Travel Safety Myths

It is amazing how many travelers and expatriates believe in a variety of travel safety myths. These are the people who usually end up as victims abroad. What are some of these myths?

Nothing will happen to me.

No matter how much you have traveled in the past, no matter how many dangerous places you have visited, remember that you can always be a victim of a crime. Travelers should never let down their guard and should always be aware. You don't have to be paranoid, just security conscious.

This place doesn’t seem so dangerous.

Looks can be deceiving. Actually, you are more apt to become a victim in a "normal" country than in a dangerous country. Why? Because in the dangerous country you often are more aware and on guard, whereas in supposedly safer countries you may tend to be more relaxed and fail to practice sound personal security.

Just do as the locals do and you’ll be safe.

Copying the locals will get you hurt or killed. Criminals are more likely to seek out foreigners abroad rather than locals. Travelers may think it wise to just ask the locals about the crime situation in the country. Instead, you should seek professional security advice by contacting your embassy or consulate in the country and speaking with someone in the security office. These men and women are security professionals and can provide you with accurate information.

The police won’t do anything if I report the crime.

In the event that you are victimized abroad you should always report the crime to the police. Many travelers leave the country and fail to do so. This is not being fair to yourself or other travelers. Reporting the crime could help the police to catch the criminal and prevent him from harming other people in the future.

I deserved to be victimized.

As strange as this seems, many victims blame themselves after a crime. Some foreigners think they deserved to be robbed because they are from wealthier countries and the criminal had to rob them because of the poverty problem in the country visited. This is wrong. No one deserves to be victimized, period.

Government travel warnings are over zealous.

Many travelers ignore travel advisories and travel alerts released by their governments and visit dangerous countries regardless. This is a foolish mistake and could cost you your life. Government officials work hard to keep their citizens safe abroad. So please do not ignore these important warnings that they release. If the situation is bad enough for officials to release a warning then the chances are the country is too dangerous for travelers to visit.

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