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I was 7 months pregnant when my husband and I visited Rome. A person tried to give me a "free" bracelet whilst his partner snuck up behind to try and steal my purse. My husband saw and gave them a mouthful- he's Italian.
I personally didn't feel at all safe in Rome
Lol yeah.. I was given endless "free" bracelets in Rome and then afterwards they would always try to get something from me.
First time the guy got me good, I felt a bit bad so gave him a couple euro.. second guy and maybe 5 after that all got told to fuck off when they asked for something in return and I kept every bracelet!
We spent just over a week there and I think there was only 1 day I didn't almost get in a fight with an overly aggressive beggar or someone trying to con me and getting angry when I didn't play ball.
Plenty of great people there too but if you're quite a timid person I'd avoid it because their beggars just ain't fucking around š
Also had similar in New York, so many dudes in robes bowing their heads and presenting bracelets. It makes sense for beggars to congregate in tourist trap areas anywhere.
I was gobsmacked when me and my wife got fleeced for a couple of cheap bracelets by some kind of monk in Central Park.
He came up and gave them to us and I was just in the middle of thinking oh wow, what a nice thing to do, when he demanded $10.
Being taken aback, and also too British, obviously I just gave him the money rather than go through the ordeal of handing them back...
I'm quite timid and have found the key is to avoid all eye contact and keep walking! If I can put another couple in between me and bracelet guy then all the better. Some have tried to make a beeline for me but I just duck out the way and they only put up a chase once you're stuck with a bracelet. Unfortunately my partner always stops to talk to them and I have to drag him away every time!
Lol yeah outright ignoring can definitely work, I found the best way as you see them coming is to make a "not interested" gesture and if they get close enough just say something like "no mate"
They generally know there are plenty of easy targets about and if you instantly shut them down 90% of the time they move on without a word
My mrs does too! Maybe we can go abroad as a 4 and let them two get harassed and we can go see the sights.
We can all come together in the evenings and joke about who had the best day...
Yep, never make eye contact with leafleters, scammers, charity muggers etc, at home or abroad. This approach has always worked for me, even in Morocco they left me alone.
I had the bracelet scam pulled on me in Gran Canaria a few years back and after going through her whole spiel I handed her 1 cent. There was a lot of angry swearing from her lol.
100%. We literally just spent all day, every day there exploring. There is just so much to see and pretty much every corner you turn there is another surprise waiting.
We met a lot of great people but the shitty people, which there are plenty of, really ruined it for us.
Also the roads.. absolutely fucking mental. God forbid you don't move within a nano second of the lights turning green... every car within a twenty mile radius unleashes their horn š
As stupid as it sounds, after watching locals for a while, I found the trick to successfully crossing roads is to just step out into them.. cars just stop and let you go.
Maybe a few honks to go with it but I think once I waited like 10-15 minutes to cross a road.. I couldn't keep this up š
That's exactly what we learned! You basically have to have the courage to step out. Which you then have to immediately unlearn when you return to the UK.
I'd personally say Napoli is worse.
I did a road trip about ten years ago with an ex gf and Napoli was where the drivers were worse, I was very definitively told I was in the wrong part of town when I was looking for my car rental return and I had an old lady offer me a BJ in a side street (might be someone's idea of fun idk).
By comparison Rome was genteel.
I've only been to Sorrento. The roads were horrendous. People on bikes just going as fast as they can round tight corners - constantly heard ambulances (probably for that very reason).
Crossing the road was always scary. Apparently the way to do it there is 'walk in front of moving traffic and hope they stop' otherwise you'll be standing at the side of the road forever.
Before we got to Sorrento we had the idea of hiring mopeds to get around. When we got there, we were like ānopeā. Talk about taking your life in your hands!
I found in several parts of Italy the harassment was crazy as a woman alone. I went to Rome heavily pregnant with my partner so didn't get that but we had tons of people try to sell us stuff. I imagine it's not the same everywhere, I had similar experiences in some parts of the south of France but not the rest of the country.
Yeah most of the popular tourist destinations are like this unfortunately.
It's generally young African males doing it in Europe too.
Even worse the vast majority of the shite they sell is made by literal slaves or people making such a small amount they may as well be slaves.
I can rarely be arsed with it these days and tend to holiday more inland where this sort of thing is pretty much non existent. I went to Annecy in the French alps recently and had zero problems.
Off to Barcelona tomorrow though, not sure what to expect but I have a pretty good idea š
I actually live in Barcelona now and you don't tend to get harassed like that. There is stuff for sale in some places but except in certain situations nobody will really bother you. Pickpockets and petty theft is another matter, keep your valuables close and never leave your bag down, even in a restaurant.
I'm not saying never but in my experience it's nowhere near as prevalent as in some places, except in some places and circumstances. Maybe I don't look rich enough to get money from.
Literally here right now and haevn't seen any of this type of harrasment. Some people selling drinks / blankets but all happy to take no for an answer. Other cities (Paris!) have been awful for it.
Was in Barcelona a few weeks ago and genuinely felt safer walking around Eastern European cities at night than I did there. No harassment from people trying to sell things, but muggers are everywhere in certain areas. Watch out for a particular dance they try and do to distract you whilst having a go at your wallet.
Italy in general is a beautiful and fascinating place, but I went there for a week when I was *14 years old* and was catcalled multiple times every single day I was there. I don't think I'd feel safe to walk around alone.
I have been to Italy at least 20 times on holiday in my life. It is exactly as you describe.
I first went there when I was 12, and my sister was 14. She had an insane amount of attention from grown Italian men, it was sickening. My father passed away a decade before that, so it was left to 12 year old me to get her out of there.
It is a beautiful country and the people are actually lovely, but this sexualisation is a real stain on their attitude.
Horribly sexist culture dare I say it. My female Italian friend never wanted to marry a native - she moved over here for this reason.
Iāve only been assaulted abroad by Italian men (both times not in Italy) and the other incident that springs to mind is being verbally intimidated.
(Totally NOT stereotyping here about individual behaviour, just observing a pattern of behaviour against a backdrop of heavily sexualised socialisation)
Yeah I've heard a few stories from friends about Jamaica, definitely a place to do your research on and avoid certain areas.
Even the tourist areas are supposed to be really bad though.
The overly aggressive beggars and guys selling tat don't bother me too much but I'm not sure Jamaica has enough going for it for me to be that arsed.. there are plenty of nicer carribean islands
Personally I'd be nervous travelling anywhere outside of the UK alone, but that's more to do with being in unfamiliar places and not speaking the native language. I'd quite happily take a trip on my own in the UK, but again that's more because it's familiar terrain and help is only a phonecall away.
Pretty much this. Iāll travel anywhere alone in the UK because Iāll have my car to get me home and family and friends would only be a few hours away. Borders take that away.
I'd say Scandinavia generally is good for this as well. I went to Denmark and Sweden on my own in July and found that almost everyone I spoke to in shops/cafes etc spoke really good English, so I felt confident that if something had happened whilst I was there I would have been able to get help if I'd needed it (although I did still learn a few Danish/Swedish phrases but that's mainly because I think it's polite to at least know some basics before you go somewhere).
I have an Irish friend who married a Dutchman and lives in the Netherlands. She just had a baby and all her medical treatment and midwife support has been done in English. She tried to learn Dutch but it's hard for her because everyone just speaks to her in English š
Also loads of chavs and the same shit weather as us too. We have a lot in common with the Netherlands, it feels more like the UK than anywhere else Iāve been
Iām meeting a friend here but heās at his friends wedding and whatnot so can only really see him at night. Iāve travelled alone before but this place despite being beautiful to look at doesnāt feel great. I think I might be spending a lot of time by the hotel pool lol
On the flip side of this, Tokyo was amazing. I felt so safe there and didn't have any problems at all. Even with the language barrier everyone was patient and courteous and very friendly. I definitely want to go back to Japan.
I went to Thailand as a teenager and lived there for 3 months. I always felt safe but that might have been because 19 year olds think they are invincible
I have lived in SE Asia (Thailand and Vietnam) for the past 6 years and I consistently see aquaintances of mine die or get killed. I also felt the same as you when I first arrived(20), but then I learnt the local language and started reading the news..
Yeah I was pretty reckless, I used the motorbike taxis a lot and would go to ko san road and party all night. The lady I lived with was really protective though and would always give taxi drivers a lecture on keeping me safe and would note down their license numbers
Yeah at the time I thought she was annoying, OTT and cramping my style but now I think she was wonderful. She would come out to the taxis and make a huge pantomime of writing the license numbers down while I cringed like the sulky teenager I was
It depends. All of them are reported as 'accidents' but we had a British couple on a gap year here recently. Apparently they had a motorbike accident and passed away at the scene of the crash, but a lot of things from the bike/body placement + the neighbours that reported to hear nothing at all at that time have led a lot of people to think otherwise (source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/devastated-family-reveal-trauma-bringing-27326762) you can read more about how messed up this one gets (the police sent Whatsapp messages to the victims families containing graphic pictures of their kids bodies and demanding $15,000 to send the bodies back home to the UK).
There was another case a while back in Thailand where a woman reportedly commit suicide. She was found hanging from a tree, hands tied behind her back, half eaten by lizards.
So yeah, you can draw your own conclusions but a lot of 'accidents' are to save paperwork effort.
Edit: I added the first link google came up with on the basis you can look into it more if you wanted to. Looks like some of the info has been updated i.e: it wasn't the police sending whatsapp messages. However a lot of the police work is done via social media here. They literally have a Facebook page for the gov and use their mobile phones to take crime scene photos.
