From The Guardian


From Facebook


I won't be travelling to the USA any time soon.  Both Lisa and I have family in the USA, but stories like the above, the overall political situation there, and our dislike of flying all combine into three strikes and we're out.   There is little doubt in my mind that their current president is having a far greater changing effect on their country and the world as a whole than any previous president, but I feel he's doing so in a morally broken way, and the changes we hear about are far removed from being good ones for the most part.

 
I enjoyed my previous visits to the USA.  But now that the unpredictable psychopath is in charge I have put the USA on my blacklist of countries that I will not visit.  I fear that I would be picked up by the thought police at the border; and moreover the nation contains a lot of his supporters and I think they are people that I would not want to meet.

 
I was lucky enough to be able to take (very-)early retirement from my job with a finance company. In the following few years, I treated myself to some of the notable trans-continental rail journeys, including the Trans-Siberian and USA Coast-to-Coast.

In both cases, though widely different experiences, I would not have hesitated in recommending them. However, in today's political climate I would steer well clear for the foreseeable future.

 
I travelled fairly extensively through Eastern Europe with a friend in the dying days of communism, it was difficult at times and some of the regimes were pretty appalling, and border crossings were quite an experience.

I'm really glad I did it though as the people were invariably friendly, interested/interesting although often cautious as they were wary of the authorities, although starting to assert themselves as a new wind was blowing through.

The history was fascinating and the natural scenery undiminished by whoever happened to be General Secretary/Dear Leader at the time.

I also spent time in South Africa during the apartheid years as I have family there.

My message would be don't write off travelling to any country simply because you don't care for the incumbent regime. If I had, my horizons would have been considerably reduced.

Americans generally speaking are very well disposed to the British and your chances of coming to harm are minimal - probably safer there than in many parts of Europe in all honesty.

 
Regarding the USofA, my view is recorded at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=31237.msg369290#msg369290 

Turning to South Africa, my own family experience there was brilliant: the politics and economy were rubbish, but we had a great time and met some lovely people.

CfN.