Which countries have you traveled to where you felt the least safe in?
Feb 22, 2016, 12:56 am
#76
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA
Posts: 100
Places in San Francisco which are 100% fine during normal business hours get sketchy FAST after 5-6 pm or so. Some of those areas are a few blocks away from the busiest tourist so if you're just walking around to explore a bit even from your 5* hotel, it's very easy to find yourself in a bad area.
I've backpacked in some fairly sketchy places but the one that I felt the least comfortable in was La Paz. Right off, I was almost scammed by the fake taxi/cop scam but got out with all of my possessions and cash intact. Very lucky to do so. There was a bank with an ATM about a block and half away but my hostel had warnings all over the place about how you were still at risk for being mugged and how going out at night was not a good idea. Only place I've ever seen where the locals wore backpacks on the front.
One place that I absolutely refuse to go to right now even if I'm with a friend is India. I do not feel comfortable with the idea going there at all as a female.
I've backpacked in some fairly sketchy places but the one that I felt the least comfortable in was La Paz. Right off, I was almost scammed by the fake taxi/cop scam but got out with all of my possessions and cash intact. Very lucky to do so. There was a bank with an ATM about a block and half away but my hostel had warnings all over the place about how you were still at risk for being mugged and how going out at night was not a good idea. Only place I've ever seen where the locals wore backpacks on the front.
One place that I absolutely refuse to go to right now even if I'm with a friend is India. I do not feel comfortable with the idea going there at all as a female.
Feb 22, 2016, 2:23 am
#77
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,438
Places in San Francisco which are 100% fine during normal business hours get sketchy FAST after 5-6 pm or so. Some of those areas are a few blocks away from the busiest tourist so if you're just walking around to explore a bit even from your 5* hotel, it's very easy to find yourself in a bad area.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...Francisco.html
But not to worry, though, according to the police - everyone gets mugged in San Francisco:
"But a police spokesman, Carlos Manfredi, said muggings in San Francisco "happen to everyone" and that it was unlikely the unnamed Briton was targeted because he was a tourist.
"It happens to everybody, so every now and then there's going to be a tourist in the mix," he said."
Feb 22, 2016, 8:25 am
#79
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: EWR
Programs: Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, UA Premier, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 188
I travel a lot for work and for pleasure. Sometimes alone, sometimes with groups.
When in a group, I'm fine in downtown Seattle, whether day or night. Alone, after dark, I do NOT feel comfortable or safe. And I'm a decent sized guy - 6'1", 250 pounds. A LOT of homeless people there, especially at night, and I am not comfortable walking around alone, especially around the Pike Place area.
Someone in this thread mentioned Montreal. I have never felt unsafe there (I am American, despite my username). But I also know what areas to avoid, and have visited there many times. Yes, there are many homeless there too.
When in a group, I'm fine in downtown Seattle, whether day or night. Alone, after dark, I do NOT feel comfortable or safe. And I'm a decent sized guy - 6'1", 250 pounds. A LOT of homeless people there, especially at night, and I am not comfortable walking around alone, especially around the Pike Place area.
Someone in this thread mentioned Montreal. I have never felt unsafe there (I am American, despite my username). But I also know what areas to avoid, and have visited there many times. Yes, there are many homeless there too.
Feb 22, 2016, 9:51 am
#80
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: AA Plat., UA Plat., HH Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 91
For me I found parts of Rio de Janeiro unsettling circa 2009 or 2010. Arrived very late (1am-ish?) from Sao Paolo and booked a cheap hotel near Copacabana beach. Woke up early to walk around the area and walked 4-5 blocks inland from the beach. No problems although the transformation from tourist city to edge of the slum was fascinating to watch.
Got a cab from a hotel to take me to see the redeemer and the cab tried to pawn me off on his friends to take me up the hill. Yelled at me in Portuguese while his buddies basically licked their chops at the prospect of taking me for a ride. Hopped out of the cab and ran for it. Found a more reputable tour company to take me the rest of the way up the hill. I did get some fantastic photographs that day since it was cloudy and rainy so the statue area was wide open.
Walked around Cartegena, Baranquilla, and a spent weeks and weeks in Cali, Colombia. Always felt pretty safe but also only rode in taxis booked by my hotel. Baranquilla you can really see the poverty of the common people. Had street food in a real dump by the side of the road after midnight once. A local friend told me this was a mistake but I never got sick. Also purchased ceviche from a stranger who was selling it out of a cooler that he had strapped to his shoulder.