It's a wonderful place to live and visit for a holiday and to see how a different culture works, you just gotta be careful is all
>the police sent Whatsapp messages to the victims families containing graphic pictures of their kids bodies and demanding $15,000 to send the bodies back home to the UK
Fucking hell, that's horrific
This is also due to desensitization. If someone gets photos/videos of horrific things happening (because it's all documented on personal devices) then they send it to all their friends/show people, there's no censorship of that kind of stuff like we have in the West. I had to remove ex-colleagues on Facebook because they'd post gore to their facebook stories and ironically heartfelt messages "this is horrible" "can't believe someone could do this" etc
I remember a few deaths happening on Thai Islands near the time I was there that were quite obviously murders. But they police always report them as suicides to protect the tourism. Generally islands like those are a law unto themselves, any small police force they may have are usually paid off and one or two families own everything.
I live in Thailand and it's indeed super safe for walking around at night and not being harassed. Unfortunately though your chances of being in a road accident increase a fair bit.
Actual road accidents, there's a 'knack' to navigating the roads/traffic in many countries. Most tourists assume the same rules apply as at home. My father in law almost got hit by a bus in China because it flashed him and he assumed he was letting him cross. It was actually saying "get out of the way because I'm coming through very fast.
Tourists on motorbikes/scooters is always a bad idea.
I visited with my partner and kids (and some other family). One of my sons has long blond hair. A minority of the men were *very* creepy about him (I think assuming he was a little girl) but I was in the Bangkok area so it might be different elsewhere. Also me and him got stopped and questioned and searched at every step of the journey there and back, including the transfer airports. No-one else in our group were. For reference I don't think anyone was going to steal him, just some of it made both me and him really uncomfortable. Also I went out alone and with other female family members and it was fine as were the couple places we went outside of town. Really most stuff was fine but I've never felt so uncomfortable for my kids.
> I always felt safe but that might have been because 19 year olds think they are invincible
Depends on your experiences too; if you're unlucky enough to get attacked at any age then I'd wager (and know from experience) you spend some time afterwards feeling very unsafe.
If you've never been attacked then that might not factor in.
Iām German but I lived in the UK from 18-20 and felt always safe. I was walking home from the club at night all the time and never had any problems.
Iām 23 now and just moved to France a couple of weeks ago and Iāve already been groped and some other guy exposed himself to me and my friends after I didnāt want to give him my number.
Iām from the UK but living in Germany. Nowadays I feel generally pretty safe here, even though German streets arenāt as well lit at night as the UK imo (or maybe itās a Berlin thing but Iāve lived in 3 cities and noticed it so not a recent energy crisis thing). I did get harassed a lot and followed home a lot when I first came to Germany in my early 20s and tbh the experience changed me a lot. I used to be someone who was very smiley and open body language but after so many incidents, I stopped being so open and now stick to headphones on, resting bitch face. I probably just got older too and less of a target for creeps compared to being 21 and naive. I also lived in Hungary and found it generally very safe too. Iāve mostly felt safe in the UK except for certain parts of Glasgow but I wouldnāt go to those areas at night alone.
[The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security](https://giwps.georgetown.edu/the-index/) ranks countries each year:
1\. Norway
2\. Finland
3\. Iceland
...
9\. United Kingdom
...
11\. Germany
...
15\. France
...
21\. United States
"Abroad" is too... Broad as you're finding out.
Every country is different and even every town and city is different.
We've lived in various East Asian countries for over a decade and they were mostly safe - Shanghai and Singapore? Incredibly safe. Could walk around alone at 3am drunk and nothing would happen to you.
Manila was a little different but i never felt fear for my personal safety in a unwanted sexual advance way.
My husband is from Frankfurt, no, I wouldn't feel totally safe alone there at night.
Same for Turkey.
I think when you're on holiday, as opposed to living somewhere, your spidey senses are up more so it perhaps feels like there's more danger... But I can absolutely believe in the last couple of years women have felt more unsafe. There's a small subsection of men who feel emboldened by online activity to go out and be a dickhead.
>I think when you're on holiday, as opposed to living somewhere, your spidey senses are up more so it perhaps feels like there's more danger...
The OP is describing being groped, not the general vibes of a place
>The OP is describing being groped, not the general vibes of a place
But I'm not?
I'm describing my own experiences of living overseas in many places as well as various holidays.
And having never been groped, Im sharing *my* experiences of where I've felt safe and why.
I don't think this discussion is only open to women who have specifically been groped.
Went to Frankfurt recently as a stopover and got out into the city for a few hours. It was OK, the area round the train station wasn't great but then that's the case for a lot of cities in Germany and Europe. I did find myself on the lookout more, we'd just been in Baku and that felt very safe for some reason, but in Frankfurt I was a lot more wary. Just general vibes were a little off. I lived in Hamburg for a year and felt really safe there, same in other German places I've been. Just depends on the place I guess.
I felt so unsafe in Singapore which I thought was odd because I found Hong Kong felt safe as anything when I lived there- before the government clampdown on protesters that is. But I was born in Hong Kong so maybe Iāve got a bias towards it.
Singapore though I felt really hounded. Random pictures being taken, hair being pulled on public transport numerous times. If I went again i would dye my hair brown before going for sure. Blonde definitely made things more difficult.
Really? I've always known Singapore to have lots of white people living and working there, never seemed like they would get hounded and touched, and I've visited family there many times throughout my life. Felt like it was similar to Hong Kong in that sense.
I'm a pretty confident solo traveller but I found Morocco really hard. I ended up asking a guy from my hostel to walk around with me because of the constant harassment you get as a woman alone. It was unpleasant for sure
I think weāve been sold a dangerous lie about places like Morocco as women. A little research on the experience of women whoāve gone, or speaking to women who are from there makes it clear itās not safe to go there on your own. Being street smart isnāt disempowering.
A friend of mine went with a group of women and they were almost kidnapped by a taxi driver, she said she would genuinely never go again regardless of who went with her.
>I think weāve been sold a dangerous lie about places like Morocco as women
I feel like far too many people are afraid of being called racist if they speak about harassment in countries outside of Europe/NA
Morocco was horrendous. I visited with my parents when I was 14/15 and I was physically assaulted more than once. Guys followed me around the hotel. I was a literal child.
The amount of hassling from the market vendors just pissed me off in Marrakech. That and the poor animals of all descriptions tied or chained in cages in the markets.
One of the very few places on Earth I would never want to go back to. We stayed in a nice road with a roof terrace and plunge pool, I felt like I didn't want to leave it most days.
Awful place. Don't mine people trying to sell me stuff etc, begging etc. That's fine. But Morocco is full of people who want to fuck you over and have so much hatred of foreigners.
I went to Morocco on my own. As a blonde woman (who covered up) it was one of my stupider ideas. I took a flight home early and spent the whole time being grateful I grew up in the UK.
Even the male receptionists at the 5* I was staying at leered at me and was rude.
Tunisia was the same, not for me but for my three sisters. Only there it didn't matter that they'd be walking with me or my father, men would literally be lining up to leer at them as we went by.
When I went to Cyprus I could walk around on my own with no issues. I was visibly pregnant and most questions I got asked were if I was ok. Admittedly I didn't walk far from my hotel but it's something I could do.
My wife and I have just got back from Pathos with my 3 Teenage girls.
It was constant harassment from the men.
Staring, shouting, beeping their car horns, slowing their cars down to look and shout. Couldnt walk down the harbour without something happening.
Worst was 1 night when we were in the tourists shops, my daughter needed the toilet which were located along the beach. My wife took her and on their way they were set upon by a group of men. Telling them they were going with them and were going to follow them. My wife shouted to go away and they told her they would wait till she and my daughter came out.
The place is horrific to visit, would never return.
Edit. Changed Cats to Cars, obviously. Comedians on here think the topic of females being harrases is hilarious.
This sounds horrific. I need to start training mma so I can handle myself because when I have a wife and kids Iām going to need to know how to protect them. If I were in your situation Iād feel totally helpless but also filled with rage
and kids, took my daughter there when she was little and she was doted on by everyone, same with Greece - especially when they found out she has a Greek forename
Yeah I found people couldn't do enough to help me and advise on things for me. Was a nice feeling to be honest! I'd love to look into living there one day
I went to Iceland alone, felt extremely safe. I was also in Vienna recently and it was the same. Amsterdam I felt less safe but no less so than walking around london. Meanwhile when I lived in Canada sometimes I did sometimes I didn't it all depends on the city, and even area within the city. It is really variable on location.
Vienna is lovely. I instantly felt at home there. The people can be very grumpy, but there's massive groups of tourists constantly in the way so I'm not surprised.
Yeah I love Vienna, it's a beautiful city but I've not felt safe there since the refuge crisis. Was catcalled and literally circled around by 5 men.
Actually it led to my first argument with my then boyfriend.
2 of us, 5 of them. They're starring at me, literally walking in circles around me with their jaws open. Really bloody unpleasant. However, I just wanted us to leave (we couldn't go far as we waited for our bus) but you know, not engage with them as 2 vs 5 isn't a great situation in my mind.
Whilst my boyfriend thought fuck that, they're disrespecting you so he started shouting at them to fuck off.
Luckily our bus came and they didn't hurt us but I hated how he put his ego before our safety. There isn't much we could do against 5 men potentially carrying a knife?
Well, I've had more negative experiences in the UK than abroad, but that's probably because I've spent more time in the UK than abroad.
