Questions and Answers

My wife and I haven’t been traveling very much lately because of her fear of terror around the world.
In the past we have used my American Airline miles to travel first class on BA and JAL to destinations that can be accessed from a cruise ship, specifically Princess, such as the Baltic, Mediterranean, and Japan.

I have booked two first class seats on Cathay Pacific from MCO to ORD to HKG to SIN and returning on Etihad from SIN to AUH to DFW to MCO. Very rare to get both so I am reluctant to cancel because of my wife’s fears of this part of the world we will be traveling to.

I follow your blog on a daily basis and find it to be most helpful and inspiring. My question to you is this.
Do you feel it is relatively safe to travel to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia with a cruise ship such as Princess in March of 2017 considering the threat of ISIS and other militant groups?

Secondly, do you feel that the death of the King of Thailand will have an adverse affect on traveling to the region during the year of Thai mourning?

Regards

Alaskaforever

Well, here’s the thing — I don’t personally believe there’s more of a “threat from ISIS” in Southeast Asia than in Southeast Kansas, so I wouldn’t hesitate to travel any of those places as long as I was taking reasonable precautions.

That being said, in my experience people have very strong beliefs in this area, which typically can’t be overcome by someone else’s opinions. If your wife is going to be fearful and uncomfortable, she might not have a good time regardless of how safe we feel it is.

We have a colleague living in Thailand at present, and while there are noticeable closures from their perspective, I don’t think a standard traveler would really be impacted much, from what it sounds like.

I agree with [USER=7]@Tiffany[/USER]. I wouldnt hesitate to travel anywhere but if you personally feel uncomfortable, it’s not going to be an enjoyable experience. From your list, i’ve been to Singapore and Cambodia – Singapore is fantastic and very easy to navigate. Everything is labeled and announced in multiple languages, with English being one of them. Cambodia (I was in Siem Reap; HIGHLY recommended) is more rural feeling but just as enjoyable. In both places, there are ample amounts of local and tourists alike and feels so welcoming.

For all those places, as well as your stops in the Middle East, I recommend researching local culture and making notes of it. While I’m atheist, I found places of worship, especially in these parts of the world to be especially remarkable and breathtaking.

I really hope you both overcome your fears and travel to these places with an open mind and really enjoy the experience.