When deciding where to travel it's often to difficult to work out whether the place you want to visit is dangerous. The Australian government's guide Smart Traveller is pointless because every tiny little threat is over blown to such proportions that if you heeded every warning you'd never leave your home. Take the guide for the UK, the first line says:

"We advise you to exercise caution and monitor developments that might affect your safety in the United Kingdom because of the risk of terrorist attack"

Probably more appropriate for Afghanistan.

However there is a fail-safe system to judge risk which is based on the size of guns of the police or security guards. In the fairly dodgy countries of Mexico, Cambodia and Laos the police and security guards at jewellery stores all carry submachine guns, shotguns and even AK47s. In the safer Australia it's sidearms and in the safer still London the Met famously doesn't carry guns.

So the next time you travel, find out what sort of weapons law enforcement carries and plan accordingly. . . read more

When travelling, there's a disturbing trend of seeing fellow travellers who dress in ways that are either inappropriate or completely offensive to the local culture. 

It can be as idiotic as the city-slicking Kathmandu king who wears hiking pants, socks, and beanies and whose hardcore clothes never seem dirty. It can be as cliched as lumpen hippies who wear Thai fishermans' pants- who are almost always never Thai nor fisherman. And finally, it can be as straight out culturally insensitive as tank-tops and singlets worn in solemn religious structures.

Whatever the way you do it, the message is simple: look around and if you look ridiculously different to the locals- your dress sense might need addressing.   . . read more