Comments on: Who Defines Dangerous: Should Travelers Pay the Cost of Their Rescues?

By: Jessie

Jessie — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:24:15 +0000

Good reminder of how subjective travel can be, Lauren. I also never realized France had that debate about who should pay to be rescued in the first place — and actually something I was wondering about recently with the release of one of the three captured hikers in Iran. I suppose placing the blame to figure out who should foot the bill is super subjective as well.

By: Epic Toowoomba Flood Footage

Epic Toowoomba Flood Footage — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:44:42 +0000

[...] Natures temper can indeed be fickle and we small, soft and squishy humans have to submit to her wrath and head for high ground. What you do when disaster strikes can mean [...]

By: The Most Dangerous Hikes in the US

The Most Dangerous Hikes in the US — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:54:42 +0000

[...] No need to pack warm clothing for this hike. In the summer, it is not uncommon for temperatures to hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit at the Grand Canyon, and temperatures are even more intense on the canyon floor. Add to that the intensity of climbing nearly 4,500 feet in nine-and-a-half miles, and it’s no wonder that so many people call for rescues. [...]

By: Forget the Guidebook—This is the VICE Guide to Travel « Lonely Girl Travels

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:09:57 +0000

[...] ago, I complained about this kind of trying-to-be-bad-ass-edness in a post blog and subsequent Matador article. Later, I came across an article titled “5 Totally Bad-Ass Travel Experiences” that [...]

By: Week Reflections and Favorites 11/20/09 » nancy.the.gnomette

Week Reflections and Favorites 11/20/09 » nancy.the.gnomette — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:06:15 +0000

[...] this week, is authentic, passionate, and universal. (Check out the thought-provoking MatadorAbroad article she wrote this week [...]

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:48:20 +0000

Nice piece, I hear your tale about the guy in Bogota (where I live) only too clearly. I can actually picture him smugly holding court. The whole thing is pretty annoying, for, someone like him the only attraction is the bragging right. I read too many blogs of people saying they got stopped by the paramilitaries or guerrillas and nothing happened and these militarised checkpoints were staffed by friendly guys etc etc…it is all untrue, these travellers never get far off the beaten track either, and the checkpoints are for the most part formal government ones in any case. There was the guy who claimed that Colombia was under martial law and the whole country was about to kick off after the pyramid troubles, he claimed to be too afraid to leave his hotel and only ordered take out pizza.

By: Nancy Harder

Nancy Harder — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:40:29 +0000

Stoked to see your post here Lauren. Your writing has a cool musical rhythm to it. It actually spawned a long healthy debate between my husband and me.

By: Somchai

Somchai — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:37:22 +0000

Ultimately it’s the tourist themselves who must pay for underestimating the risks of going somewhere. By pay I mean a currency more dear than money.

In some situations there is no opportunity for frenzied calls abroad for money, no cavalry riding to the rescue. In 1994 while in Cambodia I heard of 3 backpackers grabbed of the train that used to run to Snookyville. The country was already open for tourism and there wasn’t really a hot war, just a general insecurity. I think they ended up with bashed in heads, nothing anyone could do. They were all pretty young, in their twenties. Too young to lose it all on an extended vacation.

I didn’t like the atmosphere and left. Who can enjoy a place where you have to figure out which parts are safe and which aren’t. There was no safe land route to Siem Reap. So many nice safe countries, why bother?

The US State Department also has a service where you sign up on email and enter your dates of travel, and they send you email updates regarding very current events in your intended destination while you are there. Our embassies are one part of our government that work well.

By: Hal Amen

Hal Amen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:18:06 +0000

Psyched to see this post here, Lauren.

By: Reaching Out My Tentacles « Lonely Girl Travels

Reaching Out My Tentacles « Lonely Girl Travels — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:51:46 +0000

[...] I was especially stoked because Sarah and her man Jorge’s blog is one of my favorites. The slimmed-down version went up today, and I was happily surprised to see so much of the original post remained: my Oakland [...]