A New Direction for BootsnAll

Go. Go. Go. On that trip, for that adventure, with or without a friend, to become more.

Ha, ha, you got me when I checked the Blog earlier — I totally forgot about the date. Damn, I sent off several official emails today, wonder if anybody takes them seriously??

HA HA…. I nearly fell for it!!!! THe trouble is that there are a lot of people who think like that.

Keep up the good work

Good One, Chris - LOL

oh my god, i haven’t fallen for an april fools joke in so long and this one nearly got me. got me for half a sec. made me wonder if you’d be hijacked by pirates, anyway.. Amazing - still so very gullible.

lol, I almost bought it for a second.
good one

Crap….you got me!

Oooh, you almost had me there!

So, does this mean that this website is going to be taken down in the near future?

Great April Fools … V Funny.

I’m no April fool!!!!

April Fools to you Too!

Happy April Fools Day! I fall for it every year.

Why the change of tack? your below newsletter gives the distinct impression you’ve been pressurised into doing this - so much for American freedom of speech hey?

Well, I’m off to Borneo for the adventure of a lifetime, meet new people with different views and generally enrich my existence!

ciao!

Well, I will say it has been a pleasure visiting bootsnall for my travel resource… but if it must be done… then it must. I have now dedicated my life to anti-travel and nothing… absolutely nothing will change my mind back. The change is complete and I am no longer interested in world travel. Only getting those who think that travel is a good thing to realize the true danger of their passion.

Thank you for opening my eyes to the evil that is world travel.

And happy April Fools Day!

you have got to be joking me???

Excellent april fool-joke!

Dude, you guys pull the most amazing april fools jokes! I ALMOST bought it.

Why did you send this? I’m now cowering in my shower (and getting my laptop wet).

I suspect that this is the wrong tack to take—Red Light Travel might be a better concept but don’t tell people not to go, it sounds too pessimistic even though there are many places people should not go.

Ohmigod. You got me again!

Happy April Fool’s Day to you, too.

Sherry in NH (who hardly ever goes anywhere but loves BootsnAll)

ARGH!!! I fell for it AGAIN!! Just as I was nearing the end of the letter, I kept thinking no way, no way, no way! And then - DUH - it’s April fools day again!! You got me last year, and you got me again THIS year! LOL

Thanks for the laughs Chris,
Amy

thats funny. from a portland guy (23rd and alberts) living in nicaragua

This is a great April Fool’s posting! You had me until the, “In good conscience, we can no longer continue to work on BootsnAll.” Before that, I thought you had lost your mind, but I still thought you were serious. Thanks for the laugh!

Cheers,
Josh (currently on the train to work in Chicago)

PS- In the last couple months I’ve travelled all over the US: New York, LA, San Diego, San Francisco, and the ever bizarre Salt Lake City. In San Francisco, I ran into an ex-girlfriend at a BART station - thus proving that travel can be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I’m still having nightmares about the encounter.

ooohhh you Nasty people! You got me bad there with your April foolery!!! ouch!

Nice April fools joke

Over here in Israel, April 1st is just another day, so for a brief moment, I thought you might be serious!

Thankfully, and because I’ve been reading your site, even for a very short time, I know you couldn’t possibly be serious about “staying home” when there is a big, beautiful and SAFE world out there just begging to be explored!

Nice one!
Bet you will catch a lot of people with that one.
Saludos from Veracruz, Mexico

Happy April 1st!!!!

Very funny!

Happy April Fool’s Day to you too ;oP

Keep up the good work.

I was thinking WTF, then I remembered the date. Nice Try, and I did not click on the link.

You can’t be serious!

I just started visiting your website and you have given me so much information about traveling that I could never find anywhere else. I am planning a trip to the French Riviera next year and now you are telling me I should just stay home. Did something happen? Someone you care about get hurt, mugged, killed? Did a group of men wearing black suits and dark sunglasses pay you a visit and tell you to shut your mouth and stop encouraging Americans to travel? Of course it is dangerous out there in the world but it always has been. It didn’t stop Christopher Columbus, Charles Lindbergh, Sir Frances Drake, Neil Armstrong, Gaby Kennard. Where would we be today if they had been afraid to venture out? The world was just as dangerous then, with fewer resources, less information, and primitive equipment. I know it is futile to compare today’s travelers with these great pioneers, but I just don’t believe we should be afraid to leave our living rooms. That is what being an American is all about. The freedom to go where we want when we want. If we sit in our living rooms watching the TV, of course we will become afraid to walk out our front doors. The news reports nothing but the bad anymore. The media is making us afraid of our neighbor, afraid of going to the corner market after 9PM. Afraid of pulling into a gas station alone.

