I've learned a few lessons along the way.AndyPhotoStudio/ShutterstockTraveling isn’t always a picnic. Sometimes, we encounter situations that threaten our safety and make us second guess our security. The important thing when something like this happens to you is not let it scare you into not traveling, but to learn a lesson from the experience.
Here are some of my personal scary encounter experiences abroad, and what I’ve learned from them and about travel safety.
Here are some of my personal scary encounter experiences abroad, and what I’ve learned from them and about travel safety.
1. Threatened In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Two Reais and seventy-five cents. That should cover the bus ride back to my hostel in Gloria. It wasn’t a lot of money — about $1.25 USD; however, it was enough for one man in particular to notice me.
I’d been warned not to ever show cash when walking around Rio de Janeiro, but I figured they meant large bills. Besides, it was daytime and I was standing at a bus stop full of people. Nobody would take notice.
But someone did. He looked about 53, a weathered face and dark hair. While I don’t remember his clothing or details about his features, I can clearly picture the menacing scowl that took over his face as he stopped dead in his tracks and glared at my exposed wallet. His stance reminded me of a cheetah ready to pounce as he bent his knees and angled his body toward me, his arms raised slightly. One false move and I was a goner. But, would he really jump me in broad daylight?
My skin felt prickly, my heart racing with fear. I was frozen in a moment that seemed to last forever, although it was probably only a minute or so.
Suddenly, my solo female travel instincts kicked in and I took action. Spying a group a local women chatting nearby, I quickly ran over to their group, never turning my back to the man. While I didn’t speak Portuguese, I smiled at them and waved, gesturing slightly with my eyes at the man. They understood, and made a small space for me in the group, where I nodded along pretending to be an old time friend. The man glared a moment longer before moving on his way.
While I was lucky the situation didn’t escalate further than a scare, it did teach me a lesson: Never make assumptions. If someone tells you an area is dangerous and that pick pocketing is likely, take all necessary precautions to prevent this from happening — whether it’s daytime, nighttime, $2 or $200. A better idea would have been to have my money organized in my wallet so that I could quickly pull it out when on the bus, or discreetly grabbing the money without showing my wallet.
2. Dog Attack In Banos, Ecuador
As I was trekking solo, it was up to me to navigate myself, which felt somewhat disconcerting. It’s no that I didn’t have hiking experience — I’m an avid trekker; however, the narrow trails were thick with mud and so dense it made day feel like night. Something felt off to me. I knew I was following the trail markers correctly, but that didn’t necessarily mean I was heading toward a place I would want to go, especially while traveling solo.
As I continued on, trudging through ankle-deep muck and climbing over giant rocks and thick branches, I came to a village. While it comforted me to know there were people around in case I needed help, this relaxed feeling was quickly erased as I heard the angry barking of a dog.
I saw the snarling animal racing up the trail, as my mind dove into its subconscious and pulled out the only relevant source I had on file: “The Simpsons.” I remembered an episode where Lisa, acting as Sacajawea, is approached by a cougar. To scare it off, she extends her arms to try to make herself look at big as possible. Sure, it was a ridiculous cartoon, but it was all I had.
Quickly, I grabbed the largest rock I could and held it over my head in an attempt to appear larger than my 5’2” self really was. At least if my cartoon-inspired tactic didn’t work I’d have a weapon of some sort. The dog — which was clearly strong enough to kill me — stopped about four feet away from me, barking like mad and glaring its teeth. While it wasn’t moving closer, it also didn’t seem to be leaving. Finally, just when I thought this staring contest would go on all night, the dog backed away slowly then ran away.
While at that moment I wanted to head back to my hostel immediately, the dog had ran in that direction and I didn’t want to cross paths with him again, so I continued on. It didn’t take long for another even larger dog to find me, chasing me and barking menacingly, no doubt telling me to get the hell out of his village. Luckily, I was near to some homes at this point, and still holding the rock.
“Ayudame! Ayudame!” I screamed, shouting for help in Spanish. “Por favor, ayudame!”
Suddenly, a young boy not older than 10 appeared. He looked confused as he looked on at this foreign girl almost in tears holding a rock over her head and a dog the size of a small horse ready to pounce on her.
