US recommends Americans reconsider traveling to China due to arbitrary law enforcement, exit bans

[Xolodno]

12. Whenever we travel abroad....

...I get friends and relatives who say "I heard it was dangerous over there", everywhere from Mexico to France. My response, "I'm more likely to get shot walking by a school here in the USA". Usually silences them. Japan is very safe, but if you fart in the wrong direction you will get to experience their amazing justice prosecution success rate.

Problem is, the State Department practically does the "boogey man" on just about every country. And if they had it their way, you never visit another country and spend all your vacation/tourist income right here.

Just be smart, know what you are doing and don't go to seedy areas. Knowing a language they don't know is also helpful, in western Europe, when a scammer would come by, I just started speaking in Russian. That got them to back off in a jiffy. Going to Egypt soon, friend of mine told me it won't work there as Russians vacation there quite heavily (he tried it), so Espanol it is. Not sure about a country, go with a tour group.