A vacation in Iraq may sound like some sort of joke in bad taste but I recently read about a new Iraq travel guidebook by Bradt and decided to do more investigation.
© James Gordon

Northern Iraq, known as Iraqi Kurdistan has been self ruled by Kurds since 1991 after the First Gulf War and offers fantastic mountain scenery, rich history and culture and a great climate. A Vanity Fair journalist who visited the region wrote enthusiastically about the lovely mountains, lakes and rivers.

Would you consider a holiday in Iraqi Kurdistan? It's evidently safer there than in many Western cities.