Which countries have you traveled to where you felt the least safe in?
Feb 19, 2016, 9:13 am
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
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Of the countries I've been to, it would be India, but I've only been to 25 countries and none of them would be on any "dangerous" lists. Being more "dangerous" than Vatican City, San Marino, Luxembourg, Iceland, etc. - it's relative to a pretty safe list.
And this is for where I visited - I was fine in Istanbul, but certainly wouldn't consider all of Turkey to be safe.
And this is for where I visited - I was fine in Istanbul, but certainly wouldn't consider all of Turkey to be safe.
Last edited by CPRich; Feb 19, 2016 at 9:21 am
Feb 19, 2016, 9:22 am
#33
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,053
Perhaps the better question, rather than where on felt unsafe, is where is one actually in the most danger based on the facts (crime statistics, any current unrest, etc). People have different, and often irrational, perceptions of danger and/or different levels of tolerance for such risk.
In most cases, generalizing a whole country, nevermind a whole continent, is not of much value. For that matter even in a given city there will be safe and less safe areas.
In most cases, generalizing a whole country, nevermind a whole continent, is not of much value. For that matter even in a given city there will be safe and less safe areas.
To illustrate, I have been to Manila a couple of dozen times. Someone stating he felt particularly unsafe there is something i can relate to, and revisit my own experiences there. And the reasons why i probably have been feeling safe.
I'd agree it'd be nice to know *why* people felt unsafe in certain places though.
Feb 19, 2016, 11:04 am
#34
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: SAS *G
Posts: 458
Oslo (choke hold from behind, the guy's friends pull him off me shouting to the guy "it's not him! it's not him!" - guess I looked like his nemesis).
Stockholm (drunk/high guy grabs my necklace and tries to pull it off. I pull back but fortunately the guys friends pull him off me after a while).
The most dangerous place I frequent nowadays are probably the Thai roads. Trucks making U-turns on the highway at night with poor street lighting? We've got it.
Feb 19, 2016, 1:18 pm
#36
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Happily living in Frenaros Cyprus having escaped the near-death experience called Sofia Bulgaria
Programs: Etihad Guest Gold, DL FO and 1MM, and a bunch of others at a low level
Posts: 2,052
Bulgaria. But I didn't travel there; I lived there for 3 years. I'm lucky to be alive still.
Feb 19, 2016, 1:25 pm
#37
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ORD
Programs: United 100K, Etihad Gold, Marriot Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 578
I was driving around Bahrain, and took a few wrong turns in "south Manama". I thought it would be interesting to take a short cut through the neighborhood to get back to the downtown area. Bad idea, brick road blocks everywhere and burnt out cars with locals giving me the evil eye. Turned out that was one of the areas of pretty intense rioting a few weeks before.
Feb 19, 2016, 1:34 pm
#38
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,423
santiago
117 countries and countless cities and I felt so unsafe in Santiago. the hotel had a letter presented to you on check in with all the warnings. My Uber drivers were warning me, tour guides warning me, waiters warning me about purse snatching, knockdowns in the middle of the day, motorcycle robbers, etc.
I always always take public transportation and I never went into the subway in SCL. had me looking over my shoulder the entire time. Other then that the setting if beautiful and I enjoyed trips outside of SCL to the Andes and wine country.
I always always take public transportation and I never went into the subway in SCL. had me looking over my shoulder the entire time. Other then that the setting if beautiful and I enjoyed trips outside of SCL to the Andes and wine country.
Feb 19, 2016, 2:02 pm
#39
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 69
Wording aside I think it is an interesting question with interesting answers. Personally I felt uneasy walking outside town at night in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. I never even passed anyone on the road to give me reason to feel unsafe, my guard was just up because I had read about a spat of muggings of tourists and I would have been very upset to lose my camera.
The only time I have ever felt unsafe because of the vibe I got off of specific people was at home in Baltimore City. ONCE in 11 years of living here. So I guess that goes to show that media portrayals don't always mesh with the reality of how "safe" a city is, and crime statistics for an entire city don't reflect how safe a specific neighborhood is.
Feb 19, 2016, 2:09 pm
#40
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I spent several months in Muanda. Never felt threatened at all. There were a bunch of vacant hotels that had been ransacked by the military. They had even gone so far as to steal the wood in the door and window frames. Squatters had moved into them. But I never felt threatened. Used to walk from Banana Base (on the river) up to Muanda (couple of hours walk) on Sunday afternoons.
Feb 19, 2016, 2:20 pm
#41
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: JNB
Programs: Asiana Club, Mileage Plan, Skywards, Flying Blue, HHonors
Posts: 131
Catford, London (particularly Thornton Heath area although my other three are far worse, particularly first two)
Iraja, Rio de Janeiro
Cazenga, Luanda
Uspallata, Mendoza
Iraja, Rio de Janeiro
Cazenga, Luanda
Uspallata, Mendoza
Feb 19, 2016, 3:39 pm
#42
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Some hole
Posts: 2,783
Manila, Philippines.
Even being at the airport felt really unsafe. Just the thought of someone intentionally planting bullets in your bag and either lose money through a bribe and go through the notorious and corrupt justice system of the Philippines.
Even being at the airport felt really unsafe. Just the thought of someone intentionally planting bullets in your bag and either lose money through a bribe and go through the notorious and corrupt justice system of the Philippines.
