Thanks to some breathless, and completely false, reporting by a few in the “news” industry there are many people who are under the impression that Europe is littered with “no-go zones” where Islamic radicals have assumed control and are enforcing Sharia law.

People like LindaM112 for example, who posted a question on the VirtualTourist forums seeking advice as to whether it was safe to travel to Paris, as she was concerned about the ISIS threat.

Fortunately we have #TravelCommunityFacts to counterbalance #FoxNewsFacts.

What are you nervous about?

 

Terrorists? They can strike anywhere in the world (as in Copenhagen recently) but you are more likely to be struck by lightning.

 

No-go zones? … This is nonsense. Several small tour companies have now started doing (tongue-in-cheek) “tours of the dangerous zones of Paris” …

 

the biggest danger in Paris (as in Chicago) is being hit by a car, so be careful when crossing streets. ~Nemorino

The fact that one attack has happened in one place … does not mean that you will be any more at risk than you would be in…well, Boston, for example. ~leics

As good as the propaganda might be from some groups, the reverse propaganda (read: the truth) taking place on travel communities across the web is proving to be even more effective.

As a traveler, how often do you find yourself convincing your friends and acquaintances who don’t travel as much that the world actually isn’t as scary and threatening as some might make it out to be?

Read the thread in its entirety: Paris Safe?