Several people asked us about the safety of Honduras related to our recent trip to Roatán. There is, in fact, a U.S. State Department travel warning currently in place for Honduras. However, it is specific to several urban areas in the country and does not affect the island of Roatán.
We’ve traveled to several other potentially dangerous countries recently — India, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Greece, France, Ireland — and are headed to Egypt this fall. But with all travel, doing your research and using common sense can help you visit places like this and keep yourself safe.
A not-so-dangerous rainbow-topped garden in Ireland
The number one rule we have is to take media reports with a grain of salt and review additional, unbiased sources for legitimate information rather than sensationalism. One of those sources is the aforementioned U.S. Department of State website, and another is the World Atlas Global Terrorism Index.
We look not only for country information but also for specific details related to the cities and regions we plan to visit. For example, the United States is currently ranked number 35 on the global terrorism index (more dangerous than Iran, Saudi Arabia, and France), but your risk of danger is likely quite different if you’re visiting Hawaii or Alaska than it is if you’re headed to New York City or Washington, D.C.
Want to play it safe with your travel? Check out the 25 safest countries in the world as ranked by the 2016 Global Peace Index. Spoiler alert: Iceland is number one on the list. (You can read about our adventures in Iceland, including general travel tips and ways to save money in this expensive country.)
Chunks of glacier ice on a black sand beach in Iceland
If you aren’t interested in heading to the Land of Fire and Ice, still plan on spending a lot of time in Europe. More than two-thirds of the world’s safest countries are located there.