Countries that must be avoided.

[Mercury]

Travelling abroad can be exciting, and for the most part, moving to another country can also be an experience. But science notwithstanding, there are certain countries that must be avoided, due to anything ranging from out-of-control violence and violent crime to terrorism to war to political dictatorships. And those countries are;

-Afghanistan
-Colombia
-Cuba
-Egypt
-El Salvador
-Gaza Strip
-Haiti
-Honduras
-Iran
-Iraq
-Kuwait
-Libya
-North Korea
-Oman
-Pakistan
-Russia
-Saudi Arabia
-Syria
-Turkmenistan
-United Arab Emirates
-Venezuela
-Yemen
-Zimbabwe

Two other countries that should be avoided by men due to men outnumbering women in those countries are;

-China
-India

To give you an idea of which countries you should check out or avoid that aren't listed here, check out http://wikitravel.org

[Contrarian Expatriate]

UAE is a pleasure for most people to visit. It is quirky with its laws, but there is huge latitude in Dubai to accommodate foreigners. Sharjah is the region of UAE that is very strict.

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

I'm laughing at two of the countries Mercury listed. Honduras & El Salvador. Yes there were shootings in Tegulcigalpa, Honduras when I was there, but I went to a BBW strip club that caters to old heads. I am 6'3 @285ish and while I get looks that Hondruan people want to try me, I give them IDAGAF stance and glare and it works to my favor - they don't want any problems with me.

Don't forget that Zamboanga City in the Mindinao province of the Philippines is bananas. Literally 25 minutes before I have gotten, there was a woman assassinated in cold-blood at a downtown intersection of Zamboanga City.

Wish me luck in India as I heard of the mob lynch mob mentality locals have for other locals they don't even know just because it's against a foreigner in their local land well that's alright for them.

[Mercury]

UAE is a pleasure for most people to visit. It is quirky with its laws, but there is huge latitude in Dubai to accommodate foreigners. Sharjah is the region of UAE that is very strict.

On the whole, the Middle East is not a good place to live. Most of the Middle East, especially Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, are torn by war and there is still war raging full force. Men are generally forbidden by law to mingle with women that are not his wife in the Middle East. Restaurants and cafes in the Middle East even have separated sections for single men, single women, and families, and it's practically even illegal in the Middle East for a married couple going out for dinner to take a single man with them! Women are never allowed to dress in tank tops, shorts, short sleeves, etc, but in fact are required by law to wear those long loose robes called abayas that cover the woman from the cheeks all the way down to the ground. Taking pictures of/with other people, especially women, is prohibited by law in the Middle East. Even worshipping Jesus Christ or anything other than anything Islam-related is forbidden by law in the Middle East.

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

UAE is a pleasure for most people to visit. It is quirky with its laws, but there is huge latitude in Dubai to accommodate foreigners. Sharjah is the region of UAE that is very strict.

On the whole, the Middle East is not a good place to live. Most of the Middle East, especially Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, are torn by war and there is still war raging full force. Men are generally forbidden by law to mingle with women that are not his wife in the Middle East. Restaurants and cafes in the Middle East even have separated sections for single men, single women, and families, and it's practically even illegal in the Middle East for a married couple going out for dinner to take a single man with them! Women are never allowed to dress in tank tops, shorts, short sleeves, etc, but in fact are required by law to wear those long loose robes called abayas that cover the woman from the cheeks all the way down to the ground. Taking pictures of/with other people, especially women, is prohibited by law in the Middle East. Even worshipping Jesus Christ or anything other than anything Islam-related is forbidden by law in the Middle East.

I am glad that the Middle East is that way. See you might not feel empathy for them because you are trying to remove yourself from an imminently toxic society. However, keep in mind that if the Middle East inversely & polemically went against all the Middle Eastern rules that exist that you have mentioned, it would be Westernized | Americanized | simply Anglo-ized practically overnight. I personally don't want that so kudos to the Middle East for staying the way it is (although I heard that Dubai had gone astray as the "Vegas of the Middle East". I just wished that all the lower-echelon Middle Eastern immigrants had not migrated to North America nor Western Europe.

