Jaunted

War on Terrorism Travel: Lonely Planet Cracks Afghanistan

10/05/2007 at 3:05 PM
Tags: Dangerous Travel, Lonely Planet (all tags)

Did someone forget to tell us it's dangerous travel week? A day after taking a look at Burma, we hear about the new Lonely Planet guidebook to Afghanistan. (Out now in paperback!)

In a review in the San Francisco Chronicle, John Flinn picks out some of his favorite parts of the guide:

Turn to the "Dangers & Annoyances" section, and instead of the usual cautions about bedbugs and pickpockets you find a warning about "the danger of an insurgency in the south, plus warlordism and terrorist violence in some other parts of the country."

Which isn't to say you won't find tips about hotels and write-ups of the country's history. And while the US State Department says, "The security threat to all American citizens in Afghanistan remains critical," Lonely Planet's North American publisher sees a bigger picture:

We're not expecting a lot of travelers to buy this book and immediately jump on a plane to Kabul. But part of our job is to take a look at where travel patterns might change in a few years. We do think that once the country stabilizes there is going to be a lot of interest.

Related Stories:
· Lonely Planet Guide Jumps the Terrorist Gun [SFGate]
· Lonely Planet Publishes Afghanistan Guidebook [WorldHum]
· Dangerous Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Lonely Planet]