Alternative Countries due to Paris Strike and Terror Alerts?

Mexico? I hear it's quite the garden spot these days.

But seriously...I wouldn't cancel a trip due to terrorist alerts. The alerts have been issued, the authorities are watchful as well as the general population, so you are probably safer now than if you didn't have a terror watch going on at the moment. What are the chances that you would be in the exact spot where a terrorist plot "might" unfold? As far as the potential for strikes in Paris, the most trouble that you might encounter would be from public sector jobs such as transportation. Italians go on strike all the time, but there are laws that prohibit such things from crippling the infrastructure. But, if you don't want to go to Paris after-all, why not try Switzerland? Everyone likes the Swiss! And by all means take the train.

p.s.--If you change your plans because of terrorists, then the terrorists have already won.

The students also don't want to end up like retired people in the UK, where 1/3 are in poverty because of similar reforms. It's funny that everywhere governments are always worried about student demonstrations...if they could just figure out a way to keep the young people out of the mix, everything would be normal...no fusses.

Well, at least the strikes will make a terror attack less likely. Kind of hard to launch a carefully coordinated attack if you can't find transport to your target.

I wouldn't cancel Paris,, really.

Germany would be a good alternative, especially the Black Forest, Bavarian Alps regions. We loved Berlin. Wished we had longer in Germany and less time in Paris. This was my third trip to Paris and I have to say 'I didn't feel the love this time'. Thankfully, we left 12 days before all the protest/strike action really affected our plans. Only a minor glitch in Avignon due to the protests.
Must say I am totally bemused why high school students are protesting and rioting over an issue concerning retirement. Our B & B owner in Avignon was very scathing towards her fellow country persons. In her words 'The French are lazy and don't like hard work' interesting.

Scott - you are obviously out of the loop on the current situation in France if you think someone traveling to Paris on Friday won't be affected by the strikes. I think people considering canceling trips for this week are being realistic, and I think April is prudent for coming up with alternatives to avoid Paris. One-third of gas stations in the country are dry. Truckers are blocking distribution of gas and other goods and are supposed to be blocking armored car deliveries to banks, with the potential of running ATMs dry (although no one believes that will happen). 50% of flights out of Orly are cancelled, 30% out of CDG. TGV is down to 50%. My local cheese shop and produce shops didn't receive their deliveries today. Vendor participation in my local market was down 50%. It's not going to be a careful vacation at this point.

April - what do you think of flying to Germany? Lots of good stuff there to see and they don't seem to have quite the unrest of France, or the rail problems of Belgium this week.

You could take the short flight to Amsterdam, then visit northern Germany or Denmark via train. Or stay in the UK and visit a part you've not seen.

The likelihood of being involved in a terror attack is far greater in the US than in France or just about anywhere else. It is on the order of being struck by lightning in each of 3 consecutive years, on the same day of the week.

"The likelihood of being involved in a terror attack is far greater in the US than in France or just about anywhere else." How did you come to this conclusion? Terror attacks happen all over the world.

If the bed bugs don't first kill you in the USA, then the terrorists will get you for sure. Everyone knows that both of these insidiously nasty killers affect our great nation much more than anywhere in Europe. It's a fact...look it up. :) I wouldn't worry about vacationing anywhere in Europe because of terror alerts. However, if you're an ethnic, racial, or religious minority, watch out for the next Kristallnacht when you're there.

Belgium, except the Flemish are trying to separate from the Wallons. Go north into Scandanavia. They settled most of their scores a long time ago. Unless you have a bone to pick in this fight, it's better to postpone France until sunnier times. It's more complicated than the simple change in retirement age reported in the press. And this is not one of those one-day strikes some have experienced.

Thanks to all that have posted alternative countries to visit on this trip. Your input is greatly appreciated!

April, If you do indeed decide to cancel the Paris leg of the trip, I would suggest Vienna, an enchanting, lovely, and also haunting city. as an alternative. I myself would prefer to stay in Paris to watch the history unfold, so to speak, since I'm going to be there anyway. Yes, terrorism has hit just about everywhere, even Tokyo and Russia under Putin, but I don't think it has hit China... those Muslim radicals won't pull off a Mumbai (Bombay) attack in Shanghai against western business interests. The Chinese authorities will cast any moral constraints in such an attack to the winds. You can predict what the result is going to be.

Judy,, its not a matter of lazy. Perhaps you should do some reading,, rather then listening to rude remarks.

