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May 26, 2022
So, you wanna travel? Fantastic!
You wanna see national landmarks, mountains, waterfalls, beaches, rainforests, and animals? Amazing.
You wanna practice a new language, understand a different culture, try new foods? I’m getting excited.
You wanna end up in sticky situations, have your credit card stolen, bribe police, and lose your phone? Okay wait, pump the brakes.
Traveling is my passion. And there’s nothing in this world that I’d rather be doing. But behind the amazing scenery, awe-inspiring footage timed to trendy songs, and mouth-watering plates of food that just aren’t the same when made outside their country of origin (I’m thinking about Mexican tacos right now), there are some basic safety guidelines that you need to be aware of.
If you’re planning a trip and haven’t thought about safety measures, keep reading. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, there are some universal guidelines that can keep you out of harm’s way. Most of it is common sense, but common sense isn’t always readily available when you’re disoriented in a foreign land.
If you’ve thought about traveling but worry about the safety side of things, and that keeps you at home, here’s what I’ll say. The positives of traveling far, far, far outweigh the negatives. It is so rare that I run into safety issues while on the road, and even rarer still that the safety issue is something that puts me in physical danger. Almost all safety concerns are petty crimes like thefts, scams, and financial risks. In three and a half plus years of traveling abroad I have never once felt in physical danger.
I was once punched in the face by a drunk Aussie in Cairns, I fell off my scooter winding through wet roads in Indonesia, every 6 months or so I have a good bout of diarrhea from a dodgy meal (sorry, but true), and I’ve been sunburnt more times than I care to count. That’s it. Those are the only physical harms I’ve ever had from traveling.
But, I’ve had my credit cards, camera, and laptop stolen in Mexico (that was all in one incident that I should’ve seen happening from a mile away). And I’ve had my backpack stolen with all my clothes, toiletries, souvenirs, and some important documents inside in Colombia (not much I could’ve done about that one). So, in three and a half years, there were two incidents where I had stuff stolen from me. Probably wouldn’t be that different if I stayed home that whole time.
All that said, let me get into my essential travel safety tips. As I mentioned, it’s a lot of common sense, but it’s nice to hear them and keep in mind while on the road.
1. Don’t walk alone at night. Get a ride
This is truer in some places than others. It generally depends on the area of the city you’re staying in. Every big city has super safe areas and kinda dodgy neighborhoods. I always like to ask the staff where I’m staying if it’s safe to walk around at night.
2. Use a taxi service app or get your hotel to call one for you
Hailing a cab on the street isn’t the most cautious way to get around. I’ve done it 100 times and never had an issue, but I know travelers who have run into some trouble by getting into an unofficial taxi. Never physical danger, but the cab driver might not let them out of the vehicle unless they pay some way inflated rate.
To be safe, use a ride share app like Uber or get your hotel, restaurant, or whoever to call an official taxi company for you. Some taxis have a meter that’ll run so you know you’re getting a fair rate, but it’s not a bad idea to agree on the price of the ride before getting into the taxi so there’s no confusion or disagreement upon arrival.
3. Private transport is safer than public transport
Generally speaking, hiring your own Uber or taxi is going to be safer than taking a public bus, metro, or whatever other transit options the city has. I use public transport when I travel. It’s cheaper and I’ve never had a problem. Well, except for my backpack being stolen on a bus in Colombia. Keep your belongings close beside you on public transport and you should be fine.
4. Don’t let your belongings out of sight
Keep your belongings close to you. In a bar, on public transport, or at the museum, keep your stuff with you.
In Colombia, I put my larger backpack in storage under the bus for the 8-hour journey. When we arrived at the terminal the conductor told us that the bus was robbed halfway through, and they took 4-5 bags from underneath.
These days, I always bring my stuff on board the bus with me. That said, I’ve heard about stories where thieves might come on to a bus and rob the whole bus of their possessions. It hasn’t happened to me or anyone I know. It might just be like those shark attack stories – they are horrifying to hear and have you scared of going in the water, but really the risk of that happening to you might as well be zero.
I’ll always bring my stuff on board.
Bonus Tip: Wear your backpack on the front of your body when walking in crowded places so you can see it at all times.
5. The cheapest transport option is not necessarily the best
Again, on this bus ride in Colombia I found the cheapest bus from Bogotá to Neiva. More premium buses have better security measures. Save yourself money in the long run and pay the extra $10-20 for a premium bus.
6. Don’t withdraw from an ATM late at night
Don’t go to an ATM at 2am. You don’t know who might be watching and waiting for you to withdraw money so they can confront you when you walk away and steal that cash. Use ATMs during the day when lots of people are around.
7. Only use ATMs from registered banks
Don’t use random stand-alone ATMs. It’s not uncommon for people to rig these rogue ATMs with card readers. You’ll get your money and think everything is fine, but someone will have received all of your card information. I know a guy in Mexico that had $2,000 stolen from his account from a scam like this in Sayulita. Only use ATMs from official banks.
As an extra precaution, once you make your withdrawal be sure that you aren’t being watched or followed. Hang around the relative security of the ATM if you feel like someone is watching you and seek out a security guard to assist you.
8. Don’t be flashy and loud. Blend in
I don’t understand why some people feel the need to flash cash around, wear expensive jewelry, or try to stand out. When you’re away from home, keep it low key. Buying something from a market? Don’t pull out a fat wad of cash to find the $1 bill that you’re looking for. Have a small amount of cash ready to go before you get into these situations.
9. Keep your valuables locked away when you go out
If you’ve got a private room, easy, lock your door when you leave. If you’re in a shared dorm, most of them provide lockers. Carry a lock with you and lock away your valuables. I gotta say, I rarely do this, but it’s a safe practice.
