How can I plan a Europe trip that won end in PTSD?
I was around your age and of similar build when I travelled through most of Europe alone. While I did find my fair share of gropers and overzealous men (mainly in Italy), I was mostly left alone. I even did some pretty fool-hardy things (getting sloshed on a pub-crawl and walking around Rome drunk at 3 am), but I came out allright. The key, as said above, is confidence. If you’re feeling like you’re vulnerable, it WILL show. Get over that “I’m vulnerable because I’m a woman” mentality. The chances of you being attacked here at home are the same as in Europe. What worked for me was that I didn’t have anything of real value with me besides my camera. I always made sure to have that concealed on me along with my money. Dress in clothes that won’t make you stand out and keep your wits about you at all times. If you walk into a neighborhood that looks sketchy, get out of there. I’d rather miss the experience of an off-the-beaten path place than jeopordize my safety. Lastly, get yourself one
Two years ago, I went solo around Europe in hostels and it was fine. More than fine — it was great. I met a lot of cool people, and had experiences I certainly wouldn’t have had on a package tour or at some Sofitel. Once you’re in Europe, you will see how silly it would be to fear Europeans more than you would Americans. (Shhh! I think there are Europeans here, on AskMe!) Here’s the thing. Nowhere is safe if you are a woman. People get raped in the hospital, people get raped waiting for a tow truck, people get raped by men they thought were friends, people get raped wherever and under whatever circumstances. I imagine that it would be very hard, after having been raped, to trust people and feel secure alone. If that happened to me, I might very well want to stay indoors after dark, to travel only in groups, to have a definite itinerary, etc. etc. That is to say, I probably would cut myself off from a lot of potentially fun activities out of fear, if I were victimized like that — but
I’m a 5’5″ woman. I don’t inspire fear in anyone. Having traveled to a few countries, including Italy, France, Spain, and the UK, just being smart is the best solution. Read travel sites and books and simply play it safe. That doesn’t mean be super on guard, since you’ll want to be able to relax and enjoy your trip too. The only incident I had that was safety-related was when three drunken men tried to accost us three 19 and 20 year old women returning from shopping and dinner in Paris outside the Métro. Luckily, our hotel was a block away and we all ran like hell. Rome is also pretty safe. We were out sightseeing several nights and nothing really happened. However, a lot of places close earlyish (11 or so). At one point we went to McDonalds to eat because nothing else was open. I lived in Madrid for a while and traveled through Spain. Since I’m most familiar with it, I can vouch that it is a safe city. It’s very much a late into the night, social, and safe city. I lived very centrally
I’m 23, similar in size to you, and have spent the last three years (off and on) traveling alone throughout Europe and Eastern Europe — I’ve never had a problem, and I’ve never once felt unsafe. I think it’s important to have confidence, or at least look like you do. People don’t bother you if you look like you know where you’re going and what you’re doing. I second the idea that hostels aren’t the all that fabulous — a great way to meet people, but they’re often crappy and after a long day of traveling, sometimes it’s nice to have your own room. Affordable hotels are pretty easy to find in most places. I find it nice to do both – hostel for a few nights, and then take a break in a hotel. I’ve found that carrying a small purse for my money, camera, tickets, passport, etc. has been helpful – something that can easily tuck under your arm or that you can wrap around your wrist. I bought into the whole hidden-money wallet thing on my first trip, and trashed it after a few days because it
One tip: Make sure you either have a room booked before you leave for each new city, or always get to each new city early in the day and find a room, first thing. If you show up alone in the evening in a new city where you don’t know the language, don’t have a room reserved, and the tourist info center is closed, you are making yourself a mark. After backpacking around Europe for almost 3 months in 2000 witout any problems, I got a little cocky and careless, and made the mistake of pulling into Budapest at 9 p.m., alone and without a room reservation. It ended up with me having to withdraw $300 from an ATM and pay it to a very large man who didn’t take “no” for an answer. Austria, Switzerland, West Germany, Northern Spain and Northern Italy are all pretty safe. Western Europe is generally safer than the US. Small towns will usually be safe. Most big downs have their seedy areas that you will want to avoid. Eastern Europe, in my experience, can be a little sketchier. Normal people in th