The students are protesting because unemployment is up to 20% in some areas,, and they feel that will older people keeping jobs longer it only puts less employment available for them.

My plans included a couple of nights in Paris, then traveling on to Italy via Nice. I'm considering just flying from London to Pisa and skipping France this trip.

I was due to arrive in Paris on Friday as well. Our main concern was that there could be an escalation of the strikes based on Wednesday's vote. After a lot of debate, we've decided to postpone until November 12th in the hope that things will have calmed down by then. Just on the off chance that they haven't, I won't be flying into or out of Paris.

As a side note, I haven't been impressed by the U.S. media coverage (or should I say sound bytes) on this issue. After some reading on the proposed changes, my sympathy for the strikers increased quite a lot. I never considered the French legislative calendar during the trip planning, though -- my bad...LOL

Thanks Leann for your post. We're still deciding, but we're leaning towards not going to Paris and re-routing instead to either Italy, Spain or around London.

Thanks Karen! We have decided to not go to Paris (sad). Instead, we will probably stay in the UK and visit other cities there (ie. Oxford). If you are familiar with any cities outside of London, please feel free to share.

Safe travels to you and your husband!

Pat, it's not a matter of my reading what the situation is (how reliable and accurate is that information anyway??!!) the verbatim comment I posted was from a woman born and bred in France, who has lived there all her life.

It now looks like some of the protesters are trying to disrupt the aiports. There have been some blockages of roads leading to CDG and ORY as well as others around the country.

It seems that the majority of the French people are tired of the protests and now it's the troublemakers taking control.

I love it when citizens anywhere care enough to take to the streets in peaceful protest, but I'm completely turned off by violence. It seems that legitimate demonstrations are often undermined by people who use the opportunity to do crime. Setting fires to cars and schools, fighting with police, breaking storefront windows...unfortunate!

True, that degeneration into violence is not only unfortunate but also counterproductive. Setting cars on fire... that's exactly what was happening in Metz and Strasbourg in the late 1990s. Now, that's one stupid manifestation of one's feelings.

Judy,, you have a comment from ONE person,, I know that I can't speak for my entire country, and you cannot speak for yours. People have attitudes and opinions,, its best to get more then one before you believe it.. My entire family on my fathers side is French, born and bred,, and still living there,, and I have talked to many of them. They all have differing opinions on the issues. Just like you likely do about things that happen in your country,, and why they are happening.
Reading different newpaper articles, looking at various web sites, tends to even out the opinion of one B@B owner in some small city. She is right about some French,, but one could say that about anyones fellow countrymen if one was not in agreement with their views. My Canadian family that lives in small town Prairies certainly have some strong opinions about youth who can't find work here,, LOL

I spent the day visiting museums in Paris, and we are not being affected by the strike. I still believe we made the right decision in not continuing on to Provence. I dont think the problems are any near over yet. Theres a lot to see in Germany. We are having good time, but now might not be the best time to see Paris. Difficulties on the RER trains made quite the impression on my husband and the others attending the food show this week.

Judy's B and B lady is one political voice. The extreme right has a pretty good foothold in the south. The kids setting fires are another voice. They're really angry, as evidenced by this outbreak of violence, which follows the riots in the housing projects a few years ago. This is about more than retirement. The main tv news is controlled by the government now, so it's hard to know how much the strike is supported.

April-I just got back from a week long trip to Paris, and while I didn't experience anything more than minor transportation inconveniences, one museum closure, and one small, loud (but peaceful) student demonstration, I can't say that I blame you too much for canceling that leg of your trip. It was fine when I went, but who's to say by the time you get there transportation or whatever else might come to a grinding halt because of strikes or whatever else? It's hard to predict and could be a major pain in the butt to deal with. However, as far as safety goes, I felt completely safe there. No one was on edge or worried. I was nervous about it before I left but my anxiety mostly melted away once I was there. And I'm glad I didn't let my anxiety stop me from doing the things I wanted to do and going to the places I wanted to go.

Thanks Judey! I'm happy your trip went well. We've actually decided to spend the extra few days in Rome! Found a great last minute slight, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. :-)

Excellent! Have fun!

I wouldn't cancel, but Belgium and Brugges are good alternatives. I am presently traveling in London for work and all is business as usual here.

I'm in Paris now. Paris will probably be OK if you're not arriving or leaving on 10/28. Have you considered Hamburg?

Have fun in Rome!

Thanks Dina!

Karen - we were planning on staying in Paris October 26-28; however, we've decided to go to Rome instead.