any second thoughts because of situation in europe?

Olivia, you have to do what you're comfortable with but my response when these incidents happen is that I wish I could be there to help. When I read about the Paris attacks, I immediately checked flights for departure the next morning to see if I could afford it. (Admittedly, there probably isn't much I could have done to help but I sure wish that I could have!)

Our daughters and I spent 2 weeks in Paris March 2015 and I am counting the seconds till I go back this May.
Hope this helps ease your fears!

As has been said over and over, you are more at risk of death or dismemberment when you ride in an automobile in the US than by the risk of a terrorist incident while traveling in Europe. It is all about what is on the nightly news. We are all intimately familiar with commonness of automobile accidents, and don't give it a second thought. But getting blown up in Europe by evil people is strange and frightening. Still, you are more likely to come to grief behind the wheel in Europe than by terrorists.

I have a flight to Brussels today. After the events last month I specifically made it a point to make every effort to keep my inbound flight into BRU. Once I land I plan on spending a few extra € at the airport than I normally would (coffee, sandwich, etc) to show my support in getting the airport and it's businesses back up and running. I can't do much about the physical damage the terrorist have caused but I sure can help out with the economic damage.

DJ

Don't let the bad guys win. You are going to encounter nuts in Europe, you are going to encounter nuts in the US. There is going to always be someone out there that wants to make a statement. The truth is you are more likely to die from someone texting or drinking while driving. That doesn't seem to stop people from doing both. I live in NYC, I am always cautious, if I see a bag laying around, I get away from it & let someone know. Same with suspicious actions....let someone know. But keep living your life.

We went to Greece last year, people kept telling us to cancel our trip because of the economy & the influx of refugees. I can't tell you how glad I was that we did not. We had a fantastic time, and the Greek people were so happy to see that people still wanted to come given everything that was going on.

Mary

Let me just say it's a long way from Greece and where so many problems are being experienced. Other than a few problems in Stockholm, I doubt you'll run into any migrants in Scandinavia.

We took a Baltic cruise in August, and it was an incredible trip. The highlight was St. Petersburg. Then we flew from Copenhagen over to Oslo and took the Norway in a Nutshell day trip to Bergen. With prices of everything so high in all of Scandinavia, we found the cruise to be an absolute bargain. And Amsterdam is always a great time.

We've traveled a number of times to Europe in times of strife and had no problems. We're leaving next week for Italy and Greece. We continue to be careful, but are going to continue traveling in the future.

We're just wrapping up a trip through France, Spain and Italy and everything felt like pretty normal travel over here. It's easy to panic when watching our US media coverage of events, but don't let that deter you. We've felt safe everywhere and we've had a great trip.

After the Paris attacks in November, I wanted to be in the city to grieve with the people. Maybe this doesn't make sense, but I felt like I couldn't properly process what happened unless I was there. My sister and I are going to Paris tomorrow and we're really excited. Of course I'm concerned but I don't want that to stop me from doing what I love: traveling.

We are not hardy souls or foolish here. It is just most of us are fairly experience travelers who know that the risk of being injured in a taxi in Europe is far greater than a terrorist attack. So don't take a taxi. How do you think Europeans react to the gun violence in the US? That is probably a greater risk to them than a terrorists attack. We are headed to Paris and southern France in Sep and never once did the idea of not going occur to us.

BUT only you can decide what is comfortable for you.

Olivia, I'm a pretty cautious person and tend to worry to much. I have not considered for one second cancelling my trip to Italy and Switzerland this fall. Terrorism can be terrifying. Duh. But the odds of it happening to you are incredibly low. As many have pointed out, you have a much greater (though not great) chance of being in a car accident over there, and I bet you've never thought about canceling your trip because of that risk. The way I look at it, terrorists can strike anywhere. It's just as likely to happen to me in my home town as it is on vacation. But in both cases, it's very very unlikely.

Never crossed my mind. How would we visit our family and friends over there if we didn't go?

I booked my trip to Paris & Budapest about a month before the 11/13 attack and while it diminished my pleasurable anticipation a bit I never thought about cancelling. Then Belgium happened, just when I was getting excited again, but I'm still going on May 15. Recent trip reports from Paris have been positive, and there's increased security so I feel good about that aspect. I also know that if I did cancel my trip there would be absolutely no living with me, so there's that to consider!

I find a mixed bag of reactions from friends and relatives--those that are seasoned international travellers wouldn't consider cancelling for a minute, while others who don't travel are the most likely to say they would.

"any second thoughts because of situation in europe?"

