Will Paris have an impact on your tour?
 

Hi everyone,

are you reconsidering your travelplans for the next year under the dire shades of the events in Paris?

Stefan

Absolutely not, something like that can happen anywhere at any time. So there is no point in worrying.

The majority response to similar questions on YouGov (survey company) today were

Are you more fearful of your safety now than before the Paris attacks? NO

Do you think the terror attacks in Paris will affect your behaviour? NO it is irrational to change behaviour as the odds of danger are so low.

Total respondents: 4,284

(Oh, and I'm leaving highly dangerous Spain on Sunday for slightly less dangerous Morocco).

Not a chance. I could die on my way to work tomorrow morning. In fact, the odds of that happening are so much greater than being injured or killed in a terrorist attack.

Not gonna let the wack jobs of the world interfere with living my life to the fullest.

Looking forward to our trip to Thailand next month, and nothing short of dying is going to keep me from getting on that 777. :biggrin:

Plus 1.

Thailand will be great

Wayne

No, but this sort of thing sometimes scares off regular tourists (I'm in tourism-accommodation- so I am affected by these things) from some countries who get their information through garbage channels like Fox news...

There are many troubled places, obviously some need careful consideration before travelling to. I know France aint one of them.

As a French resident with a bike on French plates, I would probably be reconsidering my plans if travelling towards the middle east in the next 12 months. I know some who think likewise.

It's interesting, maybe even relevant, that less than 24 hours later this happens in Mali.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ravel-49806-41

Unlike the British, with the Commonwealth approach, France has never managed to fully pull out of it's former colonies in Africa and some other locations.

France only very reluctantly got involved in Mali as a former colony after a special request, and has been very quietly doing a damn good job of preventing a complete insurgency by terrorist groups in Mali. North Africa, ( apart from Morocco) is only visited by a few French travellers at the moment, despite a lot of former connections.

France is officially at war, so we're all watching our backs. It's a strange situation to be in.

war conditions
 

hello folks
On my way back home ( France ) from Morocco, I just can tell that our president is doing the job, as our forces .Will ask on the return whatever I could do .
I have read enough books about world situation to tell that this situation, in Europe or else where, will continue .
BUT the killers have attacked also the russians , and this is a mistake : wrong strategy.
And also as I listen to the news , I see many young men ( and women) going to enrole , a recrutor said yesterday they could only take 10% of the volonteers.
And, us, the travellers, we have got to carry on .
I will ride again in Morocco ( nice country, sites, and people) and maybe Russia one of this days .
Take care of yourself but keep on rollin' :thumbup1::thumbup1:

It's war, but not the all out variety
 

A Brit acquaintance of mine (now deceased or I would not mention this) fought in Algeria for the foreign legion - this was a key turning point in the post WW2 history of France from his account alone.

As I say, France cannot stay out of african former colonies (for their own national interests I would add).

The UK has not declared war since Chamberlain did so, 3rd Sept 1939, for very good reasons. A state of armed conflict has been much more prevalent.

Personally, I am not convlnced by Hollande's "knee jerk" statement but I don't know too much about the constitution of France - a state of emergency I do understand.

I do think that suchlike should be understood by those who travel; you guys should tell us what the recent declarations of "war" actually mean.

150 people die n Americas highways each day, yet you drive.

250 people die from preventable medical mistakes each day in the US everyone still goes to the doctor.



At least 400 people are murdered in Chicago each year, and I bet you would still visit. LA. The same.

I would not hesitate to continue traveling virtually anywhere, except Syria.

Your odds of dying in a terror event are so absolutely minuscule it should not even be an afterthought in a western country. And honestly not much of one anyplace else either. Live and enjoy life, none of us are getting out of it alive.

Not only am I planning to go to Paris for the end of the Tour de France next summer, I'm going there in 4 week's time to see this beautiful city in winter time, something I've never done. It's a lovely city and I'm really looking forward to going.