“Ayudame!!” I begged.
He turned to the dog, shouted something in Spanish, and the dog ran off.
What was I doing here? There were absolutely no hikers on this trail — which I wasn’t even sure was a legitimate trail — and in a matter of 20 minutes I’d almost been attacked by two different very large dogs. It was time to get a cab.
After some wrong turns I finally found a paved road away from the village. I toyed with the idea of hitch hiking — especially when it started to rain and there were no taxis in sight — but with the luck I was having that day I figured robbery and kidnapping were probable. Finally, soaked to the bone, I came to a hotel and was able to have them call a taxi for me. At that moment, I would have paid $1,000 just to be in my hostel with the door locked, away from dogs, scary trails and strangers. A hostel bed never looked as good as it did that day.
Looking back on the situation, the biggest error I made was not trusting my gut. I had a weird feeling about the trail, but continued on anyway. Not only that, but I went hiking alone on some desolate path with nobody on it, despite the fact I didn’t know the area well and hadn’t told anyone where I was going. Especially when traveling solo, it’s important to take necessary precautions. While I’m not saying to never hike alone — sometimes it can be very therapeutic — try to choose trails where other people will be in case you need help. And at the very least ask your accommodation for safety information and let someone know your plans.
It can also be a good idea to carry a safety whistle
, big rock and first aid kit, as you never know what you might encounter.3. Tourist Scam In Naples, Italy
I have been backpacking through Europe for a month and a half already and have gotten pretty used to the public transportation system. My hostel, Hostel of the Sun, has given me specific directions on how to get there by bus. Usually when boarding a local bus in Europe, I have simply asked the driver how much (many of them have luckily spoken a little English) or will perform a kind of charades/gesturing act to imply I want to know the fare. Either way, I have paid inside the bus.
When I see my bus pull up, I let everyone else go on ahead of me. Once everyone has boarded, I hold up a 5 Euro bill to the driver to indicate that I want to pay. He doesn’t seem to speak any English, but communicates to me with a big smile and beckons me onto the vehicle.
“The people of Naples are so nice,” I think to myself.
The doors slam shut behind me and the bus drives away. Standing there, I am still waiting for the driver to ask me for money. Then I see him pull out a notepad and begin scribbling on what I think to be a receipt.
He hands it to me, and as I read it, I begin profusely sweating. “52 Euros?!” I scream, confused and upset.
Not a moment later the bus driver and another official looking man begin screaming at me in Italian. I don’t know what they’re saying, but I’m terrified. Everyone on the bus is staring at me, waiting to see what I will do. Holding up my hands, I try to explain that I’m not going very far, maybe 5 stops, and I don’t understand why the fare is so much.
That’s when a local woman sitting in the front seat sticks up for me. I can’t understand her words, but I can tell by her facial expressions and gestures that she’s angry at them. By now I am starting to realize what’s going on and the woman, who apparently speaks a bit of English, confirms my fears.
“They are fining you for not buying a ticket,” she says, looking angry. “It’s because you’re a tourist.”
The bus driver shouts angrily again, and I am positive whatever he is saying includes various obscenities.
She scowls and looks at me. “They say if you do not pay they will call the police.”
This is one of those situations that you don’t want to be in when traveling. If I were back in New York, I absolutely would have cursed out the driver and let him call the police. However, here in Italy, I am a foreigner who is traveling alone, doesn’t speak the local language, and has just been humiliated in front of about 30 locals.
I pay the fine, angry at the injustice but grateful to not have to deal with foreign police.
When I get to the hostel, I tell the girl at the desk about my incident.
“They’ve tried that sh*t with me,” she says. “Next time, don’t pay it!”
I laughed. It’s so funny how just being in the place that you live can make you so confident, and when you become a foreign that confidence can get so easily lost. Still, I believe that when traveling it’s best to dilute your confidence just a bit in order to become more open to (or to save yourself from) a different way of doing things.
So I was down $70. At least I wasn’t in Italian jail. Looking back, doing some more research before arriving into Naples would have been a good idea so that I could have known beforehand about what tourist scams to be on the lookout for and how to properly ride the bus.
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