Don’t Believe Everything You Read

I scrambled to find the right amount of money to pay for my brunch. I pulled out blue bills from my most recent trip and joked with the server about having more foreign money in my wallet than American money. I told her about my visit to Malaysia and she replied, “I’d never go there after what happened to those planes.” Her sentiment isn’t an uncommon one, but it still made me think.

So much of what we believe about “safe” versus “unsafe” places comes from the news and arbitrary travel advisories from the State Department. In the case of Malaysia, there’s nothing that could have been done differently for the most part to avoid the two tragic incidents.

I visited Malaysia on behalf of the government tourism board after what should have been a great year for the country under the campaign “Visit Malaysia Year 2014” until it went sour when Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing and soon after Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over the Ukraine, killing all onboard.

Both were unspeakable tragedies, especially for the Malaysian, Chinese and European passengers and their families and especially for the survivors of the MH370 passengers, who are still looking for answers. But you don’t hear about people not flying on United because of the September 11 attacks.

I flew Malaysian Airlines twice over the course of my trip, from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and back, without incident and with great service. Yet we were flown out on Cathay Pacific because many of us mightn’t have agreed to go if our host had been Malaysian Airlines. We are all prone to assumptions and prejudice.

The same went for my time in Bangkok earlier this year under the government coup. I had family and friends message me, worried about my safety, but for the most part the protests were isolated to certain neighborhoods in a sprawling metropolis. I was only inconvenienced when it came to having to eat dinner earlier and leaving for the airport earlier under the curfew. But judging by the international news coverage, you’d think it was a war zone. The same went for my visit to Turkey last year following months of protests.

So the point of this all is to tell you this: don’t believe everything you read. Take everything with a grain of salt, whether it be sensationalized news reports, government inflicted color-coded “terror levels” or the opinions of people you know.

Horrible things happen nearly everywhere and that won’t change. But these places need you to visit them. How else would you taste the unique blend of flavors known as laksa, see orangutans in their natural habitat or experience Malaysian hospitality?

Have you ever visited somewhere deemed “dangerous?”

I visited Malaysia on behalf of Tourism Malaysia, but strong opinions about the importance of visiting the country are my own. To learn more about my sponsorships, partnerships and disclaimers, see my Media page.