How to Travel the World and Stay Safe
Published on SepĀ 3, 2014 (updated FebĀ 5, 2024), filed under adventure (feed). (Share this on Mastodon orĀ Bluesky?)
The story of my 18 months of travel around the world, including this and other articles, is available as a big but humble e-book: Journey ofĀ J.
Iāve traveled for the last 13 months, with no end in sight, and have so far visited around 150 locations in 30 countries. Iāve stayed safe the entire time even though I didnāt lock myself up. Here are a few thoughts and tips.
Contents
- Keep a āSafeā Mindset
- Behave Safely
- Dress Normal
- Only Carry What You Need
- Focus When Traveling With Full Gear
- Take Warnings Seriously but Donāt Go Overboard
- Talk to Locals
- āFeel the Temperatureā
- Look DangerousĀ š
- Be Prepared
- Have a Backup Plan
- Update (October 16, 2014)
- Update (September 30, 2016)
Keep a āSafeā Mindset
The most important thing, donāt worry. Fear and anxiety are bad companions. I found it usefulāthough also an artāto be alert but at the same time assume general safety.
Behave Safely
For grounding purposes, behave āsafely.ā If that makes sense. Itās one thing to go by tips from this and other articles and to be optimistic. But itās another to become naive. If youāre in a region or a part of town thatās outright dangerous, get out of there. Donāt wander around looking for bargains or sights. No guideline ever absolves us from thinking.
Dress Normal
If youāre not traveling around your own country, chances are youāre standing out. Resist the urge to put boatloads of strangeness on top of it. Ironically this includes wearing traditional local attire. Itās traditional because normally, nobody wears itĀ š
I also believe that a normal, or travel-normal, look helps mentally as well. Youāre used to it, itās natural to you, and so you end up emitting more calm and confidence.
Only Carry What You Need
The more valuables you carry, the bigger a target you are. Become a smaller target, and carry less. Carry only what you need.
Personally, for example, for the entire duration of my travels Iāve not wornānot even broughtāa watch. Watches are one of the more prominent possessions, possibly luxurious, and thereās no need to bring one for a trip that already yields uncertainty. Unless you donāt have a cell phone to read the time, that is.
Focus When Traveling With Full Gear
Certainly depending on the countryāall the ideas here come with a bit of āit dependsāā, I found myself most vulnerable when moving quarters. During this actual act of traveling, one stands out more (luggage), one is a more valuable target (luggage), and one cannot defend oneself as well (luggage).
I always make it an absolute priority to get to the next base camp. That means to eventually avoid ATMs (exposing money in an unfavorable setting) and not to take pictures (exposing phone or camera in an unfavorable setting). Itās more relaxing to stow the luggage away first anyway.
Take Warnings Seriously but Donāt Go Overboard
I visited several places where people warned me about going out, whether to certain neighborhoods or at certain times. Every time I listened and treated the matter with the necessary care.
Now, hereās the thing: People mean well but they also exaggerate. The benevolent storyteller in us or so. From pretty much any account of danger you can subtract a bit, meaning that things are typically not as bad. My recommendation is to listen, take warnings seriously, then judge whether you still want to go (if you indeed wanted to), and then employ more if not all safety precautions you can muster. Otherwise some places can really spoil your travel experience because you end up staying at home the entire time.
Personally, Iāve had instances at which I outright ignored the warnings (Quito), where I wasnāt affected at all (I had no desire to visit any favelas of Sao Paulo or townships of Johannesburg), and where I followed suit (not going out at night in my part of Nairobi). That probably confirms how things depend.
Talk to Locals
Another good precaution, if you want, is to speak with locals, about matters of safety. Many will warn unprompted (covered previously), otherwise you can ask (covered here, to get additional information). Although there are marked individual differences in terms of perception of dangerāsome people may not warn because theyāre used to the risk, while others may readily share with you all their individual fearsā, locals will give you a better idea of what to watch out for.
āFeel the Temperatureā
When I first traveled to the United States, in 2008, I was wondering how safe U.S. cities would be. One of my friends suggested to āfeel the temperature.ā I loved the metaphor and soon picked up what he meant. Youāll know when to be a bit more cautious. Granted you donāt ignore your hunches or act silly this sense helps, a lot. If your internal sensor is going off, listen to it.
Look DangerousĀ š
My dear Julia has once noted the āseals of disapprovalā that I occasionally display. That is, Iād look a bitādisapproving, angry perhaps. People whoāve worked with me may have seen that, too, when Iām all passionateĀ š
The point is, not looking too much like a tender floret can keep you out of trouble. In some parts of the world. But itās not necessarily an air of aggression that drives this: determination (knowing where youāre going), confidence, authority all follow along similar lines, and are great defenses. (They quite practically reflect āsecurity operations,ā as Harry Sullivan calls them.)
Be Prepared
Generally, be prepared. Not for impending disaster, but in terms of mental alertness, training, intuition. Listen. Pay attention. Trust your instincts. Be in shape. Get some training. Stuff like that.
Another example: An easy adjustment similar to the idea of not traveling with a watch in the first place, I got into the habit of⦠double-tying my shoelaces. At first that seemed like overdoing it but apart from the perk that those laces donāt open up that easily anymore, if I had to defend myselfāor runā, my shoelaces, of all things, would not be able to knock me out. So I stuck with the habit of tying them twice. (I also donāt wear flip-flops in places that have been labeled unsafe; not at first. That said, Iām still chill and assume the best.)
Have a Backup Plan
Then, and knock on wood that none of us needs it, comes a plan B. Iāve outlined it to some extent when I talked about preparation: Store emergency contacts and data somewhere easily accessible, keep friends posted on what youāre doing, &c. Anything else, youāll know just as well.
ā§ Finally, it also helps to stay away from drugs, especially alcohol: As someone who rarely drinks I have indirectly avoided many a sketchy neighborhood and fellow this way. Staying sober is such a strong safety measure in fact, it would warrant its own recommendationāif only consumption and distraction werenāt so commonplace in our societies. Hence I chose not to make it the cliffhanger. Just think safety, too, when pursuing voluntary self-impairment.
Safe travels.
Update (October 16, 2014)
A bonus tip: If you have something to hide, like documents or valuables, make sure to hide it in your stuff, not in your travel accommodation. As you probably want to hide things that are of importance or value that you donāt need that often, this way you wonāt accidentally forget to take it all with you when you move on. For the moment Iāll need you to use your own imagination, especially if youāre traveling light, but I might share some of the spots that I use.
Update (September 30, 2016)
Clearly, there are more useful things to consider! Iāll only add one more, one a friend of mine reminded me of this morning, and thatās to travel during the day rather than at night. Although I had no problems whatsoever when traveling South America, there I received this advice a good number of times. Maybe I had no problems because of itāwe wonāt know.
About Me
Iām Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and Iām a web developer, manager, and author. Iāve been working as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies youāve never heard of and companies you use every day, Iām an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for OāReilly and Frontend Dogma.
I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)