The Safest and Most Dangerous Places to Travel in the World in 2019

There are many factors that go into choosing a travel destination. Weather, prices, activities, food … it’s a personal choice that can be as simple or complicated as you choose to make it.

But safety is a priority for every traveler.

Before any trip, Mike and I review several official sources for legitimate information rather than the sensationalism that can be found in media reports. One of these sources is the 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 32 on the global terrorism index. And the U.S. is currently more dangerous than Tunisia, Kuwait, Uganda, Algeria, and Russia. However, 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. The same thing goes for every country on the planet.

The National Museum of Tunisia at Carthage, where you’ll find Roman ruins from the first millenium BC

Want to play it safe with your travel? Check out the safest countries in the world as ranked by the 2018 Global Peace Index:

  1. Iceland
  2. New Zealand
  3. Austria
  4. Portugal
  5. Denmark
  6. Canada
  7. Czech Republic
  8. Singapore
  9. Japan
  10. Ireland

As defined by the 2018 Global Peace Index and the World Atlas Global Terrorism Index, the most dangerous countries are currently the following:

However, as previously stated, several of these countries have regions that are currently safe for tourism. We visited Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye, Lebanon, and Israel in 2018 and encountered no danger whatsoever. In fact, the friendly bear in the first photo is from downtown Kiev, Ukraine.

Bottom line? Do your research, use common sense, and don’t be afraid of the world.

Sunset over the beautiful beach of Beirut, Lebanon
Holocaust Memorial in Kiev, Ukraine
Colorful shawls and rugs for sale in Israel
Mike and Ben with our friends Manwar and Moutasm, two Syrian brothers who we first met in Türkiye
Dahlias from the collection of the Komarov Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg, Russia