Heavens no! Life's too short for second thoughts, if you let those second thoughts change things then regret sets in.

I don't understand cancelling France in favour of Scandinavia.

Where did the attack take place by the neo-Nazi? Anders Behring Breivik, look him up. Norway. 77 dead.

What about the California attacks? The ones with the iPhone the FBI wanted to look inside.

You may walk straight out of the frying pan into the fire.

Plan where you want to go and go there. You won't be able to predict anything about wherever you go. Well maybe North Korea. But most places.

Olivia -- By contrast with some Forum member responses here, yes, I think it's natural to have second thoughts after having seen all the media coverage of these horrible events over the past few months.

However, that doesn't mean that in the end you necessarily decide not to go. Only that it's absolutely normal and human to worry and wonder a bit.

As many have pointed out - back home you can be in danger going to the movies, or going to school, or wherever one might go, from a lunatic with a gun. Here in Europe, there is an obvious terrorist threat. But most people, luckily, have not been injured physically by these attacks. Of course that is small comfort to those who have lost life or limb, or to their loved ones. In my mind, I calculate (rightly or wrongly) that there is risk around us all everywhere, and I can only do what I can do, and the likelihood of actually being caught in an attack is quite small.

In your case, I wouldn't cancel a trip to Scandinavia. I don't find those countries to be real targets in the current context. But I completely understand your desire to at least re-consider your travel plans. That doesn't mean that you reject them. Just that current events give you pause. Yes, it's very possible the participants here are skewed toward those who perhaps have a more positive or strong attitude that they will not be deterred by this threat.

Olivia,

To answer your question succinctly, NO I haven't had any second thoughts because of situation in Europe! The media tends to sensationalize these events and dwell on them ad nauseum, but I haven't seen anything yet that causes me any degree of concern. I plan on continuing with my trip as usual.

Have your "family members and friends" ever travelled in Europe?

I suspect that the group on the forum is not so much "hardy souls" but rather more realistic about the actual risks. As has been mentioned here numerous times over the last few months, the drive to the airport is probably the highest risk you'll encounter.

If you're planning to concentrate on the Scandinavian countries, you'll probably have to increase your budget substantially. In the same situation, I would have just carried on with Bruges and France.

It's very sweet of your family and friends to worry about your safety, but with all the others above there is no reason at all to fear anything. That has nothing to do with being brave (or stupid) or not doing what the bad guys want you to do, but plain common sense. The moment the public transport in Paris and Brussels was back to normal, everybody got on the metro again to pick up their daily lives. What else to do? Here, in the Netherlands, I am a regular commuter to the government centre in The Hague. Not one moment I have thought something could happen on that train. And I know of nobody else who did.
Don't worry and go.

Olivia, As someone said, it is natural to have second thoughts about traveling just now. It is also true that you have to do that with which you are comfortable. I'm sure that most of those who post here will respect whatever decision you make. Having said that, my personal opinion is that if one thinks about the situation logically, one is probably more likely to be a victim of violence or traffic accidents here in the U.S. than being a victim of terrorism in Europe. But then, logic doesn't always trump emotion -- and I respect that, will never find fault with your decision.

I have been reading posts and everyone seems to be a hardy soul in
this forum. has anyone not have a niggling thought of maybe postponing
the trip? just curious. I read an article of rick steves' about living
normal lives and not let the bad guys win.

I tend to be a little more argumentative on the subject. Not that I think there is any particularly unnecessary danger, but because some, in my humble opinion, tend to be a little reckless with other people’s welfare and demeaning of the emotions of others.

“I felt perfectly safe” is often heard. I would imagine that those killed in the blast felt safe as well. Then personally, while sitting on an inverted 5-gallon plastic pail on the side of a Croatian road, feeling perfectly safe, was told that quite often those pails mark land mine locations. So feeling is good cause you want to feel good on vacation; but never mistake it for reality.

Then there is the tendency to throw around statistics comparing the entire US against one city in France. Sorry, but my life style only takes me to places in the US that are as safe or safer than any place in the world. So that’s not really valid either. AND, I just discovered that if you were in Paris in 2015 your odds of having been a victim of terrorism was in the neighborhood of 20 in 100,000. But none of this means anything if you "feel" safe.

How about “I am an experienced traveler so …” I have been at my profession for 35+ years, have been enormously successful at it, and to this day I still learn what I never knew I didn’t know. I guess learning the world is easier in 12 weeks over 10 years than learning my profession.

