January and February are turds. There’s no way of sugar-coating it, whoever you are, the first sixth of the year is like the Kim Kardashian of the Judeo-Roman calendar.

So, what can we do? We certainly can’t go out and get smashed because we’re skint, and we’re in no position to have a lovely stroll because it’s soaking wet and freezing cold constantly.

It’s time to start day dreaming about holidays. Here at Sick Chirpse we’re always in your corner, as you know, so we’ve put together a list of countries you shouldn’t go to this year.

I got the details below from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and the gov.uk travel advice site. I guess we should heed their warnings if we’ve got any sense.

(use your left and right arrows to scroll through.)

1) Liberia

Liberia is a West African country with Sierra Leone to its west, Guinea to its north and Ivory Coast to its east. To put it mildly, the place has had a pretty troubled past.

About 85% of the country’s population lives below the poverty line which means you will get cheap accommodation, but your main foe is going to be a liberal dose of Ebola.

Ebola has been running amok since March 2014, it is slowly abating but for now I’d steer clear. On a plus side, if you’re thinking of making a permanent move, more than a third of the population are in polygamous marriages. Easy come, easy go.