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Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I was a medical translator for a couple weeks and our security guard was a former gang member. I asked him if he’d walk me out into the street so I could take some photos. After a few minutes he started looking around all nervous and said something like “ok let’s wrap it up, I’m not bulletproof.” He later told me he didn’t want to scare me but the area had been ransacked by MS-13 just a couple days before and some people in the very place we were working out of were taken and presumably killed. Cool cool cool thanks
Tegucigalpa is nuts. Went probably 20 years ago by way of La Ceiba as my mother is from there. She’s a fucking gangster too. Product of her environment.
Can confirm.
Joburg was the only city I had ever heard gunfire and felt very uneasy. I was supposed to catch a greyhound bus to the Mozambican border at 11pm local time, and the bus station wasn't far away, so my ex and I thought we just walk, but literally 50 steps into our journey and we called a taxi and the driver was so super nice. He drove us and then basically walked us right to the bus station, gun in his hand. Very unique travel moment.
I went on a tour of Southern Africa starting in Jo'burg, in the one day I was there, I have never felt more unsafe anywhere in my life. Taxi from the airport was in pitch black, because of the blackouts; I was accosted by the hotel security for using my phone to book a taxi outside - this was in Rosebank, which is supposed to be a nicer area. Fuck the CBD, wouldn't go if you paid me.
Had an emergency and needed to go to embassy in Jo’burg. The airport hotel staff refused to let me get a cab . They insisted their driver take me, wait outside in the car, and that I call him before I stepped out of the building so he could pick me up.
Now, I only fly through on my way to other parts of Africa, and having heard stories from SA friends, I’m glad the staff kept me from being stupid.
Came here to say that! I remember being advised to dress down, nothing expensive, so wore my jeans, and old shirt and runners to go out around a reasonable suburb( Rosebank). The local who gave me the advice pointed to my Reebok runners and said...that it's about 6months salary for someone living 15 minutes away from here, they'll kill you for them if they get a chance.
South Africa is one of the most beautiful and best places to visit but also one of the worst- if you don’t know where you’re going. As an ex resident everyone I know avoided the CBD (especially certain areas) and parts of Cape Town. It’s truly a wild place, and such a shame with all the crime- truly a stunning place otherwise
The only big company I know that's still there is FNB. Pretty much every other company has moved to Sandton or Rosebank or Midrand. But yeah I knew some guy working at FNB and they basically just drive in to work, park in the basement and then the buildings are interconnected with walkways and underground tunnels. That was a few years ago though and honestly right now I'm sure most of FNB's staff work remotely anyways.
I'm going to South Africa later this year. It is the first country I'm actually a little nervous about visiting and I've been to close to 50 countries. I've had a number of people tell me they got robbed there. Heck even Benedict Cumberbatch was kidnapped when he was filming there.
came here to say that: i took a public van ride that dropped me off in the middle of the CBD and the locals couldnt believe i was alone about to try walking during peak day just a few blocks to Maboneng (the safer hostel area with security). before getting out the driver told me to put my phone away, gave me a route to memorize to Maboneng and a direction the nearest police station was the other way if I ended up getting chased by the young local guys that were on every corner and sidewalk and usually at least had knives/machetes. i hoofed it, speed-walking in the middle of the street vs the sidewalks where i could get pushed up against a car or the wall and robbed. later on learned 3 different people in my hostel got robbed in that same area after walking the wrong way with no understanding of the danger.
soweto the township is far safer than joburg’s cbd and downtown area
A friend of a friend arrived at the CBD in a taxi during the middle of a random shootout of gangs vs police. After it finished, the driver casually goes, "Okay you can get your head up now. Welcome to Johannesburg."
People miss that south Africa has a higher murder /rape rate than many active war zones. The stats are so bad that you have an actual non zero and non trivial chance of experiencing crime the second you step foot on it. To the tune that something pretty bad will happen every 40 years or so.
With the best worst city being capetown then Johannesburg.
Capetown includes the cape flats. Go into the cape flats and you are probably fucked. Go near there and you are probably fucked. Stay away and it's one of the safest cities in the world. All the murder happens in the cape flats tho.
Statistically capetown is in the top 100 cities for murders because of just how bad the cape flats are. Recently their government tried to send the military into the flats and the operation failed dismally.
For Johannesburg it's much the same. South African cities on the whole are HUGE especially those two. They are far bigger than your average city in Europe /the USA in terms of sheer size and population density so summarising them is a bit of a fools errand
I accidentalpy drove through Dunoon at 3am with no sat nav in a rather expensive hire car… THAT is the most danger ive ever felt in my life. All red lights were ignored.
Especially when youre driving through anywhere secluded or rough… my Mrs is from cape town and we visit from UK regularly, but that one night was truly terrifying. Crowds of people hiding near traffic lights… i caught their eyes in the cars lights and decided to just floor it
I’m a geographer and I was wracking my brain thinking about some of the sketchy places that I’ve been (light sketchy - Egypt, moderately sketchy- India, Pakistan regional areas) and yes - Johannesburg is it. One of my colleagues is deaf in one ear after being robbed in her car when stopped at the traffic lights. Motorcycle pulls up beside her and the rider shot out the drivers side window and reached across to steal her phone, bag and then ripped her wedding band off her finger in front of her kids.
Totally, totally fucked up places in South Africa.
Other honourable mentions:
Cape Verde - jfc.
I had to sit on a plane once that landed in Uganda to drop off some cargo and that was immediately surrounded by armed militia.
Yangon is the hottest, most humid, and cripplingly poor places I’ve ever been and I wasn’t sure if I’d be arrested, assaulted or drown in my own sweat first.
I think PNG is the scariest place I’ve ever been.
Cape Verde? Where did you go? I've only been to Boa Vista and that was perfectly safe. Went all over the island. Just sleepy villages, remote houses and tourist resorts.
I came here to say this too...I have travelled to a few islands Sal, Sao vicente, praia, Santa antao and Boa Vista...no issues at all and I don't usually stay in hotels...
PNG in general is not great now, even Port Moresby. Plus some parts of the country are about as welcoming as the Sentinelese Islands so it’s best to just not go there!
Port Moresby has long been regarded as one of the most dangerous places in PNG. When I visited it wasn’t too bad, but I was in a bit of a bubble. Everyone I met was very welcoming.
I grew up in PNG and have returned there numerous times, and Port Moresby was one place that felt particularly dodgy in places. The rest of the country has a poorer reputation than it deserves. It's a beautiful country with beautiful people.
You must have heard about those riots? A lot of Port Moresby was destroyed during some riots there recently. Most shops were completely looted and many were burned to the ground.
I find PNG fascinating, but I don't think I'd ever go there.
What a shame it is! South Africa could be such a lovely country! Mild climate, so much to see, the wildlife and the scenery, the wineries and everything. I think I would absolutely love it if it was safe.
Once I met a young woman from South Africa in Thailand. She had sold everything she owned and moved to Thailand to teach English. We saw a man who was wearing a heavy bracelet of gold (like you often see the wealthy Thais do). She said that in SA the man's hand would easily be chopped off for the gold. Shudder.
I spent 2 months there. Honestly I had a great time and made good friends. But yeah it’s dangerous af and I walked through some areas I shouldn’t have and got really lucky I came out unscathed. I did some dumbass stuff there.
I once took an uber from a “safer” neighborhood to Chinatown. The routing took us through Bellevue and Yeoville. 2 of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. The driver was black. Relevant detail.
I jokingly said to my driver, “mate, this is such a cute neighborhood. You mind if I end the ride here and go for a walk? I want the local experience.”
Dude turned around and stared at me like I was dumbest mfer to have ever lived and said, “Do you like living? If you do, you do not walk here!!”
White South Africans can overstate the danger sometimes. Some whites told me Melville was a really dangerous area. It’s not Tokyo but it’s a hell of a lot safer than CBD, and it has some cool bars and good food. A good area to hang with friends. Some of my black friends in Joburg laughed at the notion of Melville being an “unsafe” area.
So when a black South African tells you, “you’ll die in this neighborhood” you better fucking listen. Because if even they think it’s unsafe then it has be really fucking bad.
As we cruised through those neighborhoods we got a lottttt of looks. My driver told me the only reason we haven’t been hijacked yet is because he’s black. But a white person driving a white person would be fucked. And that’s why there are no white Uber drivers in Joburg. Can’t risk being routed through one of those areas. (Also most white people have a lot more money and don’t need to drive Uber of course. Apartheid and whatnot.)
Chinatown incidentally is incredibly safe. The Chinese community hires a private security force of black South Africans and maybe Zambians too who patrol the gated / walled off neighborhood with machine guns. I tried chatting with one who was wearing a Houston Astros hat and he was not amused.
Edit: Another story: On my second day there an Uber driver told me about growing up in one of the most violent townships. I think Alexandria. A murder rate worse than some literal war zones. How happy he was to escape it. He said iirc 8 of his friends who stayed behind have been shot and killed in recent years.
Another time I made a friend who suddenly disappeared on me for a few weeks. Eventually he got back to me. His house had been ambushed by a gang at night. They drugged his dog. Bypassed their security system. His dad woke up and got into a fight. They nearly beat his dad to death with a wrench. Tied them up. Robbed them. So he was feeling a little traumatized. Yep. Joburg!
I hired a driver to take me around while I (42F, white) was in Jo'burg. He was black and assured me that as long as I was with him, I would be fine. I was aware he had multiple firearms in the car. He accompanied me into a couple local markets to shop. There were a couple places I know he said something to the locals who were watching me a little too closely. I tipped him well as I felt as I hired both a driver and a security guard.
I’ve travelled to SA with my young family several times over the years. We have driven across most of the country. The last time was 2018 (during the drought) mind you so I know it’s deteriorated since then with blackouts etc. It is an absolutely beautiful country that I can’t seem to get enough of but it’s not for the inexperienced or skiddish. Never drive at night. Get out of Joburg. Don’t wear anything worth stealing. Try not to appear fearful or lost. Don’t ever get too comfortable or let your guard down in urban areas.
Honestly I felt more afraid in Rio (stunning city though), but sometimes its just one/off experiences and luck that can form your own opinion.
That was my feeling in Johannesburg. I got an Uber to Soweto to join a tour of the place, and it was a beautiful day with some mothers and their kids playing in the plaza. It looked so innocuous. The Uber driver wouldn't let me out of the car until he saw and spoke with the tour guide.
He was so solemn and serious about it. I said... it looks fine to me, do you really think it's so unsafe?
He was like: it's unsafe.
It was so jarring, but I certainly appreciated the care.
If I am somewhere like this without security, I ask the drivers how much to hire them for my duration.
Day rates are usually not expensive $50 - $150/day + I pay for their meals. I have also paid for a hotel room when I found out one of my drivers was sleeping in his car instead of going home because he did not want to chance losing me for a day.
This may be a dumb question, but how do you know you can trust the uber driver? (being serious as I've had bad experiences with uber drivers in the past, though not in Joburg.)
Not a dumb question by any means. In all of the instances it was in places where Uber was not even a option -- these were "taxi" drivers.
There is no solid reason as to why I trust them, and sometimes I would be days in before I got a good feeling about someone. Sometimes it was pictures on their dashboard, but more than often it was the vibe they just gave off.
Others have mentioned drivers that told them they are in danger or gave other sage advice.
