I know the attacks in Brussels and Paris are putting the fear of travel in many minds. I have been in that airport and that train station in Brussels many times – you just never know.
HOWEVER, you should not stop traveling because of fear. First of all that is what the terrorists want and by definition, what terrorism is all about. If you remember back before all the radical Muslim attacks there were several groups causing their own terror in Europe.
There were also German terrorist organizations, one group called Baader-Meinhof Gang (Red Army Faction) who staged spectacular bombings and there were so many incidents. There was also the Red Brigades in Italy who sought to kill Germans and hurt US interests. The infamous IRA and and many other terrorist groups in Ireland and the U.K. wreaked havoc for years with retaliatory bombings and killings.
Should you be a smart traveler? By all means YES! I recommend you check the State Department’s website for Travel Alerts and Warnings for a daily update on travel warnings. You should ALWAYS register on the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) site. It’s free, easy to use and it gives you peace of mind to know that they can contact you if there are any incidents. It will also give your family back home peace of mind if an incident happens. I actually have a good friend right who was supposed to pick up a friend from the airport upon her return from Nigeria. She never showed and is MIA. Had she registered with State, we might have a better idea whether she is alright and where she is.
I’m asking you to head off to Brussels today (o Paris, or London, or any other great city that has suffered an attack). All of Europe is under a travel warning, so be prepared but just be sensible and keep traveling!
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