"I am not going to let them beat me....." Well I go on vacation for enjoyment not to express testosterone levels. If standing up to evil is so important, why aren't you visiting and supporting the Kurds in Iraq or protesting in front of the Russian embassy in Kyiv or volunteering in a camp in Turkey or .... ? I actually choose locations from time to time for similar reasons. I love it. I stood up to world hatred by getting drunk in a 5 star Paris restaurant.

Then there is probably the truth, that the odds of you being in the wrong place at the wrong time while visiting most of Europe are such that, in my world at least, the tiny, tiny, tiny additional risk isn’t an issue. If my kids were still young maybe I would skip Brussels and Ukraine right now as I would owe my kids a higher level of responsibility. But at my place in life, neither are an issue.

Finally and really the only thing that counts, there is the “you” factory. If YOU are uncomfortable, know that you have every right to be uncomfortable and you don’t have to explain it to anyone. It’s a vacation for goodness sakes and for what it costs you dang sure better enjoy it. If any of those places, make you feel uncomfortable stay home or do some research and find a place that does make you comfortable; and don’t be ashamed or afraid or ridiculed for the factors that add or detract from your comfort level. Maybe change your post to “What do you believe to be the safest locations in Europe” that will start a riot and a lot of name calling.

Your question is subjective as well it should be. So be wary of anyone who has “the” answer.

I don't that we're as much hardy as experienced. I think you came to a good spot for reassurance and input because most of us travel frequently and our comfort level increases with familiarity. I suspect most of us have people in our lives who aren't comfortable with foreign travel and can't believe we'd travel through terrorist attacks, national strikes, plane crashes and other aspects that are uncontrollable. We've certainly learned that we can't control the universe; we can only take reasonable precautions. But, I don't want to look back with regret about missing something. Decide what is comfortable for you and then go with it.

What would your family members and friends say if you were going to Boston, San Bernardino, or Sydney Australia? Or anyplace else where there have been recent problems? I do not mean to sound dismissive or cavalier, as we have faced the same concerns --- we are going to London and Paris for 5 weeks, leaving next week. I do worry a bit, but hope to enjoy our time once we arrive. If we were instead going to Scandinavia, where I have been many times, I would worry not one bit. And I see no point in postponing, as the perceived threat may get better or worse. You can never know.

So you can stay home and worry about drunk drivers and gun- toting "patriots", or travel and worry about terrorists. Or you can just accept that we cannot control fate and just go on and enjoy life.

Ok, I have to be honest. Things like terrorism do scare me. So do the recent earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador. Every time I go to San Francisco I wonder about an earthquake, and when we were in London last summer I did think about terrorism on the underground. I'm a worrier, sometimes to the extreme. When we were off the tube for the last time I thought- ok we all made it. But, I do still go in spite of my fears because they really are irrational. We are planning a trip for next year. If terrorism ramps up to very frequent attacks, we may chose a "safer destination" if there is such a thing. But, for now we plan for France including Paris.

While in Amsterdam last week I was speaking with a local woman who grew up on the southern tip of Italy. I asked her if she had ever been to the US and she said "No way! I don't want to get shot by the police!" To me, that sounded like an absurd reason not to visit the states and gave us a good laugh. But this is reasoning sounds very similar to avoiding the Europe out of fear of a terrorist attack.

Great that you're planning to travel in Finland. I would too if I had another 3 more weeks in June.

I recently read that more people in the states were shot by toddlers than by terrorists last year and then there are all the school shootings! How do you cope with that kind of threat, you can't really avoid getting near anyone under the age of 15?
i'm not trying to be snide here, merely to put things in perspective. Don't let the sensationalist news channels scare you.

Do you send your kids to school, or do you go to school if you're a teacher? Do you go to work? Out shopping or walking around town? The random mass shootings, workplace shootings, and school shootings we have here in the US are more common than terror attacks. We just live here and have an instinctive sense of how rare it is, and we go about our business acknowledging some level of risk in everything. I try to keep the same mindset for travel.

Of course, if travel isn't very important to you, maybe even the tiny risk isn't worth it. That's fine - we all have our own levels of comfort. Think about if you cancelled your trip and on the day you would have gotten back it turns out nothing happened in Scandanavia the whole time you would have been there. This is by far the most likely scenario. How would you feel? Very mad at yourself for missing your opportunity? Not happy to have been afraid? Or would you still feel it was the prudent choice?

"...in my humble opinion, tend to be a little reckless with other people’s welfare and demeaning of the emotions of others."

