Turns out, you'd better be careful where you go camping as there are hidden dangers out there. While Americans have to worry about grizzlies, overseas in certain areas there are dangers of landmines.
Taking to Reddit, one camper said they was planning a camping trip when a friend warned them of the hidden danger. They explained, "So I was planning a camping trip in the Serbian part of Bosnia. And as a Canadian, I'm honestly not used to ever thinking about stuff like this. But a friend of mine warned me that a lot of areas there are still filled with landmines left over from the war."
They continued, "He said it's really not a good idea to just go out into nature there. Unless you're 100% sure the area has been cleared. Apparently, Croatia has been way better at removing landmines. So it's considered much safer for outdoor stuff like hiking and camping. Hearing this kind of blew my mind. Because it's not something that would even cross my mind when planning a trip. Back home the "risks" I'm used to are things like bears in the forest. Or maybe putting a little money down on jackpot city. And not accidentally stepping on an old landmine lol."
Camping Near Landmines
Several fellow Redditors sympathized with the plight of the camper. There are indeed landmines in the region left over, but several Redditors mentioned there's a way to avoid visiting these areas.
One wrote, "There are cleared parts and there are not cleared parts. You don't want to just go traipsing through random woods, but there are trails and they are perfectly safe."
Another wrote, "I spent some time there this year and went for some short hikes and was not concerned. But in some places it is still a concern, like if you want to go to the big abandoned underground air base ?eljava, one of the three major military constructions of Yugoslavia, it is recommended that you approach it from the Croatian side not the Bosnian side."
Yet another wrote, "You shouldn't be overly concerned. If there are areas that are suspicious, they will be well marked and well known. Also, you're highly unlikely to come across any. People go hiking and camping all the time and it's one of the favourite activities of people visiting or living there. I highly recommend it, there are few places in Europe that are as genuine and untouched as Bosnian and Herzegovinian mountains."
