of-the-moment-trip-to-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/
I can tell you that while we fly in and out of PAP we have a strict policy about never leaving a crew there. If the airplane breaks they will send a rescue flight period.
I fully agree that Haiti simply isn’t safe.
So these are quick turns – no layover for the crew?
Correct
To be fair a lot of Haiti’s problems are due to the US and France forcing Haitians to pay reparations to their former slaveholders drowning the country in debt they could never repay from its very inception. This of course kept Haiti trapped in a cycle of corruption and poverty that persists today.
AA sends crews there but they return with the airplane. They do not overnight. As far as general safety, a good friend of mine was in the foreign service posted in
Port Au Prince about 10 years ago. She loved it then. Now she’s stateside working on the Caribbean desk and says absolutely under no circumstances to go there. She gets all the intelligence reports, knows people posted there at the embassy, and says it’s different and seriously dangerous. Don’t go.
I have visited 103 countries – including Yemen and Nicaragua. 2023 will see me visit Lebanon (Beirut) and Kosovo. Both countries currently are having flashpoints. By the end of 2023 I hope to increase my country total to 110…
Following government guidelines is important whatever country you are visiting. Don’t flash the cash, wear expensive or expensive looking jewellery, or behave loudly or with disrespect that would bring the wrong attention. Simple.
The old adage…when In Rome..
Matthew. I have been to Haiti twice and would love to go back however it IS way too dangerous now. My church has a contact there at HOM (Haiti Outreach Ministries) which is where we stay when there. We stay in a walled compound with razor wire. We’ve built houses in PAP for some lovely people. I wish I could see them again. They are a kind, generous beautiful people who are caught in a death spiral of which a large part is USAs fault compounded by natural disasters. Yes it is out of bounds now but I wish it wasn’t.
I remember being hopeful for Haiti after We Are the World for Haiti came out. I still like this song. https://youtu.be/Glny4jSciVI
I was in Haiti earlier this week – Laberdee, Haiti. Royal Caribbean has a resort complex at Leberdee, which is entirely secured and guarded from the unrest in the capital. The village of Laberdee is a short ways away, and in speaking with many of the workers at the resort, they assured me that the village of Lebredee sees none of the political unrest or violence plaguing the capital. Laberdee in on the north side of the island, 209 km from Port-au-Prince.
It is called Labadee. I have been there many yeas ago also on a Royal Caribbean cruise. That is not real Haiti. That is “artificial” place that Royal Caribbean has for all its cruise ships and of course nothing will happen there.
@Matthew – I’m curious as to what you count toward that 141. Many lists count territories as countries, and of course these come in different forms (Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Aruba and Tahiti are all unique cases that often appear on country lists but are in various ways not genuinely independent). What is the standard for you to count a country toward your total?
You are correct I have a further problem where I have been to countries that no longer exist. I lived in the Soviet Union for three years and visited the GDR (East Germany) both when they were going concerns. The way I count is I count the USSR but not Russia (even though visited Russia after the fall of the USSR) but I do count the other former Soviet states I visited after their independence from the USSR. For Germany I count the GDR as one country and West/unified Germany as one country.
@Doug, interesting question – I don’t quite go fully by the UN list. I count Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau as separate countries. I count Transnistria as a country as well as British crown dependencies. But, for example, I would not count Greenland or the Faroe Islands as separate countries, even though they are semi-autonomous. It’s a bit arbitrary. Hopefully in the new year I will put up a page with the list of all 141. Also, I understand that two of those on the list (Ivory Coast and Costa Rica) have just been in transit and therefore many would not count them, but I do. I also count being in the Golan Heights (occupied Syria) as Syria and I technically stepped into North Korea at Panmunjom and count that. So I guess my debatable country count is anywhere from 133 to 141 depending on how you count.
Er, isn’t Taiwan a separate country?
Not according to the Mainland! 😉
If I get to count Panmunjom, then I’m at 133. Thanks for the boost!