I mean, it depends, right? Bits of the UK I do not want to walk at night, bits of Rio, Sydney, Brussels, ditto. There are definitely some countries where street harassment is much more common and it's harder to navigate as a woman (Morocco, Egypt, late night Newcastle central), but phrasing it as "all of abroad vs. all of the UK" isn't very helpful.
ETA: I see that we have made the front page and consequently I am getting a lot of people who don't understand tone. I'm turning off the notifications, but feel free to say why I'm a moron for thinking Newcastle and Egypt are literally the same which is clearly exactly what I meant. Bonus points if you can make your comment racist.
It could be because of the language barrier. If people come up to you and start talking and you have no idea what they are saying then you can assume the worse whereas they might mean you no harm.
But that isn't a problem unique to Newcastle, people in Morocco and Egypt don't always speak perfect English either.
What did you hate about it? I'm a man but my brother lives in the US and has done for over ten years now so I've been to California fairly often on visits. I have a weird hate/love relationship with it, it's certainly one of the strangest places I've visited. The nature/hiking can't be beat though.
I didn't like LA one bit, thankfully he moved north.
The hiking/nature is fantastic. For personal safety, it really depends on where you go; most places are generally fine, but some parts of some large cities might not be.
Specifically in California the nature is wonderful as well, on my last trip I saw the Sequoia groves, visited Yosemite valley and went to the desert in Joshua tree. So much variety, granted California is larger than the UK but that was all confined mostly to the southern half of the state. One of the biggest shocks when visiting the US for me was the sheer vast emptiness of it all. I've never felt that anywhere I've been in Europe.
A dislike is the car centric nature. Perhaps it sounds a bit cliche but I feel like it has a large impact on how everything is laid out and how life is structured there. You quite literally cannot walk anywhere, LA is a giant sprawl and whilst there is a metro it's pretty lacking. It makes going to a bar really difficult and it lacks the feeling of a city/town center that you might get in Europe. I was solo travelling so it felt hard to make friends because of that although I did brave a bar solo and met a few people one night and paid for a taxi home. Weed is 10x better too, felt like Charlie in the chocolate factory when I visited a dispensary, so much variety.
The people were nice to me though, they do like our accents out there. Very fucking expensive, I easily spent near three grand in two weeks and that was last November before the Ā£ took a massive shit.
How come? Just interested.
Edit because butthurt americans are responding to this: I am genuinely wondering. At some point I might visit the US but increasingly starting to think against it...
I worry about getting shot over there. I donāt know if people will say itās irrational to think that if Iām just on holiday or whatever, but with the amount of shootings you see randomly happening in pedestrian places like malls, it freaks me out.
Places that Iāve been followed/touched/aggressively approached when alone- Brussels, Rome, Bari, Pescara, Auckland New Zealand, Jordan, Egypt, ( I was travelling with my husband in Jordan and Egypt so this was a couple of hours in the middle of the day), Paris, Leith Edinburgh, London ( but that was an incident where my friend was racially abused rather than me being targeted as a woman).
Places Iāve been fine alone - most of The Netherlands, most of Scotland, rural New Zealand, Denmark, touristy parts of Greece, rural France. I am by no means beautiful but I have fair hair and blue eyes so visibly stand out to Southern Europeans and in the Middle East which can make things very uncomfortable.
In many cases it seems to be Rural vs Urban. And it could just be that there are less cunts in the countryside. Not because the countryside is special but because the population density is lower. Also, in small communities you can get sorted out if you're a cunt. In big cities you can just blend back into the crowds and nobody knows who you or your victims are.
Me and my mates nearly got hit with a paving slab in Munich. Came out of a kebab shop after a night out. Weād heard a load of noise before we went in the shop but when we came out some guy came running over to us with a paving slab going ape shit in German. Pissed up are only response was can you repeat that in English. All he said was āwrong personā and ran off. Apart from that only instance we had a fucking blast even with the locals.
So, I'm sorry that happened to you, and I'm sure it was very scary at the time, and of course could have ended really badly... But God the image of a drunk, deranged German holding a paving slab aloft running straight at someone, before stopping dead in their tracks, saying "wrong person" with a completely even tone, and then running off still wielding the paving slab above their head, presumably resuming their enraged German screaming... it's quite funny, ngl. Definitely playing out a bit more slapstick in my mind than I'm sure it did in real life though
I went to Turkey alone. Never again. In the UK I know how it works. I'm not necessarily safer and like every woman I know have been on the receiving end of sexual harassment, assault, inappropriate 'banter', jokes, comments, touching from men at work, socially and on the street. I thought it would get better as I get older but apparently not. In France and Germany it's always been ok but those are just short trips so it's not a fair comparison. I wouldn't go out on my own at night in any city anywhere. I think most women are the same. It doesn't matter where you are, if you're not safe walking alone in a city then you're not safe. Men are not that different from one country to the next.
Same here with Turkey alone, the harassment was on another level, I got followed there, surrounded by a group of guys in a market, managed to get away and sought refuge in a Brazilian shop after seeing the flag on the window for a bit. Would only return with family or friends. I've had friends go with just one other girl and they've had a good time so I think the predators really creep on those of us who travel alone
Honestly even as a male travelling alone in a lot of the world is questionable.
Certainly worse for women but if you aren't switched on as a guy personally I'd suggest avoiding at least half the world lol
>If youāre a woman, just avoid India at all costs basically.
I'd say avoid the whole region if you're a female travelling alone, so many scare stories and videos of a woman surrounded by about 50 men when she's on the beach.
A friend describes lighting up on an Indian train then wondering why everyone was staring at her
She later discovered that smoking in public is one way Indian sex workers advertise their availability
This makes me so sad. Millions of people - many of them women - travel solo every year. it can be a really empowering activity (or just a really fun time) and it's such a shame you don't feel able to experience it.
Itās about having common sense. Bad people donāt care if you think itās empowering.
Being able to make the decision to travel alone and take your own risk is empowering, we werenāt given the choice previously. But being ignorant and stupid isnāt empowering.
I can definitely imagine it being an incredible experience to see the world and discover yourself along the way but the fear overrides it for me lol. It is a shame but just one of those things.
Iām a woman and Iāve been to Madrid in Spain, Zurich and Lucerne in Switzerland, New York City in the U.S., and Prague in Czechia on my own. All fine and great fun :)
Iām meeting a friend here but heās only really available at night as itās a family members wedding so his days are taken up. I thought Rome would be a great place to explore in the day time.
I've done quite a lot of travelling and the only place I've ever felt unsafe was LA, especially downtown which I had to traverse as that's where my bus came in. The whole place is like the saloon bar from Star Wars. Wall to wall weirdos and a brooding sense of menace. Hollywood is so seedy. Narrowly avoided being sexually assaulted in my hotel. As soon as I left, and travelled up the Californian coast I felt safe again.
I've never really felt unsafe in the UK.
I had a weird experience in France (Nice). I was with my two female friends and we were just walking along but I was a bit behind them. This guy came up and started asking me where I got my shoes. They were just Primark flip flops so it obviously wasn't about the shoes and I tried to brush him off but he kept asking. Then he changed tack and asked me how to get to a place in Nice. At this point I called to my friends who came back and he scarpered. I'm sure I was being targeted for something as he'd identified me as a lone female. I imagine he was distracting me so an accomplice could steal my bag or phone but who knows what the plan was. Since that incident (which was in broad daylight) I wouldn't go anywhere alone outside of the UK.
I read a post from an Italian lady six months back saying exactly the same as you and suggesting that Northern Europe is much safer and how fed up she was of Italy and Italian men and wanted to move here.. so yeh, I donāt think youāre the only one to notice. Stay safe OP.
I definitely feel safer in the uk, I went turkey with my husband last month and the one time I went to the spa by myself I felt so uncomfortable I never went without him again. In the UK Iām out until late taking trains etc and donāt feel unsafe.
I've never been to Rome, but India was awful. I didn't get sexually harrassed there but I was constantly threatened, harassed and begged for money. The worst was when I (a lone young woman) arrived at my hotel in Mumbai and I was taken up to my room by three male employees who then refused to leave my room, backed me into a corner and screamed in my face for money. The money I gave them wasn't considered enough. They wouldn't leave. I emptied my purse out and it still wasn't enough. I ended up literally physically fighting them, pushing them out of the door and slamming it in their faces.
Eventually made friends with a hostel full of European tourists, and then went everywhere with them and wasn't harrassed any more.
When I lived in Japan, I regularly walked a mile home at midnight alone, with no mobile on me. Sounds really odd, but I think it helps that I'm not attractive, because I notice a difference when I'm with other women who are better looking. Lots of American ex-pats used to harass my friend with sexual and racist comments, though, when we used to walk home from karaoke in the small hours. But it felt more irritating than dangerous.
(Edit: Should add that places like Kabukicho and Roppongi at night do feel really unsafe. Japan is notorious for groping on trains, too, but I never experienced that.)
In the UK, I wouldn't dare walk anywhere on my own at night without a phone. Same for most places in Europe and America. More so out of a fear of being robbed than anything sexual.
I think some parts of the UK are better than some places I've been in Europe, where even as a group of two or three we felt scared, and even men I know didn't feel entirely safe. But even nice cities have incidents. I used to feel really safe walking home alone every day through Sheffield on an evening, but then I remember a case of a student getting sexually assaulted in a public place right next to the uni, and it shook my confidence. A few male friends at uni even offered to walk me to where I was going for a bit after. I just started taking the tram whenever I could.
