We have been planning this y2k trip for over 2 yrs but with the threat of terrorism we are not convinced we should go to Paris to celebrate. Anyone have any thoughts? We leave on 12/28 & return on 1/6. (maybe)

I think you've just opened up a can of worms. You're going to get replies telling you that you're statistically more likely to get killed crossing the street if you stay home, and you're going to get replies telling you to stay home for heaven's sake because there's an official terrorist alert. <BR> <BR>Personally, I fall into the first camp (which I guess means that I should be scared, because I am staying home and will be crossing streets) and if I had plans to go, I'd go. My reasons for stying home have nothing to do with any Y2K stuff. Come to think of it, I did fly to Europe during the big Gulf War terrorism scare. *But* I really think it comes down to you. If you are going to be so worried that it ruins your trip, what difference does it make what I'd do? <BR> <BR>If you go, have a great trip. If not, have a great time at home.

<BR>hmmmm, this is a question only you can answer, after doing your research and thinking about your mental comfort level. I probably wouldn't, but then we usually don't travel at any holiday time anyway. And do you have non-refundable tickets?? If you do go, I hope it's a wonderful and safe event for you and be sure to tell us about it.

Well, this is just my opinion, so take it for what it is worth. I think there is more of a risk of terrorism this New Years than usual, and terrorism experts would likely tell you the same. However, the risk to any individual traveller is generally miniscule, so this year it will be slightly more than miniscule. I think the risk is not so much greater that I would change my plans.

Like KT, I'm spending the Millenium in the U.S. (at work, oh lucky moi) and wishing I could be anywhere else, for safety's sake. See, in this grand (canyon) state, someone has made off with hundreds of pounds of explosives from a mining company, and authorities fear a terrorist attack. Goody, not only do I get to die, but I get to do it at my desk. <BR>All that comes down to: there's no place safe, and there's no place dangerous...it's a crapshoot...so go to Paris and have a damn good time. Be sure to raise a toast to those of us who are stuck inside this mobile with the Memphis blues again....I'd trade places with you in a New York minute.

I (perhaps foolishly) liken these "terrorism warnings" to the "do not use if..." labels you find on anything you might buy. For example, a friend's father once bought one of those giant reflectors you put on your dashboard to cover up the windshield and keep the car cool inside. It came with a warning: "Do not use while driving." It's stating the obvious, but if the company doesn't put the warning on and some idiot tries to drive with the thing covering his windshield and kills a little kid, there could be legal difficulties. Chances of terrorism are slim (and possibly greater in the US than in, say, Paris) but if the State Dept. doesn't say "be careful," which is in effect stating the obvious, and, God forbid, something happens, they might get some flak. This way, their asses are covered. And, to paraphrase Elvira, if you've got to go, better to go out in style.

You're lucky to be going but you can't expect to be worry-free on this trip. The whole "point" of terrorism is to strike unpredictably, so putting percentages on where and when is hopeless. But if you want to line up which worries come first, I'd say traveling on a US carrier is probably marginally riskier than some other airline; that Paris is less vulnerable than New York City but more than Zurich to some form of terrorism; that traveling in the first week after New Year's involves slightly more risk of technological problems than of terroristic actions. <BR> <BR>The State Department will never issue a warning for a specific country unless it either in on the outs with that country or the country itself has requested the alert. Therefore, all you are going to get from them is a generic "watch out" for the holidays -- which is not to say there aren't some active plots being monitored, but we really only have control over what happens here (e.g., Wash. state and Vt.) if that. <BR> <BR>I'd say gauge your own anxiety level, and if you go, try to be flexible reudden changes of plans -- don't get yourself in a crowd you can't get away from quickly.

Does anybody remember the Kingston Trio song, "The Merry Minuet"?

I'm borrowing a line posted on this forum some time back, and I've used it quite a bit. Don't remember who posted it (or I'd give credit) but it's a jewel and went something like this! "What if you stay home because such-and-such might happen - and it doesn't? What are you out? A great vacation to (fill in the word)." Go! Enjoy! Honestly, if your time's up, it's up no matter where you are or what the surroundings. Don't let threats of terrorism stop your plans, because then they win. Sorry, didn't mean to preach........

Canada might be a safe place to visit next year since all of our lebanese/algerian terorists are fleeing to the US.