They jump on a story about murder, robbery, drugs, fires, tragedy’s, but do they report on the local Girl Scout troupe that raised enough money selling cookies that the entire troupe went on a trip to Disney World? And guess what, not one of them suffered a scratch. Do they tell you about the VFW in your town that sponsored an American student in England for a semester, or the High School Language department that took the seniors to Germany for three weeks? No they don’t. Why? Well, that I don’t know. My guess is because they make more money if they keep us at home sitting in front of the television watching their bad news afraid to leave. That is my guess.

I am sorry that people get hurt when they travel. But what are the percentages, really?

I mean last Christmas a man walked into my office and stole my purse right out of my desk drawer. By the time I found it missing (45 minutes later), he had charged

$1,492.00 on my credit cards and took $600.00 out of my bank account. I didn’t have to leave the country for that to happen.

Oh well, I am probably overreacting here, something I am prone to do, but I will certainly miss you if you stop your website. I can’t seem to get the link to your new site to work, but when I do I hope that I find you are giving us helpful information on how to travel safely, not advice on staying home.

I’m afraid April Fools Day finished at 12 noon…

G’Day, Y’Selves, you jokers

And happy April Fools Day, eh?

All the best for June and October, too.

And don’t take any plugged Nickels, All Y’All hear?!

Good one for April Fools Day!

Better to get out there and travel than die of boredom in front of the box.

This was an April Fool’s joke…….. right?

i’m not getting caught this time by your April Fool’s joke!!!

Ho Yea - and April Fool to you too.

Mind you those were some good reasons for not travelling!

I hope this is a joke!

Is this serious or a farce?

April fool’s!!!!!!!

The world is, was and always will be, a wonderful place.

Happy April 1 to you too !!

Never mind - I realized what day it is!!!

April Fool right back to you!

yeah, happy April 1 to you nutballs too - from Chicago! *grins*

Ahaha - funny April Fools Joke. I spotted this one a mile away though. You guys will have to try harder.

Hilarious!

That was hilarious — you really had me going.

You had me going until the part about the US Government making a few ‘ valid points’.

Thanks for a good laugh.

Wow wow wow
I of course respect your decission. I think though that it is a little too exagerated that you want to stop working with this great travel thing
because of that. We do live in a dangerous world. I live in Sweden, one of the last peacefull countries in the world. On Sunday when i was going to pay in the shop a guy came with a broken bottle and threatened all of us. That made me understand that danger is anywhere.

Your web page has been a source to get and give information. If people want to travel or not it is everyone’s decission.

You risk your life all the time, weather it is for terrorism or not, weather you are in Algeria or Sweden…
That is of course my humble opinion.
Take care

Did we tell you about our new Don’t Travel section?

You almost had me…almost.
Happy April 1!!!

Hey — don’t get paranoid — there are still wonderful places to go in the world. You’ve done some great work — thanks for everything — good luck in whatever you do.

Dear Chris

I met you on that safari…remember???

Cool nights next to Kilimanjaro???

fair dinkum

and Dick Smith invented printable electronic circuits …again….. that’s for the humor mate but, you did have me for that moment…cheers

APRIL FOOL!!!

Nice April fool joke guys!

Thank you
I am currently travelling in Vietnam and this is so true. Finally people start listening to W. I’m sure Laos will be the exact same thing. I’m going back to a factory job in Detroit and start paying more overtime taxes.

Clapping Hands

I thought this was some type of virus.

You guys are great! The best April Fool’s joke in years…

I knew this was coming, but I am still sorry to read your confirmation.

i am confused by your message. i feel like it is a joke, but i am not sure. the reason i say that is that i am clear that the united states is also a dangerous place to be…although perhaps that is not true for most subscribers to your service. i am sorry to hear about this change…i think the worst thing we can do is stay home and worry about how bad it is other places, and then allow that fear to inform our views about other people and places. “don’t go” is so negative and counterproductive. i don’t want to belittle the bad experiences and scary experiences people have had travelling, but, well, this seems extreme to me.

i am still hoping it’s a joke.

ok. now i feel foolish. sorry.

Is this a joke?

At first I got angry thinking you were just like George Bush trying to terrorize everyone and wondering what was going on. Then I click on Don’t Go and thought it was wonderful! Keep up the good work.

Very cute! Happy April Fools’ Day to you, too!

I love it!

This was great and a perfect April 1 fool’s joke…. (For a minute there I was trying to figure out what the hell happened to you guys? - did you completely lose it?)

BootsnAll is one of the few travel sites that truly believes in the fact that the world still has a chance for those travelers to enjoy a utopia mind state. I have traveled to 23 countries since 9/11, and have eyewitnessed these events that you speak of. However, the world has and will always have a degree of danger involved in leaving ones territory. This is a part of life, so we must deal with it. I am very disappointed in BootsnAll for even considering the change of there site. It sounds like to me that you all have lost the true meaning and mind set of a backpacker. Its that place where you lose yourself and you find yourself. There are only a certain amount of people that get to discover what the world has to offer. BootsnAll has always encouraged people to discover life. I am very disappointed but I hope your new site is a success.
Just remember that you are now selling out and going against the very reason you started this site.

