Anyone else concerned?

With ISIS and all the craziness in the world, we are getting concerned about going to Europe. We have booked Viking"s Paris/Normandy trip for next May. After reading a newspaper article today that says they are focusing on Americans, French, Australians and Canadians, we are getting uncomfortable about flying home from Europe. ISIS is also focusing on blowing up planes.

We still have 8 months -so hopefully it will calm down- or we will get them before they can carry out their threats! We are experienced travelers and have never felt uncomfortable or thought about these issues!!

Curious if others traveling to Europe are concerned?

Nope.

I'm scheduled to travel to Europe next May as well. I'm thinking about safety but I assume we'll stay 2 steps ahead of any threats.

I found this cruise company but finding any fairly current reviews is non-existent. Anyone have some personal experience with Croisieurope ? Thanks !

Croisieurope is in fact europe's Largest River Cruise Line. They do offer some itineraries no one else is offering: e.g. Loire cruise

With ISIS and all the craziness in the world, we are getting concerned about going to Europe. We have booked Viking"s Paris/Normandy trip for next May. After reading a newspaper article today that says they are focusing on Americans, French, Australians and Canadians, we are getting uncomfortable about flying home from Europe. ISIS is also focusing on blowing up planes.

We still have 8 months -so hopefully it will calm down- or we will get them before they can carry out their threats! We are experienced travelers and have never felt uncomfortable or thought about these issues!!

Curious if others traveling to Europe are concerned?

Well everybodys gotta die of something so why not die doing something that you really enjoy. When these people get you that afraid they have won.

Well everybodys gotta die of something so why not die doing something that you really enjoy. When these people get you that afraid they have won.

Sailing Sept 2015.....

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I'm not concerned about ISIS threats in western or Central Europe. We've decided not to pursue any Russian itineraries right now, though.

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With ISIS and all the craziness in the world, we are getting concerned about going to Europe. We have booked Viking"s Paris/Normandy trip for next May. After reading a newspaper article today that says they are focusing on Americans, French, Australians and Canadians, we are getting uncomfortable about flying home from Europe. ISIS is also focusing on blowing up planes.

We still have 8 months -so hopefully it will calm down- or we will get them before they can carry out their threats! We are experienced travelers and have never felt uncomfortable or thought about these issues!!

Curious if others traveling to Europe are concerned?

We're sailing in May of next year too ... and leaving for a trip to CA and Hawaii this week ... oh the thoughts are there that weren't before, but what are you gonna do? We can't give in to their terror or they win .. we could die in the process, but it is what it is. My more realistic concern is that it's just going to all be so much more difficult and uncomfortable. These Terrorists have ruined a lot since 9/11, but we keep moving on. We have to. And that's a good thing, because from the looks of it, it's not going to stop soon. And we can't stop living either. I pray a lot, LOL!! God help us all!

We have a Greek Islands cruise booked for 2016 with two ports in Turkey. We are keeping an eye on events realizing it is a long way off. If the cruise sails, I am fairly sure we will be on-board. As others have said, life goes on!

We're sailing in May of next year too ... and leaving for a trip to CA and Hawaii this week ... oh the thoughts are there that weren't before, but what are you gonna do? We can't give in to their terror or they win .. we could die in the process, but it is what it is. My more realistic concern is that it's just going to all be so much more difficult and uncomfortable. These Terrorists have ruined a lot since 9/11, but we keep moving on. We have to. And that's a good thing, because from the looks of it, it's not going to stop soon. And we can't stop living either. I pray a lot, LOL!! God help us all!

"Like button". We've been living with terrorist threats for several years now and even if one group is wiped out, there will most likely be another to take its place. We will be in Europe later this year and yes, I worry. I will be aware of my surroundings and stay informed of government warnings but will not let this take over my life. I doubt that i will ever see a world free of terrorism....at least not in my lifetime.

Well everybodys gotta die of something so why not die doing something that you really enjoy. When these people get you that afraid they have won.

Well said! Three times in the past 30 years my family has lived in foreign countries where terrorism has been a fact of life and I couldn't agree more. Plus we lived less than 3 miles from the Pentagon on 9/11.

You can't stop living... but I would pay attention to any US State Department travel advisories when it is time to travel. Worrying about it now is way too premature (and stressful).

Well said! You just have to do what you want to do and be vigilant. And enjoy every minute of life you can!

We vacationed in London just days after the multiple 2005 bombings. No one could believe we were going AND taking our two sons with us. We don't let anything stop us from seeing the world. We go armed with a plan and lots of common sense.

