In the four years that I have been living in Iran, I can\u2019t recall the number of times my country\u2019s diplomacy has placed Iran\u2019s entire territory in \u201cred\u201d. It means that one should not travel to Iran, for whatever reason he or she has, due to lack of safety. While I\u2019m writing these lines, peacefully sitting under summer\u2019s clear sky, it\u2019s still the case. My country warns of the risks of arbitrary arrests following the custody of a French couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re not here to debate about their detention; it is an unfortunate matter of politics. But the consequence is obvious: I can see the fear among people who consider traveling to Iran<\/a>. They believe that they may be arrested for their clothes, for being with their boyfriend or girlfriend, or for taking the wrong picture.<\/p>\n\n\n This won\u2019t happen. On the opposite, being a foreigner often protects you, in the sense that people and authorities will be more tolerant toward you and try to keep you in safety. After all, you\u2019re not supposed to know all the rules\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n When travelers send me messages to ask me these questions about safety, I often explain that there\u2019s nothing new under the sun. For years, Iran has had this awful reputation abroad, due to politics, nuclear talks, and others, and foreign media mostly focus on these while talking about Iran. Not that they do not exist, But Iran should not be reduced to that, nor is the situation as dangerous as the new let it think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if I didn\u2019t travel to most countries in the world, I still have a reasonable travel experience, from Asia to Central America. I visited many European capitals and lived for many years in Paris, the capital city of my country. Iran was the first country I decided to visit solo<\/a>. Why? Because after reading many travelers\u2019 testimonies online, in particular women\u2019s, I realize that it was safe to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And my experience was beyond expectations. I felt safe from the very first moment I stepped in Imam Khomeini Airport<\/a> in Tehran. At that time, we could still enter the country without any visa or pre-authorization (it\u2019s now necessary to have a visa grant notice before you collect your visa on arrival<\/a> at the airport).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was of course stressed and confused while trying to figure out how to get my visa, when an officer came to me and help me. I can recall he even said a few French words. A few minutes later I was on the road, taking a selfie with my taxi driver. And that\u2019s how it started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n During my trip to Iran, I kept receiving help from perfect strangers, in particular during my numerous night bus trips, whether it would be from the drivers or from other passengers. Why did people help me so much? Well, first because I am a foreigner who didn\u2019t speak the language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While in Paris, you may struggle to find the right metro line as most people won\u2019t even take the time to answer your question; here in Iran if you\u2019re a traveler and you seem a bit confused, someone will come right away to check on you before you even ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, because I am a woman<\/a>, men tend to be a bit more \u201cprotective\u201d and would not let me go alone in the middle of the night. Yet, always be on your guard ladies. In Iran like in every country in the world, we unfortunately have to always be careful. That\u2019s why my rule was (and still is) to always go toward women first if I need anything to be safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually, it\u2019s important to note that Iranians, even if they pay special care and attention to foreigners, are generally helpful and relatively kind to each other. While living in Iran, many Iranians would tell me that if people are kind to me, it\u2019s only because I\u2019m a foreigner. That they are not between each other. What most Iranians don\u2019t realize is that they are still warmer and kinder in general (so also to each other) than most people in Europe for instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the negative views on Iran are due to the lack of updated information about the country. And how fast it has changed; and keeps changing. When women travelers think they have to be fully covered in black, when they think they can be arrested for being alone in a car with a man, it\u2019s both the effect of what they have seen in famous Iranian movies<\/a> which were directed just a decade ago, and what they can read in the news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the young people you can see today in Tehran have nothing to do with the previous generation! They are so similar to any European kid, because since decades, Iranians have been looking up to the western culture. If you want my opinion, I\u2019d say it\u2019s a shame, because Persian culture is way greater than what we now value in the west, which is mostly capitalism. But that\u2019s how things are: most Iranians want to look like the West, for the freedom and the modernity they see there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s often a very interesting thing for tourists to see. How radically different is Iran from the image they could have from the media. How modern is Tehran; how technology-driven is the society; how educated is the young generation, about safety…<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, please, don\u2019t take my word for it. Come to Iran, and see that difference by yourself. And if you\u2019re not convinced yet, just search for other travelers\u2019 testimonies. You\u2019ll be amazed by what you find; by the thousands of travelers who had the best experience in Iran, and like me, felt in love with that country!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"-\"](\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Ali-Amiri.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Why I consider Iran is safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Iran has changed, but you \u2019re probably not aware of it yet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n