Feb 19, 2016, 4:05 pm
#43
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Maastricht, unless I'm out.
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Posts: 320
It's weird, but the only places I've felt truly unsafe in terms of personal safety is in western countries.
Particularly Rome, where we were attacked. I put a size 10 boot where the gentleman concerned probably wished he didn't have a size ten boot forcibly inserted. This was the last I heard of it.
The only other places where I felt unsafe are Lyon and Paris. In Lyon we were being followed as we walked back from dinner to the hotel, and the following morning our car had been trashed (an English plated car in a street of only French cars). In Paris, I ended up delayed coming in on a TGV from the Netherlands and needed to take the RER late at night. Not a good feeling.
The only place I have been directly threatened by a person seeking me out rather than just random crime is Slovakia. We were staying with family in a remote part of the country and we had driven from the UK so we had an English plated car. The next morning a chap down the road came to us and said you really need to hide you car (we had parked on the street in a very small and sleepy village). We naturally did so, unaware as to why. A short while later a couple of big black SUVs pulled up outside and some shaved gorillas flanked a small shaved headed gentleman with right wing leanings turned up and informed us we either needed to pay him or get out of the town faster than the proverbial off a shovel. Some negotiations were held and we paid a small amount as the family relation in the town was an official. Otherwise we found Slovakia an incredibly welcoming country and utterly beautiful, and gloriously cheap beer and never felt unsafe on the streets. Just Russian mobsters to be concerned with...
Cambodia has a terrible reputation for crime, and I never felt unsafe. Helped by the fact I'm about 2ft taller than most of the locals, and about 2ft wider as well. And living there rather than visiting helped ingratiate me.
Particularly Rome, where we were attacked. I put a size 10 boot where the gentleman concerned probably wished he didn't have a size ten boot forcibly inserted. This was the last I heard of it.
The only other places where I felt unsafe are Lyon and Paris. In Lyon we were being followed as we walked back from dinner to the hotel, and the following morning our car had been trashed (an English plated car in a street of only French cars). In Paris, I ended up delayed coming in on a TGV from the Netherlands and needed to take the RER late at night. Not a good feeling.
The only place I have been directly threatened by a person seeking me out rather than just random crime is Slovakia. We were staying with family in a remote part of the country and we had driven from the UK so we had an English plated car. The next morning a chap down the road came to us and said you really need to hide you car (we had parked on the street in a very small and sleepy village). We naturally did so, unaware as to why. A short while later a couple of big black SUVs pulled up outside and some shaved gorillas flanked a small shaved headed gentleman with right wing leanings turned up and informed us we either needed to pay him or get out of the town faster than the proverbial off a shovel. Some negotiations were held and we paid a small amount as the family relation in the town was an official. Otherwise we found Slovakia an incredibly welcoming country and utterly beautiful, and gloriously cheap beer and never felt unsafe on the streets. Just Russian mobsters to be concerned with...
Cambodia has a terrible reputation for crime, and I never felt unsafe. Helped by the fact I'm about 2ft taller than most of the locals, and about 2ft wider as well. And living there rather than visiting helped ingratiate me.
Feb 19, 2016, 6:22 pm
#44
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: BIL
Programs: Delta FO
Posts: 786
I'm a 6'1", 175lb, 53 year old white male who lives in the USA. I've visited 91 countries in most corners of the world. When I visit a country, I tend to 'devour' it, by riding motorcycles and scooters, driving rental cars and walking a lot in the cities.
Top of my list of dangerous countries is the USA. There are plenty of cities that I would not be caught wandering around in late at night. My most recent experience was a drunk on Bourbon Street trying to pick a fight with me while my wife was shopping in a store.
Beyond that, I have never really felt endangered in any country, but there are certain places where I have felt a bit nervous and was extra-aware:
Cairo
Johannesburg
Bogota
Albania
Santiago
Rio de Janeiro
The west bank of Israel and certain quarters of Jeruselum
Mexico - I've been hassled by the police there so many times I stopped going about 10 years ago
I'll be visiting Beirut in a few weeks, so I may have another one to add to my list
Top of my list of dangerous countries is the USA. There are plenty of cities that I would not be caught wandering around in late at night. My most recent experience was a drunk on Bourbon Street trying to pick a fight with me while my wife was shopping in a store.
Beyond that, I have never really felt endangered in any country, but there are certain places where I have felt a bit nervous and was extra-aware:
Cairo
Johannesburg
Bogota
Albania
Santiago
Rio de Janeiro
The west bank of Israel and certain quarters of Jeruselum
Mexico - I've been hassled by the police there so many times I stopped going about 10 years ago
I'll be visiting Beirut in a few weeks, so I may have another one to add to my list
Feb 19, 2016, 6:47 pm
#45
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 3,999
For me, Istanbul, Turkey - two terrifying incidents in one night.
As her mother, the scariest was hearing about my daughter's experience in the outer arrondisements of Paris circa 2009 where she was checking out shops. She came across a group of young men who were seriously harassing her in French and then English (she understood both). She swore and yelled at them and luckily nothing worse happened.
New Orleans, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Mexico - no problems.
As her mother, the scariest was hearing about my daughter's experience in the outer arrondisements of Paris circa 2009 where she was checking out shops. She came across a group of young men who were seriously harassing her in French and then English (she understood both). She swore and yelled at them and luckily nothing worse happened.
New Orleans, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Mexico - no problems.