As a family, we decided that if anyone got on (or was already on) the subways with us that had a backpack and the person looked unusually stressed out, we would simply get off at the next subway station. (The bombs had mostly been placed in black backpacks and left on the subway and on buses.) We even did this once, as I just didn't get a good feeling from a passenger. I made a simple gesture with my head to get off and there was no arguing. We continued on foot for the rest of that journey.

While waiting for the Changing of the Guard, a tourist left a black backpack in the middle of the huge crowd. :mad: I have never seen such a quick and efficient removal of a massive crowd than that day by the police. In both cases, nothing bad happened but it doesn't hurt to be reasonably cautious and very aware of your surroundings.

It's a travel tip for everyone - anywhere, anytime. Be aware of your surroundings, enjoy what you're seeing but don't do stupid things. Stuff can happen anywhere - at home or abroad. You have to get enjoyment out of life while you can. ;)

As others have mentioned, if we let the terrorists impact the way we travel or live our lives, they've won. I refuse to let any threats of potential problems affect my decision to travel and enjoy my life. That being said, I would recommend to any US citizens travelling abroad to register with the US State Department's traveler program. You go to the State Department web site and register your name, contact info, dates of travel and where you are going. You will get updates from the State Department about any known risks, potential demonstrations, etc. for where you are going. I did this before my Baltic Capitals cruise earlier this year. We received periodic updates about planned demonstrations in St. Petersburg. There were no problems while we were there.

I was in Greece in May 2010 when they started having their major demonstrations / protests and I never felt unsafe. As a tourist, you just need to be aware of your surroundings. It also doesn't hurt to watch the news / read a local paper for where you are going to be. Also - don't wear any overly patriotic USA t-shirts.

I don't know if the other countries' State Departments have a similar program to the US' but it wouldn't hurt to look into it.

I worry every time I leave my house, but I leave anyway! Am I worried about terrorists? I think concerned is more accurate.....although being a NYer, I still won't ride the subway! I was in Eastern Europe this Spring and I'm going again in August, plus I'm flying to Canada in June and all over the US in between. I am concerned every time I get on a plane but I figure if the plane crashes, whether by accident or design, I probably won't know what hit me, and that's better than dying by inches in a hospital bed! I'm glad I've already been to Egypt, Jordan, Russia and Ukraine, and I'm saddened that it's not safe to go there now so everyone else could share these beautiful places and enjoy these delightful people. That being said, the only time I was really frightened in Europe was in London when the tube station was evacuated because of an Irish terrorist threat. It was the most orderly evacuation I have ever seen. Of course, that won't ever happen again because like I said, I won't ride the subway, not anywhere, not ever. :D

Not concerned in the least.

One of our problems as Americans today is that we perceive that we live in especially dangerous times, while objectively we live in about the safest time that has ever been. Are there dangers in the world? Of course, always have been. But obsessing over them serves no useful purpose and can prevent us from fully enjoying this beautiful world.

Americans are a target wherever they go, and have been for decades. Europe is one of the safest places you can travel to. I'm more worried about the plane having mechanical problems. That happens more often than terrorism.

The picture that popped into my head reading this thread was the scene in Butch Cassidy where Robert Redford and Paul Newman are running from the posse and come up to a high cliff overlooking a river. "Well, says Butch, we're gonna have to jump." Sundance won't do it and finally admits to Butch, "I can't swim". After he finishes laughing Butch looks at Sundance and says, "Hell, the fall alone will kill you."

We'll be laughing and jumping on 12/1 for the Viking Kara Christmas Markets cruise.

:)

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In August 1973 my wife and I spent a week in Athens while I was stationed with the army in Germany. The day after we flew back to Frankfurt, the Athens airport was attacked; several killed, more than 50 wounded. The army had already suffered three killed in May 1972 when the Baader-Meinhoff Gang set off car bombs in a parking lot in Heidelberg. This terrorism thing has been going on for a long time, and there's really no way for the average person to predict where and when it will happen. We can only go about our lives (and travels) hoping the police and intelligence agencies of the countries we're visiting are on top of things. I could give up traveling and stay here in NYC, but 9/11 showed us that that's no guarantee of safety; it's unfortunately possible to be in the wrong place at the wrong time through no fault of our own, but avoiding obviously dangerous parts of the world right now is a start.

I agree with the previous posters. I'm leaving for Europe 48 hours from now, and am returning in November, March, and again later next year. Threats of possible trouble will NOT keep me home.