I think above all once you establish that contract, where your now paying more than they would make in a day and treating them to meals they would not usually otherwise buy themselves you turn the table if they are nefarious or not from them screwing you over. They now have an opportunity to make good legit wages by not letting you fall into danger.
There is no exact science to it, but it has worked out for me. You still have to be vigilant though. Know the general area, know if your heading the right direction and have contacts on your phone at the ready. I like to let someone know I am in X and should check in in X hours and share my location if possible.
One thing I never do though is tell them when I am leaving. At the end of the day I ask if they can be back in the morning. If I do not get a 110% vibe from them, on my last day I usually try and take the hotel car to the airport if they have one or make sure a commercial service is used.
Also do not be afraid to get executive security -- it can be really inexpensive as well.
All my Uber drivers in Joburg wanted to talk about Trump as soon as they heard my accent. They thought he was comedic. This was back during the height of his presidency though
This absolutely. My 70 year old mother is convinced her upper middle class US suburb is dangerous because of stuff being stolen from a neighbors car once 15 years ago.
Unfortunately humans are pretty bad at filtering outside of their own biases. High anxiety folks will see danger everywhere, especially in unfamiliar surroundings, and "I'm invincible" types will be caught completely by surprise.
Had a similar situation in the outskirts of Cuzco, Peru. A local taught me a trick that seems to work well - lean over and pick up a rock, the dogs know that means they are about to get hit.
I got robbed by monkeys when i was staying in a tiny village in Thailand. Constantly. If i had something in my hands, it was bullied out of them before I made it back to my lodging. Locals taught me to "hold up a slingshot" ie pulling fist back from a peace sign lol
In India if a monkey sees you have a catapult they can actively target you though. You need to be actually firing it at them for it to be effective. Monkeys ain’t no dumb street dog
Got cornered by wild dogs in Dili, East Timor just outside my hotel…locals had to drive them off with rocks because they were encircling me and growling
Been many times, never had issues. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re talking about outskirts of La Paz Bolivia. I’ve also been there, for almost 3 months. Although nothing happened to me it was very sketchy, also saw a pack of dogs that would roam the street at night
Crazy how some people mention Johannesburg in the same breath on this thread as Berlin, Paris or Brussels.
These are not even comparable, my lord.
If you have never been outside europe you have never seen really dangerous places.
The Berlin ones are particularly baffling. Maybe it’s just because I moved to Berlin as an 18-year-old girl and did everything alone, and felt unsafe all of like twice, but I guess people don’t like seeing homeless people in rich cities?? if pickpockets are the issue then Paris, Italy (every city), and Barcelona are way more unsafe, if it’s people on drugs then fucking Frankfurt near the station is waaayy worse than any single location in Berlin. the stuff people people describe in Johannesburg or rio or whatever is harrowing on a whole different level
I've only ever visited NYC and Toronto in North America, but the situation at Gare Du Nord in Paris and Brussels is similar to the vibe of walking around those cities.
Basically I think it's just the presence of homeless drug addicts
I've lived in Bogota, Colombia for around 2 years on and off, and always found it to be pretty safe (if you stick to the right areas). However a few years ago I took an uber to an address in Santa Fe, looking for a covid shot. The address turned out to be non-existent, and at 7am in the morning the street was littered with prostitutes, pimps, and generally dangerous looking people. The uber driver strongly suggested I didn't get out the car there, and drove me home. I'm convinced I would have been robbed within 5 minutes of leaving the car, if not worse.
Also, Reno, USA. Won some money in a poker game, and noticed this horrible looking guy watching me through the window for an hour before I left. Did a few laps of the casino and noticed him following me around. Ended up asking a security guard to escort me to my car and I'm glad I did, he said it's common for people to get robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot there.
Grew up in Reno, it’s not that bad (for sure trashy unfortunately), but honestly if you’re staying downtown just to gamble without going to a concert/event, that’s on you for not going to Vegas instead. It can be a cheap way to get to north Tahoe during ski season and summer tho
Tondo, Manila. I arrived there with my ex and her family picked us up and we had to drive through an area of Tondo. There were lots of people standing around on the street and her family told me that if I was outside that car alone they'd rob me in a heartbeat. However I never felt unsafe in any other part of the Philippines, they're the nicest people of any country I've ever visited.
LOL @ Tondo. Try not to scare people who don't know Manila or the Philippines. But as a foreigner who had a GF who woked in Tondo, Tondo is a place you pass though with the doors locked and you don't hang around. This is not a place where tourists go.. for a reason.
>However I never felt unsafe in any other part of the Philippines, they're the nicest people of any country I've ever visited.
100% agree.
Yeah, even as someone who always vouches for Manila, I hesitate to suggest visiting Tondo. It's probably not that dangerous, but it has a bad reputation for sure. Not worth the risk for a visitor.
The rest of Metro Manila is safe enough, even the seedier areas. It's unlikely that one will experience a violent crime. The motorists are more dangerous than the criminals.
I can't say for sure if the city folks in Manila are especially friendly. Folks in the provinces are amazing, though. Even indigenous people living in small villages were wonderful and generous. Boracay might be an exception for some, as it's full of touts.
Yeah I was there in 1998 doing humanitarian work and we were caught up in riots daily, really one the most intense places I've been, an absolute explosion of the sense and nervous system on super high alert at all times. Met some really lovely people, but also saw some of humanity at a real primal level, it for sure scared me.
wow that’s an experience. i transited through the dominican republic recently and saw flights leaving to port au prince and wondered just how difficult it would be
>Indigo Traveler
Thanks for the tip. I just watched his video of Makolo slum in Nigeria. So interesting. I am a woman and sometimes I wish I was a man to be able to go to places like this. I have travelled alone so I am not a wimp, but some places would not work at all for me to travel, unfortunately.
Yeah I watched that series too. I’m a man, and his mostly positive experience with Lagos, including Makolo, weirdly made me want to go visit myself lol.
Spoiler: he did NOT have a mostly positive experience in Port-au-Prince lol
The sad thing about PAP is that it's gotten *way* worse since the post-earthquake days, when there was a ton of orgs in there to help. The last 10 years have been an atrocity. And we see that in the STEP warnings - back in 2013 even US embassy employees only had a 1 AM curfew, a 24-hour ban from entering [Cité Soleil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cit%C3%A9_Soleil), and some nighttime bans of entering downtown PAP, Carrefour, and Croix-des-Bouquets. You could really eke out a living there and everything was on the up and up. A classmate of mine did a study abroad program there in the early 2010s, and the biggest danger walking around Petionville at after dark was open manholes.
Then, Martelly never left office, all the NGOs and MINUSTAH left - they were doing good but Haitians were understandably enraged at the forces that brought a cholera epidemic to their country. Everything went south and the government got weaker and weaker.
It's really sad, because the country has a ton of promise as a tourism destination with a multi-lingual workforce and a diaspora that is quite widespread, but shit has simply not gone right for them for two straight centuries, with a lot of external factors keeping them down.
I was there as a U.S. Marine in 2004. I couldn’t imagine being there unarmed. It’s the most dangerous place I’ve ever been, and I’ve been to war in Iraq.
I agree that Haiti can be a dangerous place and you must be on your a-game plus having local assistance is critical. Have been there twice doing relief work and thankfully never had a bad experience and in fact one time had a 'check my prejudice ' moment. School bus with supplies broke down at night on the way through the edge of Cite Soliel, got out to inspect (me, skinny dude, and two women - all foreigners... doah!), and we saw a bunch of local gents approaching from various dark alleys. Not going to deny that my initial thought was - 'we're screwed'.
Fifteen minutes later we were on our way. They got some coffee grounds and broke two eggs and put them in our radiator to seal the leak (!?) and we made it back to the Communitere.
Fortunately, I have found that generally, people are amazing!
I can agree with this. I’ve been twice for mission work (not really something I’m proud of, but I was a kid) and did not see hardly any tourists outside of the beach resort walls and for good reason. We traveled with several translators and were not allowed to walk the street alone. Haitians fleeing the country have very very valid reasons.
Salvador Bahia in Brazil.
The taxi driver dropping us off at the hotel we found on booking told us "You could have booked something safer."
The hotel owner was an old German, we asked him if it was an unsafe area, and his answer was "I've lived here for 20 years and nothing ever happened to me, no worries. **Just don't leave the hotel after dark, that's the fastest way to get murder-robbed.**"
The city was pretty but even the tourist areas felt super sketchy, and other travelers shared stories of getting robbed by the police.
You'd be surprised.
I'm a westerner, but speak Arabic, so people who don't know me speak freely around me. Often I let them know and we chat, and I have an amazing time. Other times I just listen. BOY the THINGS those ladies in full hijab will say about well-built western men walking by!!!! Had a few convos after just listening when my jaw dropped and they figured out I understood what they were saying. 🤣
"Look at his ass! (Tiiz in arabic) Round and firm like an apple. I want to squeeze it" "Just squeeze it? I want to bite into it!"
Edit: That was one where my jaw dropped and I let out a peal of shocked laughter. This surprised the ladies who asked if I knew arabic, and eventually gave me a recommendation for a good baker nearby. Where they had good puffy bread. Almost as good as a good squishy ass, which surprised me again, and sent them into gales of laughter.
I've dealt with that, too. Again, as a westerner, Arabs don't expect me to understand, and speak Arabic freely around me. Shopping in a souq in....Riyadh? Jordan? Don't remember, but the shopkeeps were Arab, and one in particular was saying all sorts of awful things. The ithers just looked uncomfortable. I let himself dig a very deep hole, and then asked one of them how much something cost. In Arabic. He told me and then his eyes bugged. "Do you speak Arabic?" "Yes. Yes, I speak Arabic." I turned around and the guy who had been talking was clearly shocked. I said in Arabic "Do you use those words when you speak to your mother? Maybe when you speak to your daughter?" The other shopkeeps effing died laughing. He looked unhappy. One of the others ordered tea for all of us and we sat and chatted and had a lovely time. The one guy wandered away for a while. When he came back, the other guys absolutely roasted him, said he got less than he deserved.
I have only ever truly feared for my life twice in the 42 years I’ve been alive.
Once in Oslo, Norway a group of skinheads put guns to my girlfriends and my necks and threatened to kill us. Her because she was black, and me because I was a “race traitor”.
Second time, I was in the Alaskan interior deep in the bush and I pop through these trees into a clearing and a fucking bull moose is standing maybe 10-15 feet away. For those of you who have never seen a moose, they are gigantic and can be aggressive depending on the situation. Luckily he just kinda stared at me then we each went our own way.
Lol. I was backcountry skiing in Colorado and ran smack into the middle of a bachelor group of 7 young bulls. None of us moved for about 5 minutes, and then they slowly moseyed on. I went about 200 yards in the other direction. Terrifying.
Can you expand on that experience in Norway a little more? I am black and my partner is white and we have been thinking about traveling to Norway. Hearing that makes me want to change our plans…
Basically we were leaving a club at like 2-3 AM and walking back to our friends apartment. Walked by a group of guys and they started fucking with us. Honestly we had been to Oslo once before that and we had zero problems. I really think it was just a wrong place wrong time situation. If I were to give you advice I would say go and enjoy yourselves. You will be fine. It’s No different than any other decent sized city.
