It is not advisable for the average citizen to visit war zone areas just because they are curious on what is happening over those areas, unless they are professionals that are assigned in those areas. Past war zone areas that are reported to be relatively safe may not be entirely safe for a day and for travelers wishing to see such places they must be accompanied with professionals and authorized locals. Not all war zones are open to tourists but even if the safety flag has been raised, travelers should always be prepared for their trip. Even at places where it is not considered a war zone will become a war zone right away due to unforeseen events.
Travelers are good targets for enemies in war zones because they can be mistaken as spies sent by the opposing party. That is why you see a lot of tourists in the news being kidnapped or taken hostage by the enemy group although they may have planned to capture tourists in the first place in order to make some negotiations. You will not see any random person wandering in the middle of the war zone. Even if travelers do not have any ill intentions in visiting such places, you can still be mistaken as a spy. Travelers are considered as soft targets by the opposing party because they are not backed up by large organizations.
If you still insist on traveling to war zone areas, preparing for war zone safety is probably your best move for now.
- Ask travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the UK.
- One of the famous war zone places to visit is Afghanistan. Visit the Afghanistan NGO Security Office to get assistance and more information about traveling there.
- The US State Department also offers information, warnings and travel advice.
Some travelers take training courses from professionals to guard against unwanted occurrences in war zone areas. They get professional training that is designed to protect oneself when traveling in such places. They are not difficult to find. You can find a course relating to hostile environment traveling and will return to you a local address of where you can take your training. The training includes all the issues of the place and may include practical experience by the instructor. The training course normally lasts between 2 and 5 days which also involves role playing, first aid application and oftentimes weapons training.