ISIS can show up at a mall near you. . .think about it. . . They are here to create terror in the world, and they have.

I worry every time I leave my house, but I leave anyway! Am I worried about terrorists? I think concerned is more accurate.....although being a NYer, I still won't ride the subway! I was in Eastern Europe this Spring and I'm going again in August, plus I'm flying to Canada in June and all over the US in between. I am concerned every time I get on a plane but I figure if the plane crashes, whether by accident or design, I probably won't know what hit me, and that's better than dying by inches in a hospital bed! I'm glad I've already been to Egypt, Jordan, Russia and Ukraine, and I'm saddened that it's not safe to go there now so everyone else could share these beautiful places and enjoy these delightful people. That being said, the only time I was really frightened in Europe was in London when the tube station was evacuated because of an Irish terrorist threat. It was the most orderly evacuation I have ever seen. Of course, that won't ever happen again because like I said, I won't ride the subway, not anywhere, not ever. :D

In August 1973 my wife and I spent a week in Athens while I was stationed with the army in Germany. The day after we flew back to Frankfurt, the Athens airport was attacked; several killed, more than 50 wounded. The army had already suffered three killed in May 1972 when the Baader-Meinhoff Gang set off car bombs in a parking lot in Heidelberg. This terrorism thing has been going on for a long time, and there's really no way for the average person to predict where and when it will happen. We can only go about our lives (and travels) hoping the police and intelligence agencies of the countries we're visiting are on top of things. I could give up traveling and stay here in NYC, but 9/11 showed us that that's no guarantee of safety; it's unfortunately possible to be in the wrong place at the wrong time through no fault of our own, but avoiding obviously dangerous parts of the world right now is a start.

I like these two posts (and lots of others on this thread, but I can't multiquote more than two)... I think at some level, even those who aren't changing their plans must think about the possibility of something going wrong.

Any long-distance travel is inherently a little less safe than staying home, I think. And our airplane rides are safer, on the whole, than the 19th century methods used by our ancestors... But I agree with Hydrokitty; better to go fast in a plane crash than agonizingly with some horrible disease... At least we've had the opportunity to see lots of great places already. And it sure won't bother us after we're dead!

There's a difference between random violence and terror attacks that strike without warning in areas that are considered "safe" vs. areas that are known to be high risk. If some place is known to be terribly unsafe, just don't go. But that approach is still no guarantee that some random act of violence won't get you, as pointed out by Langoustine.

Think, did anyone expect the Oslo bombing and shootings in July 2011? No, and we sure as heck didn't expect to have to think about our own safety there,10 days before we were due to visit on our way to Svalbard... But we went, because Norway is a safe place.

On the other hand, I'd love to go hiking in the mountains of Kashmir, or the Hindu Kush, or along the Turkey-Iraq border - but that would be crazy. Safest to just avoid those areas. But avoiding known trouble spots won't work against the random unexpected stuff. That's just a chance you have to take, whether you travel or not.

We've been in Europe 3x this year and have 2 more trips planned before the end of the year. Our upcoming cruise (in 4 weeks) visits several ports in Turkey, and who knows what ISIS will be up to, and where they will be, by then. If it's unsafe, I expect that there will be an itinerary change. If there isn't, we'll plan to go and have a great time.

In August 1973 my wife and I spent a week in Athens while I was stationed with the army in Germany. The day after we flew back to Frankfurt, the Athens airport was attacked; several killed, more than 50 wounded. The army had already suffered three killed in May 1972 when the Baader-Meinhoff Gang set off car bombs in a parking lot in Heidelberg. This terrorism thing has been going on for a long time, and there's really no way for the average person to predict where and when it will happen. We can only go about our lives (and travels) hoping the police and intelligence agencies of the countries we're visiting are on top of things. I could give up traveling and stay here in NYC, but 9/11 showed us that that's no guarantee of safety; it's unfortunately possible to be in the wrong place at the wrong time through no fault of our own, but avoiding obviously dangerous parts of the world right now is a start.

Well said by my fellow NYers and I agree with them 100%. But I still can't ride the subway! BTW, Istanbul was amazing and don't miss Ephesus.

And here we go again, with the threat to the Paris Metro system - big fear factor, obviously, but short on details. No way to know how seriously to take it. Is it an empty threat, will they thwart the plan, or will it turn out like London, or Madrid?

We will be in Paris for Christmas - just bought tickets last week, in fact! But that's 3 months from now. Who knows what will happen between now and then? We're can't really be worried - yet! And I strongly suspect we will crowd into the Metro with everyone else...