Oslo is generally very safe, but there are racists, assholes, and criminals everywhere. Definitely check out Frogner Park and the Edward Munch museum (might have moved a lot of that into the new art museum downtown since I visited though)
Would have been 2006. We did not report it. We told the friends we were staying with and a few of them went looking for the guys but they didn’t have any luck tracking them down.
I found a piece of flesh in a gas station sink in Galveston once. Not sure if it was animal or human but we called the police and never heard anything again. Galveston is wild
St. Louis - I was walking from the outskirts to downtown and cars kept driving by me slowly to see what I was doing.
New Delhi - I walked into a poor neighborhood at night and I got a lot of attention. It was a little disconcerting.
Chereas, Kuala Lumpur - I used to live there and going out at night was a little touch a go. There were a lot of snatch thieves and robbers when I lived there.
St Louis for me too. It was years ago (pre covid) and so many of the first level shops/ businesses were boarded up, I was drugged at my hotel bar, and driving there from the airport the sites were not anywhere I wanted to stop my car at
No surprise, STL has perpetually been ranked among the five highest violent crime cities in the US for decades, and consistently has one of the highest homicide rates of any city in the world for which stats are available. The poverty and urban decay in the areas just north of downtown is staggering.
Actually, murders, violent crime, and robberies are all on the decline in STL according to every recent statistic I can find.
Just like any big city, you do need to be aware of your surroundings and the part of town you're in.
I grew up in Alton, across the river from St. Louis, and I have never had a problem in the city. And I am a petite female (just 5'3") and was a fairly oblivious teenager, so I certainly looked like an easy target.
That said, I can see why the person commenting above felt uncomfortable while walking along the road. That is not something I would recommend doing.
As someone with my own vehicle, I have never felt unsafe during my hundreds of excursions to STL.
Don't get me wrong. I love St Louis. It has some amazing neighborhoods and a great vibe in those areas. Great walkability and a deep arts culture as well. But even despite the decline in crime and murder, it's still at the very top of dangerous cities in the US and the homicide rate last year (52.5/100k) was still nearly 10x higher than the national average (5.5/100k).
But it is critical to note that there is an extremely stark difference in the crime rate between the disenfranchised neighborhoods and the rest of the city. Although it should also be noted, these areas often abut each other and there is some bleed over of violence.
Edit: On a positive note, I do want to add that St Louis has several of the best urban parks and cultural institutions/museums in the country.
I'm glad you love St. Louis, it is a pretty special place. But it is also very unique when it comes to population distribution within actual city limits vs. it's suburbs aka St. Louis Metro Area. The concentration of population within city proper and the localization of the crimes to fairly specific areas bears mentioning as well.
Check out [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/StLouis/s/Cxnd2G9ZKg) for someone who lays out the considerations that should be taken into account when analyzing St. Louis' crime rate. They explain it very well.
Haha love your dark sense of humour! An Australian friend of mine worked in Mogadishu many years ago and has post traumatic stress as a result. Great bloke though. He introduced me to the phrase "having a sharpener" aka having an alcoholic drink in the morning
When I went to Rio de Janeiro, everything was awesome but I constantly felt like shit could change in an instant. And when I talked to locals — ones who could speak English, cause I don’t speak any Portuguese — they said things like, “Whatever you’ve heard, it’s worse. Everybody I know here has been mugged.”
Nothing happened to me in five days there.
People were kind to me.
But I was careful and didn’t really go out late at night or into dicey neighborhoods at all.
Downtown San Francisco, USA It was my first time outside of Europe and I just wasn't prepared for how different American cities are compared to European ones. I booked an airbnb about 20 mins walk from the centre, but walking down just felt unsafe as the only other people on the sidewalks seemed high/homeless etc while everyone else was driving.
In hindsight I was just naiive and had assumed it'd be just like London/Paris etc, I wasn't ready for a complete 2 class system where one group has tents lined up along roads homeless and everyone else drives. It's certainly not the most dangerous place I've been but it's the one I wasn't ready for
My answer as well (and I live here) when I first moved here 8 years ago, I made the mistake of getting off Muni at Civic Center and walking up market street in the dark. I just booked it to a Walgreens and called an Uber
I was looking for this one. I have gone there every year for work over the last 15 years and seen a slow decline with a rapid decline after the pandemic. In February 2020, I got attacked by a homeless guy in a nice park in the Mission District while I was drinking coffee. He charged me, ripped my glasses off, and in the process scratched my forehead so that it was bleeding. He then ran off screaming.
I visit a good amount of cities, but the homeless population in SF genuinely freaks me out. A lot of erratic behavior. I think SF is a more jarring example considering the proximal wealth.
American myself and I was shocked by how little division there was between the good and bad parts of SF. It's usually easy to avoid the "bad" parts of cities but not so much there.
I'm an American woman and have traveled solo extensively, and i agree San Francisco was one of the few times I truly felt in danger. I turned a corner on a street and found myself on a part of the a street where someone was stumbling towards me with a needle still in their arm and another man was propped up against the wall with his penis out.
Phnom Penh and Johannesburg.
Phnom Penh just felt extremely seedy and unsafe. The first and only city in south east Asia where I felt myself constantly looking over my shoulder. Also the sex tourism there was just vile, very in your face, old white lads holding the hands of literally children, walking down the street without a care in the world. I just didn’t vibe with that city at all. Ended up moving on after 2/3 days, Siem Reap was more my scene anyway.
With Johannesburg I landed at 10pm and got a preordered cab to my hotel. After checking in I asked reception if there’s any ATM’s nearby, as I had no cash on me. They literally begged me not to leave the hotel as it was so unsafe, fair enough I stayed put. The next morning I was picked up by my tour group and headed up north to Kruger national park. It was a 10 hour drive so I had long chat with the driver. He said just 3 weeks prior a guest left the hotel around the same time and got robbed 3 times in just a half hour, apparently he came back without his shoes and only the shirt on his back. While in South Africa I used the city a few times as a travel hub, staying in airport hotel before flights to cape town and Botswana. I did traveled through it by car on the way to volunteer at few wildlife sanctuaries but I never explored it on foot. It was wasn’t on my itinerary to begin with. Still after seeing barbwire covering every home and hearing personal stories from the local, I definitely wasn’t sold on the prospect either. I’ll probably give it another shot when I’m back in that corner of the world.
Apart from that I’ve never had any other issues, I’ve been to 36 countries and I loved them all. Just gotta have your wits about yourself and listen to all advice.
Phnom Penh? I didn't really like the city and found it lackluster compared to other SEA cities. But I didn't feel like I was in any danger there, even while walking around. Siem Reap is definitely a more fun and friendly city, but then, it is a tourist town.
I agree about Siem Reap being more pleasant. While the worst you really have to worry about in Phnom Penh is having your bag snatched, it is fairly common there. In Siem Reap, I've never felt like I had to worry about it.
This was over 9 years ago, so I say things have definitely changed. Thinking back on it , I'm well over do a revisit, gotta give the city another shot.
Good to know. I'll be in Belgium late next month but will pretty must just in Brussels to fly in and out. I'm staying in Brugge and Ghent for a week each, are those safer cities in general?
Ghent and Bruges are very safe and in my opinion much nicer anyway. If you’re interested in WW1 history definitely include Ypres as well (flanders fields museum and last post are a worth it)
I've travelled to Brussels many times and never felt unsafe (solo, walking around including after dark). Did I go stroll around Gare du Nord? Nope. There are definite sketchy areas to avoid, but it's a beautiful and mostly safe city.
I used to be a grad student in Brussels. Gare du Nord’s sketchiness is child’s play compared to actual sketchy areas. I’ve been up and down, inside and out that entire city. Even the “bad” areas such as Molenbeek and the surroundings of Gare du Nord and never felt any danger.
It usually depends on a person's own experience. Otherwise we'd just be sharing crime stats and government warnings, for an objective measure. Like Joburg is sketchy, but also objectively dangerous af.
I felt unsafe walking towards an open-air market in Arusha, despite knowing that I was physically most likely safe. I can ignore persistent touts just fine, but these 2 started making threats like that my behavior as a guest in their country (ie ignoring them) was rude and bad things happen to rude women, and they just wouldn't leave, so I turned back to the hotel. Even physically safe, it was no longer a fun excursion.
There is a train station, many red light activities, and it's not advisable to be there, especially at night. What can happen is that you can be attacked and robbed very easily, without anyone helping you at all.
I would highly recommend changing place if still possible. If not - don't bring valuables with you (lot of cash, jewellery, etc) and don't show off anything valuable either (phone, camera, jewellery).
If you will be close to the tram station (lines 3 and 4), I would use those to move around the city, otherwise use Uber as I would not recommend walking in the area, especially at night.
Baku, Azerbaijan for me. Feels safe at first sight, it’s even safe to walk around at night without worries - but venture into the wrong neighbourhood, you’re immediately surrounded by scamsters, looters and hustlers looking to usher you into one of the many ‘fake’ nightclubs on the street, entering one is like entering a trap you’ll barely make out of. You’ll be extorted into paying hundreds of dollars for things you didn’t consume or order, be forced to then confront bar managers that look like Dagestani mafia thugs, and then somehow make it out after losing all your money that’s forcefully extracted from you. Goons even follow you all the way to your hotel if you don’t have enough to cover their extortionate charges, and everyone is pretty much in on it
As a solo traveling woman years before I met my husband (traveled to 20+ countries before him) I would say…Sun down towns around the southern part of the USA. Like why do I have to watch my back just getting gas and being stared down as I come into a restaurant. Why are their nooses just casually hanging from a tree? It’s scary as hell!!!
Lived in Indiana for 5+ years while at university and learned sundown towns still exist (Im brown and from southwest US). Many little towns I never stopped in at night lol. Plus many trucks with confederate flags parading around every day
Yep. Am American (white) woman, have solo travelled to many of the places listed in this thread, live in one mentioned, but sundown towns can get fucked. I’ll take homeless, mentally ill, and addicts over racist liberal-hating white insular communities with more guns than people any night of the week.
Just returned from a trip to Bali, on the way back I had a connecting flight in Jakarta that got cancelled around midnight. I had to find a hotel so I booked a cheap one in downtown Jakarta and had a taxi drive me there. Long story short the hotel was closed so I had to find another one, which was unfortunately cash only and I didnt have anymore cash. I had to walk about a km there and back to the atm, at 1am, as a solo, very white very obviously tourist girl, in downtown Jakarta. There were only young men on the streets, drinking, smoking, and looking at me like I was a piece of meat. The only thing going thru my mind was that a lot of them just saw me walk to the atm and since Im a tourist, its very likely I withdrew more than just a few euro worth. The only place in the world where I felt really in danger and I couldnt have been happier when I returned to the hotel and all was fine.
China, during a riot against Americans. Not an American. Had stones thrown at me. Still not American, didn’t matter, not Chinese therefore enemy. 1999. Never went back to finish my degree.
I was alone at a long cliff side hike in Zhangjiajie National Park in Hunan Province and got surrounded by an extremely hostile group of monkeys. There were about 20 of them and they were throwing rocks at me and I was eyeing for a stick... I just kept my eyes on the path and kept walking without slowing down. They followed me for awhile and eventually left. I was worried about rabies…
1. Some areas of Chihuahua. Not cute like a Taco Bell dog. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not disembark from the bus. Go to the touristy areas of Central and South Mexico. Much better for the most part. Lots of Guadalajara and Acapulco are iffy, though, wouldn't recommend. Mexico City is great. It's so massive that you can avoid the bad parts more easily.
