Foreign Embassy Travel Warnings - Updated Aug 18, 2009

Take note of the travel warnings but get them into perspective. I travel widely and the sensational dangers that make international headlines are usually furthest from our minds.

A quick review of of some of the Australian government travel warnings as of today puts the danger of travelling to the Philippines about the same as Thailand and safer than travelling to Indonesia.

The Island of Mindanao is not considered safe unless you know what you are doing. Kidnappings of foreigners are constantly in the news. The worst trouble spots are in the Sulu Islands. These islands stretch down from the south west of Mindanao to Sabah, which is part of Malaysia. The most famous of the trouble spots, Basilan and Jolo, are part of these Islands.

Keep in mind that this is a third world country and there are plenty of people out there who are ready to take advantage of your carelessness or naivety, especially taxi drivers. Read the section on Scams.

If you can't affort travel insurance, you cant afford to travel!