The reality is no matter how you count countries, there will always be someone to tell you that you’re doing it wrong. I spent 6 hours in Monaco, is that enough? Maybe I should have to spend a night, or two nights? I think you get to set your own rules, and just let the haters hate.
I visited Haiti back in the 1990s it was a beautiful country but even back then it was a little risky. I knew a foreign service officer back then who had been posted to Haiti in the 1980s. Even back then she had a “rape gate” on her bedroom door. Basically it as metal gate on her bedroom door she could lock at night so even if somebody got into her house they’d have a hard time getting at her in her bedroom. I am glad I have visited the country but feel no need to return.
Sadly, I was just in a house in South Africa that had just such a gate last week.
Oddly South Africa is one of the least threatening places I’ve been to that are ranked in the more violent half of countries. The police are less threatening as well in comparison to most developing countries I’ve been to. Better behaved, less corrupt.
I have friends who live there too.
If you’re going to write an article like this at least me more thoughtful and detailed in your commentary.
Matthew – I am really happy that you feel safe and recommend to Americans that these places are safe. As a straight white male I imagine you find this to be true, however you appear to overlook the substantial number of people that will face discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, or some other arbitrary factor. In some case the penalties are absolutely insane as compared to US laws. Hands cut off. Public stonings, Arbitrary imprisonment, and public executions. I really wish you would either consider, or acknowledge that others cannot, by virtue of these issues have the “safe” experience you espouse.
Israel does not concern me safety wise because you are more likely to be pushed onto subway tracks by a mentally ill person in NYC or attacked with fists or knives by looters. War violence does pop up but statistically you are safer in Israel than NYC because of demographics. The people who are in danger in the region are Palestinians who are frequent victims of violence at the hands of the government.
This is a true statement about Haiti. Many other places are dangerous but there tend to be tourist enclaves where tourists are reasonably protected. Mexico is dangerous, the Bahamas are dangerous, South Africa is dangerous, and etc but you can plan ahead and stick to tourist areas where there is safety in numbers, birds of the same feather, and policing protocols for tourist safety. There are no tourist enclaves in Haiti. I know a couple of Haitians who live in the U.S. but return to see family in Haiti and rocks are thrown into the “nicer” tourist hotels.
It is nice to see Syria improving after Assad beat back the globalists with the help of the Russians, although, I think it is wise for any tourist to stay away for the time being.
I look forward to the Egypt and other MENA trip reports.
Just because you felt safe going to these countries by yourself or with your family, does not mean a solo woman traveler, minorities, LGBTQ+ traveler or someone with a disability would feel safe traveling in these countries. As a woman I would not feel comfortable going to country with a high rape/ gang rape rate. You appear to be a white male so you are probably less of a target.
You are correct – being a tall, white, straight, male certainly gives me an advantage in traveling.
You said two days ago that a 5 star hotel in downtown Dallas was “not in the best neighborhood” and now you’re bragging about traipsing through Venezuela. Give me a break. The credibility gap here is big enough to fly a 777 through.
You might want to change IP addresses before commenting next time…
Matthew, you are right to avoid Haiti at this time. I was there regularly (over 70 times) up until last May. Sadly, I will not return until security improves, and there is no way of knowing when or how that might happen. I have Haitian friends living in the US and Canada who fear going back. You could visit Labadee, the cruise port, but it isn’t really Haiti as one other reader pointed out. It is a secure compound completely walled off from the rest of the country, a sort of “Disney” version of Haiti, so if you do go there, please don’t count it.
Can I tag along with you on your trips to Yemen, Somalia, Syria, sudan and Venezuela?
Matthew – What are your opinions about South Africa?
My daughter ( American), has been selected for a Hospital internship this coming summer.( Capetown) Thank you
I think she should take it. Cape Town is a wonderful city. Yet there is cruel poverty and crime there:
https://liveandletsfly.com/cruel-poverty-cape-town/
And she should watch out for people asking for help:
https://liveandletsfly.com/coming-out-scam-cape-town/
I think Cape Town is an amazing city though, South Africa a lovely country, and I would take this opportunity.