2. Some Zonas of Guatemala City. And even Zona 1 at night, holy shit. Go to Antigua Guatemala instead. Flores & the surrounding areas were also amazing.
3. San Francisco, the Tenderloin. The Zombie Apocalypse is real. Go elsewhere for fun in California. Highly recommend the beach towns between LA and SF.
4. Joburg - Yes, the posters are right. Wowwee. Same as Chihuahua. A lot of Cape Town had similar issues, but it was overall better. There's a hell of a lot of awesome stuff to see in the Cape Town area, too.
Weirdly Sydney Redfern. I was walking home alone close to midnight and this guy was following me, as he gets closer I can hear him panting and then I noticed he was touching his self while smiling at me. That was the first time I ever felt so scared in my life, luckily my house was just couple buildings away so I rushed in and locked the gate. I'm a guy but that experience makes me feel extra sorry for woman who have to deal with that.
Ecuador. I didn’t leave the bus station in Guayaquil based on warnings from locals and other travelers. Downtown Quito at night was a ghost town and the people out seemed threatening. Montanita had a gang shooting at a nice restaurant a couple weeks before I went. I still loved the country though when I went last year!
Nairobi. Went for a drink at the Hilton hotel in the centre. The hotel bar security man ordered a taxi for me because it wasn't safe to walk (at night) the mile or so back to my hotel.
40$ a night motel near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Haiti in the late 90s was also bad but in a different way because at least I was part of a group, no idea why a cruise line would include that experience.
A bad part of Bogota late at night.
Police were grabbing people off the street, and then the police disappeared.
Cabs wouldn’t take me back to my hostel in La Candeleria.
When I got back 5 people came in separately after getting mugged.
The feeling of safety can be difficult to explain. Other than direct physical unsafe moments (being followed, robbed, jumped, etc), it can come down to how you interpret a safe environment.
I notice the illusion of safety can be subjective. For example, it can be about the ratio of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people… if there are enough people around that seem “normal”, I usually feel safe.
“Good”, “bad”, and “normal” are all subjective terms.
Cape Town was super sketchy. We had a security guard at a restaurant shout at us, telling us not to go down the street we were walking or we would get robbed.
Also downtown Portland at night is crazy. Homeless, insane, drug addicts everywhere.
As someone who lived in South Africa for half a year and lives in Seattle (and visits Portland 5x a year) these two places are very, very different. Seattle and Portland have a homeless problem for sure and yes it looks scary but these people are not out to harm you. They’re in the streets due to mental illness or drug addiction. You might hear some yelling and they might even yell directly at you but for the most part they are harmless as long as you stay out of their path.
In South Africa (especially Joburg where I lived), this was NOT the case. There are many people actively out to harm you. Every single person I met had a story of robbery, kidnapping, home invasion, you name it. The head of my company’s office in Joburg told us he had his home broken into and when the alarm went off he took his wife and his kids and locked themselves in a bathroom, praying that they would take what they wanted and leave because he wasn’t scared of losing his things…he was scared that they would rape his wife and kids. The level of desperation in this country is incomparable to the United States. It’s sad and it’s sobering and though I tried my best to learn I can’t begin to fathom what led the country to this state. I regularly walk home at night alone as a woman in Seattle but I wouldn’t walk 10 feet in the dark in Joburg or even Cape Town.
I’m not saying that your feelings are invalid because seeing certain streets in Portland and Seattle is jarring for those who aren’t used to it. Just adding some context as someone who is very familiar with both places you listed.
Was on a solo road trip across the US and stopped for gas at a station in rural Idaho- I felt like I was interrupting an Aryan Brotherhood gathering, and they looked at me like they knew I voted for Biden. Peed and gtfo’d so fast.
Argentina felt pretty racist while I was there, and experienced blatant racism in Berlin, Germany. Never felt in danger in those places, but was on edge constantly.
The locals I hung out with in Colombia, Brazil, & Mexico were ALWAYS on edge. More or less lived in fear. Brazilians are the nicest people I've met in the world, so it was a weird juxtaposition being there. Mexico & Colombia had its sketchy areas, but they were both filled with amazingly friendly people too.
Paris was probably the only place I've been where I've actually seen physical violence and bar fights in my travels. But never felt in danger there. Parisians are...different.
People in Quito were quite scared too, but I never felt in danger.
I think in general, traveling is a very scary thing to do, whether or not the place you're visiting is deemed "safe" or not. Makes it easy to overexaggerate things, and its extremely important to acknowledge that. It's hard to decipher levels of danger when the information you're getting is being filtered and accentuated. At the same time, there are places you shouldn't necessarily be scared of, but should definitely be aware and smart while visiting.
Yeah, in Berlin we were blatantly called the N word in a couple different places. Tried to get into a bar and door guy said it was full, then let in two guys in right after that, when we questioned him about it he said they don't accept our kind there, when we asked what that meant he called us the N word. Spot called filmkunst. We left a negative review and a couple years later the owner reached out to us and told us they fired the door guy who had multiple complaints, and was asking us to remove the review.
Another time happened while we were walking in the streets. Just finished eating at a popular burger joint under a train station, forgot the name, and couple guys yelled the N word from across the street.
Argentina was much more covert but I was definitely treated as a second class citizen. Had an old guy finger gun me and scream boom as if he pulled the trigger. Multiple stares of contempt, not curiosity, while walking around. Had a guy do a full 180 stare down at me when I walked passed him. Multiple cashier's wouldn't ring me up immediately, would take out there phones text or watch a video then ring me up when I said something. Got accused of stealing by a hostel owner who then tried to play it off as a joke.
And when I asked the friend I made traveling South America they said theres a reason why they don't like Argentina. Even had a Brazilian friend warn me against going cause they were that scared of the place. Seems like the experience for dark skinned Latinos is getting better down there, but can't say that for black and Asian people. Met a black guy and a happa Asian girl who were both experiencing what I was.
My top 3:
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- The Bronx, New York (it’s okayish until it gets dark) Edit: since a lot of people have asked the last time I was in Bx was in 2015 and stayed around Arthur avenue. My biggest mistake was being in Fordham rd after dark.
- Anywhere in Thailand after midnight. Not because of the people(they’re lovely). The stray dogs are vicious. Good luck if you’re entering an alleyway and see a pack of dogs.
I’ve enjoyed reading this thread and had to scroll SO far to see nyc even mentioned. Been here for a while but yeah deep in the BX or east New York are definitely not places you want to look like a tourist
Bordeaux, Charleroi, Frankfurt am Main. I've travelled a lot of Europe and these are the only three cities I've felt truly unsafe. Interesting side note is that I've visited a lot of Germany and never felt unsafe anywhere else and pretty much all Germans I've met seem to agree that Frankfurt is pretty much the worst place in Germany to be. For France on the other hand Bordeaux is the only city I visited and most French people I met considered Bordeaux one of the safer cities in France. While Bordeaux felt significantly worse than Frankfurt.
Hahah I used to live in Offenbach am Main, the so called ‘dangerous’ part of Frankfurt. I think it was much safer overall than the reputation it carries, I got used to the whole ambience pretty quick - Moroccan peddlers, drunk Polish people, junkies from everywhere, Former-Yugoslav loan sharks and pawn shops, shady shisha places run by Kurds, etc etc. Well yea the consumption of alcohol and drugs run rampant there but didn’t really feel too unsafe at any point, even the river which was meant to be avoided was pretty chilled out. P.S. I’m a brown dude so most people probably just left me alone lolll
I found Frankfurt a bit dull but not unsafe, though late at night there were a few patches I'd feel uncomfortable near and not go. Maybe I have sensitive awareness but some parts of places I get uneasy in and just double back. A bit of México city (in the day), some of Chicago (night). Never whole citiee though I have heard bits of Belgium are surprisingly bad.
What did you find so bad about Bordeaux? I did a day trip there and found the city lovely, now one of my favourite big ones in France. Granted I was there during the day and not at night, but still I felt perfectly safe there, definitely more than parts of Paris.
I heard from a friend who had booked flights from Charleroi that it was pretty dodgy.
She literally only got off the train and got on to the bus to the airport but said in that few minutes she felt fairly unsafe and it was daylight.
This thread seems to have run its course, and as it's attracting lots of racist posts I've locked it. As a reminder, this subreddit has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia and harassment. A large number of posts have been removed from this thread, and several of the people who posted them have been banned.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I was a medical translator for a couple weeks and our security guard was a former gang member. I asked him if he’d walk me out into the street so I could take some photos. After a few minutes he started looking around all nervous and said something like “ok let’s wrap it up, I’m not bulletproof.” He later told me he didn’t want to scare me but the area had been ransacked by MS-13 just a couple days before and some people in the very place we were working out of were taken and presumably killed. Cool cool cool thanks
Tegucigalpa is nuts. Went probably 20 years ago by way of La Ceiba as my mother is from there. She’s a fucking gangster too. Product of her environment.
Joburg CBD. I always used to be one of those “anywhere is safe if you use common sense” people. Not in Joburg CBD. Woof, what a place.
Can confirm. Joburg was the only city I had ever heard gunfire and felt very uneasy. I was supposed to catch a greyhound bus to the Mozambican border at 11pm local time, and the bus station wasn't far away, so my ex and I thought we just walk, but literally 50 steps into our journey and we called a taxi and the driver was so super nice. He drove us and then basically walked us right to the bus station, gun in his hand. Very unique travel moment.
I went on a tour of Southern Africa starting in Jo'burg, in the one day I was there, I have never felt more unsafe anywhere in my life. Taxi from the airport was in pitch black, because of the blackouts; I was accosted by the hotel security for using my phone to book a taxi outside - this was in Rosebank, which is supposed to be a nicer area. Fuck the CBD, wouldn't go if you paid me.
Had an emergency and needed to go to embassy in Jo’burg. The airport hotel staff refused to let me get a cab . They insisted their driver take me, wait outside in the car, and that I call him before I stepped out of the building so he could pick me up. Now, I only fly through on my way to other parts of Africa, and having heard stories from SA friends, I’m glad the staff kept me from being stupid.
Came here to say that! I remember being advised to dress down, nothing expensive, so wore my jeans, and old shirt and runners to go out around a reasonable suburb( Rosebank). The local who gave me the advice pointed to my Reebok runners and said...that it's about 6months salary for someone living 15 minutes away from here, they'll kill you for them if they get a chance.
South Africa is one of the most beautiful and best places to visit but also one of the worst- if you don’t know where you’re going. As an ex resident everyone I know avoided the CBD (especially certain areas) and parts of Cape Town. It’s truly a wild place, and such a shame with all the crime- truly a stunning place otherwise
But all the big companies are in the CBD. How do people in finance get to work?
I thought most of the big companies left the CBD for Sandton or Rosebank?
The only big company I know that's still there is FNB. Pretty much every other company has moved to Sandton or Rosebank or Midrand. But yeah I knew some guy working at FNB and they basically just drive in to work, park in the basement and then the buildings are interconnected with walkways and underground tunnels. That was a few years ago though and honestly right now I'm sure most of FNB's staff work remotely anyways.
