Not-so-dangerous destinations

Now you can visit fascinating places with bad reputations

Let's say you're planning a Caribbean vacation. You're not sure which island you want to see, so you visit a well-known travel Web site and browse their map. There's Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and ...




Wait a second — doesn't another country share the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic? What happened to Haiti?

You know a country is off the beaten path when a major travel company doesn't even show it on their maps. In a nutshell, that's Haiti — a country with a reputation so ravaged by decades of civil war, catastrophic weather calamities and crippling corruption that you might forget it's even in the Caribbean.
 
It wasn't always like this. Even during the time of notoriously corrupt François “Papa Doc” Duvalier in the 1960s, Haiti was a popular tourist destination. And that's to say nothing of one of the Americas' most famous travelers, Christopher Columbus, who landed here in 1492. But when the military took power in a coup in 1991, the political situation rapidly deteriorated and the international community condemned the new regime for human rights abuses. Ever since, "Haiti" has been synonymous with poverty and violence.




To be sure, Haiti is still a desperately poor nation, but adventurous travelers are coming to appreciate this beleaguered nation for its West African-influenced heritage, truly untouched beaches and vibrant urban culture. And getting there is simple: Daily direct flights to Port-Au-Prince are available from most major American cities, and they're actually quite affordable.

Haiti is just one example of a country struggling to overcome a reputation for danger. Telling friends or family that you are traveling to Bangladesh, Bosnia or any country ending in “-stan” is likely to result in expressions of concern for your safety. But, as with Haiti, many of these concerns are based on dusty mental files and stereotypes that are easier to employ than explode.




More often than not, it's political unrest that tarnishes a country's image. And that's not always fair, says Julia Dimon, a travel journalist and co-host of “Word Travels,” a documentary series about the real lives of travel writers airing internationally on the National Geographic Adventure channel. “Political strife found in certain areas of a country shouldn't taint the entire destination,” says Dimon. “Despite negative news and nasty travel advisories, I've discovered that life goes on as normal — people shop, play, drink, pray and try to take care of their families.”



Haiti will Survive anyway...