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| *Travel Tips>>>General - Africa & Middle East Travel Tips |
Is It safe for an American to travel to Syria? |
Travel Info Is It safe for an American to travel to Syria? Travel Tips In a nut shell yes, travelling to Syria is no big deal. I have 2 american colleagues who travel to syria on a regular basis for business purposes and they have never had any problems. The fact that American foreign policy is not favourable in the middle east does not in anyway affect the feelings of the locals. In general people can and do differentiate between the U.S government and american citizens. Syria & iran may be on the hot seat at present, but american foreign policy has a lot of enemies in the whole region, yet if there had been any problems you would have heard from the media. One very subjective opinion about the syrians is that they are peaceful, fun loving people. If you want to go don't let the U.S-Syrian foreign policies stand in your way. Others Syria is almost always listed as a nation Americans should avoid travel to, because America has very poor relations with Syria: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw... No, if i was you id give it a miss. It wouldn't be advisable. Your rights overseas are guaranteed by your Department of State. Since the United States and Syria do not have diplomatic relations, it is unlikely that they would be able to help you if anything were to happen. I'm not talking about abduction either. If you were to lose your passport for example, you would find it quite difficult to get a new one or to travel somewhere where you could. If you were to be arrested, even for a minor offense, translation services and legal representation may be very difficult to obtain. More serious issues, like abduction or accusations of espianage would be EXTREMELY challenging. Personally, I would suggest that you don't go, and I'm certain that your government would offer the same advise. ***ADDITIONAL*** After seeing the response following mine, I would like to point out that traveling to a foreign country on business is quite different from traveling as a tourist. If your employer sends you to Syria, you will have them to help you if anything should happen. Large corporations frequently have a fair amount of political pull in small and underdeveloped countries. A tourist is essentially on their own. Even though you are unlikely to have any troubles with the Syrian people, you could still find yourself in a rather precarious position and a very long way from help. Yes. I would certainly go, it is a fascinating country. People in that part of the world are very sceptical about whether governments in any country represent the views ideas or actions of ordinary citizens. I found it a very friendly place, and much easier to travel around than Egypt. The education system is good, and almost everybody can speak either some English or French. Street crime is much rarer than in most countries, and travel within Syria is easy and cheap. Spend several days in Damascus, and try the restaurants and sheesha cafes in the old quarter for food and music. I live in Damascus and I see Americans tourists almost eveyday! So don't worry you will really feel welcomed and safe:) It is very ironic.. Syria is listed as one of the 10 safest countires in Asia in last year UN reports.. and wars are all around Syria lol Thanks to George Bush, it is no longer safe for US passport holders to travel to any muslim country or any country with a sizeable muslim population. Mr Bush's policies in Iraq have, in fact made travel anywhere more risky for US passport holders. One must expect to meet people who will go on and on and on ,about US foreign policy, anywhere and everywhere. It is enough to spoil your holiday. You voted for him. Not you pick up the tab! Sorry! |
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