anyone ever been on a middle eastern roadtrip?
thinking about it... any dangers?
>>1090543
ISIS.
>>1090543
I've done some road tripping in the UAE and out to the Omani exclaves. No risk whatsoever apart from some slightly maniacal drivers (better in my experience than most of Asia, but much too fast and slightly careless) and some police roadblocks to look for alcohol. There are evidently a couple of gray market liquor stores along the highway (that do not check for liquor licenses), and police in one of the smaller Emirates (Sharjah, maybe? Dunno) have been known to stop cars heading home to Dubai. Heard about it second-hand; didn't happen to us.
>>1090604
Well, I need to go to India almost out of Turkey.. rough draft of what im thinking about doing.. I know nothing about the middle east and i hope an IED doesn't blow me the fuck up... all i know is iraq is bad and iran is good...
EDIT: im a US citizen is that bad?
>>1090645
>im a US citizen is that bad?
Well, it will make it more difficult to get visas for Pakistan for sure (have to apply for that one in your home country--if you are in Turkey now, you will not be able to get in to Pakistan), and perhaps for Iran (I've heard that the authorities on their side are actually very hospitable to us, despite the fact that we're the Great Satan), maybe for Afghanistan (I was only there for work, had no bureaucratic problems).
I also don't know what the land border crossing situation is like at the moment. The Turkey-Iraq border has been quite porous for a few years now, as has the Turkey-Syria border, but Erdogan is under pressure from half a dozen countries to close them down. And you should already know that even relatively safe Iraqi Kurdistan is very close in spots to the ISIS front lines, and that none of the belligerents fighting against Daesh are friends of Uncle Sam. It has also historically been a huge pain in the ass for foreigners to cross into India from Pakistan, and land borders between Afghanistan and Pak may or may not be open. Not to mention that your route looks as though it's headed through the Pashtun heartland of southern Afghanistan, which is the get-yourself-blown-uppest part of the country and includes some areas that are under renewed Taliban control (the relatively safe parts of Afghanistan, apart from Kabul, are mostly in the far North).
Not easy to tell where you expect to cross into Pakistan, either, but parts are quite dangerous--pretty much all of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and big pieces of Balochistan are all hostile to Americans.
I can't think of a good enough reason to make this trip. I'd love to see Iran, parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan are really gorgeous, and Eastern Turkey also has a lot of charm, or did when I was last there almost ten years ago. But I would fly.
I roadtripped around Oman last year. It's a first world country; no danger whatsoever, apart from the fucking suicidal drivers. We got on okay speaking only English. Best vacation I've ever had.
Make sure to visit Rakka when going through Syria, it's got a tons of nice stuff to see, ancient and modern.
And if you ever run into a hitch remember, a few american dollars can help grease things along.
>>1090645
>Syria
Google Syria or watch the news, you dont want to go there right now because even in government/pkk held areas there is a high chance of ISIS kidnappings or stray shells.
>Turkey - Iraq Boarder
You wont be able to cross into Iraq from Turkey, PKK solders hold those crossings and dont let any westerners in without a fixer, mainly because they are worried about them going off to fight for ISIS.
>Syria - Iraq Boarder
That road is a battle ground, Kurds took it from ISIS some time ago but the fighting continues because its a main road into Mosul and they are trying to stop any possible Kurdish push via that road.
>Mosul
Mosul is ISIS held at the moment.
>Iran
Iran bans Americans from traveling without a state sanctioned guide, much like North Korea. You would not be able to drive yourself through there.
Afghanistan and FATA in Pakistan are also no go areas for obvious reasons, just use google my friend.
I hope this is a troll lol.
>>1090666
Satan please stop luring westerners to their deaths.
>>1090543
>anyone ever been on a middle eastern roadtrip?
>thinking about it... any dangers?
In the Middle East? Nah.
OP here I think imma go ahead and take your guys advice and not attempt it.. next question Iraqi airlines good or nah? I'm going to get a connecting flight to India so I can resume the road trip
>>1090667
>pkk soldiers hold turkey/iraq crossings and don't let any westerners in without a fixer
This is complete and utter nonsense. You have pulled this 'information' out of your ass 100%. It is perfectly easy to cross from Turkey into Kurdish Iraq. You are able to get a visa on arrival, even (most Western nationalities). The way you speak of "PKK solders" (sic!) makes me think you're a Turkish nationalist. In which case, take your propaganda elsewhere.
AS TO OP:
Your plan isn't completely impossible, there have been people who have done it. But you don't seem well prepared enough to pull anything even close to it off. I can only give advice to Turkey and its neighbours. Expect serious trouble in Afghanistan and Pakistan, border-wise particularly.
There was a guy who did a massive thread a few months back about driving through the entire middle east in his range rover(?). He posted loads of information that would be incredibly useful to you. Can anyone link an archive?
>>1090784
OP here fuck it, I came here for a road trip and im going to finish it. See ya on the other side
>>1090822
I dont understand how thats a response to my post, but godspeed nonetheless
Just woke up, 9AM and getting ready for that border crossing
>>1090645
>i_have_a_death_wish.png
>>1090822
Read through that linked thread. Those guys were way better prepared than you are, and they turned back before Afghanistan because it would have been too dangerous.
>>1090645
>that itinerary
what the fuck do you think you're doing you absolute madman
>>1090988
He did go to Afghanistan though
>>1091020
They didn't go through, only made it to Afghanistan, i think they went in but only to Herat just over the Iranian boarder.
What if you're a muslim but white european, any problems?
>>1091020
They turned back immediately because they (correctly, IMO) saw that it would have been suicide to go into Afghanistan. Mountain roads which can be blocked immediately by highwaymen or worse, whole provinces where the central government doesn't even pretend to have any control anymore, etc. etc.