Eventually it will catch up with you. You’re playing with fire if you chalk everything up to media sensationalism. Might as well head to Donetsk or Crimea or Pyongyang next.
I do intend to visit all three.
I visited Haiti along time ago in 1978. I found the poverty there appalling and it has forever remained in my thankfulness for what I have thereafter.
I will say the beaches were absolutely stunning, other worldly. It’s a shame that corruption and greed destroy beautiful places and our decisions not to visit them.
I wore the US Army uniform for 22 years and have been to many of the places you mention in your writing. I’m afraid your positive visits would no longer be valid to. Infact, one of the worst battles in Iraq was in Erbil with many American lives lost.
Thank you,
JS
Are you a member of the Travelers Century Club? I have been to 73 countries as a US Navy and airline pilot.
We have a friend who has worked in Haiti for many years, married a man from Hait, and together the run a school/health clinic there. From their first hand accounts of the situation there, I fear your assessment of the situation is correct. I admire your ability to travel the world. I read about many places i would live to visi (Socotra, Pamirs, Rotuma, etc…) but provably will never go. I regret reading many of the comments posted here. The world us a much safer and better place than the internet.
More to Haiti than Port au Prince. Grow up.
Visit jeremie, Jacmel, Cap Haitien, Milot.
I’ve been following your work for years and love your reviews. I’ve been to Haiti 30 times over the last decade including a stay during the presidents assination and while it isn’t for the tourist at this moment sadly.
We work with a Haitian team that is running an incredible social business and opening a factory to provide locally made water filters to 1.5 million people. It is local economic development that can truly make a difference in countries like Haiti (Unlockingcommunities.org). We’ve seen real economic development created and sustained through local businesses. I have plans to go back in the next month. Things the last two weeks have improved in Haiti while still highly not recommended for anyone who doesn’t have a deep understanding. When things calm down I would welcome the opportunity to show you the beautiful country.
The Haitian people are incredible and resilient beyond that of what anyone has 99.9% of them have no part in the current situation. Hundreds each month try their hand at taking rafts to the US in hopes of a better future.
What a sad article. I live in Haiti, and I’m here right now. There are serious security problems in Port-au-Prince but the situation is not the same in the rest of the country. Unfortunately because of what is occurring in PAP I would not encourage people to come, more because of the logistics than anything. It is a beautiful country with 365 days per year of sunshine and deserted beaches. Where I live, one side of the road looks like Switzerland, the other side looks down at the ocean. People are kind, helpful and graceful. If you want to come to Haiti a safer bet is Cap Haitian.
Never use the Daily Mail as a source for ANYTHING – it does your reputation no good at all quoting from a rag which makes its money from stoking fear and fostering sensationalism.
I’m off to Israel myself next month, a country in which I feel perfectly safe.
Content > source. Daily Mail is approved if the content is beneficial.
You could easily get a flight straight to Cap Haitien and be fine. With a connection to someone at whatever hotel or Airbnb you stay at, you could walk around cap haitien with that connection and see some beautiful architecture and you could also travel to the Citadel, which is a must do while in Haiti. There is amazing history there.
Haitian food is some of the best food you will ever eat.
The beaches just west of cap Haitien are gorgeous and one of the cruise lines currently docks there for a day or two, it’s called Labadee.
There are some airbnbs further that way that sit in an enclave nestled where the mountains meet the ocean and a beautiful private bay/beach. There is also an island by cap haitien called “Ile e Rat” that has amazing snorkeling and that is used year round for parties.
Port-au-prince has all the problems you see on the news. Cap Haitien may have some protesting but they are peaceful and the issues there in Cap are less than those in cities that you have visited in different countries. If you feel comfortable visiting large cities in Central America, you will be more than fine in Cap Haitien.
Quite helpful. Thank you for this comment.