My first international trip alone was one of the most liberating experiences of my entire life. People around me were stunned that I’d chosen to do something that they deemed to be so risky. And a few people were genuinely concerned for my life.
One warned about the amputated finger they would receive in the mail with a large ransom for my return.
But I’m a true Capricorn. While we love adventure, we are also based in safety and not likely to take extreme risks. We’re not thrill seekers. We do our due diligence and that’s exactly what I did.
Like many, I longed for a Caribbean getaway with powdery soft white sandy beaches and refreshing waves lapping over my tan skin. But I wanted more. So much more. I wanted to experience the culture. I wanted to speak to people with Caribbean accents so thick that I could only nod when I didn’t understand them. I wanted to eat fried plantains and pelau all day long. I wanted to live like a local.
I could find a sandy beach back home in Chicago or on a quick flight to Florida any time. But my heart’s true desire was to stay far from resort vibes and soak up the very essence of somewhere completely foreign to me.
The first step would be to tone down the fantasies running through my mind and get some cold hard facts about the different Caribbean islands.
I scoured the Intentional Homicide list created by the UNODC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to gauge which countries were the most dangerous.
It was surprising to see such high numbers in the Caribbean countries which I had assumed to be the land of milk and honey. Countries like Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago were far more dangerous than I had realized.
But one island stood out to me as being a place that might be safe for a solo traveler. Grenada. It was one of the top 8 safest countries in all of the 26 Caribbean countries. So there I headed.
I found a rental host on the island who was willing to barter her rental unit for 2 months in exchange for a website. She was living in the US, but I’d be staying with her family there. She arranged for someone to pick me up from the airport and her husband lived at the home so it felt like a safe option. But I still felt trepidation when I arrived as we drove in the dark of the night through the steep winding hills to get to her home.
I saw poverty and I saw bars on windows. I wondered if I had made a mistake. When I arrived, the rental unit hadn’t been opened up and I quickly felt overheated but I was too afraid to open my window to let fresh air in. I was too afraid someone could get in while I slept.
When I woke up the next morning, I was greeted by the sun, a fresh pair of eyes and this breathtaking view.
With daylight, I realized I was on a second floor with a stunning view from a veranda. Nobody was ever getting in. It completely changed my sense of safety there. And the bars on the windows, I realized that those were probably so that people could keep their windows open at night on this hot island.
This is why I would recommend arriving at new destinations during daytime hours. You’re already going to have some culture shock and it will only seem more frightening at night.
Much of my fears were about perception. But if you dig deep, facts will help support you in making the best decision. Below, I share tips that I hope will aid you in making your best decisions to keep you safe while traveling nomadically.
Do Your Research. Lots Of It.
It starts with getting some cold hard facts about a country’s safety. Not what people tell you, not what they felt when they were there. Facts. Because feelings are subjective.
Start with the UNODC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Intentional Homicide list to give you some sort of starting point. Ask questions in digital nomad groups.
For the record, most countries in Asia and Europe lean towards the safer side while countries like India, Morocco and Mexico lean towards the not so safe side. Especially for a female solo traveler.
I don’t mean to alarm you when I tell you that there are places in the world where gang syndicates surveillance cities and communicate throughout the area when they spot someone they’re interested in kidnapping right off the street for trafficking. And traveling with a man isn’t necessarily enough protection, ladies. There was a story of a couple in India who were beaten and the woman raped by 6 men on a public bus coming home from a show. She later died of her injuries.
Actually, I do hope this alarms you. This story cancelled my plans to see Delhi which is where this incident took place. I’m glad I was made aware and God bless her soul. I hope it makes you think twice about where you travel as well.
It’s always a good idea to share your itinerary and share your locations on mobile apps. Keep in mind, you’ll need an internet connection in order to do that which will require a local sim card or international calling.
Another way to let people know where you are is to enroll in programs designed to protect you from recent threats such as Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) where you can receive alerts and assistance from your embassy in the event of an emergency. It’s a way to tell someone where you are but also provides a lot of information about different countries, entrance requirements, how well diverse travelers are accepted, local laws to consider as well as contact info for your embassy.
But your safety will start even before you arrive at your destination. In my article “How To Make Travel Days Less Stressful”, I touch upon the dangers of using the open wifi network on your flights.
When we use an open network, it can open up the door for bad characters to breach your data. In fact, some of those bad characters book flights with the sole intention of accessing that data.
I’d love to catch up on some work while on long flights. But this real risk has led me to avoid tapping into the free airline network while I fly. However, one option is to use a virtual private network (VPN) when using public wifi on your flight. A VPN could encrypt information for transmission to an added layer of cybersecurity.
Touchdown In a New Country
Plan your ride from the airport in advance. Because you might have a hard time getting an internet or phone signal to connect with ride lift apps or even taxis. And I hope you made reservations for a place before you made it to this point. Because local hostels might be full if you planned on just winging it.
When you do arrive, pay attention to your surroundings. Feel out the area. The fact that we as nomads spend sometimes months at a location, gives us ample time to understand our new location.
Download your destination on Google Maps for offline use should the internet go out. Have a digital copy of your passport and ID. Download a translation app to communicate with locals.
When you do arrive in a new country, show respect and stay within that country’s cultural norms. Boldly going against them can be perceived as an insult and put you at risk.
Find out what the local emergency numbers are for police and ambulance. They won’t be as easy to remember as 911 if you’re from the states.
