In keeping with this site’s love of helping out with holiday plans, this is a list on the top 10 most dangerous places in the world - these are all places you might consider not visiting when planning your next holiday. Some of the items may be a little controversial, but you are, of course, free to ignore our advice and go anyway!

In this crime-ridden, ex-Soviet state, no longer does the government stuff their Armani suits with rubles, but the vandals and gangsters. The Russian mafia runs amuck, there are more gangsters than police, and a Russian is assassinated every 18 minutes, averaging 84 murders per day in a nation of 143 million. The nucleus of Russian crime is stationed in the Republic of Chechnya, a region within Russia just north of Georgia. Prostitution, drug trafficking, and underground restaurants are arbitrarily controlled by the Chechens. Foreigners are kidnapped more frequently due to the higher ransom allocated. Crimes towards include but are not limited to: pick pocketing wallets, cell phones, cameras, cash, and physical assaults. From superpower to Third World country, think tanks are beginning to speculate if communism really was the cure for Russia. [Source]

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These days it is becoming harder and harder to live your life without some kind of interference from the government. Individual sovereignty has become virtually lost. There are, however, some things you can do to fly under the radar of government and become independent. This is a list of tips and tricks for living your life without the burden of government, or to help you if you simply wish to disappear.

This means pay in cash - always (unless you own an anonymous credit card), shred any documentation you do not need (use a decent shredder that turns your paper in to dust - authorities can piece together the basic type of shredded documents). Don’t use your real name if possible, and definitely don’t apply for credit. Your credit report is like a big map pointing right to you.

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The Ghost City - an apocalyptic inspiration for filmmakers for as long as I can remember. There is nothing more surreal than witnessing an abandoned city, and writers through the ages have grabbed hold of this fact with both hands. Introducing us to all forms of abandonment. From the 1948 Ghost-Town-Western ‘Yellow Sky’ starring Gregory Peck, to the deserted London streets of Danny Boyle’s ‘28 Days Later’. The frightful tension associated with popular 90’s video game ‘Silent Hill’, to the post-apocalyptic nothingness of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel ‘The Road’. The theme is well-trodden, everywhere you may choose to glance. An excellent backdrop to any form of entertainment, whether it be film, literature or anything else for that matter.

There is however some degree of foundation to this surreality. The ghost town is common among the Americas, especially in the Central and Southern states. Surveys suggest that there are around 6,000 abandoned sites of settlement in Kansas alone. But what can cause such large-scale loss of population? One of the main factors is depleting natural resources, linking to roads and railways bypassing certain places. Another more sinister cause can be disaster, whether natural or man-made. Such was the case with Patton, Missouri. After being flooded over 30 times since their town was founded in 1845, residents tired after two floods in 1993. With government help, the whole town was rebuilt three miles away, now known as New Pattonsburg, leaving the old Pattonsburg behind as a ghost town.

However it happens, the topic interests me greatly. Here I list my top ten most interesting abandoned places on the planet, complete with description and pictures. Hoping to bring some essence of real life to what many consider an extremely fictional occurence. Making film sets out of real life locations along the way. Enjoy!

Founded in 1876, Bodie is the authentic American ghost town. It started life as a small mining settlement, though found even more fortune from nearby mines that attracted thousands. By 1880 Bodie boasted a population of almost 10,000 - such was the boom. At its peak, 65 saloons lined the town’s main street, and there was even a Chinatown with several hundred Chinese residents.

Dwindling resources proved fatal however, and although greatly reduced in prominence, Bodie held a permanent residency through most of the 20th century. Even after a fire ravaged much of the downtown business district in 1932. Bodie is now unpopulated. The town was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and in 1962 it became Bodie State Historic Park as the few residents left moved on.

Today, Bodie is preserved in a state of arrested decay. Only a small part of the town survives. Visitors can walk the deserted streets of a town and interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Bodie is open all year, but the long road that leads to it is usually closed in the winter due to heavy snowfall, so the most comfortable time to visit is during the summer months.

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A New Zealand online newspaper recently produced a list of exhilarating activities for travelers who want to do more than just see the sights. This is the list - in no particular order. Hopefully this list will help you with your next holiday plans!

Trekking to Everest’s South Base Camp in Nepal is the adventure of a lifetime. Start at Kathmandu before making your way to Lukla and up the Khumbu Valley towards the South Base Camp. In addition to breathtaking snow-capped mountain ranges, you’ll take in the Khumbu Icefall, Sherpa villages, the Namche Bazaar, and a number of Buddhist monasteries on route.

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