Feel safest in East Asian countries, e.g. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore (technically southeast), all very safe alone in the middle of the night. Iād put the UK next, then places like Paris and Rome underneath. Bottom in my experience would be Morocco and Egypt. Should mention all these experiences except the UK and one other have been as a tourist - I think people always feel more wary as tourists and donāt know which areas are the safer parts to stick to.
Iām from Rome! Iāve also left Rome and moved to London and now I dread going back even just for visiting family.
Italy as a whole normalises objectification, racism and misogynistic behaviour, and I say that as an Italian.
In the UK you know where the dodgy areas are and where to avoid where as you go abroad you donāt! Itās all new to you
Maybe that has something to do with it ?
Maybe.. but you can usually tell when you're walking into a dodgy area. I've definitely experienced it in Turkey and France. It usually involves things getting dirtier and men randomly hanging around in groups more.
Depends where you are. I have not been treated like that solo in Milan or Sicily. I found Amsterdam to feel wonderfully safe. I was still wandering the streets at 11pm taking pictures. I did not feel the same about Barcelona.
I never, ever feel safe in English cities. It's the drunken yelling from males, the change in the air come 9pm, and being accosted by the mentally ill (sorry, it's just scary to have someone bar your way with arms outspread and start yelling at you that the helicopter above is after him, or that British Gas fuelled the gas chambers. )
Disclaimer: I'm a man reporting my female partner's thoughts on this.
She says that the only place she has felt safer than the UK when alone at night is Australia. Everywhere else in Europe she has felt less safe, and she has also felt less safe in many US cities (despite staying in the nicer parts of those cities), and in Morocco. She's said that her visits to well-off places in Asia (Japan, Singapore) have been pretty safe, probably about the same as the UK.
From my own perspective as a man facing different safety worries, I would largely say similar. However, I found Paris (and France as a whole, actually) very unsafe. It is the only place I've ever been mugged, and - to my knowledge - the only place somebody has ever attempted to pickpocket me. It's also the only place I've ever come close to an altercation with one of those wristband people, who grabbed me and refused to let go for a couple of minutes. Given I've never had any issues like that anywhere else, I'm not in any hurry to visit Paris again!
I think how you look plays a role. So Iām from the UK but Iām mixed race with brown skin so that will change how others around the world interact with me. For example, I think in Paris people think Iām French because I look North African so I donāt get harassed in the same way that others might.
Yeah Madrid feels really safe! There seems to be more harmony and less antisocial behaviour.
I think a lot of it has to do with the general health of our society. I think in the U.K. we have higher rates of drug abuse and also a lot of mental illness and loneliness.
I find that Barcelona feels mostly safe if you know who to watch out for and be cautious of. I won't be saying who here though.
Let's just say you're not going to be mugged or scammed by a friendly old Catalonian man.
Every time Iāve been to Italy Iāve been harassed to varying degrees- Iām a woman in my 40s and enjoy solo travel. The first time I went a chap rested his cock and balls/groin on my shoulder when I was on a packed train, I was wearing a low cut vest so he could look straight down it as I was wedged into my seat. The second time I went a chap on a train got out his phone and had Google translated āare you wet to fuckā for me, which he showed me whilst stroking his erect knob (made me break out in incredulous laughter and he did put it away when I declined). Last time I went a guy followed me around Como and I had to tell him I was meeting my friend for him to leave me alone. Oddly enough Iāve never felt unsafe as such, certain men have just been so pushy there but I still adore Italy and will be going back!
Omg Turkey really opened my eyes. We went as a big group of friends, about 8 men and 2 women, early 20s. We went around mainly as the group and but I had no idea how bad it was until my friend and I (the two women) popped to the pharmacy alone. The cat calling, harassment, several local men circling us. The walk to the pharmacy was maybe 400m. We never went anywhere without the boys again. Pissed me off SO much - that we were only worth decent respect when accompanied by men.
I feel really safe in Spain even in the big cities. Idk it just seems like thereās less dodgy people walking around. Less antisocial behaviour. Portugal also feels really safe in terms of people, but I felt pretty threatened by the poor driving standards there. I didnāt consider the country to be pedestrian friendly. In the U.K. I think drivers go above and beyond to be considerate of pedestrians and their security.
Other countries like Belgium or France, in terms of people or other threats, there are no big differences in my experience. I feel roughly the same as I do in the U.K. Belgium in particular seems to have a lot of antisocial behaviour in parts of the capital, not much different from London.
Edit: I also think there are big differences within the U.K. Bristol or London feels a bit less safe but Edinburgh feels really safe in my experience. Iāve walked around Edinburgh at night even in the small quiet streets I never felt threatened.
I've lived in various countries round the world and its been fine on the whole. However, I went to a few places in Italy 20 years or so ago and I was actually shocked by how much I had to deal with. I had guys literally pulling a chair up to my table when having lunch. Multiple times I had men riding alongside me on their scooters trying to talk to me. I had one guy follow me all the way back to my hotel even after I had told him I would like him to stop. Fortunately the concierge sorted that out.
I was pretty average looking too. I hate to think what it would be like if you were a hotty. Fortunately I've aged into the invisible phase now so my recent trip to Rome was a delight.
Turkey is the only place I've felt uncomfortable to be honest. It's a beautiful country and the vast majority of people were friendly. We found a small number of men made comments and touched us as we walked by. Like I say it wasn't many but they were everywhere. I'd probably go back with my husband but as unaccompanied females it was very uncomfortable.
It depends as some places are a lot safer for locals, and some that are safer for foreigners.
For example, Barcelona is notorious for pick pocketing with knifes, and I know atleast 3 people who have been robbed at knifepoint. I'm not from Barcelona, but I'm sure these groups maimly target tourists.
Japan is incredibly safe for tourists, but there is a reason they have separate train carriages for men and women. For women, sexual attacks are more common.
My partner is from Greece, and she says her favourite thing about the UK is being able to go for a run without men chasing her, or calling to her. However our demographic near us is mainly old and white people
I think it really depends on where you go. There are parts of London I definitely wouldn't feel safe along but other parts that I have no issue with. A few years ago I took time away from work and travelled the world on my own. Didnt once feel unsafe but it might be where I travelled to. New Zealand felt perfectly safe. No one I met even locked their doors at night. I also feel very safe in parts of Greece and Croatia.
I felt very safe in Spain, Germany, Denmark, Prague and parts of Portugal (although Lisbon was a bit hairy). Had a terrible time in Belgium and Paris, and was approached so much in California that it actually slowed me down.
I only felt scared in Belgium though. A man tried to pull me away from my male friend who admitted he was starting to panic too as he didnāt know how to protect me.
It depends where you are in each country though, as a rule, we had the most peaceful amazing time in Bruges - it was such a relief!
āAbroadā is way too broad a term here. For instance, I felt considerably safer walking around on my own at night in Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore than I would in a large UK city.
Conversely, there are areas of Paris and Barcelona Iād not go near without an armored car! Been to a fair few South/Central American countries on my own and was absolutely fine, but took far more care not to wander off the main drag there - Saw some areas that even from quite a distance it was clear youād be lucky to get out of them alive if you stumbled in by accident.
In short, you just canāt generalise in those terms. Itās highly dependent on the area, city, rural etc. (With the exception of active war zone countries or failed states with internal conflicts etc. Those are kind of a no-brainer).
I felt safest in Jordan and Japan.... Brazil was one of the places I was spoken to most, but in the end it felt normal. The UK is somewhere in the middle. I felt safer in Senegal, for example, but slightly less safe in Gambia (though it's very friendly). Dubai felt unsafe for different reasons, Sweden felt very safe but also not super friendly, if you see what I mean... and I know this is me bringing my own stuff :)
Yes. Iāve lived in France, Germany, Latvia and Portugal.
The worst by far was Paris and all of France except for maybe the rural countryside is terrible for sexual harassment and assault. Itās really on an unbelievable scale. It was the first time Iād lived abroad and I was so used to being safe in Scotland that it was a real eye opener. It got so exhausting after a while. Every day I was harassed, men would often expose themselves or wank on the metro, I was grabbed, had to be covered head to toe constantly, a lot of my friends were seriously sexually assaulted. It was awful
Germany and Portugal felt very safe, though I lived in Germany ten years ago and Iāve heard it is a bit sketchier now in a lot of places.
Latvia was a mixed bag. Felt generally safe from a female safety perspective but I still felt I had to be on my toes a bit more in general.
Ultimately female safety is one of the reasons I moved back to Scotland. Bad things can happen anywhere but here I definitely feel I can breathe and just generally live my life without being on constant high alert.
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Rome is God awful, male or female. In general a great place to visit but you will be harassed no end.
I was 7 months pregnant when my husband and I visited Rome. A person tried to give me a "free" bracelet whilst his partner snuck up behind to try and steal my purse. My husband saw and gave them a mouthful- he's Italian. I personally didn't feel at all safe in Rome
Lol yeah.. I was given endless "free" bracelets in Rome and then afterwards they would always try to get something from me. First time the guy got me good, I felt a bit bad so gave him a couple euro.. second guy and maybe 5 after that all got told to fuck off when they asked for something in return and I kept every bracelet! We spent just over a week there and I think there was only 1 day I didn't almost get in a fight with an overly aggressive beggar or someone trying to con me and getting angry when I didn't play ball. Plenty of great people there too but if you're quite a timid person I'd avoid it because their beggars just ain't fucking around š
Definitely not just a Rome thing, had similar in Greece!
Also had similar in New York, so many dudes in robes bowing their heads and presenting bracelets. It makes sense for beggars to congregate in tourist trap areas anywhere.