This must be an April’s Fool gag!

Hey Chris, you had me going there for a minute! Thanks, and Happy April Fools’ Day to you too!

Ha Ha. I was royally pissed off for about 2 minutes there…

Why do not you all just warn people of the dangers, but still keep up your great, informative site?

AND A HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY TO YOU AS WELL! (I STILL BE GOING!)

You guys are joking, right?

Of course the world is dangerous. It’s dangerous here.

I’m hoping this is good old fashioned irony.

I get it…APRIL FOOL’S DAY!??

I read this, and reread this, and went to the website…is this some weird sick April Fool’s joke?

Hilarious. Thanks for the great April Fool’s day joke. As if….

Nice one- April fools!

If I had received this yesterday or tomorrow I would have been worried but today no way.

I find it appalling that I got this email from a “Travel Community”. ‘Don’t Go’ is PRECISELY the endpoint the terrorists in the middle east were aiming for. They want us to stand down, to be scared — to be too scared to continue life as we know it.

I too have been in situations of life or death - mugged by six men and beat to a pulp, contracted deadly viral diseases from drinking water and been held up on mass transportation by insane humans, but guess what — it all happened in my own country, in my own state. Not in 776,000 air miles have I ever been threatened to the point of no self rescue.

Perhaps if people would realize that THEY are the only one looking out for themselves, they wouldn’t be so foolhardy in the first place.

Needless to say I won’t be visiting your page, however I do take heed in the consulates’ warnings and direct my trips accordingly. I’ll be in Japan backpacking for the next three months, have fun at home; I’ll send pictures to show you what it’s like to keep living.

I agree that life is valuable, but living far exceeds it.

Kindest regards and best wishes in your social endeavors and moral challenges.

April Fool?

Hi There: Sorry to hear about your change in focus. Travel has always been dangerous. People can tell you horror stories about their visit to New York City and yet I have lived here in the City for many years. Yes, some people have been killed here in NYCity and mugged and worse. People do experience bad situations when they travel but there is a risk in crossing the street. Generally, if you travel wisely, you will come through it with a great experience.

I have just returned from Egypt. Everyone was shocked that I should take such a trip. Yet, I found it one of the safest and most exciting trips that I have had in a long time. The security provided by the government could not have been greater. More security than I have ever experienced before. The county places a very high value of its tourist industry and takes every measure to make sure that they do not have another problem as they did a few years back.

I was in Rwanda last August. The government, once again, provided us with intense security when we climbed the mountains to visit the gorillas. Most people would not go there.

There have always been “exotic diseases.” What is new in that? One travels with the knowledge that there is a possibility of this.

It seems to me that what you are probably experiencing when you say “more and more people are reporting negative experiences” is that today we have “more and more senior citizens” doing adventure traveling. It is hot. And, so, more and more people are now reporting back.

Adventure travelers from many years ago always expected the worst and when it did not happen, they were happy. Today, while people want to do adventure traveling, some may not want to pay the price of exotic disease, muggings, and death escapes.

It seems to me that you may be a little over the top with your response to these reports. If people want security and not to experience uncomfortable experiences, they can stay home. Or, they can focus on taking the most secure tour they can find where someone is going to be responsible for their safety.

Maybe that is a service that you could provide people. A recommendation for safe secure tours where the food is guaranteed not to make one ill or the air conditioning system does not give one legionaries disease.

To end, please take me off your mailing list. I am not interested in reading horror stories reported by travelers.

Good luck in your new endeavor.

VERY FUNNY!!!!

Happy April Fools to you too….

Har har…
you scared me for a second…
You guys really helped me plan, and experience a fantastic 6 month trip- thanks, and keep it up. I look forward to your email every month to inspire me to pack up and go again. Thanks!

and Happy April Fool’s Day to you too!

I havent as yet gone to the new web site but do suspect that it is a great April Fools Day. joke…have a great day

What a great April Fool’s gimmick. You actually had me going for a while.

Did you REALLY expect to get anyone with that garbage?

Thanks for the tips and I can certainly see your point, but the newsletter about why travel sucks was quite lame. Before the Americans were hated the Brits were hated, before them it was the French, and even before them it was the Spanish. If being ‘hated’ is the main reason not to travel then the travelers should reconsider their reasons for going on the journey in the first place.

very damn funny! i had to re-read your email in shock (and awe) then it dawned on me what today is! keep up the good work and excellent travel advice.

I get it. . .April fools!! I thought you guys were going crazy!!

I for one agree 100%. We should all stay at home and just read about these amazing places on the internet.

Happy April Fools!

Oh…I get it. April Fool!

for SHAME, you silly people! you al-most had me there, and i had begun planning out my letter of righteous indignation prefaced by a story about the trips i took through israel and palestine in the height of the 2nd intifada. but after refering to the ‘don’t go’ sight i saw the deception in your wiley ways and now you don’t get to read my story. so there. thppp!