[IraqVet2003]

Travelling abroad can be exciting, and for the most part, moving to another country can also be an experience. But science notwithstanding, there are certain countries that must be avoided, due to anything ranging from out-of-control violence and violent crime to terrorism to war to political dictatorships. And those countries are;

-Afghanistan
-Colombia
-Cuba
-Egypt
-El Salvador
-Gaza Strip
-Haiti
-Honduras
-Iran
-Iraq
-Kuwait
-Libya
-North Korea
-Oman
-Pakistan
-Russia
-Saudi Arabia
-Syria
-Turkmenistan
-United Arab Emirates
-Venezuela
-Yemen
-Zimbabwe

Two other countries that should be avoided by men due to men outnumbering women in those countries are;

-China
-India

To give you an idea of which countries you should check out or avoid that aren't listed here, check out http://wikitravel.org

Great topic and list!!! I agree with you 100% except for the U.A.E.. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two cities in that country I recommend guys to go visit there.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

UAE is a pleasure for most people to visit. It is quirky with its laws, but there is huge latitude in Dubai to accommodate foreigners. Sharjah is the region of UAE that is very strict.

On the whole, the Middle East is not a good place to live. Most of the Middle East, especially Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, are torn by war and there is still war raging full force. Men are generally forbidden by law to mingle with women that are not his wife in the Middle East. Restaurants and cafes in the Middle East even have separated sections for single men, single women, and families, and it's practically even illegal in the Middle East for a married couple going out for dinner to take a single man with them! Women are never allowed to dress in tank tops, shorts, short sleeves, etc, but in fact are required by law to wear those long loose robes called abayas that cover the woman from the cheeks all the way down to the ground. Taking pictures of/with other people, especially women, is prohibited by law in the Middle East. Even worshipping Jesus Christ or anything other than anything Islam-related is forbidden by law in the Middle East.

How many times have you been to the Middle East? I and others here have and one of my favorite post-summer destinations are Israel and UAE which I mentioned before. There is no gender separation in MOST Middle Eastern countries

Moreover, why do the African countries of Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Algeria get a pass? They are Muslim societies also rife with terrorism threats and crime.

Practically everything you post is a paranoid rant warning people about things which are afterthoughts. If you want to stay cooped up in your mother's attic go right ahead. But some of us like to get out in the world to enjoy all those things of which you are so terrified.

[Mercury]

UAE is a pleasure for most people to visit. It is quirky with its laws, but there is huge latitude in Dubai to accommodate foreigners. Sharjah is the region of UAE that is very strict.

On the whole, the Middle East is not a good place to live. Most of the Middle East, especially Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, are torn by war and there is still war raging full force. Men are generally forbidden by law to mingle with women that are not his wife in the Middle East. Restaurants and cafes in the Middle East even have separated sections for single men, single women, and families, and it's practically even illegal in the Middle East for a married couple going out for dinner to take a single man with them! Women are never allowed to dress in tank tops, shorts, short sleeves, etc, but in fact are required by law to wear those long loose robes called abayas that cover the woman from the cheeks all the way down to the ground. Taking pictures of/with other people, especially women, is prohibited by law in the Middle East. Even worshipping Jesus Christ or anything other than anything Islam-related is forbidden by law in the Middle East.

I am glad that the Middle East is that way. See you might not feel empathy for them because you are trying to remove yourself from an imminently toxic society. However, keep in mind that if the Middle East inversely & polemically went against all the Middle Eastern rules that exist that you have mentioned, it would be Westernized | Americanized | simply Anglo-ized practically overnight. I personally don't want that so kudos to the Middle East for staying the way it is (although I heard that Dubai had gone astray as the "Vegas of the Middle East". I just wished that all the lower-echelon Middle Eastern immigrants had not migrated to North America nor Western Europe.

In America, single men are isolated from women in public by cultural expectations for now. In the Middle East, single guys face prison and even the death penalty for mingling with women at a restaurant; a single guy can be sentenced to life imprisonment or even death just for having dinner with a married couple in the Middle East! Though it does actually appear that the USA is moving towards Islamic law. And they don't care if it's 120 degrees outside, they expect everyone to be completely covered from the cheeks downward; they expect you to die of heat stroke for their false god Allah.

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

UAE is a pleasure for most people to visit. It is quirky with its laws, but there is huge latitude in Dubai to accommodate foreigners. Sharjah is the region of UAE that is very strict.

On the whole, the Middle East is not a good place to live. Most of the Middle East, especially Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, are torn by war and there is still war raging full force. Men are generally forbidden by law to mingle with women that are not his wife in the Middle East. Restaurants and cafes in the Middle East even have separated sections for single men, single women, and families, and it's practically even illegal in the Middle East for a married couple going out for dinner to take a single man with them! Women are never allowed to dress in tank tops, shorts, short sleeves, etc, but in fact are required by law to wear those long loose robes called abayas that cover the woman from the cheeks all the way down to the ground. Taking pictures of/with other people, especially women, is prohibited by law in the Middle East. Even worshipping Jesus Christ or anything other than anything Islam-related is forbidden by law in the Middle East.