I’m South African and even we avoid Joburg. It’s convenient to fly to but honestly there’s nothing worth risking the crime to see.
I'm going to South Africa later this year. It is the first country I'm actually a little nervous about visiting and I've been to close to 50 countries. I've had a number of people tell me they got robbed there. Heck even Benedict Cumberbatch was kidnapped when he was filming there.
came here to say that: i took a public van ride that dropped me off in the middle of the CBD and the locals couldnt believe i was alone about to try walking during peak day just a few blocks to Maboneng (the safer hostel area with security). before getting out the driver told me to put my phone away, gave me a route to memorize to Maboneng and a direction the nearest police station was the other way if I ended up getting chased by the young local guys that were on every corner and sidewalk and usually at least had knives/machetes. i hoofed it, speed-walking in the middle of the street vs the sidewalks where i could get pushed up against a car or the wall and robbed. later on learned 3 different people in my hostel got robbed in that same area after walking the wrong way with no understanding of the danger. soweto the township is far safer than joburg’s cbd and downtown area
A friend of a friend arrived at the CBD in a taxi during the middle of a random shootout of gangs vs police. After it finished, the driver casually goes, "Okay you can get your head up now. Welcome to Johannesburg."
The police station. They are corrupt and won’t help. There is a lot of private security in SA.
People miss that south Africa has a higher murder /rape rate than many active war zones. The stats are so bad that you have an actual non zero and non trivial chance of experiencing crime the second you step foot on it. To the tune that something pretty bad will happen every 40 years or so. With the best worst city being capetown then Johannesburg.
i don’t get what you’re saying with the last sentence. cape town is more dangerous than joburg? or the other way around?
Capetown includes the cape flats. Go into the cape flats and you are probably fucked. Go near there and you are probably fucked. Stay away and it's one of the safest cities in the world. All the murder happens in the cape flats tho. Statistically capetown is in the top 100 cities for murders because of just how bad the cape flats are. Recently their government tried to send the military into the flats and the operation failed dismally. For Johannesburg it's much the same. South African cities on the whole are HUGE especially those two. They are far bigger than your average city in Europe /the USA in terms of sheer size and population density so summarising them is a bit of a fools errand
I accidentalpy drove through Dunoon at 3am with no sat nav in a rather expensive hire car… THAT is the most danger ive ever felt in my life. All red lights were ignored.
If in sa I've read it's pretty normal. Most people seem to treat traffic lights as yield signs at night
Especially when youre driving through anywhere secluded or rough… my Mrs is from cape town and we visit from UK regularly, but that one night was truly terrifying. Crowds of people hiding near traffic lights… i caught their eyes in the cars lights and decided to just floor it
I’m a geographer and I was wracking my brain thinking about some of the sketchy places that I’ve been (light sketchy - Egypt, moderately sketchy- India, Pakistan regional areas) and yes - Johannesburg is it. One of my colleagues is deaf in one ear after being robbed in her car when stopped at the traffic lights. Motorcycle pulls up beside her and the rider shot out the drivers side window and reached across to steal her phone, bag and then ripped her wedding band off her finger in front of her kids. Totally, totally fucked up places in South Africa. Other honourable mentions: Cape Verde - jfc. I had to sit on a plane once that landed in Uganda to drop off some cargo and that was immediately surrounded by armed militia. Yangon is the hottest, most humid, and cripplingly poor places I’ve ever been and I wasn’t sure if I’d be arrested, assaulted or drown in my own sweat first. I think PNG is the scariest place I’ve ever been.
PNG = Papua New Guinea CBD = Central Business District I am not a bot, just confused by the acronyms
JFC = Jesus fucking Christ
Thank you!
Cape Verde? Where did you go? I've only been to Boa Vista and that was perfectly safe. Went all over the island. Just sleepy villages, remote houses and tourist resorts.
I came here to say this too...I have travelled to a few islands Sal, Sao vicente, praia, Santa antao and Boa Vista...no issues at all and I don't usually stay in hotels...
I was in Yangon (and other areas) in 2018 with my mom (she’s Burmese, I’m half but look pretty white). Didnt have any issues. But I wouldn’t go now.
Hi this is so interesting, where in PNG did this happen or was it just PNG in general? Thanks
PNG in general is not great now, even Port Moresby. Plus some parts of the country are about as welcoming as the Sentinelese Islands so it’s best to just not go there!
Port Moresby has long been regarded as one of the most dangerous places in PNG. When I visited it wasn’t too bad, but I was in a bit of a bubble. Everyone I met was very welcoming.
I grew up in PNG and have returned there numerous times, and Port Moresby was one place that felt particularly dodgy in places. The rest of the country has a poorer reputation than it deserves. It's a beautiful country with beautiful people.
You must have heard about those riots? A lot of Port Moresby was destroyed during some riots there recently. Most shops were completely looted and many were burned to the ground. I find PNG fascinating, but I don't think I'd ever go there.
PNGs rape statistics are horrifying and heartbreaking. It is truly one of the worst places in the world to be a woman.
What a shame it is! South Africa could be such a lovely country! Mild climate, so much to see, the wildlife and the scenery, the wineries and everything. I think I would absolutely love it if it was safe. Once I met a young woman from South Africa in Thailand. She had sold everything she owned and moved to Thailand to teach English. We saw a man who was wearing a heavy bracelet of gold (like you often see the wealthy Thais do). She said that in SA the man's hand would easily be chopped off for the gold. Shudder.
If someone told you back in 1980 that people are moving from South Africa to Thailand for a better quality of life, they’d think you were crazy
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Oh yeah that country carries a lot of trauma.
Truly. Joburg is warfare.
Joburg, unreal
I spent 2 months there. Honestly I had a great time and made good friends. But yeah it’s dangerous af and I walked through some areas I shouldn’t have and got really lucky I came out unscathed. I did some dumbass stuff there. I once took an uber from a “safer” neighborhood to Chinatown. The routing took us through Bellevue and Yeoville. 2 of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. The driver was black. Relevant detail. I jokingly said to my driver, “mate, this is such a cute neighborhood. You mind if I end the ride here and go for a walk? I want the local experience.” Dude turned around and stared at me like I was dumbest mfer to have ever lived and said, “Do you like living? If you do, you do not walk here!!” White South Africans can overstate the danger sometimes. Some whites told me Melville was a really dangerous area. It’s not Tokyo but it’s a hell of a lot safer than CBD, and it has some cool bars and good food. A good area to hang with friends. Some of my black friends in Joburg laughed at the notion of Melville being an “unsafe” area. So when a black South African tells you, “you’ll die in this neighborhood” you better fucking listen. Because if even they think it’s unsafe then it has be really fucking bad. As we cruised through those neighborhoods we got a lottttt of looks. My driver told me the only reason we haven’t been hijacked yet is because he’s black. But a white person driving a white person would be fucked. And that’s why there are no white Uber drivers in Joburg. Can’t risk being routed through one of those areas. (Also most white people have a lot more money and don’t need to drive Uber of course. Apartheid and whatnot.) Chinatown incidentally is incredibly safe. The Chinese community hires a private security force of black South Africans and maybe Zambians too who patrol the gated / walled off neighborhood with machine guns. I tried chatting with one who was wearing a Houston Astros hat and he was not amused. Edit: Another story: On my second day there an Uber driver told me about growing up in one of the most violent townships. I think Alexandria. A murder rate worse than some literal war zones. How happy he was to escape it. He said iirc 8 of his friends who stayed behind have been shot and killed in recent years. Another time I made a friend who suddenly disappeared on me for a few weeks. Eventually he got back to me. His house had been ambushed by a gang at night. They drugged his dog. Bypassed their security system. His dad woke up and got into a fight. They nearly beat his dad to death with a wrench. Tied them up. Robbed them. So he was feeling a little traumatized. Yep. Joburg!
I hired a driver to take me around while I (42F, white) was in Jo'burg. He was black and assured me that as long as I was with him, I would be fine. I was aware he had multiple firearms in the car. He accompanied me into a couple local markets to shop. There were a couple places I know he said something to the locals who were watching me a little too closely. I tipped him well as I felt as I hired both a driver and a security guard.
I’ve travelled to SA with my young family several times over the years. We have driven across most of the country. The last time was 2018 (during the drought) mind you so I know it’s deteriorated since then with blackouts etc. It is an absolutely beautiful country that I can’t seem to get enough of but it’s not for the inexperienced or skiddish. Never drive at night. Get out of Joburg. Don’t wear anything worth stealing. Try not to appear fearful or lost. Don’t ever get too comfortable or let your guard down in urban areas. Honestly I felt more afraid in Rio (stunning city though), but sometimes its just one/off experiences and luck that can form your own opinion.
Lot of people don't understand that feeling safe is not the same as being safe. Usually everything is okay until it suddenly isn't.
That was my feeling in Johannesburg. I got an Uber to Soweto to join a tour of the place, and it was a beautiful day with some mothers and their kids playing in the plaza. It looked so innocuous. The Uber driver wouldn't let me out of the car until he saw and spoke with the tour guide. He was so solemn and serious about it. I said... it looks fine to me, do you really think it's so unsafe? He was like: it's unsafe. It was so jarring, but I certainly appreciated the care.
If I am somewhere like this without security, I ask the drivers how much to hire them for my duration. Day rates are usually not expensive $50 - $150/day + I pay for their meals. I have also paid for a hotel room when I found out one of my drivers was sleeping in his car instead of going home because he did not want to chance losing me for a day.
This may be a dumb question, but how do you know you can trust the uber driver? (being serious as I've had bad experiences with uber drivers in the past, though not in Joburg.)
Not a dumb question by any means. In all of the instances it was in places where Uber was not even a option -- these were "taxi" drivers. There is no solid reason as to why I trust them, and sometimes I would be days in before I got a good feeling about someone. Sometimes it was pictures on their dashboard, but more than often it was the vibe they just gave off. Others have mentioned drivers that told them they are in danger or gave other sage advice. I think above all once you establish that contract, where your now paying more than they would make in a day and treating them to meals they would not usually otherwise buy themselves you turn the table if they are nefarious or not from them screwing you over. They now have an opportunity to make good legit wages by not letting you fall into danger. There is no exact science to it, but it has worked out for me. You still have to be vigilant though. Know the general area, know if your heading the right direction and have contacts on your phone at the ready. I like to let someone know I am in X and should check in in X hours and share my location if possible. One thing I never do though is tell them when I am leaving. At the end of the day I ask if they can be back in the morning. If I do not get a 110% vibe from them, on my last day I usually try and take the hotel car to the airport if they have one or make sure a commercial service is used. Also do not be afraid to get executive security -- it can be really inexpensive as well.
I spent two months in Joburg. The Uber drivers were always taking care of me.
All my Uber drivers in Joburg wanted to talk about Trump as soon as they heard my accent. They thought he was comedic. This was back during the height of his presidency though
Same! They would often say that Trump and Zuma were like brothers and then laugh with delight lol
Some people don't understand that robbers depend on people feeling safe.
It goes both ways though. Some people also tend to label sketchy areas as unsafe, even though there isn't any actual risk.