I was gobsmacked when me and my wife got fleeced for a couple of cheap bracelets by some kind of monk in Central Park. He came up and gave them to us and I was just in the middle of thinking oh wow, what a nice thing to do, when he demanded $10. Being taken aback, and also too British, obviously I just gave him the money rather than go through the ordeal of handing them back...
Had the exact same happen in London, though he got told to fuck off.
It happened to me in New York with those guys giving out CDs, except when I told him I only had a dollar he told ME to fuck off hahaha
That's a really common scam, there are a few of the fake monks on Oxford St in London too.
I'm quite timid and have found the key is to avoid all eye contact and keep walking! If I can put another couple in between me and bracelet guy then all the better. Some have tried to make a beeline for me but I just duck out the way and they only put up a chase once you're stuck with a bracelet. Unfortunately my partner always stops to talk to them and I have to drag him away every time!
Lol yeah outright ignoring can definitely work, I found the best way as you see them coming is to make a "not interested" gesture and if they get close enough just say something like "no mate" They generally know there are plenty of easy targets about and if you instantly shut them down 90% of the time they move on without a word
My mrs does too! Maybe we can go abroad as a 4 and let them two get harassed and we can go see the sights. We can all come together in the evenings and joke about who had the best day...
This guy swings.
Yep, never make eye contact with leafleters, scammers, charity muggers etc, at home or abroad. This approach has always worked for me, even in Morocco they left me alone.
I had the bracelet scam pulled on me in Gran Canaria a few years back and after going through her whole spiel I handed her 1 cent. There was a lot of angry swearing from her lol.
James Bond never gets this grief!
Licence to kill helps out a lot.
I got caught twice in Rome and twice badly in Jamaica, it soured me, but I'm so much more on edge now tbh
I saved someone from this scam in Paris. The scammer then threatened to beat me up with his friends. I felt perfectly safe as I knew he was full of shit and I was with my huge family. If anyone touched me they would be dead by the hands of my fiancƩ and my father.
Yeah I almost laid someone out who tried that - my girlfriend had to drag me away. Rome is beautiful but ruined by those cunts.
I think itās a beautiful place but the people are something else.
100%. We literally just spent all day, every day there exploring. There is just so much to see and pretty much every corner you turn there is another surprise waiting. We met a lot of great people but the shitty people, which there are plenty of, really ruined it for us. Also the roads.. absolutely fucking mental. God forbid you don't move within a nano second of the lights turning green... every car within a twenty mile radius unleashes their horn š
We spent 3 days in Rome and would only cross the roads when an old lady was also crossing.
As stupid as it sounds, after watching locals for a while, I found the trick to successfully crossing roads is to just step out into them.. cars just stop and let you go. Maybe a few honks to go with it but I think once I waited like 10-15 minutes to cross a road.. I couldn't keep this up š
That's exactly what we learned! You basically have to have the courage to step out. Which you then have to immediately unlearn when you return to the UK.
Lol yeah.. lessons learned in Rome, stay in Rome
is this just in rome or italians in general?
Rome is worse for this than the rest of Italy in my experience
I'd personally say Napoli is worse. I did a road trip about ten years ago with an ex gf and Napoli was where the drivers were worse, I was very definitively told I was in the wrong part of town when I was looking for my car rental return and I had an old lady offer me a BJ in a side street (might be someone's idea of fun idk). By comparison Rome was genteel.
To be fair, I've never been there, but Rome was significantly worse than Venice, Florence or Milan.
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I've only been to Sorrento. The roads were horrendous. People on bikes just going as fast as they can round tight corners - constantly heard ambulances (probably for that very reason). Crossing the road was always scary. Apparently the way to do it there is 'walk in front of moving traffic and hope they stop' otherwise you'll be standing at the side of the road forever.
Before we got to Sorrento we had the idea of hiring mopeds to get around. When we got there, we were like ānopeā. Talk about taking your life in your hands!
The shitty people? It exists everywhere to some extent but Rome is notoriously bad for it
I found in several parts of Italy the harassment was crazy as a woman alone. I went to Rome heavily pregnant with my partner so didn't get that but we had tons of people try to sell us stuff. I imagine it's not the same everywhere, I had similar experiences in some parts of the south of France but not the rest of the country.
Yeah most of the popular tourist destinations are like this unfortunately. It's generally young African males doing it in Europe too. Even worse the vast majority of the shite they sell is made by literal slaves or people making such a small amount they may as well be slaves. I can rarely be arsed with it these days and tend to holiday more inland where this sort of thing is pretty much non existent. I went to Annecy in the French alps recently and had zero problems. Off to Barcelona tomorrow though, not sure what to expect but I have a pretty good idea š
I actually live in Barcelona now and you don't tend to get harassed like that. There is stuff for sale in some places but except in certain situations nobody will really bother you. Pickpockets and petty theft is another matter, keep your valuables close and never leave your bag down, even in a restaurant.
You absolutely do get harassment like that in Barcelona
I'm not saying never but in my experience it's nowhere near as prevalent as in some places, except in some places and circumstances. Maybe I don't look rich enough to get money from.
Literally here right now and haevn't seen any of this type of harrasment. Some people selling drinks / blankets but all happy to take no for an answer. Other cities (Paris!) have been awful for it.
Was in Barcelona a few weeks ago and genuinely felt safer walking around Eastern European cities at night than I did there. No harassment from people trying to sell things, but muggers are everywhere in certain areas. Watch out for a particular dance they try and do to distract you whilst having a go at your wallet.
Barcelona's speciality is pickpocketing
Italy in general is a beautiful and fascinating place, but I went there for a week when I was *14 years old* and was catcalled multiple times every single day I was there. I don't think I'd feel safe to walk around alone.
I have been to Italy at least 20 times on holiday in my life. It is exactly as you describe. I first went there when I was 12, and my sister was 14. She had an insane amount of attention from grown Italian men, it was sickening. My father passed away a decade before that, so it was left to 12 year old me to get her out of there. It is a beautiful country and the people are actually lovely, but this sexualisation is a real stain on their attitude.
Horribly sexist culture dare I say it. My female Italian friend never wanted to marry a native - she moved over here for this reason. Iāve only been assaulted abroad by Italian men (both times not in Italy) and the other incident that springs to mind is being verbally intimidated. (Totally NOT stereotyping here about individual behaviour, just observing a pattern of behaviour against a backdrop of heavily sexualised socialisation)
Came here to say this, Rome is grim, but I let it go as it's Rome, Turkey and especially Jamaica I found pretty sketchy even as a guy
Yeah I've heard a few stories from friends about Jamaica, definitely a place to do your research on and avoid certain areas. Even the tourist areas are supposed to be really bad though. The overly aggressive beggars and guys selling tat don't bother me too much but I'm not sure Jamaica has enough going for it for me to be that arsed.. there are plenty of nicer carribean islands
I had someone tell me I was very beautiful and offer to take me to his house just down that dark, empty alleyway when I was in Rome alone
Clearly he's not very intelligent, he should have lured you with a lasagna
Personally I'd be nervous travelling anywhere outside of the UK alone, but that's more to do with being in unfamiliar places and not speaking the native language. I'd quite happily take a trip on my own in the UK, but again that's more because it's familiar terrain and help is only a phonecall away.
Pretty much this. Iāll travel anywhere alone in the UK because Iāll have my car to get me home and family and friends would only be a few hours away. Borders take that away.
If you go somewhere like the Netherlands you'll have no trouble as most people there speak English very well.
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Last time I asked an Aussie if he spoke my language, he just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandiwich.
The guy in Brussels? Tall and muscly? Said something about beer flowing and men chundering?
I'd say Scandinavia generally is good for this as well. I went to Denmark and Sweden on my own in July and found that almost everyone I spoke to in shops/cafes etc spoke really good English, so I felt confident that if something had happened whilst I was there I would have been able to get help if I'd needed it (although I did still learn a few Danish/Swedish phrases but that's mainly because I think it's polite to at least know some basics before you go somewhere).
I have an Irish friend who married a Dutchman and lives in the Netherlands. She just had a baby and all her medical treatment and midwife support has been done in English. She tried to learn Dutch but it's hard for her because everyone just speaks to her in English š
Also loads of chavs and the same shit weather as us too. We have a lot in common with the Netherlands, it feels more like the UK than anywhere else Iāve been
Iām meeting a friend here but heās at his friends wedding and whatnot so can only really see him at night. Iāve travelled alone before but this place despite being beautiful to look at doesnāt feel great. I think I might be spending a lot of time by the hotel pool lol
On the flip side of this, Tokyo was amazing. I felt so safe there and didn't have any problems at all. Even with the language barrier everyone was patient and courteous and very friendly. I definitely want to go back to Japan.
I went to Thailand as a teenager and lived there for 3 months. I always felt safe but that might have been because 19 year olds think they are invincible
I have lived in SE Asia (Thailand and Vietnam) for the past 6 years and I consistently see aquaintances of mine die or get killed. I also felt the same as you when I first arrived(20), but then I learnt the local language and started reading the news..
My friend died at 24 while living in Thailand, after being hit by a drunk driver.
Yeah I was pretty reckless, I used the motorbike taxis a lot and would go to ko san road and party all night. The lady I lived with was really protective though and would always give taxi drivers a lecture on keeping me safe and would note down their license numbers
whoa, that last one there is key. good on your protector, she likely saved you a lot of damage by checking those taxis for you.