Very cute.

You had me for a split second.

Happy April Fools!

I didn’t know you guys were in Portland. We live in SE.

It’s a small world, huh…

April Fool’s to you, too.

Thank god this is, I think and fervantly hope, a joke.

Travel or perish.

is this a joke?

Duh, its April Fools. I fell for it

Good one

An April’s fool joke?

Happy April Fool’s Day to You Too!! This one really takes the cake, Chris. I love the concept of ‘Don’t Go!

HAHAHAHAHA………hahahahahahaha! And now I’m not gonna read your newsletter anymore. Because you guys have flipped out.

Later -

P.S. Apr 1…….to you too.

you had me for a second. I was ready to send you a virus!

nice and subtle… how unamerican

yeah yeah yeah, April Fools Day.. you almost got me! if it wasnt for my friend telling me she is pregnant in the previous email.

Travel will never SUCK!!!
xoxox,
your bootsnall friend for life

Dear Sirs:

Finally! Some information that makes sense. This new and radically different outlook from you former hooligans is a welcome and necessary addition to the government’s terrorist evaluations and threat monitor. I am intrigued by your sudden realization that things can be real bad out there and encouraged by your advocating against the reckless exploration of the incredibly scary third world (and most bits of the rest of this troubled and troubling planet). My heart swelled with pride when I noted that you chose to join the ranks of compassionate conservatives by utilizing a quote from our most benevolent and far-seeing President upon whom all right-thinking, real Americans depend for guidance and direction.

I look forward to your rapid conversion into a legitimate arm of this great sovereign nation’s proud and mighty military efforts to make the world safe for democracy. I do so hope that you will attempt to have at least one of your number embedded with our wonderfully brave and pure troops so that you all could relay to our people just how wicked and horrible the Arab culture and other stuff over there really is.

DON’T GO is just the tip of the iceberg, Chris & Co. If you just use your vision wisely, it could lead to numerous additional fair and balanced websites to uncover the dangers we citizens of the USA face everyday. I can see a DON’T VOTE website which could illustrate the possibilities of being injured or maimed or murdered on the way to one’s local polling place. Maybe, a DON’T GET OUT OF BED for our senior citizens, who in their golden years are so prone to brittle bones and the resulting joint injuries from falls. A DON’T GO IN THERE, YOU MAY POKE YOUR EYE OUT site come be adapted as a sister page to DON’T LOOK UNDER YOUR BED for the country’s juvenile population who seem to get into all kinds of trouble and have many, many unnecessary accidents - but only upon doing those things they’ve not done before (I can sense your dawning understanding).

If we all just UNITE (like in “United” States, see the point?) in our staying put and watching more television maybe our family units will once again become the backbone of our great civilization. I applaud your valiant effort in your first step forward into the 21st century - with just a bit of good fortune we can thus attain the relative calm and serenity of the Eisenhower years once again. Oh, Happy Days!

Yours in the fellowship of true armchair everything,

Tim S

I am very upset that you are sending out irresponsible messages to your subscribers advocating that they should not travel, that they should not even step out their front door. Right now, friends, Americans are faced with a crisis at home that compels each of its citizens to buck up, pack up, and get out into the world as soon and as often as they can! Yes, I am talking about household cleaning chemicals and television. In concert, these two Deadly Threats to America are taking hundreds of lives every day. Travel is the only hope for this Great Nation, we must flee or we will all be consumed by Deadly Chemicals and Deadening TV programs.

Please get the message out to everyone you know — Travel or Die!!

Concernedly,
Shannon S (”One Who Dared”)

Bravo! Great article!

As the paranoia spreads spitting in its face!

Every year you guys just crack me up

I only got as far as “However, slowly, we started…” when I thought… must be April 1st again.

Let me know how many fall for your annual leg pulling!

Be well! I’m off leading a group of friends to Moorea in a few weeks!

Don’t go my ass.

DrD.
Pacific Insider

Loved it…Pure Comedy

i cant believe this.. very, very disappointed

Haha! Yeah I get it. I got it. I’ve been had. I even spent all that brain energy on a crafty pissed off response.

I hate you guys for jacking with me so early in the morning.

Good job bastards.

for gods sake people - tell me that email about ‘don’t go’ is a net hoax..

travelling is as dangerous as it ever was - not more or less…

you stay at home and meningoccacal gets you - you travel and you have as much chance of an unlucky turn…

tell me this is a hoax!

Hi — very funny !! Are you organising any events soon for travellers ? Love your site, even if don’t always make time to read the emails properly !!

April Fools, oui?

Is this an April Fool’s joke??? I’m STILL planning to go to Poland for two weeks in June and Australia for a month in October - and with enthusiasm!

Ha! this must be an April fools joke!

