Horrible wars are destroying the lives of thousands of people around the world, the obvious consequences of the climate crisis are flattening entire regions, inflation and humanitarian crises are causing crime to increase in some places. Yes, the world did seem safer. This not only has a significant impact on our general well-being, but also our travel plans: If we feel unsafe on vacation, then it is anything but relaxing. It is all the more important that we inform ourselves about the conditions at our destination when planning our trip.
The risk maps from software companies such as Safeture and A3M offer important clues. Both companies specialize in safety analyzes of travel destinations around the world and publish an updated world map every year with the most unsafe and safest countries. The analyzes are based on various data, such as travel warnings from the Foreign Office, domestic media reports, crime statistics and – since the coronavirus pandemic – also the infection situation in the country and the health system.
And even if there are slight differences between the two risk maps, both expert teams come to the conclusion: the world situation has become more confusing. In particular, the recent events caused by individual extremists and riotous demonstrations surrounding the Middle East conflict make it difficult to assess the risk in many countries. But don’t worry: there are still countries to which you can travel without hesitation. The world maps are color-coded according to the following risk levels: low risk (dark green), low risk (light green), medium risk (yellow), high risk (orange) and critical risk (red).
The safest travel destinations in the world are primarily European countries. But there is also the green light for some long-distance travel destinations. Canada, Australia, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Portugal are particularly safe. According to the risk analysis, Germany is also considered particularly safe to travel to. Meanwhile, countries such as the USA, Costa Rica, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Namibia are considered to be at low risk. You can safely put all of these countries on your bucket list for 2024 when it comes to security.
However, anyone who has planned a vacation to Venezuela, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Sudan, Syria or Yemen should think carefully about their travel plans, as these countries are currently among the most unsafe in the world. This list also includes Ukraine, Russia and Israel. This year, Safeture experts also identified the most unsafe cities in the world for the first time. They therefore recommend a trip to Tijuana (Mexico), Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Guayaquil (Ecuador), Kabul (Afghanistan), Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea, Lagos (Nigeria), Karachi (Pakistan), Gaza ( Gaza Strip), Libreville (Gabon) and Khartoum (Sudan).
Sources: Safeture, A3M, International SOS