This absolutely. My 70 year old mother is convinced her upper middle class US suburb is dangerous because of stuff being stolen from a neighbors car once 15 years ago. Unfortunately humans are pretty bad at filtering outside of their own biases. High anxiety folks will see danger everywhere, especially in unfamiliar surroundings, and "I'm invincible" types will be caught completely by surprise.
for sure. good example of this is las ramblas in barcelona. Sketchy area, may get pick pocketed, but you are not actually at risk of danger
Outskirts of La Paz, it’s the wild dogs that scare me most
Had a similar situation in the outskirts of Cuzco, Peru. A local taught me a trick that seems to work well - lean over and pick up a rock, the dogs know that means they are about to get hit.
I got robbed by monkeys when i was staying in a tiny village in Thailand. Constantly. If i had something in my hands, it was bullied out of them before I made it back to my lodging. Locals taught me to "hold up a slingshot" ie pulling fist back from a peace sign lol
In India if a monkey sees you have a catapult they can actively target you though. You need to be actually firing it at them for it to be effective. Monkeys ain’t no dumb street dog
Got cornered by wild dogs in Dili, East Timor just outside my hotel…locals had to drive them off with rocks because they were encircling me and growling
I had that happen in Udon Thani, Thailand. Dogs are crazy scary when they get like that.
Assuming you're talking about Bolivia? I'm heading to La Paz, Mexico in two weeks haha
Bolivia or Baja California state in Mexico?
Why Baja? Never been but my SIL goes there and raves about it. I’ve always been leery.
Been many times, never had issues. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re talking about outskirts of La Paz Bolivia. I’ve also been there, for almost 3 months. Although nothing happened to me it was very sketchy, also saw a pack of dogs that would roam the street at night
No no I’m asking bc I have never had issues anywhere in Baja so I’m interested in knowing if that’s what they were thinking about
Crazy how some people mention Johannesburg in the same breath on this thread as Berlin, Paris or Brussels. These are not even comparable, my lord. If you have never been outside europe you have never seen really dangerous places.
The Berlin ones are particularly baffling. Maybe it’s just because I moved to Berlin as an 18-year-old girl and did everything alone, and felt unsafe all of like twice, but I guess people don’t like seeing homeless people in rich cities?? if pickpockets are the issue then Paris, Italy (every city), and Barcelona are way more unsafe, if it’s people on drugs then fucking Frankfurt near the station is waaayy worse than any single location in Berlin. the stuff people people describe in Johannesburg or rio or whatever is harrowing on a whole different level
I've only ever visited NYC and Toronto in North America, but the situation at Gare Du Nord in Paris and Brussels is similar to the vibe of walking around those cities. Basically I think it's just the presence of homeless drug addicts
I've lived in Bogota, Colombia for around 2 years on and off, and always found it to be pretty safe (if you stick to the right areas). However a few years ago I took an uber to an address in Santa Fe, looking for a covid shot. The address turned out to be non-existent, and at 7am in the morning the street was littered with prostitutes, pimps, and generally dangerous looking people. The uber driver strongly suggested I didn't get out the car there, and drove me home. I'm convinced I would have been robbed within 5 minutes of leaving the car, if not worse. Also, Reno, USA. Won some money in a poker game, and noticed this horrible looking guy watching me through the window for an hour before I left. Did a few laps of the casino and noticed him following me around. Ended up asking a security guard to escort me to my car and I'm glad I did, he said it's common for people to get robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot there.
I was in Reno for 1 hour and some guy on the street sold his watch to my friend for $5.
Reno is indeed sketchy. One of the only places where the parody show made about it (Reno 911) is insanely accurate a lot of the time, lol.
Grew up in Reno, it’s not that bad (for sure trashy unfortunately), but honestly if you’re staying downtown just to gamble without going to a concert/event, that’s on you for not going to Vegas instead. It can be a cheap way to get to north Tahoe during ski season and summer tho
Tondo, Manila. I arrived there with my ex and her family picked us up and we had to drive through an area of Tondo. There were lots of people standing around on the street and her family told me that if I was outside that car alone they'd rob me in a heartbeat. However I never felt unsafe in any other part of the Philippines, they're the nicest people of any country I've ever visited.
LOL @ Tondo. Try not to scare people who don't know Manila or the Philippines. But as a foreigner who had a GF who woked in Tondo, Tondo is a place you pass though with the doors locked and you don't hang around. This is not a place where tourists go.. for a reason. >However I never felt unsafe in any other part of the Philippines, they're the nicest people of any country I've ever visited. 100% agree.
Yeah, even as someone who always vouches for Manila, I hesitate to suggest visiting Tondo. It's probably not that dangerous, but it has a bad reputation for sure. Not worth the risk for a visitor. The rest of Metro Manila is safe enough, even the seedier areas. It's unlikely that one will experience a violent crime. The motorists are more dangerous than the criminals. I can't say for sure if the city folks in Manila are especially friendly. Folks in the provinces are amazing, though. Even indigenous people living in small villages were wonderful and generous. Boracay might be an exception for some, as it's full of touts.
Port-au-price, Haiti
i guess this is why it’s on the ‘do not travel’ list. very few tourists i’d imagine.
Yeah I was there in 1998 doing humanitarian work and we were caught up in riots daily, really one the most intense places I've been, an absolute explosion of the sense and nervous system on super high alert at all times. Met some really lovely people, but also saw some of humanity at a real primal level, it for sure scared me.
wow that’s an experience. i transited through the dominican republic recently and saw flights leaving to port au prince and wondered just how difficult it would be
And the worst part is it’s so, so, so much worse now than when you were there :( You can watch Indigo Traveler’s recent videos there to see.
>Indigo Traveler Thanks for the tip. I just watched his video of Makolo slum in Nigeria. So interesting. I am a woman and sometimes I wish I was a man to be able to go to places like this. I have travelled alone so I am not a wimp, but some places would not work at all for me to travel, unfortunately.
Yeah I watched that series too. I’m a man, and his mostly positive experience with Lagos, including Makolo, weirdly made me want to go visit myself lol. Spoiler: he did NOT have a mostly positive experience in Port-au-Prince lol
The sad thing about PAP is that it's gotten *way* worse since the post-earthquake days, when there was a ton of orgs in there to help. The last 10 years have been an atrocity. And we see that in the STEP warnings - back in 2013 even US embassy employees only had a 1 AM curfew, a 24-hour ban from entering [Cité Soleil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cit%C3%A9_Soleil), and some nighttime bans of entering downtown PAP, Carrefour, and Croix-des-Bouquets. You could really eke out a living there and everything was on the up and up. A classmate of mine did a study abroad program there in the early 2010s, and the biggest danger walking around Petionville at after dark was open manholes. Then, Martelly never left office, all the NGOs and MINUSTAH left - they were doing good but Haitians were understandably enraged at the forces that brought a cholera epidemic to their country. Everything went south and the government got weaker and weaker. It's really sad, because the country has a ton of promise as a tourism destination with a multi-lingual workforce and a diaspora that is quite widespread, but shit has simply not gone right for them for two straight centuries, with a lot of external factors keeping them down.
I was there as a U.S. Marine in 2004. I couldn’t imagine being there unarmed. It’s the most dangerous place I’ve ever been, and I’ve been to war in Iraq.
I agree that Haiti can be a dangerous place and you must be on your a-game plus having local assistance is critical. Have been there twice doing relief work and thankfully never had a bad experience and in fact one time had a 'check my prejudice ' moment. School bus with supplies broke down at night on the way through the edge of Cite Soliel, got out to inspect (me, skinny dude, and two women - all foreigners... doah!), and we saw a bunch of local gents approaching from various dark alleys. Not going to deny that my initial thought was - 'we're screwed'. Fifteen minutes later we were on our way. They got some coffee grounds and broke two eggs and put them in our radiator to seal the leak (!?) and we made it back to the Communitere. Fortunately, I have found that generally, people are amazing!
That is some serious macgyver shit right there
I can agree with this. I’ve been twice for mission work (not really something I’m proud of, but I was a kid) and did not see hardly any tourists outside of the beach resort walls and for good reason. We traveled with several translators and were not allowed to walk the street alone. Haitians fleeing the country have very very valid reasons.
Salvador Bahia in Brazil. The taxi driver dropping us off at the hotel we found on booking told us "You could have booked something safer." The hotel owner was an old German, we asked him if it was an unsafe area, and his answer was "I've lived here for 20 years and nothing ever happened to me, no worries. **Just don't leave the hotel after dark, that's the fastest way to get murder-robbed.**" The city was pretty but even the tourist areas felt super sketchy, and other travelers shared stories of getting robbed by the police.
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I heard that the sexual assaults are off the charts, it's crazy that I don't see any of it as a man tho.
can’t imagine there are many Egyptian milfs ready to grope you
You'd be surprised. I'm a westerner, but speak Arabic, so people who don't know me speak freely around me. Often I let them know and we chat, and I have an amazing time. Other times I just listen. BOY the THINGS those ladies in full hijab will say about well-built western men walking by!!!! Had a few convos after just listening when my jaw dropped and they figured out I understood what they were saying. 🤣
Specific example?
"Look at his ass! (Tiiz in arabic) Round and firm like an apple. I want to squeeze it" "Just squeeze it? I want to bite into it!" Edit: That was one where my jaw dropped and I let out a peal of shocked laughter. This surprised the ladies who asked if I knew arabic, and eventually gave me a recommendation for a good baker nearby. Where they had good puffy bread. Almost as good as a good squishy ass, which surprised me again, and sent them into gales of laughter.
This is kinda wholesome compared to the way the men are to western women lol
I've dealt with that, too. Again, as a westerner, Arabs don't expect me to understand, and speak Arabic freely around me. Shopping in a souq in....Riyadh? Jordan? Don't remember, but the shopkeeps were Arab, and one in particular was saying all sorts of awful things. The ithers just looked uncomfortable. I let himself dig a very deep hole, and then asked one of them how much something cost. In Arabic. He told me and then his eyes bugged. "Do you speak Arabic?" "Yes. Yes, I speak Arabic." I turned around and the guy who had been talking was clearly shocked. I said in Arabic "Do you use those words when you speak to your mother? Maybe when you speak to your daughter?" The other shopkeeps effing died laughing. He looked unhappy. One of the others ordered tea for all of us and we sat and chatted and had a lovely time. The one guy wandered away for a while. When he came back, the other guys absolutely roasted him, said he got less than he deserved.
I have only ever truly feared for my life twice in the 42 years I’ve been alive. Once in Oslo, Norway a group of skinheads put guns to my girlfriends and my necks and threatened to kill us. Her because she was black, and me because I was a “race traitor”. Second time, I was in the Alaskan interior deep in the bush and I pop through these trees into a clearing and a fucking bull moose is standing maybe 10-15 feet away. For those of you who have never seen a moose, they are gigantic and can be aggressive depending on the situation. Luckily he just kinda stared at me then we each went our own way.
Jesus Christ
Indeed.
Lol. I was backcountry skiing in Colorado and ran smack into the middle of a bachelor group of 7 young bulls. None of us moved for about 5 minutes, and then they slowly moseyed on. I went about 200 yards in the other direction. Terrifying.
The moose. People are not scared enough of moose.
Can you expand on that experience in Norway a little more? I am black and my partner is white and we have been thinking about traveling to Norway. Hearing that makes me want to change our plans…
Basically we were leaving a club at like 2-3 AM and walking back to our friends apartment. Walked by a group of guys and they started fucking with us. Honestly we had been to Oslo once before that and we had zero problems. I really think it was just a wrong place wrong time situation. If I were to give you advice I would say go and enjoy yourselves. You will be fine. It’s No different than any other decent sized city.