Nice try, guys, but we’re on to you. After that first one you did a few years back, you can’t fool anyone!

Happy April 1st…

I love your site. Thanks.

Happy April Fool’s Day to you too. That was great.

this has to be a joke……….. oh ya just remembered it’s april 1.
scary how true it COULD be

Nice try! Happy April Fool’s Day ! Great Job!

Of course I can say that after my heart sank for a moment.

I just wanted to take a moment to reply to this email. I can hardly believe this is coming from BootsnAll!

I am in shock! this is absurd!

First off, you have quoted a person (G W Bush) in this email that hasn’t traveled the world. I consider the travelers among the most aware, broadest perspective and therefore best informed people, hence the term “worldly”, and Bush is NOT! not even close, it is an embarrassment, and a discount to anyone’s authority to use him as a credential in reference to world perspectives, cultural sensitivity or travel.

Secondly, I looked at “Don’t Go”, and the 10 reasons not to travel are absurd ones! “Someone is going to kill your cat”?! That is fear incitement, and manipulation at best, more accurately it is just stupid to say! Going down the list, it primarily based on a lot of gross assumptions, such as people that are traveling don’t speak more than one language, or aren’t aware of cultural differences… and MOST off that angers me is the assumption that people travel only to “tourist” areas, and go with bundles of cash.

I believe there are reasons to be concerned about traveling, and it is changing, but the broad leap you are proposing to make here is not founded in viable information! It is so disappointing because I believed in well traveled people for their perspective. While this email is as narrow minded as they come!

If you want to express concern about travel, do so with will supported and thought out points. Your audience is not a bunch of idiot! - certainly don’t quote Bush on issues of travel! Come on!

For you benefit, I am assuming that someone has gotten hold of your email distribution lists and sent this out to express their personal agenda. I can’t believe this is coming from BootsnAll, or I’ve made a serious mis-judgement.

Ha ha! It’s April 1st. I almost got suckered into sending you an angry email. Keep up the good work.

obviously an attempt on april fools day…or god do I hope so…it pulled me in and I began to feel hollow…like your pastor finally broke and told you that life sucks and you should just go deal with it..maybe even end it all… although I’m not religous or have a pastor, that is my analogy…

So, again, please tell me that this was a april fools day joke…the concept of you means too much, even to those that have not used your services…allow us to dream…

Ya, ya, April Fool, right? You guys are just plain mean! Good one!

I thought that this was a joke when I first started to read. I quiclky realised that you were indeed quite serious. I think that you need to seriously shut off your television! I don’t mean to be insensitive here but we cannnot live in a world of fear. Fear is what causes instability and weakness! Evil people thrive on fear. So, what next? We all stay home and the bad guys come to the people’s homes to hurt them because they have ne prey touring around?

I know that I seem a little dramatic here, as did you in your letter but the bottom line is that we cannot succumb to fear all of the time. The world has always had its violence: we are just being exposed to more of it nowadays because we have global media capabilities that we never used to have! Just pick up some history books from the last several decades throughout different parts of the world. There has been genocide, bombings, muggings, murders, etc. Crime is always moving, history constantly repeats itself. We need to travel wisely and respectfully to avoid trouble. To reccommend that we should halt our travelling is ludicrous!

I found it particularly interesting that you would use a quote from George Bush. A man who has blood all over the hands of his family! He has a reason to hate the Middle East and Africa: they control the diamonds and the oil! He could have helped out a lot of African countries and so could his father, but they chose not to. Look at Sierra Leone. Had Bush Sr. helped in their time of need in the early 90’s, there wouldn’t have been all of the genocide and destruction of a beautiful place! The Bush family likes the world to live in fear because it allows them more control! Pumping our minds with such distractions as violence and atrocities allows for unanimous decisions! For example: Lets’ not travel to Africa, or Canada because Africa is violent and full of disease and Canada is full of dope-smoking morons who selfishly allow Cuban products into their counrty!! I mean, get real! Canada’s tourism has suffered over the past couple of years, as we apparently harbour the terrorists in an evil plot! So, the people don’t come in the numbers that they used to: I’m not talking pre 9/11 numbers either! For instance their was a huge drop in the Niagara Falls area last year: I run a business down there.

We need more positive energy in the world to create a more peaceful one. Fear does not lead to peace. We need to get out to the world and spread our love! A simple smile can do wonders for anyone that we encounter! I have met some of the most wonderful people from the “roughest” places in the world! I have taught students from Iraq, Palestine, Ethiopia, Liberia, etc. (I’m a teacher). They have a very different take on what goes on in their countries as opposed to what the media illustrates in the Western world.

Anyhow, I hope that you will continue to travel. It is always smart to travel wisely: I.e. not to countries that are in the middle of a war. I hope that you will expunge some of the fear inside of you as it isn’t helthy fear.

