worriedmom

Hi all,
First time poster here. My son (20) will be going to Peru mostly to do volunteer work. He will be traveling in Lima and taking a trip to MP. I've heard mixed things about safety and was wondering about carrying mace. He's a smart guy, just hasn't traveled very much. Not a huge guy either, hate to see his experience colored by not knowing where to go that's safe.

suze

...in the most general way, as a woman who often travels solo, i would say it is better to try to find out the safer areas and places where he simply doesn't belong than carrying mace and thinking you could fight back. Plus take precautions like using a money belt, learning basics of the language, etc. Just simple things that can help you avoid being "in the wrong place at the wrong time".

hopefully someone with experience particular to Peru will expand my thoughts.

A_Traveller

FYI - you can't put mace in your carry-on luggage and most airlines will not let you put in in with your checked luggage either.

Dude

I would agree with Suze- not only can't you carry mace on a plane, it may be illegal in Peru and would offer lmited protection anyway. Further, attacks usually come from two or more people and it would be very diffficult to disable two or more people with common chemical agents, CS or OC. I suggest he learn as much as possible about where he is going then load up on more information when he gets there. I found, doing volunteer work in Honduras, the locals working in the program, were quick to tell me what was safe and what was not in Teguchigalpa. Knowledge and common sense will afford greater protection then chemical agents.

worriedmom

Thanks all for those replies. I knew it was illegal to put it in carryon but wasn't sure about checked luggage. Your suggestions make much more sense. I'll pass it all along.

emiliopv1

Hello, peru is not very dangerous, it is always necessary to be in favor alert of (for a case), and it passed it calm, I suppose that already it knows where it is going to go of volunteer and it seems very well to me that it wishes to know Lima, and by I complete if we are going to put in indices of danger the cities, I put to Lima like a first, but it is not very dangerous good bye and luck