We live in a world engulfed by chaos. Political upheavals, wars and a constant media firestorm of what could happen next. This often leaves a lot of people on the tenterhooks. This often causes a massive impediment, especially while planning travel internationally. I’ve traveled to six continents over the last few years, often during such turbulent times as the ones we see right now. It has barely been five years since were in the throes of a major global pandemic, remember that one? So, the question I really want to ask is, does politics ever interfere with how you plan your travel? Has your political view of a country ever made you strike if off your list?
The Perception Game
Let’s say you’re born in country A. You’ve gone through its education system. During your formative years, the media you’ve consumed, the people you’ve met, the form of government you’ve seen has largely shaped your world view, be it about politics in general or about media, free speech and elections. You want to travel to country X, but don’t like its form of government or the fact that they’re repressing a group of people in their country, as per the media reports you read in your country.
The Illusion of Moral Purity
Every now and then, you’ll see someone take a “moral’ stand, saying they didn’t travel to country X because of any of the reasons stated earlier, only to see them hanging around in in country Y, which has a form of government so repressive that it actually makes country X look good. The reason I’m saying this is not to throw shade but to emphasize the fact that these moral purity tests are purely subjective and are often really difficult to apply, given how diverse our world is.
Turning the Tables
Let’s come back to the first argument. You’ve been born and raised in country A and aren’t sure about going to country X. Ever thought about it the other way round? The people in country X have grown up in a certain way, they have their own world view which is 180 degrees apart from yours and have a drastically different media diet. They think that the government of country A is repressive and doesn’t support the rights of people worldwide. How would you square that?
The reason I’m sayin this is to state the fact that the argument is endless. Out of the 190+ countries in the world, you’ll find a ton of diversity, when it comes to language, forms of government, culture, food, political setups and more. There’s no way you’ll be able to fit it into a box and say yes or no based on certain parameters. Why? Because, if you’ve lived and worked in just one country, you’re essentially making a judgment based on your experience growing up in country A.
The Pundit’s Mantra
So, to address the elephant in the room, how do you decide? I’ve lived 95% of my life either growing up, living and working in stable democracies, so I do have my point of view. However, I’ve traveled around the world to many countries, which have had drastically different forms of governments compared to my lived experience. If you ask me, I usually draw the line when it comes personal physical safety. Am I or my family going to have safety issues while traveling there? That’s the first question I usually think about.
Secondly, are there restrictions on certain practices that I take for granted in my home country? For example, some countries may not allow the consumption of liquor or let you practice a non-majority faith. Some countries have very strict restrictions on how women can dress or venture out. So, I usually take these things into account before I plan my travel.
Overall, other than the threat to physical safety or any legal issues cropping up due to infringement of local laws that may be out of whack, I usually stop there.
What’s your yardstick when it comes to going to a country? Do politics or new event impact your travel plans? Tell us in the comments section.
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Marriott Bonvoy
I will not travel to China. Or NYC or LAX or SFO, PDX, SEA. I am sure you can see the consistent theme there
I agree with Danin.. It is so embarrassing to see and hear esp our congressman and senators bad mouthing the USA!! ALso lately see the US Olympic participants say horrid,untrue thngs about life in the US..If they do not like the US do not represent us.. It is hard to go to some very extreme left-sided states and cities trashing our President. Recently I had the unsettling experience to see the ANTI-ICE peeps running around chanting, screaming, running in front of traffic in a heavy tourist area.. If i was a tourist I would have left to the airport stat.. There were No police to keep them in check,, Unsettling..
It is not good to go to foreign socialist countries and seeing the hate and anger toward the US. Just like the hate and anger here… I.E minnesota..
My political views don’t really impact my travel choices much, but I enjoy certain countries more than others. I may see less value in certain places. For example, I find little value in Buddhist temples in Asian countries because I’m a Christian. I see less value in Christian churches in Europe that have no congregations left in them. I find more value in Christian sites in Israel, though.
What I find irritating is people who hate their own country due to political reasons. They enjoy telling people in other countries how much their own country sucks. Many Americans will chime in on forums or brag to Rick Steves’ about how oppressed America is because of Reagan, Bush, Trump, and so on. They will say that America sucks because we are so lacking in the number of vacation days or whatever. It’s crazy. Americans live in one of the greatest countries in the history of the world. We are not perfect, but it sounds arrogant and spoiled to hate on it. Reminds me of one of the conversations you get into with some random person, and no matter what you tell them about your travels, they always have been somewhere better or try to ‘one-up you’ with some place they visited. They are experts in all things travel, and they aren’t open to any opinion. They tell you that Europe is so much better than the USA. It’s almost like they have been programmed by the television shows they watch or the media they consume. They pretend to be open-minded, and they pretend to know everything; God forbid you disagree with them on any level.
I love Europe, I love traveling to new places. Even as a Christian, I am willing to learn about other religions, other customs, even if I leave less impressed than I thought I might be. I do end up with opinions on places or things I like or dislike. I’m human, and I admit I hate curry. Stop with the curry. Curry in airplane food, curry on popcorn at Tokyo Disney, Curry, Curry, Curry. Yuck 🙂
/@DaninMCI: Thanks for sharing your perspective. Some of my most fascinating experiences while traveling abroad have been while communicating with people who barely spoke a word of English and still smiled, went out of the way to help me as a tourist, be it people in Colombia or Vietnam. Those experiences have stayed with me forever.