Take care and have an amazing day

Okay my boots friends, ya’ll made my day! I haven’t laughed that hard in so long… can’t wait to see who doesn’t figure out that today is April Fools day!

You little bugger!!!
I thought that you’d completely lost it! I wasn’t even interested in going to check out don’tgo or whatever that was! I guess I’ll have to take a look now! I forgot about it being April Fool’s Day!

Have a great day anyway!!

My Friends,

Please tell me you you are kidding!

If you really wanted us to judge for ourselves, you would present BOTH reasons to go and reasons not to go.

By simply swinging from one extreme to the other, you are not doing anything in good conscience. You are doing something… shall we say less than intelligent.

Is this really the end?

That was a good one…..with so much right-wing crap flying around. Just yesterday my husband had a United Airlines reservationist say…
“I’m a Christian woman & I don’t have to listen to this….I’m terminating you”
He’s still here….guess her little bit of voodoo didn’t work!!
Happy Fools Day!!!!!!!!!!

Bravo! And think of all the possible partner sites like survivalist.com and cavelifetoday.com you could have recipricol agreements with!

NICE!!!!

You are the first (and I sincerely hope the last!) to get me today.

I congratulate you on an excellent prank, and extend my thanks for being able to enjoy your publication.

I should have known you were kidding, using a Bush quote!

You got me again this year!!! But, only for a second as I remembered last year and starting to prepare my resume for your “new office off the coast of Africa” you were hiring for!
However, the best joke of the day was reading all of the indignant responses from people not as familiar with your conniving ways.
Have a great day and can’t wait for next year!

He he
That’s really hilarious!!!!
You made me laugh! I didnt thinkt i could be the victim of an april joke…
But i did!
Take care and thanks for the site
It’s great!

Why the paradigm shift? Why does your website have to be one of persuasion and not information? I would be happy if you would include “reasons not to travel” along side with reasons to travel. While I’m sure you have many valid points for your position, and you’ve most likely done serious thinking on the matter, let me remind you of the reasons why travel is so important.

If we are to be culturally rounded as Americans/Canadians/etc, if we are to fight fear of the unknown with unbiased information, we must have resources like BootsnAll. The unwise path you have chosen will only lead to increases in fear, increases in misunderstanding, in short, one giant step back.

I am a 28-year-old native born San Franciscan, and I am planning an around the world trip with help from resources like BootsNAll. I can’t say I will be returning to your website with its new focus. I was planning on attending one of your get-togethers in Portland, ah well, such is life these days. Thank you for all of the resources up til today. Cheers.

I was shocked to receive this from your organization!!! Your message does more harm than good. I can’t believe it…

Is this a joke? I hope so. Encouraging people to close their minds due to fear. You must be American. I have been travelling for 4 months now in South America and have seen some really horrible shit. Very disturbing, scary and depressing. I have heard horror stories from others travelling as well, but fear will not stop me. The world is a crazy place, full of diseases and danger no matter where you are. Every day that I walk out the door of my house in my own country I don’t know what will happen next. I hunk of airplane toilet ice could fall on my head and kill me. I could get bitten by a spider or a snake, my throat torn out by a dog, a person with a knife or gun, a drunk driver, who knows and who cares. Life is too short to close yourself off to the world. My travels have humbled me greatly and have changed my life for the better. I feel like a new person and wouldn’t change it for the world. I am a woman, travelling alone, not with the tourists too much, but more interaction with the locals and thier culture. Yes it’s scary, but I would not change it for anything. Keep your minds open and dont give into the fear, just be careful always no matter where you are. You can’t change destiny, you can only try to life life the best you can. Everyone told me I was crazy to go, but if it’s my time it’s my time. Sure it’s dangerous, most fear what they do not know. Fear is not going to stop this girl from living and seeing what the world has to offer outside the media curtain of the U aSs A.

April Fools, or you are the lamest bunch ever.

Hey Sean, is this pure satire, or are you actually advocating that people don’t travel? I just ask because I happened to be looking into a story vaguely related to that topic…

Awesome. After being “traveled out” over sixteen months (WAY too long; I should have capped it off at >12 when stuff wasn’t feeling “special” and “new” anymore), this is EXACTLY the thing I needed! I’ll be sure to spread the word.

Sean,

If someone DOESN’T abuse your cat while you’re away, call me, I’ll make up for lost time.

I can only hope that this was some kind of April fools joke sending this message of fear to the world. I could just as likely get mugged walking down the street of my house or hit by a bus for that matter. Terrible things happen all the time but that is no reason to wrap yourself in cotton wool and not see what a beautiful world we really do live in. Sure be cautious and alert but don’t stop living. I am going overseas in 4 months and am looking forward to all that comes my way, the good and the bad.

I have to say that I’m disapointed to hear this. As a traveller I look at your website and others like it for deals and inspiration of places to go.

I wish you luck with your new website.

