Ah, yes....The vicissitudes of independent travel...

Solo traveling is a learning experience...basically, learning about yourself in various aspects, it's educational, exhilarating, culturally and geographically adventurous, and so.

I would recommend solo traveling barring any physical or health issues, don't see my traveling in Europe as "a political act" at all.

Good for you wbfey1. These unhappy things are part of life too.

Thanks for your thoughtful post.
Like Fred, I've never consciously thought of any of my trips as a "political act"--just fun, interesting, and educational personal experiences that I've been fortunate enough to be able to do. I mean, "political act" sounds dramatic and is of course the title of one of Rick's books/productions--but I can't honestly say that I've ever thought of any of my traveling as a political act.
Of course, others will have different perceptions.

Wbfey we do it for the stories we can tell.

I agree whole-heartedly. I take your "independent travel" to mean not through a tour, but not necessarily solo. We were in London 2 years ago and passed under London Bridge just hours before the attacks there. No thoughts of leaving because of that, just paying even more attention than usual. After many trips independently planned , we did do a My Way tour last year, and will do 2 RS tours this spring. That doesn't absolve us from due diligence for our sake, and others with us. But of course, we will have a great time.

The bombing in Naples appears to have been motivated by Mafia retaliation and not ISIS terrorists. I’m not condoning it, I’m just saying the attack was not directed against people just property. Not to say someone could have been harmed as a bystander. Sad, I hate to read this. I really enjoyed Naples!

Ehm, bombing??

We had a wonderful meal at Le Petit Cambodge two weeks before the 2015 attacks in Paris. It pains me to think that the people who served us such a wonderful meal and were so patient with a couple of jet-lagged tourists had to endure such a terrible experience.

We are returning to Paris later this year, and I look forward to returning to Le Petit Cambodge for more of their delicious Bobun.

wbfey1, I'm not sure what your point is re independent travel. Tour groups could have been in all those places, couldn't they?

I think we could all agree that attacks and incidents like those you mentioned, including accidents that also happen all over the place, shouldn't deter people from traveling sensibly. Whether on a tour or independently, with others or solo.

wbfey1, please provide me with a five year plan for your travel itinerary, I'll have a better idea of which places to avoid.

"I think that RS is absolutely correct when he describes travel as a "political act." - Does he really say this? I'm very suprised. I don't consider any of my holidays to be political statements.

I'm still trying to get my lips around visshecttitoods.

I'm going to Naples in May. I was unaware of the bombing at the pizzeria, but that won't dissuade me from visiting the city. (Neither would the harsh comments that are made about Naples in general.)

I live in New York (currently upstate), but lived downstate for many years and was in Manhattan on 9/11. It was a nightmare, but that never prevented me going into the city for business or pleasure afterward, and I visit there at least once in a year. (I also lived in Manhattan in 1993 when terrorists first decided to destroy the World Trade Center.)

Like the vast majority of people, I just go on, I live, I travel, and am smart enough to know that I'm very, very unlikely to be the target of some attack (terrorist or otherwise). I am, in fact, bone-tired of being told how frightened I'm supposed to be about EVERYTHING.

It's not courage, it's just common sense.

"I think that RS is absolutely correct when he describes travel as a "political act." - Does he really say this? I'm very suprised. I don't consider any of my holidays to be political statements.

Yes, he does say this. A lot. Videos, books, speeches. He doesn't mean you're making a political statement by traveling. More like traveling with an open mind will make you better informed about the political issues of today, by giving context and perspectives that TV news won't.

Unless you get some spidey sense that something is up, (Don’t walk down that alley. Keep walking away from that person.) I’m not sure to what extent you can prepare for any of these things. If I had left Vienna a day earlier in 2001, I could’ve been camped out in a gym in Gander instead of in a hotel room. And maybe I would have had a more interesting story to tell. Who knows.

I read the RS Political Act book when it first came out. So much has happened globally since then. Unless Rick has updated it, it might seem a quaint read at this point. I travel because I want to see something different than my own backyard—I don’t travel to make a political statement. I can do that in the voting booth.

Or, you could just stay home .... In our little suburb of 10,000 people there was a home invasion about a week ago -- on our block! No guarantees anywhere.

Common sense to plan your trips to anywhere in the World by avoiding some higher risk places.

When selecting the location of a hotel in a major city, check out the neighborhood. For example, we were in Paris several years ago and had been to that city before, but I wanted to see the ancient cathedral of St. Denis north of CDG airport. I could not get a cab driver to take us there. They all said it was not save, especially at night. I am from South Georgia and visit my Son in Atlanta a lot. We know there are neighborhoods that would be insane to go into.

Places like Egypt are more complicated. The government has cracked down on terrorists, but recently an IED (road bomb) killed several people, including tourists in a tour bus. You could probably do a tour of Egypt and not be blown up, but is absurd to ignore the risk. I have been to Egypt twice and wouldn't mind going back, but my Wife has never been there, but she doesn't want to go because of the risk. It is a personal decision.

wbfey1, you should further your study of statistics. Did you know, as just one example, the odds of a Hostess Twinkie being present at even one European terrorist attack are very near zero.

When a car crashes into the side of a house, inevitably someone says to the news reporter " My son, daughter, wife, whomever, was sitting on that couch 5 minutes ago". (This annoys the heck out of me.) Risk is not about travel per say, risk is just life. Life is risk. One can manage risk to some degree (My career was very much risk management), but you can't manage things out of your control. We don't know when the end will come or how. Terrorism is just one means. Live your life.

In other words: "Noli illigitimi carborundum".

Thanks for your thoughtful post. Despite the terrorist attacks in Europe, I feel safer when I'm there than I do at home.