If I were you Ginger and exactly in your shoes, I would go and have a whale of a time. End of story. Well, I will tell another story....right after Chernobyl happened (in spring of 1986, I think it was) I had to decide whether or not to go to a scheduled trip/conference in Budapest. I decided to go, and all the European participants at the conference laughed at the weak-kneed Americans we did cancel and stay home. I would've missed a wonderful trip--Budapest,Vienna, Paris. Of course, I do glow in the dark at little, since the winds from Chernobyl blew towards Budapest, but I wouldn't trade those trip memories for anything. I am glad I went. (You must realize I am kidding about my radioactivity.)

That glowing in the dark would be handy when trying to find that elusive bathroom down the hall.

Ginger: assuming you are American I would say "get over yourself". Deciding not to go to Paris because of terroriists is pathetic. Do you think that Americans are the only people who are threathened by terrorists? There is a risk to all people living in Western countries not just Americans. Anyway if there was a terrorist threat in Paris what about all the French people that could die? or do thier lives not mean anything because they are not American. I think your comment was a very uneducated statement and as a European I find it insulting!! <BR> <BR>But if you do decide to go and not let terrorists dictate your life , then I hope you have a great trip!!!

Come on, CJK, cool it a little. Who out there does not think a little bit about their own safety? You don't? <BR> <BR>Naturally, I figure my chances of getting mugged in NYC are greater than being involved in a terrorist attack. <BR>And I also know that the French police don't fool around with bomb threats. But anyone is bound to be a little concerned with all of the news reports and US Government warnings. <BR> <BR>I was in London during the IRA bombings of a few years ago. Going by stores fortified with sandbags was a little unsettling, when I stopped to think why they were there.

Ginger, <BR>I just posted the following as an add on to the posting for Season's Greetings. I think it's particularly appropriate here, as well: <BR>For the prospective traveller "…pack your bags and go on your travels before <BR>it is too late. There are still vast tracts of the world which beg to be visited; and travel will give you a wealth of experience and pleasure which can be drawn on for the rest of your life - a wealth, furthermore, which no government can ever take away. If the very worst happens and you are miserable on your travels (unlikely), at least you will have learnt to appreciate your own country. I have never regretted visiting a single country (though three days in Dubai were enough), and I have rarely met anyone who regretted going on their travels. Our greatest disappointments are nearly always for what we haven't done - not for what we have done. And don't let the feeble excuse of work keep you back; remember the Haitian proverb: If work is such a good thing, how come the rich haven't grabbed it all for themselves?" - (John Hatt, travel writer and publisher.)

To thinkaboutit--is the Merry Minuet the one that begins: "They're rioting in Africa, tra la la la la la? <BR> <BR>BTW, I'll be safe at home in the Big Apple!

This is a reply to Kay re, her Chernobyl story. <BR>Not all the Europeans took the incident as lightly as those you met. We lived for 5 years on Lake Constance, just outside of Meersburg in Germany. We left before the Chernobyl incident. The radioactive clouds settled over our area, and manifested itself in contaminated milk and produce. <BR>When we went back to visit in 92, people were extremely worried about the long term effects, and one of my son's friends (then 18) had developed cancer. <BR>I think your trip at that time was foolish. Perhaps it was based on bravado, or perhaps on ignorance of the long-term effects of radiation. Either way, it was not a hypothetical risk (as are the terrorist threats), and warranted more serious consideration than you gave it. <BR>I should point out that Europeans who laugh at Americans for the way we respond to various situations are not necessarily superior (or even correct); more likely they are just set in their ways, which are different, and which they naturally think are best. <BR>More on topic, one should assess the risks based on whether they are actual (such as Chernobyl) or only possible (such as a terrorist attack), and act accordingly.

This has nothing to do with terrorism... but the reason I wouldn't go is because the time of year.... I have friends who were in Paris on Bastille Day and New Years and said it was just crazy! There were too many people... people throwing fire crackers at your feet... People grabbing them... etc... I guess if it is your first time in Paris... maybe you'd like to go at a different time of year... to get the feeling of Paris... I don't know... Just an idea. But it really depends on what you prefer...

Merry Minuet - Rioting in Africa - Arent' we talking Tom Lehrer, rather than Kingston Trio? <BR> <BR>As for the posted question -- yes, we can all die in our beds, or a car can jump the curb in front of Macy's or Marshall Fields and take out an innocent pedestrian or two....but why tempt fate? <BR> <BR>I don't know if I would suck up the cost and cancel plans I'd already made -- but I do know I'm darned glad I didn't make any and will be far from any madding crowd come 12/31. <BR> <BR>Wonder how the poor folks sitting on that India airliner would answer this question.....