Nearly fifteen years later and the trip rules have changed only slightly, but now Europe isn’t some mysterious and distant land, but rather a place that feels as much to me like home as home does. So it surprises me when I hear that people are worried about the safety of going to Europe. When my mom suggested to a family friend that her daughter join in on the backpacking trip I’m taking later this summer, she expressed a lot of concern about our safety. Since I have been so emotionally connected to Europe and the travel experience as a whole, I continually keep my ears open about issues of safety and civil unrest around the world. Because of this, I know that Europe, including Eastern Europe is actually incredibly safe. In fact, things like violent crime are much more likely to occur in the United States than in Europe (there are approximately 10,000 people killed by handguns in the States compared to fewer than 400 in Britain, France or Germany*). But because she questioned our safety (which is always a fair question when travel is concerned) I decided to do a little research into what some major guidebook sources have to say about it all.
My go-to guide for any European travel is first and foremost Rick Steves. Rick Steves has been traveling to Europe since the mid 70s, and when it comes to European travel guides, there is currently no one out there more legit than Rick Steves. So I turned to his 2008 Europe Through the Back Door to see what he said about safety in Europe. Rather than refer to the chapter in his book as ‘Safety’ it is entitled ‘Perspectives’ which I think is more suitable, since he delicately assuages the reader not to worry too much about things essentially beyond their control. Issues like terrorism and political unrest are a constant no matter where you live in the world, and often tourists aren’t the targets of such attacks if they do happen. Rick’s main suggestion is also the most common – blend in. Rick suggests not taking fancy luggage or getting too high-profile in the way you travel as not only a safety suggestion, but as a style of traveling that will make the experience more exciting and profound. I think Rick sums up my feelings about it really well when he says, “Travel is a celebration of life and freedom. Terrorists will not take that away from me. My mission in life is to inspire Americans to travel, one by one…to absorb and savor the wonders of Europe.” –Well said, Rick!
My other reference guide is Let’s Go, a travel guide series written by Harvard grads, giving travel options for people on ‘shoestring’ budgets. Why only Harvard grads are capable of dispelling this kind of information is beyond me, but until those of us less blessed with the right Alma Mater start producing our own guidebooks, I’m still relying on the Let’s Go books to tell me where the grocery store is in Liechtenstein. In the 2009 version of Let’s Go: Europe they cover the safety basics hard and fast suggesting what I would consider the ‘common sense’ safety advice that most travel books offer. Respecting the local culture in dress, familiarizing yourself with the location, and walking with an air of confidence are all things the books suggests. Carrying a money belt and bringing a lock with you are other good tips the book offers up.
All in all I think these books offer good advice for calming the average person’s fears about traveling to a European country. I think the best way to stay safe anywhere is to pay attention about what is going on around you. If you wouldn’t walk down the street at night alone while at home, why would you do it in a big European city? If all the other women were wearing a skirt inside the local Cathedral, wouldn’t it seem appropriate to do the same?
All in all, I’d say I’ve had many things happen to me while abroad that weren’t part of the plan. I’ve stumbled upon anti-American protests in Thailand, I’ve had my luggage stolen out of the car in France, and I’ve lost my passport while parasailing (again in Thailand) and the most important thing I’ve learned is this: I’m OK.
If you keep your wits about you, you’ll find - as I did - that you will be OK. If you keep quiet and go down another road, the protesters won’t bother you, and you will be OK. If you go to the police and file a report of stolen luggage, sure you’ll miss that new pair of jeans you had in there, but you will be ok. And, if you ask for help from the locals, you can get yourself to the nearest consulate and have your passport replaced. Sure, you will have lost some cool traveling stamps you acquired along the way, but you will be OK. Having lived through these hardships I have come to realize that most problems we face while on vacation are inconveniences, nothing we can’t look at later on and say to our friends that it was wild, bizarre, upsetting, but after all of it we are, well, we’re ok.
*Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door 2008
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