Oh so naive…I wasn’t 100% sure it was a joke until I saw the George Bush quote. For a minute, I wondered if something terrible had happened to turn the tables. My God. Good one!

Oh so naive…I wasn’t 100% sure it was a joke until I saw the George Bush quote! For a minute, I wondered if something terrible had happened to turn the tables. My God. Good one!

I’m really sorry to hear this. It has been so much fun helping other people travelling to my area (British Columbia) with ideas of places to stay, things to do and see, etc.

Travelling has always been “dangerous”. Probably more so now but that isn’t going to stop my husband and myself. We are headed to Vegas this month, the Caribbean next and Australia in the fall. Plan to head for Europe next year. We went to Fiji one year when we were warned not to and all was fine. We did cancel a sailing trip in Greece when Bush declared war too close for comfort and have written off South Africa as a destination.

Travellers have to learn to be “smart” about where they go, what they take and carry with them, who they talk to, etc. There are murders in BC almost every day but we are fortunate enough to know to avoid the areas and people involved. Drugs are a huge problem here, as in most places now.

It will be so sad when people are afraid to “walk out their front doors”. There is so much to see and do. Especially difficult for my age group who grew up in cities with no locks on the doors, no house alarms or car alarms.

Good luck with your new endeavor but please don’t totally discourage people from travelling and experiencing different countries and cultures. Teaching them to be smart and aware of the environment gives them the freedom to go!

Please tell me its just April 1 or a temporary bout of depression…

You can die just as easily and far more boringly at home crossing the street or falling down the stairs - travelling is living at its finest and far fewer people die while travelling than die in their comfy suburban beds….

This may not be a good time to tour Syria or Pakistan with a big US flag on your back pack and huge American attitude - but go quietly and peacefully and treat people with respect and they’ll treat you the same way. We’re Canadians who were in Pakistan last year and Syria two years ago and were treated with enormous kindness and hospitality - including help changing a tire on a desert road when our rental car turned out to have no jack ..

You only have one life to live so get out there and live it.

You guys are hilarious. I love the April Fool’s letter but perhaps you should stop encouraging some travel. Your “Guided Tour of the World’s Current War Zones” may be popular but it is so difficult to get good body armor these days. (though I hear Southern Iraq has some beautiful beaches)

Well, it took me a couple of hours and why I thought of this on the way to the grocery store, I have no idea. Perhaps I was working up a good rebuttal. Then suddenly I thought “oh April 1!” So I am now assuming it was your own warped sense of humor producing an April Fools’ joke on your faithful readers! At least I hope it was!

thanks for the heads up I will definitely check out your new site. I just got back from my Transib in the dead on winter and I believe it was the article from your site which convinced me I was not insane, or not the only one who is insane, to even consider going to Siberia in the dead of winter.

Thanks again.

Just thought that I would say that I feel that your advise of “Don’t Go” is nothing but sheer sensationalism….trying to scare the hell out of those that would like or do enjoy traveling abroad. Yes, if you make stupid decisions, go there “waving the flag”, or make load noises, there could be a reason to stay behind. Use your head…keep your nose clean…learn from those you are visiting…enjoy the experience.

Oh my God, I love all these comments. These BootsnAll people are tricky, tricky, but I wasn’t fooled this year. Still, it’s the creativity, that constant new approach, different perspective that I love about this site and those that are part of the community.

You Aussies!
Always ready with a joke
I was ready to unsubscribe
Totally forgot about April 1
Glad I checked it with you first

You got me!

traveling with aloha
the coconut wireless

I love it! Count me as one of the converted. I am on the next flight “home”.

I must say I was deeply disappointed when I received your email about the discontinue of the site, whilst only a new subscriber to your newsletters and only recently discovering your webpage, I was yet to take advantage of your site, stories and advice.

It sounds like you have fallen into the trap so many other are lately, that of well basically being a grandma, I haven’t been to the Dont Go website yet, only for fears it will spoil my deams of seeing the world, being young and naive, I guess all warnings and stuff like that will blow straight over my head, the world has always been a dangerous place, it may seem a bit scarier with new diseases, wars, etc on now, but think of the things we have to combat these diseases, technology is keeping up its pace and well neutralising a lot of the issues we may face.

Again, I was disapointed to hear of the website, it is a shame. Ohh well, off to work to earn $ for that trip I will make anyway, with just that little bit less help…

I applaud the new direction for Boots N All, and I hope that you will stay true to the cause. With the emergence of online shopping delivery services, telecommuting and so forth, there is really no reason to step outside one’s front door. Plus Not Going is an ecologically sound choice - not using one’s car to get to the airport, not using a fossil fuel guzzling and air fouling plane to get somewhere you really don’t need to go, you get the point. In fact, Not Going anywhere removes the need for a car at all, further saving precious resources.

Once this catches on worldwide, we will be saved from global catastrophe! Imagine all the slash and burn farmers in the Amazon, Not Going out to burn more of the rain forest!!

