I’ve been pretty lucky. Over roughly 40 countries, I’ve never been robbed or stolen from or even really been harassed or bothered to the point that I remember it. Maybe the worst thing I can think of was when I was pressured to tip more than I originally did. Even then, we’re talking less than $5, and I was in a country where the average income boils down to about $10/day, so…I get it.
I started thinking about safety recently after I began planning a trip for next year with my dad and step-mom, neither of whom have traveled extensively. They did both grow up in the Philippines, though, so they’re not strangers to street scams, aggressive vendors, and things like that. While we’re traveling together for most of the trip, I’ll still be in school and won’t be able to go out with them every day. I didn’t choose the countries with safety in mind, but I realized after that 4 of the 6 countries are places that I feel like I can kind of turn my brain off while out in public.
Some perspective: For starters, I’m a cisgender guy. I don’t think I have to explain why that helps avoid harassment. I’m a hair over 6’0” and 170lbs, and I think I could be described as looking at least moderately active. My normal attire is athleisure or something like khaki shorts and a plain tee, and I wear zero jewelry unless you count my Apple Watch. Basically, there’s probably always someone else around that looks richer and/or easier to steal from.
That doesn’t mean that I’m just all loosey-goosey when I’m out and about. There are plenty of travel habits that I’ve tried to hammer into my brain:
I try to look like I know where I’m going, even if I’m completely lost.
I try to be as aware of my surroundings as possible.
Probably leftovers from wanting to be a spy as a kid.
If I’m out walking in a city and need to look at my phone for more than a few seconds, I try to find a nook or at least a wall to put my back against.
Honestly, part of this is also just a courtesy of getting out of the way.
I carry and use as little cash as possible.
I even try to avoid taking out my wallet at all, opting to use my phone or watch to pay whenever I can.
Of course, most of that takes mental energy no matter how built-in those habits are. And that’s why I appreciate being in countries where I feel like I can just relax. For our trip, those countries are: Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea. The other two are the Philippines and Vietnam. No shade to them at all – feeling like I need to be a bit more aware isn’t the end of the world. It’s just a different travel vibe, and those countries and cultures have awesome things to offer than the others don’t. Which is why I love travel – you get to experience humanity in ways that you can’t if you just stay put. Like when you leave your passport in a bag of sodas at a subway station in South Korea.