Nail. Squarely hit on head. Real fears are seldom vanquished by statistical odds. I'm pretty sure each of us has at least one or two fears that just cannot be shaken, irrespective of the evidence. I do not at all get the notion that some trembling traveler in Europe is thwarting terrorist success - he's just having a bad vacation.

Vacation time is different - it is scarce and sacred to many, and a lot of travelers want things 100% trouble-free and "just so" and get very concerned about very small details. Some avoid certain foods on the grounds they may contract vacation-spoiling (and deadly) mad-cow disease - or whatever. Others read up in advance to avoid mosquito-born ailments, labor strikes, protests, cyclonic storm incidents, etc. Many, despite conditions in their bathroom at home, will scan hotel reviews to avoid even the smallest chance that they will find a hair in the shower! So I am not at all surprised, especially after Europeans (AND some Americans, btw) have been murdered by terrorists in Europe, that people might be very concerned, or worried enough to cancel.

And what is the evidence? State Department information and recommendations for Europe vary by country/region and are not uniformly reassuring.
https://www.osac.gov/pages/CountryHome.aspx?CatalogLocationId=63

Don't know if one can trust the State Department releases..

I am going in May .. and so is my 19 yr old daughter ( back packing with her friends.. leaving in 12 days!!)

Something might happen.. but probably won't. Same with every day in our lives and everywhere.
My son just got hit by a car while biking.. lady was very apologetic.. she saw a parking spot and just pulled in off the street.. cutting off my son , who was minding his own business and riding in the bike lane. ( son is sore and has road rash.. but ok, thanks to good bike helmet) . We have TOLD him to be careful.. and HE WAS you cant control everything..

Stuff happens. I think life must be easier if one is a bit more of a fatalist.. and harder if one hopes or thinks they can control everything that might affect them.

I like the British Foreign Office travel advice more:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

They often get more specific to regions and cities within countries.

You are going to get a lot of generalization in these travel advisories. It is best to search the web for real time reports from travelers and locals.

If you really are that worried, then stay home. IMHO - this is a very safe time to travel. But there is nothing worse than being stressed out and fearful on a vacation. Nobody on this forum is paying for your vacation.

"In a normal year, for every person killed by a terrorist, 600 other people would die in traffic accidents. And yet oddly not one forum poster has to my knowledge written a post asking about how to avoid being killed in a traffic accident."

That's because we all know the answer. Take the train.

But then there's the matter of crosssing the street in Paris. As Bill Bryson explains in Neither Her nor There, there is no alternative but death.

My wife and I went to Paris on our honeymoon and foolishly tried to cross the Place de la Concorde without first leaving our names at the embassy. Somehow she managed to get to the obelisk in the centre, but I was stranded in the midst of a circus maximus of killer automobiles, waving weakly to my dear spouse of two days and whimpering softly while hundreds and hundreds of little buff-coloured Renaults were bearing down on me with their drivers all wearing expressions like Jack Nicholson in Batman.
It still happens now. At the Place de la Bastille, a vast open space dominated on its north-eastern side by a glossy new structure that I supposed to be the Paris branch of the Bradford and Bingley Building Society but which proved upon closer inspection to be the new Paris opera house, I spent three-quarters of an hour trying to get from the Rue de Lyon to the Rue de St-Antoine. The problem is that the pedestrian-crossing lights have been designed with the clear purpose of leaving the foreign visitor confused, humiliated and, if all goes to plan, dead.
This is what happens: you arrive at a square to find all the traffic stopped, but the pedestrian light is red and you know that if you venture so much as a foot off the kerb all the cars will surge forward and turn you into a gooey crepe. So you wait. After a minute, a blind person comes along and crosses the great cobbled plain without hesitating. Then a ninety-year-old lady in a motorized wheelchair trundles past and wobbles across the cobbles to the other side of the square a quarter of a mile away.
You are uncomfortably aware that all the drivers within 150 yards are sitting with moistened lips watching you expectantly, so you pretend that you don’t really want to cross the street at all, that actually you’ve come over here to look at this interesting fin-de-siècle lamppost. After another minute 150 pre-school children are herded across by their teachers, and then the blind man returns from the other direction with two bags of shopping. Finally, the pedestrian light turns green and you step off the kerb and all the cars come charging at you. And I don’t care how paranoid and irrational this sounds, but I know for a fact that the people of Paris want me dead.

Please do not take counsel of other peoples fears.
Go!

Don't worry about the terrorism, you are more likely to get run over in Paris then killed by a terrorist. The traffic fatality rate in Paris is 5.1 per 100,000 (vs 1.7 in the US). So just stay far away from the roads and you will be just fine.