Having decent Travel Insurance Cover can be a real life saver when you get yourself into a difficult situation whilst on holidays. But spare a thought for those that decide to visit some of the most Dangerous Holidays Destinations without adequate cover.

Thailand

Thailand is quite a country, plenty of islands, back streets & ancient architecture to explore. Many of the Population are Buddhist therefore there is little danger of being murdered or kidnapped. Many of the Fatalities & accidents occur in Thailand on the roads, over 17,000 people are killed in traffic related accidents every year & up to 30,000 are injured every week. Most of the accidents are Motorbike related, drunken drivers, no safety equipment & people riding on the wrong side of the road.

Other incidents in Thailand include Food Poisoning, Theft & Sex Crimes. Be wary when traveling at night, don’t walk the streets alone & avoid Ladyboys.

USA

Whilst the USA isn’t considered ‘Physically Dangerous’ as such, it is one of the most expensive countries in the world to get emergency Surgery & treatment. So getting involved in an accident without Travel Insurance could end up costing much more than you had planned.

Hospital costs can average around $2,000 but for a major illness or surgery it can cost up to $100,000.

The deadliest times to be in the USA (based on number of fatalities in the last year)?

Labour Day Weekend: 339 Fatalities

Halloween: 239 Fatalaties

St Patricks Day: 99 Fatalaties

Super Bowl Sunday: 91 Fatalities

Mexico

Beautiful food, beautiful language, great alcohol & crazy hats but underneath all that this country has the highest manslaughter rate per capita in the World. Mexico City is the main offender with over 15,000 Murders every year & over 23% of the population have been victims of crime. Most of these are related to the drug cartels & huge gang presence. The problem is now so bad that hotels offer ‘Crime Insurance’ to guests.

Other dangerous parts of Mexico:

Tijuana: In the last 4 years more than 20 cops in Tijuana have been killed, so it’s said that current ones may be a little ‘trigger happy’

Guerrero: In Guerrero, 50 out of every 100,000 people suffer a violent death.

Chiapas: Controlled by Rebels there’s every chance you may run into a roadblock.

Jalisco: Has the highest Crime Rate out of anywhere in Mexico, in 1996, there were 15,899 car thefts, 5,935 muggings and 5,926 store robberies.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a high level of Civil Unrest due to deteriorating economic conditions. Shortages include food, water, medical supplies, fuel, unemployment & power.

As such, foreign travelers are increasingly becoming the victims of violent crime & robberies. Avoid marches, rallies, public gatherings & farms. Unexploded landmines are also found in parts of the border area with Mozambique.

Zimbabwe also has a high rate of corruption within the Police who have had a history of brutal beatings.

Colombia

Colombia is a country rich in resources of many different types. Coal, Oil, Gold & Minerals. Not to mention Cocaine.

Colombia has the highest kidnap rate per capita of anywhere in the world. ‘Express Kidnapings’ are common in which the abductee is taken & forced to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM machine. More & more victims have been injured & killed whilst trying to resist the perpetrators.

Be wary of food & drink spiking in built up areas. Avoid hiking without an experienced travel guide as many travelers have been robbed at gunpoint.

Pakistan

Pakistan has a very high level of domestic violence related to Islamic Extremist groups. Violence has been increasing due to regional elections & several key candidates have been targeted including the assassination of Benazhir Butto.

The main dangers come from Car Bombings, Suicide Bombings, Grenade Attacks & Militants. Avoid public gatherings & the tribal areas of the North Western Provence. Violent crime, including armed robbery, carjacking and kidnapping, occurs in many parts of Pakistan, particularly in Karachi.

Afghanistan & Iraq

These countries are consider as complete no go areas by most travel authorities in the world due to War & Civil Unrest as well as increasing violence towards western targets & visitors.Afghanistan has the largest concentration of unexploded land mines anywhere on the world.

Be sure to avoid contact with the outside world as much as possible, in Iraq 36% of all civilian deaths since the start of the war have been related to criminal activities. Other major causes include Car Bombings, Suicide Bombings, Kidnappings & Executions. Crossfire between Coalition forces & Insurgents are also a cause of many deaths.

Avoid all travel in vehicles as Coalitions forces are becoming extremely edgy due to the large amount of Car Bombs used as killing machines. Roadside bombs are also extremely common.