One of the best ways to counteract acts of terrorism is to carry on as you would normally. There's an extremely moving comment made by a French gentleman who, unfortunately, lost his wife in the recent attacks. In the comment, he says that he will mourne his wife (he admits to having to give the terrorists that) but that he and his very young son will continue to play together and enjoy life, and he'll not allow those who murdered innocents to impact negatively on his or his son's life. I find this sentiment wonderfully life affirming. In his position, I'm not sure I would have this amount of strength.

Undoubtedly the case: in slight contrast, I had a work colleage of a few years ago who would "never again fly with Aeroflot" (the original USSR national airline) after experiencing some of their practices.
My points are
a. that there are ways of mitigating risk and
b. not everyone is prepared to accept the same levels of risk - at one end of that scale are those who are totally risk averse.

Nevertheless, the human psyche of this topic is such that quoting statistics to those who are risk averse to some degree or another serves little purpose - they won't accept the logic.

As per the immediately previous post, I am well up for visiting a few of those I know who live in France (who are both Brits and French nationals) to get a feel for this country that is in "a state of war".
As per my earlier post, those living there might like to tell us about what the declaration of war means.

I take this to mean volunteering for the security effort of the nation; in which case I am not at all clear what the 10% can contribute, certainly immediately. i.e. what aspect of security they can carry out without considerable time and effort devoted to training by professionals who will utterly hate the fact that they are employed in a training role when they could be out there, in the front line (just in case it is all over by Christmas).

I do understand the element of the "call to arms" that comes to the publics' mind when the bugles call.

Perhaps we travelers are more risk averse than "average" citizen who only very occasionally travels. Many of us have passed through "tense" areas in our meanderings. Yes? I've been in country during 3 coups! One I could hear the gun fire. (Ecuador, and it failed)

But "experts" tell us the Paris events are a true game changer and we can expect major changes to world wide security playbook .... AND THIS WILL AFFECT TRAVELERS ... and will generally be a PITA when trying to move around the world on your bike! It will no longer be middle east or parts of Asia that are harder to get into or transit ... it may now be harder in more places. :helpsmilie:

Will also affect economies in a big way. Hubber's aren't afraid to travel but the average Fox news watching American numb nuts will be. FEAR ... is what the media (and govts.) do best. Add to this further TRILLIONS spent on useless security agencies draining down already busted budgets ... and ... well, not a hopeful situation.

The Daish crew are two steps ahead at every move and have thousands qued up to self detonate at moments notice. They aren't finished with this shit ... just getting started actually. The hysteria is already getting started here with calls for mass expulsion and internment camps ... what does that remind you of? Me thinks we've forgot some recent history.
But what to do?
?c?

I don't think the average Fox News watcher travels much past their state?! :oops2: I occasionally watch a little here in the UK and amazed with the tag lines of impartiality, swiftly followed by bashing anyone who seems to hold a different point of view! Hillary seems to be getting quite a roasting. :offtopic:

Here in the EU (unlike some of my compatriots, I do actually view myself as European) there seems, at least on the surface, to be a slightly more moderate view of asylum seekers, at least for the moment (looking at the EU as a whole, and not the UK individually!). The main discussions seem to be centred around potential changes to the Schengen Agreement, an agreement where you can move freely around member states. This will undoubtedly have implications for those of us who travel, and many bikers here in the UK do travel to mainland Europe, even if they don't go much further. Let's hope that final measures aren't too draconian.

I used to love Aeroflots announcements. " Aeroplane is broken, vokda will be served, fixed soon then maybe we go" ,..... " we take off now, then Vodka " .... " turbulence is coming, sit down or you might die"... " we go downwards now, good luck for rest of journey " ....

I always imagined the pilots got Vodka when the passengers did.

During one of George Bush and Tony Blairs wars I decided it was better to be Dutch while riding in North Africa. Yellow UK plate with marginally illegal spacing and a few stickers from Amsterdam pretty much did the trick. No one cared. The vast majority of humanity just want to say hello, sell you **** and have a chat. The idiots are few, far between and kill randomly. IMHO just get on with it.

Illegitamate nil carborundum est.

Andy

Helicopters have wiper blades just like most road vehicles.
I have partied with helicopter crew who drink the anti freeze supplies for the washer bottles - it is near enough neat alcohol, so no worries there.