anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments
Posted 16 years ago
planning to travel europe next july for 3-6 months, how safe would this be to do this alone, i am pretty sensible and got a good head on me and quite confident to do this just wondering how safe it would be,
i plan to fly to my relatives first in hamburg then set off from their mainly travelling eastern europe. i am planning mostly to use hostels and open to joining fellow travellers on the way.
would rather travel alone as i want to do things my way, instead of going with a friend and having different ideas about accomodation and eating.
so yes to cover the question is travelling europe alone safe enough? i mean hey i live in scotland and i guess its the same everywhere you just have to be carefull, live up in aberdeen and hey stabbings theft and stuff go on just as much up here than other countries in europe.
kat x
Peter
Traveller
9337 comments
Hej Kat.
Europe is safe. I never had problems - mostly all big cities are the same - avoid the dark corners, join other travellers ... that's it ... that's my experience ...! :)
And I didn't felt unsafe in Eastern Europe.
This is only a short answer, I know.
Also have a look on this topic: [u]https://rail.cc/en/alone-or-group[/u]
Peter :)
anonymous
Traveller
2469 comments
My problem of travelling alone is to tell my parents that...my brother never had that prob cause he's a man, and bla bla bla, but I think that bad things can happen to everyone...
Sometimes I like to travel alone, go to music concerts alone, etc..
But maybe travelling with a group of friends I think that should be more fun than alone. :)
sballo
Traveller
8 comments
saying that's everywhere is the same and travelling alone is like wandering alone your everyday city is a bull.
when you wonder around with a bag and you're clearly recognisable as a tourits it's like having a telescopit cross sight on you because you're probably the easiest target possible, and if you're alone the ease with which you can be robbed raise to the tenths.
it's not much about being armed robbed or being the victim of any violent act, i'm talking about the possibility of your stuff being stolen.
when you sleep in a wagon for the whole night from a city to another city, who's gonna be there to look at your stuff if you're asleep, and you probably will be?
if arriving somewhere you'll find everything booked and it's gettin late and you need to sleep in the station, who's gonna watch your stuff if you doze off?
or if you arrive too late to find any accomodation and even to lock your bag and decide to wander around with your bulky backpack, do you really think it's gonna be like walking around your city? NO. and not just and not much because you don't know the city and could end up in some bad neighborhood, it's just because in that situation you are the easiest target.
dancing in the rain is not really dangerous for lightnings because usually there are a lot of other things more likely to get hit then you. but do the same in a desolated area under the only tree in 20 kms square.
what i mean is that it's your situation that changes not what's around you.
what makes the difference is not the danger of what's surrounding you but simply the fact that interrailing alone you are 100 times more desireble for the scumbags around.
being a female is a slight added risk, bust just a slight one since the real danger is not physical but of getting your stuff stolen and that's the same being you a girl, a male, a big scary looking guy or an harmless looking one.
being alone instead, in my opinion, is a big added risk.
in your specifc case i've heard a lot of stories aboung train stealing in the eastern europe, but if you compare the number of stealing to the total of travellers the impact is still very low.
that's just to erase the field from false sentences like everywhere's the same, you just have to be as careful as you normally are in your hometown, so just don't worry.
that being said, yes, go. the real risk is not anywhere near the perceived one, usually way bigger.
yatinsardana
Traveller
23 comments
So just to stretch this topic just a bit more:
Say you're travelling alone and you're in a train? you obviously can't keep your stuff with you.. i mean a day sack is fine but not the rucksack surely? and at some point it's got to be away from you in the luggage area? right? in that case how do you stay safe? i suppose your things are at risk from people taking it away at any stop.
I take it one of the answers is using padlocks? any more suggestions maybe?
If you're at a station and want to take a quick nap, i suppose you could always use your sack as a pillow..
i would imagine even if you do all the safe things you'd still be at risk.. but then again you can't do much more about it. maybe just keep your day sack with you at all times, in which you could keep your passport and money and all the important documents.
sballo
Traveller
8 comments
[quote]So just to stretch this topic just a bit more:
Say you're travelling alone and you're in a train? you obviously can't keep your stuff with you.. i mean a day sack is fine but not the rucksack surely? and at some point it's got to be away from you in the luggage area? right? in that case how do you stay safe? i suppose your things are at risk from people taking it away at any stop.
I take it one of the answers is using padlocks? any more suggestions maybe?
If you're at a station and want to take a quick nap, i suppose you could always use your sack as a pillow..
i would imagine even if you do all the safe things you'd still be at risk.. but then again you can't do much more about it. maybe just keep your day sack with you at all times, in which you could keep your passport and money and all the important documents.[/quote]
i'va always travelled with a very minimal luggage. just a school bag.
so always brougth it with me inside the cabins. but i think u can bring with u even the rucksack.
well, if you take all the precautions then risks is really minimal. and even if at that point someone should arm-rob you, well... that's not your fault. it just happened, u have nothing to blame to yourself :D .