Have you ever been somewhere you didn't feel safe?
 

I know the same old travel warnings about countries such as Columbia, Egypt, Indonesia, etc. But have you actually gone somewhere where you felt your safety was in danger?

I would love to visit some destinations, but I find myself ignorant to some customs and cultures, which ultimately leaves me with feelings of uneasiness in visiting. I know many well traveled people on here will find this silly, but I haven't been to near as many places as many of you.

I have traveled to Africa, Southeast Asia and much of Central America...often as a solo female. I also work in NYC and often go through Harlem at night....all that being said, the ONLY place I have ever 1) felt physically threatened at an ATM machine and 2) witnessed a mugging was in central London.

Yes, in the US in Washington DC at night in a not so good neighborhood. And we were traveling with my elderly inlaws, talk abut walking fast!

One thing to remember is that in many countries outside of the US guns are illegal, there is definitely more of a chance of getting murdered here than overseas.

Africa and South America I may be a little hesitant about but if you check the statistics per capita you may find you are safer there per person than in the US. I've never felt unsafe in Europe at all, in fact, more safe.

I felt very unsafe in Rome and it turned out I wasn't safe! Felt a bit unsafe in the early 90s in Siem Reap because there was still khmer rouge activity as well as lots of land mines. Never felt unsafe anywhere in Asia.

I've been to quite a number of places that had travel advisories: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Egypt come immediately to mind. I have to say I've not felt in my foreign travels; as others have said, you're actually more at risk for violent crime in the US. As with being anywhere, you need to be alert and aware.

You comment that "I find myself ignorant to some customs and cultures, which ultimately leaves me with feelings of uneasiness in visiting." I think that's the key. If you want to be comfortable visiting other countries, you need to take time to learn about them. Read - guidebooks, history, novels, current events - learn about the places you want to visit.

Downtown Los Angeles ((A))

I have to admit I was nervous at the border of Rwanda and Congo. I wanted so badly jut to step across the border of Congo and get their stamp in my passport, but I wasn't certain I could get out of there!

Rio!

And also in Kansas City, at a big mall. It felt like I was being followed... a bit uneasy feeling, so I LEFT as quickly as I could get out of there.

Never felt unsafe in Thailand, at all.

unsafe? only during the flight over....

Yes, I have.

- Certain neighborhoods of Washington, DC. [I was living there.]

- Time Square on a New Year's Eve.

- After making a wrong turn in Bethlehem, driving in a car with an Israeli (not West Bank) plate.

Oh, this is the Asia board, and I do remember one incident in China some years ago.

On a overly crowded bus in Hangzhou. 1985, I believe. People keep pushing to get on. I seriously worried that my younger sister, <b>yk</b>, will get crushed.

I didn't feel safe as I was getting mugged by a large gang in San Francisco.

Wow Colduphere, what happened?

When I was 21 on spring break in Jamaica, I slept at a group of friends' hotel and went to take a taxi to my hotel the next morning. The taxi drove me into Kingston and told me to get out he couldn't take me to my hotel. He wouldn't offer any advice, I walked around aimlessly in the middle of Kingston until I found a bus that would take me to my hotel. The bus was standing room only, elbow to elbow with all Jamaicans. Talk about standing out and having 100's of pairs of eyes staring! A young blonde, blue eyed, skinny, petrified, naive lost American girl. I must have looked so pathetic!

Actually the most unsafe I have ever felt in my life was flying AEROFLOT airlines into India.

So much turbulence I have never been more certain I would die. You could not pay me to be on AEROFLOT again

luvlimoncello - I walked into a very tough neighbourhood on a sunny Sunday morning after conferring with a SF police officer about my route. Maybe he got a cut. :-?

Since then I have always been careful about where I go in cities. We are going to the Olympics in Beijing in August with three kids. I hear it is very safe and I am sure there will be a heavy police presence, people on the street etc. But we will be out very late after events finding our way back to the hotel which is in a hutong. I will be thinking of SF.

No where in Asia... but then it probably possible to make a wrong turn somewhere and not feel quite at home. I liked Phnom Penh a lot, for instance, but could see there being areas that wouldn't be great to be lost in. But most of Cambodia, like Siem Reap and Battambang and smaller towns I felt right at home. Hong Kong, Bangkok pretty much the same.

The one time I can think of while traveling that seemed a little alarming for a bit was doing a self-drive in Morocco last April. It's a very friendly country we thought, but we took a trip out to the desert and took this little 4 cyl piece of junk car off the pavement and out across this track in the Sahara. We were looking for a guesthouse that was somewhere about 28km out. Shaking like a leaf that thing was, so I was driving slowwwww. Suddenly we had tuareg guys - blue turbans and robes, the whole deal - whipping around us on dirt bikes over and over. Definitely focused on us, they kept circling. That had us going! But turned out they were just trying to get our attention and try to talk us into going to their guesthouse instead.

Oh and Wayne, you got me nervous now. I think if things work out, we're going to have to take Aeroflot to get from Moscow to Vladivostok sometime this year. Hope they've gotten better!

Clifton,

Search for my trip report on this forum. Search for &quot;crucible&quot;

The search for Aeroflot inside of it

This question made me think for a moment. Unless I am
blocking something out, the only time I have ever felt unsafe was while being robbed in Sicily. And that for only a moment and I felt angry more than unsafe!

No problems in Africa, Asia, South America, Europe, etc etc. And none in New York, either. I guess I have been very lucky.

Colduphere, which neighborhood exactly in SF? I've probably been places I shouldn't have been.

Knock on wood, no bad travel experiences so far, with travel in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. (And no muggings or robberies or break-ins at home either, but lots of people I know haven't been so fortunate.)

WillTravel - Hunters Point, just beside Candlestick Park. This was a few years ago.