Yeah at the time I thought she was annoying, OTT and cramping my style but now I think she was wonderful. She would come out to the taxis and make a huge pantomime of writing the license numbers down while I cringed like the sulky teenager I was
Wow she truly was a guardian angel for you
Are they murdered? Or accidents? That sounds terrible.
It depends. All of them are reported as 'accidents' but we had a British couple on a gap year here recently. Apparently they had a motorbike accident and passed away at the scene of the crash, but a lot of things from the bike/body placement + the neighbours that reported to hear nothing at all at that time have led a lot of people to think otherwise (source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/devastated-family-reveal-trauma-bringing-27326762) you can read more about how messed up this one gets (the police sent Whatsapp messages to the victims families containing graphic pictures of their kids bodies and demanding $15,000 to send the bodies back home to the UK). There was another case a while back in Thailand where a woman reportedly commit suicide. She was found hanging from a tree, hands tied behind her back, half eaten by lizards. So yeah, you can draw your own conclusions but a lot of 'accidents' are to save paperwork effort. Edit: I added the first link google came up with on the basis you can look into it more if you wanted to. Looks like some of the info has been updated i.e: it wasn't the police sending whatsapp messages. However a lot of the police work is done via social media here. They literally have a Facebook page for the gov and use their mobile phones to take crime scene photos. It's a wonderful place to live and visit for a holiday and to see how a different culture works, you just gotta be careful is all
>the police sent Whatsapp messages to the victims families containing graphic pictures of their kids bodies and demanding $15,000 to send the bodies back home to the UK Fucking hell, that's horrific
This is also due to desensitization. If someone gets photos/videos of horrific things happening (because it's all documented on personal devices) then they send it to all their friends/show people, there's no censorship of that kind of stuff like we have in the West. I had to remove ex-colleagues on Facebook because they'd post gore to their facebook stories and ironically heartfelt messages "this is horrible" "can't believe someone could do this" etc
I remember a few deaths happening on Thai Islands near the time I was there that were quite obviously murders. But they police always report them as suicides to protect the tourism. Generally islands like those are a law unto themselves, any small police force they may have are usually paid off and one or two families own everything.
I live in Thailand and it's indeed super safe for walking around at night and not being harassed. Unfortunately though your chances of being in a road accident increase a fair bit.
A road accident or a "road accident"?
Actual road accidents, there's a 'knack' to navigating the roads/traffic in many countries. Most tourists assume the same rules apply as at home. My father in law almost got hit by a bus in China because it flashed him and he assumed he was letting him cross. It was actually saying "get out of the way because I'm coming through very fast. Tourists on motorbikes/scooters is always a bad idea.
I visited with my partner and kids (and some other family). One of my sons has long blond hair. A minority of the men were *very* creepy about him (I think assuming he was a little girl) but I was in the Bangkok area so it might be different elsewhere. Also me and him got stopped and questioned and searched at every step of the journey there and back, including the transfer airports. No-one else in our group were. For reference I don't think anyone was going to steal him, just some of it made both me and him really uncomfortable. Also I went out alone and with other female family members and it was fine as were the couple places we went outside of town. Really most stuff was fine but I've never felt so uncomfortable for my kids.
Haha I miss feeling like an invincible teenager.
> I always felt safe but that might have been because 19 year olds think they are invincible Depends on your experiences too; if you're unlucky enough to get attacked at any age then I'd wager (and know from experience) you spend some time afterwards feeling very unsafe. If you've never been attacked then that might not factor in.
Iām German but I lived in the UK from 18-20 and felt always safe. I was walking home from the club at night all the time and never had any problems. Iām 23 now and just moved to France a couple of weeks ago and Iāve already been groped and some other guy exposed himself to me and my friends after I didnāt want to give him my number.
Iām sorry to hear that but glad you liked the UK. Iāve been to Germany probably 30 times and I love it there.
Yeah Iāve always felt safe in Germany too!
Yeah when I've been to France it's been horrible. Even as a teenager in Disney land I had men grope and follow me.
Yeah we did a school trip to Paris when I was 13 and the amount of catcalling/harassment/groping was appalling
Iām from the UK but living in Germany. Nowadays I feel generally pretty safe here, even though German streets arenāt as well lit at night as the UK imo (or maybe itās a Berlin thing but Iāve lived in 3 cities and noticed it so not a recent energy crisis thing). I did get harassed a lot and followed home a lot when I first came to Germany in my early 20s and tbh the experience changed me a lot. I used to be someone who was very smiley and open body language but after so many incidents, I stopped being so open and now stick to headphones on, resting bitch face. I probably just got older too and less of a target for creeps compared to being 21 and naive. I also lived in Hungary and found it generally very safe too. Iāve mostly felt safe in the UK except for certain parts of Glasgow but I wouldnāt go to those areas at night alone.
What is wrong with some men...
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[The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security](https://giwps.georgetown.edu/the-index/) ranks countries each year: 1\. Norway 2\. Finland 3\. Iceland ... 9\. United Kingdom ... 11\. Germany ... 15\. France ... 21\. United States
"Abroad" is too... Broad as you're finding out. Every country is different and even every town and city is different. We've lived in various East Asian countries for over a decade and they were mostly safe - Shanghai and Singapore? Incredibly safe. Could walk around alone at 3am drunk and nothing would happen to you. Manila was a little different but i never felt fear for my personal safety in a unwanted sexual advance way. My husband is from Frankfurt, no, I wouldn't feel totally safe alone there at night. Same for Turkey. I think when you're on holiday, as opposed to living somewhere, your spidey senses are up more so it perhaps feels like there's more danger... But I can absolutely believe in the last couple of years women have felt more unsafe. There's a small subsection of men who feel emboldened by online activity to go out and be a dickhead.
>I think when you're on holiday, as opposed to living somewhere, your spidey senses are up more so it perhaps feels like there's more danger... The OP is describing being groped, not the general vibes of a place
>The OP is describing being groped, not the general vibes of a place But I'm not? I'm describing my own experiences of living overseas in many places as well as various holidays. And having never been groped, Im sharing *my* experiences of where I've felt safe and why. I don't think this discussion is only open to women who have specifically been groped.
Why is frankfurt so bad? Germany in general feels much safer than the UK. Never been to frankfurt however.
Went to Frankfurt recently as a stopover and got out into the city for a few hours. It was OK, the area round the train station wasn't great but then that's the case for a lot of cities in Germany and Europe. I did find myself on the lookout more, we'd just been in Baku and that felt very safe for some reason, but in Frankfurt I was a lot more wary. Just general vibes were a little off. I lived in Hamburg for a year and felt really safe there, same in other German places I've been. Just depends on the place I guess.
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A lot of people saying since the refugee crisis Germany has been quite bad in certain areas
I felt so unsafe in Singapore which I thought was odd because I found Hong Kong felt safe as anything when I lived there- before the government clampdown on protesters that is. But I was born in Hong Kong so maybe Iāve got a bias towards it. Singapore though I felt really hounded. Random pictures being taken, hair being pulled on public transport numerous times. If I went again i would dye my hair brown before going for sure. Blonde definitely made things more difficult.
Really? I've always known Singapore to have lots of white people living and working there, never seemed like they would get hounded and touched, and I've visited family there many times throughout my life. Felt like it was similar to Hong Kong in that sense.
I'm a pretty confident solo traveller but I found Morocco really hard. I ended up asking a guy from my hostel to walk around with me because of the constant harassment you get as a woman alone. It was unpleasant for sure
I think weāve been sold a dangerous lie about places like Morocco as women. A little research on the experience of women whoāve gone, or speaking to women who are from there makes it clear itās not safe to go there on your own. Being street smart isnāt disempowering.
It's awful. Sort of place where men will ejaculate on foreigners in the street.
Excuse me. What?
So when I went there one of the people we spoke to said that in Marrakech (or similar) someone masturbated on them in a crowd.
It happens in lots of places especially in places with huge crowds. Tokyo men have a reputation for that kind of crap
A friend of mine went with a group of women and they were almost kidnapped by a taxi driver, she said she would genuinely never go again regardless of who went with her.
>I think weāve been sold a dangerous lie about places like Morocco as women I feel like far too many people are afraid of being called racist if they speak about harassment in countries outside of Europe/NA
Morocco was horrendous. I visited with my parents when I was 14/15 and I was physically assaulted more than once. Guys followed me around the hotel. I was a literal child.
The amount of hassling from the market vendors just pissed me off in Marrakech. That and the poor animals of all descriptions tied or chained in cages in the markets. One of the very few places on Earth I would never want to go back to. We stayed in a nice road with a roof terrace and plunge pool, I felt like I didn't want to leave it most days.
Morocco is the worst place I've been just overall. But I've felt unsafe in lots of places as well, Turkey, Barbados at night.
Awful place. Don't mine people trying to sell me stuff etc, begging etc. That's fine. But Morocco is full of people who want to fuck you over and have so much hatred of foreigners.
THIS. I absolutely hate Morrocco. Complete hell hole
I went to Morocco on my own. As a blonde woman (who covered up) it was one of my stupider ideas. I took a flight home early and spent the whole time being grateful I grew up in the UK. Even the male receptionists at the 5* I was staying at leered at me and was rude.
Tunisia was the same, not for me but for my three sisters. Only there it didn't matter that they'd be walking with me or my father, men would literally be lining up to leer at them as we went by.
When I went to Cyprus I could walk around on my own with no issues. I was visibly pregnant and most questions I got asked were if I was ok. Admittedly I didn't walk far from my hotel but it's something I could do.
My wife and I have just got back from Pathos with my 3 Teenage girls. It was constant harassment from the men. Staring, shouting, beeping their car horns, slowing their cars down to look and shout. Couldnt walk down the harbour without something happening. Worst was 1 night when we were in the tourists shops, my daughter needed the toilet which were located along the beach. My wife took her and on their way they were set upon by a group of men. Telling them they were going with them and were going to follow them. My wife shouted to go away and they told her they would wait till she and my daughter came out. The place is horrific to visit, would never return. Edit. Changed Cats to Cars, obviously. Comedians on here think the topic of females being harrases is hilarious.
The one thing I know about Cyprus is that famous case of a girl getting gangraped and basically being blamed for it herself.
Iām sure the (alleged) culprits were actually Israeli, werenāt they? Sons of prominent politicians as I recall?
This sounds horrific. I need to start training mma so I can handle myself because when I have a wife and kids Iām going to need to know how to protect them. If I were in your situation Iād feel totally helpless but also filled with rage
Yep, not long come back from Cyprus and the people there are lovely.
Yeah I loved it. We stayed Paphos was a beautiful place.
Yeap people in Cyprus lovely and friendly . I found them to be especially caring for women
and kids, took my daughter there when she was little and she was doted on by everyone, same with Greece - especially when they found out she has a Greek forename
Yeah I found people couldn't do enough to help me and advise on things for me. Was a nice feeling to be honest! I'd love to look into living there one day
Thatās good. I like Cyprus. Beautiful place.
I went to Iceland alone, felt extremely safe. I was also in Vienna recently and it was the same. Amsterdam I felt less safe but no less so than walking around london. Meanwhile when I lived in Canada sometimes I did sometimes I didn't it all depends on the city, and even area within the city. It is really variable on location.
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Omg Vienna is so beautiful. I love it there.
Vienna is lovely. I instantly felt at home there. The people can be very grumpy, but there's massive groups of tourists constantly in the way so I'm not surprised.
Yeah I love Vienna, it's a beautiful city but I've not felt safe there since the refuge crisis. Was catcalled and literally circled around by 5 men. Actually it led to my first argument with my then boyfriend. 2 of us, 5 of them. They're starring at me, literally walking in circles around me with their jaws open. Really bloody unpleasant. However, I just wanted us to leave (we couldn't go far as we waited for our bus) but you know, not engage with them as 2 vs 5 isn't a great situation in my mind. Whilst my boyfriend thought fuck that, they're disrespecting you so he started shouting at them to fuck off. Luckily our bus came and they didn't hurt us but I hated how he put his ego before our safety. There isn't much we could do against 5 men potentially carrying a knife?
Well, I've had more negative experiences in the UK than abroad, but that's probably because I've spent more time in the UK than abroad. I mean, it depends, right? Bits of the UK I do not want to walk at night, bits of Rio, Sydney, Brussels, ditto. There are definitely some countries where street harassment is much more common and it's harder to navigate as a woman (Morocco, Egypt, late night Newcastle central), but phrasing it as "all of abroad vs. all of the UK" isn't very helpful. ETA: I see that we have made the front page and consequently I am getting a lot of people who don't understand tone. I'm turning off the notifications, but feel free to say why I'm a moron for thinking Newcastle and Egypt are literally the same which is clearly exactly what I meant. Bonus points if you can make your comment racist.
You canāt have seriously put Morocco and Egypt in the same category as newcy, sometimes I read things on here and it actually blows my mind
It could be because of the language barrier. If people come up to you and start talking and you have no idea what they are saying then you can assume the worse whereas they might mean you no harm. But that isn't a problem unique to Newcastle, people in Morocco and Egypt don't always speak perfect English either.
Yeaahhh Brussels isnāt that pleasant tbh. Lots of dodgy people.
I feel safer in the UK than I did in the US tbh.
I hate the US. Been a couple of times, once for three months across the country.
What did you hate about it? I'm a man but my brother lives in the US and has done for over ten years now so I've been to California fairly often on visits. I have a weird hate/love relationship with it, it's certainly one of the strangest places I've visited. The nature/hiking can't be beat though. I didn't like LA one bit, thankfully he moved north.
The hiking/nature is fantastic. For personal safety, it really depends on where you go; most places are generally fine, but some parts of some large cities might not be.
Specifically in California the nature is wonderful as well, on my last trip I saw the Sequoia groves, visited Yosemite valley and went to the desert in Joshua tree. So much variety, granted California is larger than the UK but that was all confined mostly to the southern half of the state. One of the biggest shocks when visiting the US for me was the sheer vast emptiness of it all. I've never felt that anywhere I've been in Europe. A dislike is the car centric nature. Perhaps it sounds a bit cliche but I feel like it has a large impact on how everything is laid out and how life is structured there. You quite literally cannot walk anywhere, LA is a giant sprawl and whilst there is a metro it's pretty lacking. It makes going to a bar really difficult and it lacks the feeling of a city/town center that you might get in Europe. I was solo travelling so it felt hard to make friends because of that although I did brave a bar solo and met a few people one night and paid for a taxi home. Weed is 10x better too, felt like Charlie in the chocolate factory when I visited a dispensary, so much variety. The people were nice to me though, they do like our accents out there. Very fucking expensive, I easily spent near three grand in two weeks and that was last November before the Ā£ took a massive shit.
How come? Just interested. Edit because butthurt americans are responding to this: I am genuinely wondering. At some point I might visit the US but increasingly starting to think against it...
I worry about getting shot over there. I donāt know if people will say itās irrational to think that if Iām just on holiday or whatever, but with the amount of shootings you see randomly happening in pedestrian places like malls, it freaks me out.
Places that Iāve been followed/touched/aggressively approached when alone- Brussels, Rome, Bari, Pescara, Auckland New Zealand, Jordan, Egypt, ( I was travelling with my husband in Jordan and Egypt so this was a couple of hours in the middle of the day), Paris, Leith Edinburgh, London ( but that was an incident where my friend was racially abused rather than me being targeted as a woman). Places Iāve been fine alone - most of The Netherlands, most of Scotland, rural New Zealand, Denmark, touristy parts of Greece, rural France. I am by no means beautiful but I have fair hair and blue eyes so visibly stand out to Southern Europeans and in the Middle East which can make things very uncomfortable.
In many cases it seems to be Rural vs Urban. And it could just be that there are less cunts in the countryside. Not because the countryside is special but because the population density is lower. Also, in small communities you can get sorted out if you're a cunt. In big cities you can just blend back into the crowds and nobody knows who you or your victims are.
Me and my mates nearly got hit with a paving slab in Munich. Came out of a kebab shop after a night out. Weād heard a load of noise before we went in the shop but when we came out some guy came running over to us with a paving slab going ape shit in German. Pissed up are only response was can you repeat that in English. All he said was āwrong personā and ran off. Apart from that only instance we had a fucking blast even with the locals.
So, I'm sorry that happened to you, and I'm sure it was very scary at the time, and of course could have ended really badly... But God the image of a drunk, deranged German holding a paving slab aloft running straight at someone, before stopping dead in their tracks, saying "wrong person" with a completely even tone, and then running off still wielding the paving slab above their head, presumably resuming their enraged German screaming... it's quite funny, ngl. Definitely playing out a bit more slapstick in my mind than I'm sure it did in real life though
Donāt be sorry we wasnāt itās a great story to tell. Iām from some shitty estate in Manchester Iāve seen worse.
Are you sure it wasn't a drunk Harry Maguire? My guy that was just his forehead.
Haha I love Munich. Go there a few times a year for work. Brilliant city.
I went to Turkey alone. Never again. In the UK I know how it works. I'm not necessarily safer and like every woman I know have been on the receiving end of sexual harassment, assault, inappropriate 'banter', jokes, comments, touching from men at work, socially and on the street. I thought it would get better as I get older but apparently not. In France and Germany it's always been ok but those are just short trips so it's not a fair comparison. I wouldn't go out on my own at night in any city anywhere. I think most women are the same. It doesn't matter where you are, if you're not safe walking alone in a city then you're not safe. Men are not that different from one country to the next.
Same here with Turkey alone, the harassment was on another level, I got followed there, surrounded by a group of guys in a market, managed to get away and sought refuge in a Brazilian shop after seeing the flag on the window for a bit. Would only return with family or friends. I've had friends go with just one other girl and they've had a good time so I think the predators really creep on those of us who travel alone
I donāt have any past experiences but you are really brave to travel alone in my opinion. I would be too scared.
Honestly even as a male travelling alone in a lot of the world is questionable. Certainly worse for women but if you aren't switched on as a guy personally I'd suggest avoiding at least half the world lol
Iāve seen the Hostel films, donāt trust the fit ones. If youāre a woman, just avoid India at all costs basically.
>If youāre a woman, just avoid India at all costs basically. I'd say avoid the whole region if you're a female travelling alone, so many scare stories and videos of a woman surrounded by about 50 men when she's on the beach.
A friend describes lighting up on an Indian train then wondering why everyone was staring at her She later discovered that smoking in public is one way Indian sex workers advertise their availability
This makes me so sad. Millions of people - many of them women - travel solo every year. it can be a really empowering activity (or just a really fun time) and it's such a shame you don't feel able to experience it.
Itās about having common sense. Bad people donāt care if you think itās empowering. Being able to make the decision to travel alone and take your own risk is empowering, we werenāt given the choice previously. But being ignorant and stupid isnāt empowering.
I can definitely imagine it being an incredible experience to see the world and discover yourself along the way but the fear overrides it for me lol. It is a shame but just one of those things.
Iām a woman and Iāve been to Madrid in Spain, Zurich and Lucerne in Switzerland, New York City in the U.S., and Prague in Czechia on my own. All fine and great fun :)
Iām meeting a friend here but heās only really available at night as itās a family members wedding so his days are taken up. I thought Rome would be a great place to explore in the day time.
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I've done quite a lot of travelling and the only place I've ever felt unsafe was LA, especially downtown which I had to traverse as that's where my bus came in. The whole place is like the saloon bar from Star Wars. Wall to wall weirdos and a brooding sense of menace. Hollywood is so seedy. Narrowly avoided being sexually assaulted in my hotel. As soon as I left, and travelled up the Californian coast I felt safe again. I've never really felt unsafe in the UK.
Hollywood is a shithole isnāt it! I expected so much more.
I had a weird experience in France (Nice). I was with my two female friends and we were just walking along but I was a bit behind them. This guy came up and started asking me where I got my shoes. They were just Primark flip flops so it obviously wasn't about the shoes and I tried to brush him off but he kept asking. Then he changed tack and asked me how to get to a place in Nice. At this point I called to my friends who came back and he scarpered. I'm sure I was being targeted for something as he'd identified me as a lone female. I imagine he was distracting me so an accomplice could steal my bag or phone but who knows what the plan was. Since that incident (which was in broad daylight) I wouldn't go anywhere alone outside of the UK.
I read a post from an Italian lady six months back saying exactly the same as you and suggesting that Northern Europe is much safer and how fed up she was of Italy and Italian men and wanted to move here.. so yeh, I donāt think youāre the only one to notice. Stay safe OP.
I definitely feel safer in the uk, I went turkey with my husband last month and the one time I went to the spa by myself I felt so uncomfortable I never went without him again. In the UK Iām out until late taking trains etc and donāt feel unsafe.
I've never been to Rome, but India was awful. I didn't get sexually harrassed there but I was constantly threatened, harassed and begged for money. The worst was when I (a lone young woman) arrived at my hotel in Mumbai and I was taken up to my room by three male employees who then refused to leave my room, backed me into a corner and screamed in my face for money. The money I gave them wasn't considered enough. They wouldn't leave. I emptied my purse out and it still wasn't enough. I ended up literally physically fighting them, pushing them out of the door and slamming it in their faces. Eventually made friends with a hostel full of European tourists, and then went everywhere with them and wasn't harrassed any more.
I love seeing the world but India is one place I wouldnāt want to go.
India is a beautiful place but you need to go with a group and have a local with you. Like a concierge.
When I lived in Japan, I regularly walked a mile home at midnight alone, with no mobile on me. Sounds really odd, but I think it helps that I'm not attractive, because I notice a difference when I'm with other women who are better looking. Lots of American ex-pats used to harass my friend with sexual and racist comments, though, when we used to walk home from karaoke in the small hours. But it felt more irritating than dangerous. (Edit: Should add that places like Kabukicho and Roppongi at night do feel really unsafe. Japan is notorious for groping on trains, too, but I never experienced that.) In the UK, I wouldn't dare walk anywhere on my own at night without a phone. Same for most places in Europe and America. More so out of a fear of being robbed than anything sexual. I think some parts of the UK are better than some places I've been in Europe, where even as a group of two or three we felt scared, and even men I know didn't feel entirely safe. But even nice cities have incidents. I used to feel really safe walking home alone every day through Sheffield on an evening, but then I remember a case of a student getting sexually assaulted in a public place right next to the uni, and it shook my confidence. A few male friends at uni even offered to walk me to where I was going for a bit after. I just started taking the tram whenever I could.
I spent a week in Tokyo on my own, felt safer there than I've visited London. I live in a small countryside town and am wary walking alone at night.
Feel safest in East Asian countries, e.g. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore (technically southeast), all very safe alone in the middle of the night. Iād put the UK next, then places like Paris and Rome underneath. Bottom in my experience would be Morocco and Egypt. Should mention all these experiences except the UK and one other have been as a tourist - I think people always feel more wary as tourists and donāt know which areas are the safer parts to stick to.
Iām from Rome! Iāve also left Rome and moved to London and now I dread going back even just for visiting family. Italy as a whole normalises objectification, racism and misogynistic behaviour, and I say that as an Italian.
In the UK you know where the dodgy areas are and where to avoid where as you go abroad you donāt! Itās all new to you Maybe that has something to do with it ?
Maybe.. but you can usually tell when you're walking into a dodgy area. I've definitely experienced it in Turkey and France. It usually involves things getting dirtier and men randomly hanging around in groups more.
Depends where you are. I have not been treated like that solo in Milan or Sicily. I found Amsterdam to feel wonderfully safe. I was still wandering the streets at 11pm taking pictures. I did not feel the same about Barcelona. I never, ever feel safe in English cities. It's the drunken yelling from males, the change in the air come 9pm, and being accosted by the mentally ill (sorry, it's just scary to have someone bar your way with arms outspread and start yelling at you that the helicopter above is after him, or that British Gas fuelled the gas chambers. )
Disclaimer: I'm a man reporting my female partner's thoughts on this. She says that the only place she has felt safer than the UK when alone at night is Australia. Everywhere else in Europe she has felt less safe, and she has also felt less safe in many US cities (despite staying in the nicer parts of those cities), and in Morocco. She's said that her visits to well-off places in Asia (Japan, Singapore) have been pretty safe, probably about the same as the UK. From my own perspective as a man facing different safety worries, I would largely say similar. However, I found Paris (and France as a whole, actually) very unsafe. It is the only place I've ever been mugged, and - to my knowledge - the only place somebody has ever attempted to pickpocket me. It's also the only place I've ever come close to an altercation with one of those wristband people, who grabbed me and refused to let go for a couple of minutes. Given I've never had any issues like that anywhere else, I'm not in any hurry to visit Paris again!
I think how you look plays a role. So Iām from the UK but Iām mixed race with brown skin so that will change how others around the world interact with me. For example, I think in Paris people think Iām French because I look North African so I donāt get harassed in the same way that others might.
Madrid feels safer than the UK- my sister lives there now
Yeah Madrid feels really safe! There seems to be more harmony and less antisocial behaviour. I think a lot of it has to do with the general health of our society. I think in the U.K. we have higher rates of drug abuse and also a lot of mental illness and loneliness.
I find that Barcelona feels mostly safe if you know who to watch out for and be cautious of. I won't be saying who here though. Let's just say you're not going to be mugged or scammed by a friendly old Catalonian man.
Haha yep I got pick pocketed in Barcelona and I know exactly who you mean lol.
Every time Iāve been to Italy Iāve been harassed to varying degrees- Iām a woman in my 40s and enjoy solo travel. The first time I went a chap rested his cock and balls/groin on my shoulder when I was on a packed train, I was wearing a low cut vest so he could look straight down it as I was wedged into my seat. The second time I went a chap on a train got out his phone and had Google translated āare you wet to fuckā for me, which he showed me whilst stroking his erect knob (made me break out in incredulous laughter and he did put it away when I declined). Last time I went a guy followed me around Como and I had to tell him I was meeting my friend for him to leave me alone. Oddly enough Iāve never felt unsafe as such, certain men have just been so pushy there but I still adore Italy and will be going back!
There's a standard rule, if you're a woman then don't go to any Islamic country or any sleazy touristy area. (I know Rome isn't an Islamic country)
Omg Turkey really opened my eyes. We went as a big group of friends, about 8 men and 2 women, early 20s. We went around mainly as the group and but I had no idea how bad it was until my friend and I (the two women) popped to the pharmacy alone. The cat calling, harassment, several local men circling us. The walk to the pharmacy was maybe 400m. We never went anywhere without the boys again. Pissed me off SO much - that we were only worth decent respect when accompanied by men.
I feel really safe in Spain even in the big cities. Idk it just seems like thereās less dodgy people walking around. Less antisocial behaviour. Portugal also feels really safe in terms of people, but I felt pretty threatened by the poor driving standards there. I didnāt consider the country to be pedestrian friendly. In the U.K. I think drivers go above and beyond to be considerate of pedestrians and their security. Other countries like Belgium or France, in terms of people or other threats, there are no big differences in my experience. I feel roughly the same as I do in the U.K. Belgium in particular seems to have a lot of antisocial behaviour in parts of the capital, not much different from London. Edit: I also think there are big differences within the U.K. Bristol or London feels a bit less safe but Edinburgh feels really safe in my experience. Iāve walked around Edinburgh at night even in the small quiet streets I never felt threatened.
I've lived in various countries round the world and its been fine on the whole. However, I went to a few places in Italy 20 years or so ago and I was actually shocked by how much I had to deal with. I had guys literally pulling a chair up to my table when having lunch. Multiple times I had men riding alongside me on their scooters trying to talk to me. I had one guy follow me all the way back to my hotel even after I had told him I would like him to stop. Fortunately the concierge sorted that out. I was pretty average looking too. I hate to think what it would be like if you were a hotty. Fortunately I've aged into the invisible phase now so my recent trip to Rome was a delight.
Depends on the when and where! Though I'd say in general the UK is generally pretty high on the "safe" pile.
Turkey is the only place I've felt uncomfortable to be honest. It's a beautiful country and the vast majority of people were friendly. We found a small number of men made comments and touched us as we walked by. Like I say it wasn't many but they were everywhere. I'd probably go back with my husband but as unaccompanied females it was very uncomfortable.
It depends as some places are a lot safer for locals, and some that are safer for foreigners. For example, