Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition (Robert Young Pelton the World's Most Dangerous Places)

 (114 customer reviews)

I've heard Robert Young Pelton speak, and he is, if anything, even more thoughtful and provocative in person. He has written an extraordinary book that ordinary people will take to be a sensationalist travel guide, while real experts scrutinize every page for the hard truths about the real world that neither the CIA nor the media report. Unlike clandestine case officers and normal foreign service officers, all of them confined to capital cities and/or relying on third party reporting, Robert Young Pelton actually goes to the scene of the fighting, the scene of the butchery, the scene of the grand thefts, and unlike all these so-called authoritative sources, he actually has had eyeballs on the targets and boots in the mud. I have learned two important lessons from this book, and from its author Robert Young Pelton: First, trust no source that has not actually been there. He is not the first to point out that most journalists are "hotel warriors", but his...Read more

After receiving this book as a gift, I ignored it's incredible white-pages size girth and began reading about everyplace in the world myself, as an American and Westerner, should avoid, and for what reasons.Written as a true guidebook for aspiring war-zone journalists and adventurers, DP doesn't skimp on the facts nor gloss over details that might decide your life or death in the most war-torn (Chechnya, Algeria) or statistically dangerous (Colombia, Cambodia) countries on the Earth. With well over 30 countries examined, you'll learn first hand why a Westerner shouldn't visit there, followed by detailed descriptions of who to avoid, what regional areas to steer clear from, and in case you really want to experience life on the wild side or if you really need that Solider of Fortune byline, how to get in and out without dying.Most fascinating to me is the rating system DP gives to certain countries. You'd be alarmed to learn why places such as Ethiopia gets a solid 5...Read more

I have read this book (in this version and it's earlier editions) several times, and I still cannot get enough. This is due to several reasons.First, because I have found Pelton's accounts of various places I personally have been to be accurate, I trust the author. And trustworthiness is an important characteristic of a writer in Pelton's position - ie. advisor to individuals contemplating travel into some of the world's most dangerous places.Second, I keep going back to DP because I enjoy Pelton's style. He is a no-nonsense, "tell it like it is" guy...but he never loses his sense of humor - an essential quality to have when traveling in places that are dangerous, uncomfortable, or inconvient.Third, I find this book invaluable, not only because of the travel advice dispensed, but also because, for me, reading each new edition of DP is like getting an update in worldwide current events - but NOT from the network TV drones who report only what America wants to...Read more