I walked all around 'bad/poor' parts of NYC well after midnight without trouble. Same for Atlanta after dark although not after midnight. Took the Chinatown bus from Boston to NYC a dozen times often at odd hours (they used to depart hourly) and never had problems.
In short I've never felt truly unsafe. I think I must be lucky. I do always lock, deadbolt, and latch my hotel room at night (even in familiar cities). I also keep my wallet in my front pocket and am very careful with my passport. I am friendly to everyone but 'active hands' style street vendors - these guys I don't mess with and they get the picture pretty quickly.
Sorry for the rambling.
Got a cab from a hotel to take me to see the redeemer and the cab tried to pawn me off on his friends to take me up the hill. Yelled at me in Portuguese while his buddies basically licked their chops at the prospect of taking me for a ride. Hopped out of the cab and ran for it. Found a more reputable tour company to take me the rest of the way up the hill. I did get some fantastic photographs that day since it was cloudy and rainy so the statue area was wide open.
Walked around Cartegena, Baranquilla, and a spent weeks and weeks in Cali, Colombia. Always felt pretty safe but also only rode in taxis booked by my hotel. Baranquilla you can really see the poverty of the common people. Had street food in a real dump by the side of the road after midnight once. A local friend told me this was a mistake but I never got sick. Also purchased ceviche from a stranger who was selling it out of a cooler that he had strapped to his shoulder.
I walked all around 'bad/poor' parts of NYC well after midnight without trouble. Same for Atlanta after dark although not after midnight. Took the Chinatown bus from Boston to NYC a dozen times often at odd hours (they used to depart hourly) and never had problems.
In short I've never felt truly unsafe. I think I must be lucky. I do always lock, deadbolt, and latch my hotel room at night (even in familiar cities). I also keep my wallet in my front pocket and am very careful with my passport. I am friendly to everyone but 'active hands' style street vendors - these guys I don't mess with and they get the picture pretty quickly.
Sorry for the rambling.
Feb 22, 2016, 9:54 am
#81
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS
Posts: 15,027
Poland.
Was riding the street car and was arrested for not correctly having punched my ticket (yes, they used the old punch card machines).
Was surprised and went with the police officer to the police station. I argue that I did punch my ticket, but the officer didn't wanna hear about it. Told me I could just pay $10 to make it go away. I refused and demanded to speak to the embassy. On the phone, the embassy clerk said they don't deal with these "trivialities" and I should just pay the $10.
I did and left in one piece.
After that incident, I refused to pay for any public transport service in Poland and recouped my $10.
Was riding the street car and was arrested for not correctly having punched my ticket (yes, they used the old punch card machines).
Was surprised and went with the police officer to the police station. I argue that I did punch my ticket, but the officer didn't wanna hear about it. Told me I could just pay $10 to make it go away. I refused and demanded to speak to the embassy. On the phone, the embassy clerk said they don't deal with these "trivialities" and I should just pay the $10.
I did and left in one piece.
After that incident, I refused to pay for any public transport service in Poland and recouped my $10.
Feb 22, 2016, 10:27 am
#82
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
I'm surprised how many people here say the US. I've been to very few cities where I've truly felt unsafe. Maybe I'm just doing a good job of avoiding the shady areas, or maybe I've just spent enough time in them (in other locations) to not be terribly bothered by what might be a problem for a lot of people.
For me: Juliaca, Peru. We had been warned to make sure we had a car in advance, and not pick up a cab at the airport. The entire economy appears to be crime, gambling, and prostitution. The scary part was that most of the streets were extremely narrow and crowded, and full of people you didn't really want to interact with. Not to mention packed with cars. So at any given moment, you were stuck between the car in front and the car in back, with people who could easily grab your stuff (or you) and be gone in a matter of seconds. And of course, no one else would have said a word or thought anything of it.
I've been plenty of places that were like that, but there was just something different about this one. I did feel like the driver was ready to plow through cars, people, or buildings at the drop of a hat if necessary, though. We never got quite close enough to the car in front of us to prevent a quick (if very ugly) getaway.