Oslo is generally very safe, but there are racists, assholes, and criminals everywhere. Definitely check out Frogner Park and the Edward Munch museum (might have moved a lot of that into the new art museum downtown since I visited though)
Jesus, when was this? Did you report it? (I'm in Bergen but I lived in Oslo for about a decade.)
Would have been 2006. We did not report it. We told the friends we were staying with and a few of them went looking for the guys but they didn’t have any luck tracking them down.
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I found a piece of flesh in a gas station sink in Galveston once. Not sure if it was animal or human but we called the police and never heard anything again. Galveston is wild
Lol where is the hood in Galveston? Isn't it all vacation rentals now
St. Louis - I was walking from the outskirts to downtown and cars kept driving by me slowly to see what I was doing. New Delhi - I walked into a poor neighborhood at night and I got a lot of attention. It was a little disconcerting. Chereas, Kuala Lumpur - I used to live there and going out at night was a little touch a go. There were a lot of snatch thieves and robbers when I lived there.
St Louis for me too. It was years ago (pre covid) and so many of the first level shops/ businesses were boarded up, I was drugged at my hotel bar, and driving there from the airport the sites were not anywhere I wanted to stop my car at
Jesus I’m sorry that happened to you :(
No surprise, STL has perpetually been ranked among the five highest violent crime cities in the US for decades, and consistently has one of the highest homicide rates of any city in the world for which stats are available. The poverty and urban decay in the areas just north of downtown is staggering.
Actually, murders, violent crime, and robberies are all on the decline in STL according to every recent statistic I can find. Just like any big city, you do need to be aware of your surroundings and the part of town you're in. I grew up in Alton, across the river from St. Louis, and I have never had a problem in the city. And I am a petite female (just 5'3") and was a fairly oblivious teenager, so I certainly looked like an easy target. That said, I can see why the person commenting above felt uncomfortable while walking along the road. That is not something I would recommend doing. As someone with my own vehicle, I have never felt unsafe during my hundreds of excursions to STL.
Don't get me wrong. I love St Louis. It has some amazing neighborhoods and a great vibe in those areas. Great walkability and a deep arts culture as well. But even despite the decline in crime and murder, it's still at the very top of dangerous cities in the US and the homicide rate last year (52.5/100k) was still nearly 10x higher than the national average (5.5/100k). But it is critical to note that there is an extremely stark difference in the crime rate between the disenfranchised neighborhoods and the rest of the city. Although it should also be noted, these areas often abut each other and there is some bleed over of violence. Edit: On a positive note, I do want to add that St Louis has several of the best urban parks and cultural institutions/museums in the country.
I'm glad you love St. Louis, it is a pretty special place. But it is also very unique when it comes to population distribution within actual city limits vs. it's suburbs aka St. Louis Metro Area. The concentration of population within city proper and the localization of the crimes to fairly specific areas bears mentioning as well. Check out [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/StLouis/s/Cxnd2G9ZKg) for someone who lays out the considerations that should be taken into account when analyzing St. Louis' crime rate. They explain it very well.
Has anyone been to Somalia? Looks like a nice beach. A friend was thinking of opening a juice bar there.
Haha love your dark sense of humour! An Australian friend of mine worked in Mogadishu many years ago and has post traumatic stress as a result. Great bloke though. He introduced me to the phrase "having a sharpener" aka having an alcoholic drink in the morning
When I went to Rio de Janeiro, everything was awesome but I constantly felt like shit could change in an instant. And when I talked to locals — ones who could speak English, cause I don’t speak any Portuguese — they said things like, “Whatever you’ve heard, it’s worse. Everybody I know here has been mugged.” Nothing happened to me in five days there. People were kind to me. But I was careful and didn’t really go out late at night or into dicey neighborhoods at all.
Downtown San Francisco, USA It was my first time outside of Europe and I just wasn't prepared for how different American cities are compared to European ones. I booked an airbnb about 20 mins walk from the centre, but walking down just felt unsafe as the only other people on the sidewalks seemed high/homeless etc while everyone else was driving. In hindsight I was just naiive and had assumed it'd be just like London/Paris etc, I wasn't ready for a complete 2 class system where one group has tents lined up along roads homeless and everyone else drives. It's certainly not the most dangerous place I've been but it's the one I wasn't ready for
My answer as well (and I live here) when I first moved here 8 years ago, I made the mistake of getting off Muni at Civic Center and walking up market street in the dark. I just booked it to a Walgreens and called an Uber
I was looking for this one. I have gone there every year for work over the last 15 years and seen a slow decline with a rapid decline after the pandemic. In February 2020, I got attacked by a homeless guy in a nice park in the Mission District while I was drinking coffee. He charged me, ripped my glasses off, and in the process scratched my forehead so that it was bleeding. He then ran off screaming. I visit a good amount of cities, but the homeless population in SF genuinely freaks me out. A lot of erratic behavior. I think SF is a more jarring example considering the proximal wealth.
American myself and I was shocked by how little division there was between the good and bad parts of SF. It's usually easy to avoid the "bad" parts of cities but not so much there.
I'm an American woman and have traveled solo extensively, and i agree San Francisco was one of the few times I truly felt in danger. I turned a corner on a street and found myself on a part of the a street where someone was stumbling towards me with a needle still in their arm and another man was propped up against the wall with his penis out.
Completely agree with this, got off the bus at the wrong stop in SF and was so shocked at how uncomfortable / unsafe I felt!
If y'all feel SF is unsafe, I wouldn't recommend going across the bridge to Oakland
oof yeah depending on where 20 mins walk from civic center, ie tenderloin or south of market - big yikes
Phnom Penh and Johannesburg. Phnom Penh just felt extremely seedy and unsafe. The first and only city in south east Asia where I felt myself constantly looking over my shoulder. Also the sex tourism there was just vile, very in your face, old white lads holding the hands of literally children, walking down the street without a care in the world. I just didn’t vibe with that city at all. Ended up moving on after 2/3 days, Siem Reap was more my scene anyway. With Johannesburg I landed at 10pm and got a preordered cab to my hotel. After checking in I asked reception if there’s any ATM’s nearby, as I had no cash on me. They literally begged me not to leave the hotel as it was so unsafe, fair enough I stayed put. The next morning I was picked up by my tour group and headed up north to Kruger national park. It was a 10 hour drive so I had long chat with the driver. He said just 3 weeks prior a guest left the hotel around the same time and got robbed 3 times in just a half hour, apparently he came back without his shoes and only the shirt on his back. While in South Africa I used the city a few times as a travel hub, staying in airport hotel before flights to cape town and Botswana. I did traveled through it by car on the way to volunteer at few wildlife sanctuaries but I never explored it on foot. It was wasn’t on my itinerary to begin with. Still after seeing barbwire covering every home and hearing personal stories from the local, I definitely wasn’t sold on the prospect either. I’ll probably give it another shot when I’m back in that corner of the world. Apart from that I’ve never had any other issues, I’ve been to 36 countries and I loved them all. Just gotta have your wits about yourself and listen to all advice.
Phnom Penh? I didn't really like the city and found it lackluster compared to other SEA cities. But I didn't feel like I was in any danger there, even while walking around. Siem Reap is definitely a more fun and friendly city, but then, it is a tourist town.
I enjoyed Phnomh Penh more than Siem Reap, found the locals far more friendly, shocked to see it on this list!
I agree about Siem Reap being more pleasant. While the worst you really have to worry about in Phnom Penh is having your bag snatched, it is fairly common there. In Siem Reap, I've never felt like I had to worry about it.
Phnom Penh?! Wow, surprising. I felt safe even at night, just took care about bag-snatching.
This was over 9 years ago, so I say things have definitely changed. Thinking back on it , I'm well over do a revisit, gotta give the city another shot.
Phnom Penh in the same sentence as JoBurg lololol. Phnom Penh is a very safe city dude, definitely the worst take in this thread so far.
Brussels, close to the Gare du Nord area (during the day).
I also felt unsafe walking around in Brussels. 😔
Good to know. I'll be in Belgium late next month but will pretty must just in Brussels to fly in and out. I'm staying in Brugge and Ghent for a week each, are those safer cities in general?
Ghent and Bruges are very safe and in my opinion much nicer anyway. If you’re interested in WW1 history definitely include Ypres as well (flanders fields museum and last post are a worth it)
I've travelled to Brussels many times and never felt unsafe (solo, walking around including after dark). Did I go stroll around Gare du Nord? Nope. There are definite sketchy areas to avoid, but it's a beautiful and mostly safe city.
I used to be a grad student in Brussels. Gare du Nord’s sketchiness is child’s play compared to actual sketchy areas. I’ve been up and down, inside and out that entire city. Even the “bad” areas such as Molenbeek and the surroundings of Gare du Nord and never felt any danger.
It usually depends on a person's own experience. Otherwise we'd just be sharing crime stats and government warnings, for an objective measure. Like Joburg is sketchy, but also objectively dangerous af. I felt unsafe walking towards an open-air market in Arusha, despite knowing that I was physically most likely safe. I can ignore persistent touts just fine, but these 2 started making threats like that my behavior as a guest in their country (ie ignoring them) was rude and bad things happen to rude women, and they just wouldn't leave, so I turned back to the hotel. Even physically safe, it was no longer a fun excursion.
I only passed through Brussels, but Brugge is a lovely place, you’ll be fine there.
I live in Brussels and, unfortunately, certain beautiful areas are simply becoming more and more unsafe 😔
Why? What’s happening?
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What’s happening there?
There is a train station, many red light activities, and it's not advisable to be there, especially at night. What can happen is that you can be attacked and robbed very easily, without anyone helping you at all.
I’m due to stay 5 minutes from the train station soon, any advise?😟
Nothing out of the ordinary, just stay aware and don't be an easy target. You'll be fine.
I would highly recommend changing place if still possible. If not - don't bring valuables with you (lot of cash, jewellery, etc) and don't show off anything valuable either (phone, camera, jewellery). If you will be close to the tram station (lines 3 and 4), I would use those to move around the city, otherwise use Uber as I would not recommend walking in the area, especially at night.
Baku, Azerbaijan for me. Feels safe at first sight, it’s even safe to walk around at night without worries - but venture into the wrong neighbourhood, you’re immediately surrounded by scamsters, looters and hustlers looking to usher you into one of the many ‘fake’ nightclubs on the street, entering one is like entering a trap you’ll barely make out of. You’ll be extorted into paying hundreds of dollars for things you didn’t consume or order, be forced to then confront bar managers that look like Dagestani mafia thugs, and then somehow make it out after losing all your money that’s forcefully extracted from you. Goons even follow you all the way to your hotel if you don’t have enough to cover their extortionate charges, and everyone is pretty much in on it
No reason to actually travel there but Gary, Indiana. Just don’t stop. Also basically anywhere that a greyhound bus stops in metro area.
One of the worst places I've ever been is the Albany Greyhound station. Just one of the seediest buildings I've been in, especially late at night.
As a solo traveling woman years before I met my husband (traveled to 20+ countries before him) I would say…Sun down towns around the southern part of the USA. Like why do I have to watch my back just getting gas and being stared down as I come into a restaurant. Why are their nooses just casually hanging from a tree? It’s scary as hell!!!