Money, phone and passport are the trinity of traveling. Protect all 3.
Your Space Is Sacred
Your lodging should serve as your haven. It should be your respite should you feel out of place in your new location and serve as a place to protect you from any danger. So make sure that it’s safe too. While one of Airbnb’s biggest values is its verified reviews from guests, I still always take precautionary measures no matter where I get a room.
Just because a room has a lock on the door doesn’t mean the owner or someone else can’t use the key to get in. I mean it is their house. That’s why I always carry a portable travel lock that I can place into the door jam and then turn the fly screw to make it impossible to open up the door from the outside. While it’s a hassle to unscrew it in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, it does give me peace of mind if I feel unsure about my lodging. However, if you are feeling this unsafe, it’s time to find new lodging. This just buys you time in the middle of the night should you feel leery. Always keep your luggage setup mobile in case you ever need to leave in a hurry.
I once fled an Airbnb in the middle of the night at 2 am when I came downstairs to find the hosts snorting cocaine off their dining room table. They left, but came back an hour later with 7 more men. The 9 males to 1 female ration didn’t feel comfortable, so I packed up and left immediately nervous that I would be restrained as I escaped.
Don’t let this scare you out of nomading. This happened right in the Chicago area, my hometown in the US. The point is, practice stringent safety everywhere.
That said, I also always assess upon arrival where the best hiding place would be in the event I need to protect myself from an intruder if I’m alone. My goto is usually the shower. Before I go to sleep at night, I open up the shower curtain just enough to make it look like nobody would ever be inside but close the curtain just enough to hide myself up against the shower wall if I needed to.
These might seem overboard, but my mantra is “Better safe than sorry.”
You might end up meeting a lot of people as you travel around your new destination. Don’t share your lodging location with anyone. Instead, meet with them nearby at a public place.
When I leave my room, I hide my essentials like laptop and passport in a location where they are less likely to be seen. Inside the fridge or freezer, on top of high cabinets or even under your suitcase is a good idea. People generally don’t pick up the suitcase to see what is underneath.
Venturing Out Into the Unknown
Not to sound like your mother, but don’t venture out alone at night. Don’t leave drinks unattended. And always ignore hasslers. Even saying no gives them a small hook to lean into. When you ignore them, they know they will get nowhere with you.
Listen to your gut. Even if that means not getting on an elevator with someone because you get a bad vibe.
When you’re out and about outside of your lodging, consider using a crossbody bag that fits snugly against you to hold your phone and wallet. The beauty of these bags is that you can fit a jacket over them in cooler weather and they go unseen. Not to mention they allow a hands free experience while you hike or bicycle. Mine is an RIFD bag that blocks radio frequency identification signals that will keep people from scanning and stealing credit card and other personal information. It’s a good idea to wear clothes with inside pockets as well.
Carry minimal cash and withdraw from secure ATMs. Any ATM that is not secure could be stealing your sensitive information. Understand the local currency rate so that you don’t get scammed when making purchases.
Carry a fake wallet and phone that you can hand over to a thief so they don’t get your real ones. Because having your phone for communication will be critical in an emergency.
Always bring several phone chargers with voltage adapters to work in foreign countries. And keep your phone on low battery mode even when it is fully charged. It can go dead quickly when you’re taking a lot of pictures and videos.
I know riding a scooter all over a new foreign country looks tempting. You can whiz around quickly to anywhere you want to go. But is this really the time to risk falling and breaking bones? Suppose you don’t even fall but rather someone hits you? Of course this decision is entirely up to you. But for me, for now, it’s a hard no.
But in the event that you do opt for the scooter, make sure that you have traveler’s health insurance. Because your health insurance probably doesn’t cover you in other countries. In fact, have the traveler’s insurance whether or not you ride the scooter. Now is not the time to rack up unwanted medical bills that could have been avoided.
And let’s not forget about wildlife.
If you’ve chosen a destination deep in nature, you’re in their territory. As I write this, I’m hanging out in a cabin on the side of a mountain in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains. Staying in areas with grizzly bears is also a no for me since I enjoy spending time walking out in nature. But I have to admit I’m still afraid of the black bears here even though they’re much more docile. I’m told that if you raise your arms in the air and yell, they will run. But I just don’t want to be a fail in that experiment.
I can hear them on the porch at night, I witnessed firsthand a muddy bear paw print with scratches on my roommate’s car and also saw garbage dispersed in the neighbors driveway after a late night bear feeding frenzy.
I don’t walk outside here anymore. It’s just not a risk I want to take. Besides, I’m convinced I just may run into the legendary Bigfoot, the hairy mythical creature that many in the area believe exists. Wildlife was one of the reasons I chose Grenada. There are no poisonous animals there which allowed me to confidently explore all the nature that the island offered.
Conclusion
At the heart of many of our journey’s, it’s why we do the digital nomad thing. To live like locals. To be deep in their environment. Had I not, I would have never fallen in love with the Caribbean’s soca music, sapodilla – the amazing little fruit that tastes like a pear and brown sugar or the nutmeg ice cream in Grenada.
But being outside of the safe resorts can come with some risks.
Your travel safety starts before you ever step foot out of your current country with deep research. Once you land, it’s important to put your feelers out to get a good grip of your surroundings, including your lodging. When you venture out, use all the common sense you would at home and more. And while they are adorable, you’re in their territory. Wildlife isn’t always your friend.
I hope these tips help you travel safely all over the world.
Delicious travels!
