Hello everyone,

I am traveling to Paris next weekend 10/28 - 10/31 for a 2 nights stay. Do you think it is safe to Paris right before the election? My hubby is very concern about safety to France during this period. Any comment?

You'll be as safe in Paris as anywhere else.

This has got to be a joke, right??

Give 'silly' a break people. This poster has 2 posts, one answered by mk_2 (self explanatory) and the other is this one. I understand that the question has been asked before and is one that many of us consider moot, but this is a newbie. Be kind.

Even so, it is a silly question. Why would it be more dangerous? What has Paris to do with the US elections? Really, if you ask this sort of thing you deserve the answers.

I did not intend to be unkind, but OP's the name is "sillywin," so I really thought this was a joke, where sillywin was spoofing silly questions. If it is a serious question, I will answer.

Why do you feel unsafe in Paris? Do you think it's unsafe because the French opposed the Iraq war? If that's the case, then you'd better stay home because you're not safe anywhere outside the US.

Probably safer than Washington, DC

Equally mad idea from the same poster here too!

You're in Paris for two nights, London for three nights, are you one of these people who just like to say that you've been somewhere?

Buy yourself a nuclear fallout shelter with fifty years supply of food, get back to us then, it's ultra safe in there!

This is a troll.Read her other posts.

<u>Forty thousand people die</u> every year in traffic accidents in the U.S.

Do you smoke? A thousand people a day die prematurely of tobacco-related illness.

Are you overweight? Don't exercise? Shall I go on?

If personal safety really concerns you, you're looking in the wrong direction.

(By the way, I think France is probably safer than the U.K. because of their respective stands on the invasion of Iraq. But I wouldn't hesitate for a second to visit either one.)

Actually, I don't think it is all that silly a quesiton. One has to admidt that, after 9/11, many people have increasingly become fightened about the threat of both US and international terrorism. The train station bombings in Madrid added to travelers already increased worry. Lots of people we know questioned our interest in plans to travel to France this past fall. My husband and I travel a fair amount, yet when we decided to travel to France this fall, we gave some thought about traveling close to the election, and decided to fly on a non- American flight. Looking back, I think we got spooked by the terrorism hype so prevalent in the US. While we did not stay in Paris on this trip, we passed through CDG on our way south. We felt no danger at all at any time, and actuaaly maybe we were safer there than we would be in the US. Go to Paris and enjoy the wonderful city.

-Margret

justretired; I think you are right about the terrorism hype in the US. When people think there might be some problem travelling to Europe because of the US elections, one does wonder what they read or hear at home.

The question might make sense to you, but to Europeans, it is just a very strange question. What would the danger consist of? Would France be attacked because there are elections in the US? Or is there a fear that French citizens would be hostile to American tourists?

&gt;I think France is probably safer than the U.K. because of their respective stands on the invasion of Iraq.&lt;

safer from what?

When I first read the post I wondered if it was referring to safety regarding the anti-American feeling abroad. Perhaps if that is the case, it would be safer before the election, because if Bush gets reelected the European countries will not be happy. I'll be there in February and I guess I'll find out. As an aside the last time I was there was right before we invaded Iraq and we were treated well as always.

This could be a VERY broad overgeneralization, but I would venture to say that many Americans who like to travel abroad tend not to appreciate Bush's foreign policy to begin with. Anne Robinson once said that only 5% of Americans hold passports, so those who do could be seen as being part of the enlightened elite? (Oh dear, I'm in trouble now, aren't I?)

I haven't met a European yet who thought I was responsible for the American president's adventures. Holding whole countries culpable for the acts of their leaders is idiotic. (See also: Freedom Fries.)

But if the <i>jihadista</i> are going to blow up something in Europe to &quot;make a statement&quot; (as they did in Spain), they are much more likely to do so in a country allied with the U.S. than one that opposes its policies.

I wonder if it's true that only 5% of Americans hold passports. That seems awfully low to me. Soes anyone have any back-up for that?

GOATEE:What a load of crap.

I'm curious what exactly your husband's concerns are...

Safety of the flight? Safety of airports? On the streets of Paris? Your hotel? Restaurants? Safety in getting out of and returning to the U.S.?

Well I happy that I will be able to report both before and after elections.
will be there Oct. 27-28 and November 9-12. Can't wait.