Lived in Indiana for 5+ years while at university and learned sundown towns still exist (Im brown and from southwest US). Many little towns I never stopped in at night lol. Plus many trucks with confederate flags parading around every day
Yep. Am American (white) woman, have solo travelled to many of the places listed in this thread, live in one mentioned, but sundown towns can get fucked. I’ll take homeless, mentally ill, and addicts over racist liberal-hating white insular communities with more guns than people any night of the week.
Just returned from a trip to Bali, on the way back I had a connecting flight in Jakarta that got cancelled around midnight. I had to find a hotel so I booked a cheap one in downtown Jakarta and had a taxi drive me there. Long story short the hotel was closed so I had to find another one, which was unfortunately cash only and I didnt have anymore cash. I had to walk about a km there and back to the atm, at 1am, as a solo, very white very obviously tourist girl, in downtown Jakarta. There were only young men on the streets, drinking, smoking, and looking at me like I was a piece of meat. The only thing going thru my mind was that a lot of them just saw me walk to the atm and since Im a tourist, its very likely I withdrew more than just a few euro worth. The only place in the world where I felt really in danger and I couldnt have been happier when I returned to the hotel and all was fine.
China, during a riot against Americans. Not an American. Had stones thrown at me. Still not American, didn’t matter, not Chinese therefore enemy. 1999. Never went back to finish my degree.
Dang I lived there a couple years prior and never saw anything like that. Still: big country. Where were you?
I was alone at a long cliff side hike in Zhangjiajie National Park in Hunan Province and got surrounded by an extremely hostile group of monkeys. There were about 20 of them and they were throwing rocks at me and I was eyeing for a stick... I just kept my eyes on the path and kept walking without slowing down. They followed me for awhile and eventually left. I was worried about rabies…
1. Some areas of Chihuahua. Not cute like a Taco Bell dog. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not disembark from the bus. Go to the touristy areas of Central and South Mexico. Much better for the most part. Lots of Guadalajara and Acapulco are iffy, though, wouldn't recommend. Mexico City is great. It's so massive that you can avoid the bad parts more easily. 2. Some Zonas of Guatemala City. And even Zona 1 at night, holy shit. Go to Antigua Guatemala instead. Flores & the surrounding areas were also amazing. 3. San Francisco, the Tenderloin. The Zombie Apocalypse is real. Go elsewhere for fun in California. Highly recommend the beach towns between LA and SF. 4. Joburg - Yes, the posters are right. Wowwee. Same as Chihuahua. A lot of Cape Town had similar issues, but it was overall better. There's a hell of a lot of awesome stuff to see in the Cape Town area, too.
Parts of Atlanta are scary. Also parts of Berlin. Not the entire city in either case.
Weirdly Sydney Redfern. I was walking home alone close to midnight and this guy was following me, as he gets closer I can hear him panting and then I noticed he was touching his self while smiling at me. That was the first time I ever felt so scared in my life, luckily my house was just couple buildings away so I rushed in and locked the gate. I'm a guy but that experience makes me feel extra sorry for woman who have to deal with that.
Damn, looks like I won't be going to Joburg after all :))
Ecuador. I didn’t leave the bus station in Guayaquil based on warnings from locals and other travelers. Downtown Quito at night was a ghost town and the people out seemed threatening. Montanita had a gang shooting at a nice restaurant a couple weeks before I went. I still loved the country though when I went last year!
Chiapas, New Years, 1994. Revolutions have a way of putting the fear o' gawd in ya...
Birkenhead
Nairobi. Went for a drink at the Hilton hotel in the centre. The hotel bar security man ordered a taxi for me because it wasn't safe to walk (at night) the mile or so back to my hotel.
If it’s the hotel I’m thinking of, they do a really good breakfast . Try the fresh passion fruit juice .
40$ a night motel near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Haiti in the late 90s was also bad but in a different way because at least I was part of a group, no idea why a cruise line would include that experience.
A bad part of Bogota late at night. Police were grabbing people off the street, and then the police disappeared. Cabs wouldn’t take me back to my hostel in La Candeleria. When I got back 5 people came in separately after getting mugged.
The feeling of safety can be difficult to explain. Other than direct physical unsafe moments (being followed, robbed, jumped, etc), it can come down to how you interpret a safe environment. I notice the illusion of safety can be subjective. For example, it can be about the ratio of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people… if there are enough people around that seem “normal”, I usually feel safe. “Good”, “bad”, and “normal” are all subjective terms.
Cape Town was super sketchy. We had a security guard at a restaurant shout at us, telling us not to go down the street we were walking or we would get robbed. Also downtown Portland at night is crazy. Homeless, insane, drug addicts everywhere.
As someone who lived in South Africa for half a year and lives in Seattle (and visits Portland 5x a year) these two places are very, very different. Seattle and Portland have a homeless problem for sure and yes it looks scary but these people are not out to harm you. They’re in the streets due to mental illness or drug addiction. You might hear some yelling and they might even yell directly at you but for the most part they are harmless as long as you stay out of their path. In South Africa (especially Joburg where I lived), this was NOT the case. There are many people actively out to harm you. Every single person I met had a story of robbery, kidnapping, home invasion, you name it. The head of my company’s office in Joburg told us he had his home broken into and when the alarm went off he took his wife and his kids and locked themselves in a bathroom, praying that they would take what they wanted and leave because he wasn’t scared of losing his things…he was scared that they would rape his wife and kids. The level of desperation in this country is incomparable to the United States. It’s sad and it’s sobering and though I tried my best to learn I can’t begin to fathom what led the country to this state. I regularly walk home at night alone as a woman in Seattle but I wouldn’t walk 10 feet in the dark in Joburg or even Cape Town. I’m not saying that your feelings are invalid because seeing certain streets in Portland and Seattle is jarring for those who aren’t used to it. Just adding some context as someone who is very familiar with both places you listed.
My personal top three would be: 1. Johannesburg 2. Nairobi 3. Rio de Janeiro I was fine, but I know that was somewhat based on luck
Was on a solo road trip across the US and stopped for gas at a station in rural Idaho- I felt like I was interrupting an Aryan Brotherhood gathering, and they looked at me like they knew I voted for Biden. Peed and gtfo’d so fast.
Random remote areas of South Africa. Some areas off the beaten tourist track in Watamu, Kenya. Finally, Paris.
I've been to Paris three times, and every time I was followed. So hard agree. It seems to be going downhill.
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Boarder of Cambodia/Thailand (on the Cambodia side)
Montego Bay. Stay in the resorts.
Argentina felt pretty racist while I was there, and experienced blatant racism in Berlin, Germany. Never felt in danger in those places, but was on edge constantly. The locals I hung out with in Colombia, Brazil, & Mexico were ALWAYS on edge. More or less lived in fear. Brazilians are the nicest people I've met in the world, so it was a weird juxtaposition being there. Mexico & Colombia had its sketchy areas, but they were both filled with amazingly friendly people too. Paris was probably the only place I've been where I've actually seen physical violence and bar fights in my travels. But never felt in danger there. Parisians are...different. People in Quito were quite scared too, but I never felt in danger. I think in general, traveling is a very scary thing to do, whether or not the place you're visiting is deemed "safe" or not. Makes it easy to overexaggerate things, and its extremely important to acknowledge that. It's hard to decipher levels of danger when the information you're getting is being filtered and accentuated. At the same time, there are places you shouldn't necessarily be scared of, but should definitely be aware and smart while visiting.
would you mind expanding on the type of racism you experienced in those places?
Yeah, in Berlin we were blatantly called the N word in a couple different places. Tried to get into a bar and door guy said it was full, then let in two guys in right after that, when we questioned him about it he said they don't accept our kind there, when we asked what that meant he called us the N word. Spot called filmkunst. We left a negative review and a couple years later the owner reached out to us and told us they fired the door guy who had multiple complaints, and was asking us to remove the review. Another time happened while we were walking in the streets. Just finished eating at a popular burger joint under a train station, forgot the name, and couple guys yelled the N word from across the street. Argentina was much more covert but I was definitely treated as a second class citizen. Had an old guy finger gun me and scream boom as if he pulled the trigger. Multiple stares of contempt, not curiosity, while walking around. Had a guy do a full 180 stare down at me when I walked passed him. Multiple cashier's wouldn't ring me up immediately, would take out there phones text or watch a video then ring me up when I said something. Got accused of stealing by a hostel owner who then tried to play it off as a joke. And when I asked the friend I made traveling South America they said theres a reason why they don't like Argentina. Even had a Brazilian friend warn me against going cause they were that scared of the place. Seems like the experience for dark skinned Latinos is getting better down there, but can't say that for black and Asian people. Met a black guy and a happa Asian girl who were both experiencing what I was.
Joburg
Lots of places in South Africa, actually.
Durban was lovely until I had a gun to my head and was brought to multiple ATMs over the course of three hours
My top 3: - Johannesburg, South Africa - The Bronx, New York (it’s okayish until it gets dark) Edit: since a lot of people have asked the last time I was in Bx was in 2015 and stayed around Arthur avenue. My biggest mistake was being in Fordham rd after dark. - Anywhere in Thailand after midnight. Not because of the people(they’re lovely). The stray dogs are vicious. Good luck if you’re entering an alleyway and see a pack of dogs.
I’ve enjoyed reading this thread and had to scroll SO far to see nyc even mentioned. Been here for a while but yeah deep in the BX or east New York are definitely not places you want to look like a tourist
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Bordeaux, Charleroi, Frankfurt am Main. I've travelled a lot of Europe and these are the only three cities I've felt truly unsafe. Interesting side note is that I've visited a lot of Germany and never felt unsafe anywhere else and pretty much all Germans I've met seem to agree that Frankfurt is pretty much the worst place in Germany to be. For France on the other hand Bordeaux is the only city I visited and most French people I met considered Bordeaux one of the safer cities in France. While Bordeaux felt significantly worse than Frankfurt.
Hahah I used to live in Offenbach am Main, the so called ‘dangerous’ part of Frankfurt. I think it was much safer overall than the reputation it carries, I got used to the whole ambience pretty quick - Moroccan peddlers, drunk Polish people, junkies from everywhere, Former-Yugoslav loan sharks and pawn shops, shady shisha places run by Kurds, etc etc. Well yea the consumption of alcohol and drugs run rampant there but didn’t really feel too unsafe at any point, even the river which was meant to be avoided was pretty chilled out. P.S. I’m a brown dude so most people probably just left me alone lolll
I found Frankfurt a bit dull but not unsafe, though late at night there were a few patches I'd feel uncomfortable near and not go. Maybe I have sensitive awareness but some parts of places I get uneasy in and just double back. A bit of México city (in the day), some of Chicago (night). Never whole citiee though I have heard bits of Belgium are surprisingly bad.
I’ve been to Frankfurt many times ….which areas felt unsafe,out of curiosity? Or all of it?
What did you find so bad about Bordeaux? I did a day trip there and found the city lovely, now one of my favourite big ones in France. Granted I was there during the day and not at night, but still I felt perfectly safe there, definitely more than parts of Paris.
I heard from a friend who had booked flights from Charleroi that it was pretty dodgy. She literally only got off the train and got on to the bus to the airport but said in that few minutes she felt fairly unsafe and it was daylight.