Travel warnings mean different things to different people. For some, even the hint of trouble means cancelling a trip. For others, it’s a little added excitement. But now French tourists who decide to risk travel to dangerous places, might find themselves owing the government money for the cost of rescuing them.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has introduced a bill that targets “French nationals who travel without a valid reason to dangerous areas, despite being warned of the dangers they face.”
Apparently the French government spent a great deal of money – hundreds of thousands of euros – in rescuing tourists from Thailand last year. Not to mention the problems they have had with journalists being kidnapped.
It is an interesting problem, and a solution that perhaps could come into wider use. (Assuming the bill in France passes.) When we were in Alaska years ago, sled dog trainers told us of regular rescue missions in Denali National Park. Often where people had just been stupid – as in hiking in areas they were told to avoid, or setting off for a day hike armed with a tiny bottle of water and no food, etc., etc.
Clearly such rescue charges would be controversial, as in, “What constitutes a dangerous area?” In the U.S., areas under a travel warning could presumably qualify, but would just going to a dangerous part of town and being kidnapped? And would reckless behavior in terms of hiking or skiing or mountain climbing also qualify?
But with governments being more and more pressured to cut costs and increase revenue, it could be an idea whose time has come.
And a final note to Tripso.com readers, I don’t know any places in the U.S., that are adapting such a policy, but if there are, please feel free to add the information in the comments.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