I am glad that the Middle East is that way. See you might not feel empathy for them because you are trying to remove yourself from an imminently toxic society. However, keep in mind that if the Middle East inversely & polemically went against all the Middle Eastern rules that exist that you have mentioned, it would be Westernized | Americanized | simply Anglo-ized practically overnight. I personally don't want that so kudos to the Middle East for staying the way it is (although I heard that Dubai had gone astray as the "Vegas of the Middle East". I just wished that all the lower-echelon Middle Eastern immigrants had not migrated to North America nor Western Europe.

In America, single men are isolated from women in public by cultural expectations for now. In the Middle East, single guys face prison and even the death penalty for mingling with women at a restaurant; a single guy can be sentenced to life imprisonment or even death just for having dinner with a married couple in the Middle East! Though it does actually appear that the USA is moving towards Islamic law. And they don't care if it's 120 degrees outside, they expect everyone to be completely covered from the cheeks downward; they expect you to die of heat stroke for their false god Allah.

You are so missing my point. Besides, who the hell are you to judge how Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East should make sense to you for your agenda?

[Wolfeye]

Why is Russia on the list? Also, it seems that Colombia & Cuba are places where a lot of people went & it was good. Did something change with that?

[flowerthief00]

A random visitor to this forum could be forgiven for thinking that HA is all about fleeing from freedom. Nobody talks about going to established free countries such as Canada, Spain, Norway, Israel, etc. Places where the government is democratically elected, the press is independent, religious freedom is honored, etc. Oh no.

We're interested in going to the controlling monarchy of the U.A.E, the military dictatorship of Thailand, the authoritarian and rampantly corrupt Russia, the repressive Communist state of Cuba, the notorious human-rights-abusing China, or the troubled state caught between violent insurgencies and martial law that is the Philippines!

[Yohan]

Travelling abroad can be exciting, and for the most part, moving to another country can also be an experience. But science notwithstanding, there are certain countries that must be avoided...

The thread is quite interesting and the first sentence of the OP by Mercury makes a lot of sense, however he has the strong tendency to exaggerate all and everything.

The list is not complete and not correct too...

Some countries on the list should be avoided, but for sure not all of them. Afghanistan, North Korea, Iraq... no objection, I agree - don't go there.

However what is so wrong with UAE, India, China, well worth seeing...

Why is Somalia and Sudan not on the list? Both are crazy and dangerous places....

[Yohan]

A random visitor to this forum could be forgiven for thinking that HA is all about fleeing from freedom. Nobody talks about going to established free countries such as Canada, Spain, Norway, Israel, etc. Places where the government is democratically elected, the press is independent, religious freedom is honored, etc. Oh no.

We're interested in going to the controlling monarchy of the U.A.E, the military dictatorship of Thailand, the authoritarian and rampantly corrupt Russia, the repressive Communist state of Cuba, the notorious human-rights-abusing China, or the troubled state caught between violent insurgencies and martial law that is the Philippines!

These so-called free countries you mention have other problems, they are not really so free - especially for men. These are strongly pro-feminist countries with serious dating issues. This is the reason why this forum exists.

About Thailand, I have my second home there since many years and if you are a foreigner, have proper travel documents and keep yourself away from political disputes you are perfectly fine.

[Mercury]

Why is Russia on the list? Also, it seems that Colombia & Cuba are places where a lot of people went & it was good. Did something change with that?

Cuba is a dictatorship, and Colombia has a lot of violent drug/cocaine cartels which spread a lot of violent crime all over the country. Russia is also a possible dictatorship, and there are rumors that Russia's suspected dictator may have rigged the 2016 election in America so that Donald Trump won by cheating. And Trump is the absolute worst president in American history. Worse than even George W. Bush. Also, Russian winters are demonicly frigid and cold! If you think Canadian winters are horrible, Russian winters are worse.

[Mercury]

There are countries that people, guys especially, can easily go and check out without fear of violence and/or restrictions on freedom once there. They include;

-Anguilla
-Argentina
-Aruba
-Australia
-Austria
-The Bahamas
-Belize
-Brazil
-Chile
-Costa Rica
-Croatia
-Dominica
-Fiji
-France
-Germany
-Greece
-Guadeloupe
-Indonesia
-Israel
-Italy
-Japan
-Jordan
-Malaysia
-Mexico
-Panama
-Peru
-The Philippines
-Poland
-Romania
-Solomon Islands
-South Africa
-South Korea
-Spain
-St. Lucia
-St. Martin/Sint Maarten
-Thailand
-Turks & Caicos
-Tuvalu
-Ukraine