Your plan is pretty cool, but if you're going, you'll end up a 2-paragraph story in your homecountry's national newspaper saying "Citizen tried to drive to India, is now being held hostage and needs $250.000 in order to not be decapitated."
>>1091036
>>1091028
Didnt they take this route?
>>1090974
>>1090988
>>1090543
Well, I guess someones not going through afghanistan but turkmenistan..
>>1090973
I have no idea if you are really OP, or if OP was just a troll, but if you are OP and you were crazy rather than joking, you'll have to find a route that doesn't go through Pakistan. American citizens cannot get visas for Pakistan except from within the US. Nothing available on arrival--there is a 100% chance you will be turned away at the AG-PK border.
And getting a visa from the embassy in DC can be a time-consuming hassle. For years now, the Pakistani government has been sending back applications from Americans for multiple rounds of questions, occasionally over the course of months, sometimes to say no at the end of the ordeal.
I wanna do this but I'm an 18 year old female.
I never heard of a female doing this kind of trip especially one my age. How is that?
>>1091161
I hope you have a rape fantasy
>>1091161
>doing this kind of trip
Well, it's nigh impossible for everyone.
>>1091161
Lots of girls have done trips this ambitious. Only one whose name I can recall is this Canuck girl hitchhiked and couchsurfed through like 37 countries in Africa. Her websites are all down for some reason; all I can find is this grainy-ass video, but she's a cool lady.
https://vimeo.com/35060725
This thread is full of fags falling for bad bait
>>1091191
Last couple weeks I've been emailing back and forth with a girl who just hitchhiked from Spain to Mauritania and back to ride the train. Her strengths as a traveler are inspirational to me, and I'm a dude. All kinds of crazy stories.
>>1091347
By herself?
How old is she?
>>1091396
No idea. Her blog is called Lambpost; she's awesome.
>>1090543
OP here, talked to the locals at Dahuk, and they said that the road i was on leads straight into an isis checkpoint at Mosul. They directed me to Ash Shikhan Qadha and they said just cut off onto that road and I should be going to Iran if all is good. Pulled off beside the desert road with my AT&T hotspot talking to you guys on 1 bar of 3G gonna let this post and go to bed for the night. Will keep this thread updated
>>1091483
but...have you done any research at all into a visa for Iran?
>>1091483
Are you doing this by yourself?
>>1091491
Also might I add, I had to bribe the Iraqi officials with 1.2k US dollars to get through because your not aloud in Iraq without a tour guide or another person...
why would anyone want to do this
>>1091526
Christ, from where did you start?
I want to do this by myself but as I said I'm a woman and an inexperienced immature one at that so I'm chicken shit.
But I'm ready :^) The other posters reassured me
>>1091527
How did you get 1.2K dollars especially all of that to spend it away? OMG
>>1090645
Congratulations, you have chosen the single most dangerous route over the middle east
>>1091556
Youre never going to do it.
But if you do, you will get raped and murdered
>>1090645
If that's your plan, you're cleary too dumb to do this
OP, are you an American? Because if this
>>1091526
>imma try to do this the sneaky way
>>1091527
>I had to bribe the Iraqi officials with 1.2k US dollars
is true, if you are pulled over at any given time, you might end up in jail over spionage/terrorism charges.
It'd be a hell of a tale if you reach India and it's not my position to tell you what (not) to do, but I would reconsider. Godspeed.
>>1091037
That was their plan, but IIRC they drove about 5km in Afghanistan before having to turn back.
probably a troll, but if you're serious you must be 100%, completely and utterly out of your fucking mind to drive through Syria and Iraq. Your proposed path goes through ISIS controlled areas... aka the most dangerous place in the entire world at this moment. Do not do this.
Troll thread guys
>no pics
Stop feeding him
OP here just left Erbil Iraq family ball will post pics when MacBook charges
>>1091964
*family mall
>>1090645
it's like you tried to draw the most suicidal and dangerous route conceivable
>>1091969 How?
Erbil, Iraq Family mall
>>1091526
I'm sort of jealous of the situation you seem to be in. If you don't post a detailed trip report with photos I'mma backtrace this and kick your ass. I'll allow a grace period if you land in Iranian prison.
>>1091556
Just ask on Thorntree or reddit for a travel buddy. No reason to do it alone. I wish my wife were up for this kind of thing.
>>1092176
but he sounds badass
i wanna be badass like him
>>1090645
You're retarded. This is one of the most dangerous routes you could take.
You will not be able to cross the Turkey - Iraq border, they won't let you through.
Even if you could, you would be heading straight for Islamic State territory. You are literally crossing right through Mosul, just north of al-Anbar. Good luck getting out alive through that.
Next, crossing through Iraq itself is a suicide wish, especially as you're a fucking American. You also wouldn't be able to get past the Iraq - Iran border.
Western and central Iran would be ok, but once again, it's a death wish crossing into eastern Iran. That area is zoned off in every Iran tourist guide (I'm going to Iran next year, I've informed myself well), due to events in Afghanistan.
You wouldn't be able to be in Iran in the first place as you are an American so the only thing you could do is an official tour guide.
Next, you're headed right into your second war zone - Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Assuming you don't step on the thousands of land mines scattered all throughout that war-torn country, good luck not getting picked up by Al-Qaeda militants. There's no way you'd even make it to Kandahar.
Anyway, crossing through Pakistan is yet another stupid thing to do. Pakistan is not a war zone but the threat of terrorism is extremely high and as a westerner, especially as an American, you couldn't just stroll through there.
I know you said you don't know anything about the middle east, but surely you can't be this uninformed and fucking stupid.
Are Americans really this naive?
>>1092247
how?
>>1092609
look for american relations with the middle east these past 40 years then come back.
