Reddit Reddit reviews Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition

We found 5 Reddit comments about Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition
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5 Reddit comments about Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition:

u/KingWeezil · 5 pointsr/worldnews

You're being much nicer than you need to be. They should read about The World's Most Dangerous Places ~ written by someone who's been there and dealt with it. In the appendices is a list of how much you should expect to pay (and to whom) in bribes in the event of a "criminal matter".

Ignorance and first-world blinders are rampant, and the audience does indeed skew towards youth, inexperience and know-it-all arrogance. Look on the bright side; the real world awaits them, unconcerned with either their assumptions or expectations!

u/hakoba · 1 pointr/JoeRogan

I agree. He's a bit silly. But his accomplishment is incredible.

Though I would suggest that Robert Young Pelton would be an even more interesting guest. http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Peltons-Worlds-Dangerous-Places/dp/0060011602

u/OpiumDreamer · 1 pointr/costa_rica

K, I guess I gotta share this book. Lots of tips, good read.

Second, you probably gonna get robbed. You don't know the way of the place you're going. I was sitting on a ferry boat in Cuba with a nice Jamaican girl chatting about life and travel and asked about visiting Jamaica and she said I got to see Kingston. I asked if Kingston wasn't a little sketchy for a person of my complexion and wasn't I likely to get robbed?

She said "Of course you gonna get robbed. You a stranger in a strange place. If I go to New York city - I'm gonna get robbed too for the same reason! If you travel and you explore - its inevitable - you gonna get robbed! Try not to let yourself lose everything at once though."

But...so far I've not been robbed traveling. How? Luck, probably.

First understand that flat out armed robbery is the least likely way you will be robbed. Police take that shit seriously everywhere, its bad for tourism, and a lot of places you go are small - the chances you will meet that person again or that he is known to the police are very good.

Instead, you are gonna be tricked most probably. Swindled. Scammed. Or your lodgings are gonna be gone through when you are gone. No robber wants to be seen by his victim.

So how to protect? Don't look like a target helps. Wear cheap clothes, no jewelry, don't whip out the latest phone (and if you do, get a case that makes it look cheap - there was a great little case for the iphone 4 that looked like a cassette tape from the back - who wants to steal that?).

Travel light. Really light. I travel with one bag - carry on and I bring a little water resistant day shoulder bag that folds down to nothing for day trips. Don't show up with giant Louis Vuitton luggage. Keep your bag with you all the time.

Keep copies of your passport. Stash them around your possessions. Most places will take a copy - even banks changing money are fine with a decent copy of your passport. Leave your real passport in your hotel/room safe.

Electronics - keep it simple. A phone and a laptop are all I take (sometimes I leave the laptop and go with an ipad but I do software for a living and often work during vacations). Not in a separate bag - I make em fit into my main carryon along with my clothes - computer/chargers in the middle.

Don't leave your valuables in your luggage in your lodgings. Assume your room will be searched by the maid, the help, strangers. Find and locate clever hiding places for your laptop, your passport, your main cash stash. A lot of rooms have lock boxes - use em.

Don't flash cash. I carry a pair of identical wallets. One is filled with expired credit cards and fake IDs and has about $40 worth of local money in it in lost of different denominations. The other has the real stuff that I work out of - maybe $200 for the day. Were I to be robbed, I'd give him the decoy. Never happened to me but that's my plan. Leave the bulk of your money in the house lockbox and never take more than a day's supply with you and when you are traveling with everything (moving locations) scatter your money through your possessions so you can give up something and still function.

Finally, make friends at hostels and on buses. Travel in groups for a bit, and always walk with a purpose. Don't meander. Don't wander. Don't look lost. Don't be found alone on a dark street in the middle of the night, and don't drink to excess. All these behaviors scream "I'm lost and vulnerable and stupid".

Don't leave anything on the beach unguarded. Go swimming in shifts. I've seen my gear get stalked on even the most 'deserted' beaches. Somehow I always manage to find some friend to hit the beach with when I travel. And lock stuff up whenever you can.

u/Wee_Ooo_Wee_Ooo · 1 pointr/DIY

Hey OP, here are some resources I found useful when I was working in NE Africa.

1) Dangerous Places 5th Edition

If I were to recommend one book this is it. Especially if you've have no or little experience working/living in a non-western, underdeveloped area. Good humor, good info.

http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Peltons-Worlds-Dangerous-Places/dp/0060011602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464910574&sr=8-1&keywords=dangerous+places

2) Black Flag Cafe

Same author as above but the forums might be useful to you. A word of warning though, many of the users will not see your trip in the same light you do, so I'd keep your ears and eyes open and your mouth shut. Some really good info and RYP actually interacts with the users so you are actually getting some hard learned advice.

http://cafe.comebackalive.com/index.php

3) A Photojournalists Field Guide

It appears as though you are sponsored in some way, your sponsors are probably looking for you to produce some quality content. Not to say you aren't already a good photographer or videographer, but the game changes when you are in a situation that is out of your element.

https://www.amazon.com/Photojournalists-Field-Guide-trenches-photographer-ebook/dp/B00BP83RO2?ie=UTF8&keywords=photojournalist%20guide&qid=1464910759&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

4)CPJ Security Guide

Although you aren't exactly a journalist you'll probably be seen as one or at least something close to it (At least in N Africa). This free guide helps with some of the basics and should provide you with further resources to study. I'd also recommend looking at the rest of the CPJ website and other journalist advocacy groups as they often have guides/advice/tips on working in risk areas.

https://cpj.org/reports/2012/04/journalist-security-guide.php

If I think of more I'll add them but these are the ones that come to mind.

Not to beat a dead horse, because you've already heard it from multiple people here, but the one thing that stuck with me as far as personal safety was the saying, "If you and a friend meet a bear in the woods you don't have to be fast, you just have to be faster than the other guy." A big part of my own approach to safety when I was in Egypt during the revolution and subsequent elections was that unless you really really piss someone off, crimes against you are most likely going to be crimes of opportunity. Be smart about how you travel, as a fellow white guy I couldn't completely hide my appearance but I did what I could to blend in. Wear what the locals do (A worn collared shirt and slacks or jeans is pretty good), don't carry expensive equipment or at least keep it unobtrusive if you must carry it. If you can afford one hire a fixer or at least a trusted local guide (Travel companies and journalists are good places to get started but they are often very protective of their fixers and guides). Try to learn how to say basic phrases in the area's languages, often a greeting can go a long way to getting you out of trouble. Flexibility and quick thinking are better protection than a bulletproof vest and a gun, avoid forming habits if you are staying in one place for any length of time.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a bit envious, stay safe and travel well.

Edit Also there are no road rules in N Africa, I would HIGHLY recommend getting a driver whenever you are in urban areas.

u/pugzilla · 1 pointr/Chechnya

I've enjoyed the following, not being from that part of the world, culture or religion you'd have to take my insight with a grain of salt. There doesn't seem to be that much information about that part of the world, one of the reasons I find it so fascinating. It's fairly invisible. There is typically one viewpoint from this media, red team or blue team, nothing seems to be that unbiased. I found "The Oath" to be the most informative and interesting.

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