For me: Juliaca, Peru. We had been warned to make sure we had a car in advance, and not pick up a cab at the airport. The entire economy appears to be crime, gambling, and prostitution. The scary part was that most of the streets were extremely narrow and crowded, and full of people you didn't really want to interact with. Not to mention packed with cars. So at any given moment, you were stuck between the car in front and the car in back, with people who could easily grab your stuff (or you) and be gone in a matter of seconds. And of course, no one else would have said a word or thought anything of it.
I've been plenty of places that were like that, but there was just something different about this one. I did feel like the driver was ready to plow through cars, people, or buildings at the drop of a hat if necessary, though. We never got quite close enough to the car in front of us to prevent a quick (if very ugly) getaway.
Feb 22, 2016, 11:15 am
#83
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 132
If you are not afraid of walking around San Francisco, Rome or Thailand, good for you! But let people express why they felt insecure at some point in these and other places…
Not Rome, but Naples; driving was messy and unpleasant enough, but walking through downtown is when I felt like fish in a river with all sorts of conmen (and women) just waiting for you to take a wrong step... like flashing a camera/phone/wallet that grabs their attention, or looking at a map trying to figure out where were you…
It does not mean I got robbed, but you could feel the tension and see other fish in that river that were clearly not going to make it to the end of the day without a nasty incident. Didn’t like the vibe, the old city is amazing. It brags to be the oldest “always” habited city in the world, but it’s a honey-trap for tourists, and not a nice honey trap where you get scammed in an elegant way by been sold something that is fake or broken. No, here if you slip into their trap, its ugly; adrenalin, taste of metal in your mouth, bruises, blood…
Feb 22, 2016, 2:55 pm
#84
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,525
This thread is entertaining, and shows that it's all about perspective. If you're from rural Iowa, San Francisco or London can feel dangerous to you. If you're from Mogadishu, maybe not so much...
That said, in 191 countries visited, the only places I've felt seriously afraid for my life were in a rural area outside Karachi where a police convoy in front of us was bombed out and on the Beirut-Damascus highway where you could hear gunfire in the distance.
Kabul felt relatively edgy as well...
That said, in 191 countries visited, the only places I've felt seriously afraid for my life were in a rural area outside Karachi where a police convoy in front of us was bombed out and on the Beirut-Damascus highway where you could hear gunfire in the distance.
Kabul felt relatively edgy as well...
Feb 22, 2016, 3:46 pm
#85
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: STL
Programs: WN, DL, AA; Hyatt or Wyndham
Posts: 1,079
Mexico and some U.S. cities. But in general I'm not much scared of anything. Just be alert. I'm a big guy so I am sure that helps.
My brother, who has been in many more places than I have including Afghanistan, says the worst is El Salvador.
Safest / most peaceful big city I have ever visited is Tokyo. There was not one thing that ever felt threatening in the least. The only incident that ever happened was one of the "Elvis guys" around Harajaku came up and acted tough to tell me to stop taking their picture. This little guy did not worry me, I kind of laughed and he went back to his group.
My brother, who has been in many more places than I have including Afghanistan, says the worst is El Salvador.
Safest / most peaceful big city I have ever visited is Tokyo. There was not one thing that ever felt threatening in the least. The only incident that ever happened was one of the "Elvis guys" around Harajaku came up and acted tough to tell me to stop taking their picture. This little guy did not worry me, I kind of laughed and he went back to his group.
Feb 22, 2016, 4:04 pm
#86
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 77
I didn't feel comfortable in Costa Rica. Screens in hotels mended where they had been cut, petty crime, guards everywhere, prostitution.
Safest place- Rural Argentina. I was alone on a road trip, speak no spanish. Found nothing but kindness. I am sure you could find trouble there(like anywhere), but you would have to be looking for it.
Safest place- Rural Argentina. I was alone on a road trip, speak no spanish. Found nothing but kindness. I am sure you could find trouble there(like anywhere), but you would have to be looking for it.
Feb 22, 2016, 4:08 pm
#87
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,410
Feb 22, 2016, 4:10 pm
#88
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,410
Places in San Francisco which are 100% fine during normal business hours get sketchy FAST after 5-6 pm or so. Some of those areas are a few blocks away from the busiest tourist so if you're just walking around to explore a bit even from your 5* hotel, it's very easy to find yourself in a bad area.
Feb 22, 2016, 5:19 pm
#89
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS
Posts: 15,027