Backpackers tend to be a very friendly species of people, and everyone usually trusts each other. I almost never lock my stuff away in hostels and have never had anything stolen from a hostel yet, but I know people who have. Play it safe, lock up your shit.
10. Keep money in more than one place
Diversify your portfolio, right? You don’t want someone to steal your wallet and have no backup plan. Keep some spare cash somewhere other than your wallet and a spare card somewhere else as well.
If something gets stolen, it might be more likely that they get a small chunk of your money as well, but it’s better than losing everything all at once. I lost my backup credit card when my backpack was stolen in Colombia. I’d rather lose that though than have all my cards in one place and have that stolen.
11. Carry a photocopy of your passport
In the event that you lose your passport, have a photocopy of it as backup and a picture of it as well. You won’t be able to cross borders with that, but it’ll be handy to be able to prove your identity. Most places you stay will make a copy of your passport for their records, which is fine. I’m never really comfortable with anywhere that wants to hold my passport. I’ll offer to give them a copy instead, or just say fair enough and find somewhere else to stay if I’m not getting a good vibe from the place.
12. Get a SIM card in your new country
It’s not necessary to have, and you definitely don’t want to be on your phone the whole time you are traveling in the wonderful, exotic place that you find yourself in, but it can come in handy if you need directions or have to call someone for help. SIM cards are usually super affordable, and you can just put some data on it in case of emergency. It’s also just nice to have on long travel days.
13. Let people know where you’re going
Going out on a hike for the day? Off to a waterfall, volcano, or museum? If you’re going on a day trip and don’t return to your hotel, someone will know where to look for you. I’ve never ran into a problem like this in the past but it’s a nice safety net to have.
14. Be culturally sensitive. Play it safe
You probably don’t know what or why something is offensive in your new country. If you do make a cultural faux-pas, people usually won’t take offence to it and give you the benefit of the doubt. But just because you find something about a country entertaining at home, doesn’t mean it’s perceived that way in the country.
Example: Don’t go walking around talking about or wearing a Pablo Escobar t-shirt in Colombia. He might be a bit of a romanticized figure in your country, but he brought a lot of terror and pain to a lot of people in Colombia. He’s quite a divisive figure there. In fact, cocaine in general is quite a taboo thing in Colombia. The people there don’t love their country being associated with it.
If you aren’t sure about something, just ask someone. They’ll usually be happy to inform you about a potentially taboo subject before you embarrass or offend someone.
15. Be cautious with drugs
Outside of it being illegal, it’s hard to know what you might be buying from the random dude on the street that yells out in a thick accent, “Hey bro! I got everything man what you want?”
You aren’t gonna be a return customer, what does he care if he sells you dodgy stuff? As well, you’re just helping to fund a likely bloody industry. Be cautious, be sure of what you’re getting yourself into, and it’s helpful to know the laws of the country you’re in. Getting caught with weed in Canada is a lot different than getting caught with weed in Thailand.
16. Avoid getting blackout drunk
If you’re around people you trust and in a safe location, have at it. If it’s your first day in a new place and you don’t know your way around the city yet, maybe hold back on that 7th drink.
You’re a much easier target for theft when you’re wasted, and it can make finding your lodging quite difficult in an unfamiliar location.
17. Food safety
Maybe you’ve heard something like this before. Don’t eat street food; don’t get ice in your drinks; don’t eat fruit peels; don’t drink the water.
To be honest, I’ll eat pretty much anything when I’m travelling, except for some dishes that I’ve already tried and know I don’t like. Street food, ice, fruit, it’s all good. Yeah, maybe once or twice a year I end up with the shits, but it’s better than missing out on all the delicious foods a country has to offer.
On the water issue, I’m a bit more cautious with that. I always ask if I can drink the tap water in each new city that I’m in. I don’t like buying bottled water, so I’ll drink tap water when they tell me it’s safe, or boil my water before drinking it, but sometimes you have no choice but to buy bottled water.
18. Trust your gut instincts
Seriously. There’s nothing wrong with backing out of a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. You might be wrong and miss out on a good experience, but it’s better than ending up with a horror travel story.
That guy inviting you to his mother’s place, or to come with him and his friends on a daytrip is likely sincere with his offer. But, there are always some bad apples out there. Trust your gut, it’s usually right.
19. If you see children around, it’s probably safe
This is my golden rule when I’m in a new location. It might not be 100% true but it’s pretty useful for getting the feel of a place. If you see kids walking around or playing outside, you can pretty much assume you are in a safe location.
If you don’t see any children around, it might be a sign that you aren’t in a very safe spot and you should just keep your guard up. As I mentioned before though, it’s best to ask the staff where you’re staying.
20. Listen to the locals
If you’re walking somewhere and someone stops you to tell you it’s not safe here, or they wouldn’t go there, listen to them. You might be fine carrying on, but locals know best. While you’ve got them, ask them for restaurant recommendations and/or lesser-known places to visit. Locals know their area the best, take their advice.
21. Learn the basics of the local language
You don’t have to become fluent in Spanish to travel through South America but knowing the basics will go a long way if you find yourself in a sticky situation. On top of just enhancing your overall travel experience, knowing some words and phrases will help you should you end up in a tight spot.
Final Safety Comments
It’s so rare that you’ll end up in an unsafe situation while traveling, but it can happen. Stay calm, stay smart, and stick around the spots where people are, and you’ll be fine.
When traveling, you can get into as much trouble as you want if you aren’t respectful and go sticking your nose in places it doesn’t belong. If I’ve learned anything while traveling, it’s that people around the word are truly kind and willing to help you with whatever you might need.
Follow these safety guidelines, explore foreign places, and send out good energy (you’ll find that good energy finds its way back to you).
Safe travels!
If you have any questions or want to get more travel ideas, you can find me on Instagram.
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