Is It Safe to Travel?

Have you ever wondered if it was safe to travel to Cabo San Lucas?

Have you thought about going on a safari in Tanzania and thought about your safety in the surrounding areas?

Make no mistake about it, the world is not all peaceful and tourists are not always a welcome sight.

After you read this short article you will know how to do your own research to find out the real answers on whether or not it is safe to travel to a particular destination.



I Offended My Friend!

Well, here's how it started...

I was planning a trip to the home country of one of my friends. Being the safety queen that I am I took a gander at a reliable website (I'll tell you more about that later) that lists countries (and cities/states) that tourists should be cautious of. Well lo and behold her home country was on that list! What I did next and how I did it you should never do…

I basically told her that I didn't think it was a good idea to go to her home country at this time (no, I'm not revealing the country!) because it was on a government warning list. I was hoping that she would say, “Thanks for telling me that, now I know to be cautious”…but it didn't go like that at all.

She got very offended and defensive that I would even bring up the fact (it was a fact that her country had some internal war raging at the time) that her country was on a watch list. Ok, lesson learned.

Here's what you can learn from my mistake:

It's ok to ask a native of the area about the area, but you must phrase it in a different way than I did.

Ex. Joe I'm planning a vacation in your neck of the woods, is there anything I should know as a tourist to be cautious of? Any areas I should avoid?

Now add something positive and or get them talking about their knowledge of the area:

Can you recommend some good restaurants in that area? What is the one attraction in that area I should not miss? What's the best way to get around in that area?

It's how you say what you say. Natives can be one of your best sources of information but you never want to start with negative information about their country whether or not it is true.

 Nobody Loves Your Family More Than You Do

I've seen it so many times that I want to cringe.

Good meaning people go to a travel forum asking the people there if it is safe to travel to xyz.

First of all, you'll get people who themselves have traveled to that particular destination and continue to do so and of course to justify their actions they WILL tell you it is safe, although it may very well be risky.

The fact of the matter is that no one is going to care more for your family than you; definitely not some stranger on a travel forum who could really care less about your safety and the safety of your family.


Do You Really Want to Know the Truth?

Now let me ask you a personal question…

Would you be willing to change your travel destination or at the very least be more cautious and alert if you got reliable information that your vacation plans included some high crime areas? If not, then you can probably stop reading this article and go on your merry way.

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If you're like the majority of smart travelers then you know that knowledge gives you an edge and what you do with that knowledge is entirely up to you.

First of all, no one can guarantee your safety...not even the people on a travel forum. Some places are riskier than other areas. You'll have to do your due diligence and weigh the risks and how likely (or not) you are to become a crime statistic. With that said, you'll find in general if you adhere to safety precautions and you're well alert, you'll be less likely to encounter trouble.

Put Your Mind at Ease in as Easy as 1-2-3!

Here are some tips when you're traveling in unfamiliar territory...

1. First of all, go to the  U.S. Department of State - You can look up countries and get specific reliable useful information.
2.  Do a google search and type the following: "tourist crime in _____ "(put the country, state, city, area  you'll be visiting).
3.  Here are some general safety tips from Magellan.

There you have it. You should feel a lot better about your travel plans. However, if you're still unsure of whether or not you should go to a particular destination, even after doing all this research, then maybe you just plain outright shouldn't go. It's no fun vacation if you're constantly worrrying about your safety. Find a destination that puts your mind more at ease and just enjoy yourself...the world is a great big place!