Travel doesn’t have to involve intrepid voyages through far-off lands. It can be about reasonably-priced health insurance, efficient policing, and well-regulated zebra crossings.
A new report, compiled by travel insurers Insurly, has trawled through everything from crime rates to earthquake stats to determine the world’s safest countries to visit, and the results range from the peaks of Central Europe to the shores of the Indian Ocean.
Ireland, the UK, and the United States clocked in at 21st, 29th, and 44th respectively, while the war-torn nation of South Sudan came in last at 180th.
The countries were ranked on a scale of one to 100 on violence, health, transport, and natural disasters. Ireland scored reasonably well, with high marks for transport at 94 points.
When it came to health we raked up a respectable 84 points, with HIV and Measles tagged with an "important" risk level.
We fell down when it came to natural disasters and violence, notching in at 64 and 65 respectively. Did they count the weather as a natural disaster...?
Here’s the top five…
1. Switzerland
Cuckoo clocks, Swiss army knives, fondue sets… and apparently the world’s safest holidays. Switzerland scored 90+ in every major metric, and notched up 98 out of 100 for transport safety. The only marks against its name are slightly sub-optimal levels of yellow fever and measles. We can only assume Swiss cities are really, really safe, as the country’s Alpine resorts come with a definite propensity for skiing injuries.
2. Singapore
Breaking the European hegemony that otherwise dominates the top 10, the ever-prosperous Singapore offers excellent healthcare, low risk of natural disasters, and transport that is almost Swiss in its safety and efficiency. The urban nation loses a couple of points for air quality, but more than makes up for that thanks to its low levels of violent crime.
3. Norway
It couldn’t be a quality of life list without at least one Scandinavian entry, and this time it’s Norway that comes up trumps. Exemplary scores for health and transport are offset only slightly by a homicide rate that lags behind front runners like Singapore – though still ahead of almost everyone else. With superbly clean air and minimal threat from natural disasters, practically the worst we can say about Norway is that it can be a little cold.
4. Luxembourg
A mini-state sandwiched between Belgium and Germany, Luxembourg doesn’t spend much time in the headlines, and that seems to be because everything there is pretty much fine. Violent crime is practically non-existent, likewise traffic accidents, while natural threats are limited to occasional heatwaves and storms. Luxembourg only has about 600,000 residents, and apparently they’re all rather nice.
5. Cyprus
Cyprus pipped Iceland and Denmark to a top five spot on the strength of an all-round performance that posted 87 or more across the board. It doesn’t have the safest roads, the lowest crime rate, or the world’s best healthcare, but it’s pretty close on all counts.