I’ve been thinking along the same lines for sometime and have come up with a slogan that you’re free to use in Advertising: “Don’t Go: The Magazine For People Who Are Not Going Anywhere!”

Still there will always be some naysayers, and they will be irritating. So instead of you having to deal with them, just send anyone you meet insisting on going somewhere over here to Pirate Haus and we’ll deal with them.

Print whatever information you may deem valuable to all, but DO NOT quote that a**hole GWBush, EVER.

He is a useless waste of space and you guys should know better than to lend any attention to any thoughts he has. It is pretty easy to talk about how Africa suffers from “incredible disease,” but he neglects to mention the disease in the US, that of government corruption and religious hypocrisy.

Please be a little more careful in your consideration of which “leaders” you quote.

For the past year I have looked forward to the BootsnAll newsletter. I have really enjoyed and received a lot of useful information from your website. I lived in Scotland for 6 months and traveled extensively in Europe, and your website was extremely helpful in my preparations for traveling.

I am so disappointed in your change in direction. I understand your need to warn people about the dangers of traveling to certain locations, but couldn’t you just incorporate this in the BootsnAll website/newsletter? Don’t we need to encourage people (especially Americans) to travel to different countries and learn about different cultures?

When it comes down to it, doesn’t knowledge and understanding of the differences of the cultures of the world, lead to a safer world with people who care about their brothers in other countries? I really believe that our fear and ignorance about the unfamiliar is what is causing many of the problems in the world today.

Please reconsider and continue to encourage people to travel!! We have to get out or our comfort zones and open our minds. Traveling to different places and experiencing other cultures is the best way young people in this country can obtain a global view of things and become sympathetic and caring toward the people of this world.

Well that wasn’t the kind of E-mail I was expecting from you guys, when did media pornography convince hard nosed travellers that theirs was a mug’s game. Why would it? It’s a design of control, succumbing to it would be the worst act, what happens happens. Don’t think that locking yourself away and telling others not to do it is going to help, 80 percent of accidents happen at home does that mean that we should hide away in a nuclear bunker somewhere. I’m quite surprised at this whole debacle, sure take precautions, learn to control your environment but never ever shut yourself away. That way you end up alone, depressed and never seeing the wonders of what is actually out there, should you die it is part of something I would rather die doing something I saw as worthwhile than alone with no tales to tell… I’m shocked.

My admiration level for your travel network just went up tenfold….bravo and April Fools to you too.

I’ve just read some of your ‘’don’t go'’ recommendations, and i am amazed!!! Are you really suggesting that passports are a waste of time? Are you really suggesting that ‘’eating in foreign restaurants can harm you, eg London, Paris, Sydney, Auckland, etc, come on, get real, stop scaremongering!!

If you really believe what I’ve seen on this site, you are from the same school of thought as an American man (19) we (17 English men and women ranging from early 20s to middle 50s) travelling as a group through Bolivia and Peru. He was the only one who, when in a good buffet restaurant in La Paz, Bolivia, said, loudly: “I don’t want that stuff, I wanna a steak!!!” What a dickhead!! This being one of many equally absurd outbursts. Are there really that many Americans who think this way? I hope not. If that be the case, then pull up the drawbridge, come forth Fortress America!!

I look forward to hearing from you.

You had me going.

I hope the joke doesn’t backfire, though. I wonder how many readers took you seriously and won’t be back.

This, of course, is coming from a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist … but next year, design an April Fools joke that drives traffic *to* your site, not away. We want you to stick around!

Those highly sincere Swedes and Germans clearly never saw it comin’.

Pretty funny, it had me fooled - but nothig especially not the US govt would put me off travelling!

YES - a successful April Fools! Lucky for me I was very aware of the date, so I wasn’t caught with my pants down…shame on all those with so little faith in the Bootsnall gang!

Keep vagabonding…(going on my RTW trip in September)

i’m just glad i wasn’t the only one suckered into briefly believing, bwaahaahaa!

good one!

There seems to be a direct connection between no sense of humor and the Hate America/Bush is the Anti-Christ crowd. And, apparently, lack of a calendar.

Wonderful spirit..anyway its April..
keep it up..cheers
Wong Kuen (Singapore)

i have just sold my backpack and lucky wicks-away-moisture-travel-shirt on eBay. i will now donate my travel books to the library. thank you for helping me realize what i already knew to be true.

i’ll be at wal-mart.

zopa

It was interesting to read the comments of the people who did not think that it was an april fools joke. I was especially interested in the ones about how they feel about americans and our president. I have never been closed minded to any of the countries I have visited. I have been gracious to those visiting from other countries. I also donate generously to organizations helping those in need outside america. Also I think that it is unfortunate after all of the good things our government and citizens do for other countries, people still have negative things to say about us. They can say what they want to but I know I live in the best country on earth, and I have to say that Las Vegas is the best city on earth to live in as well.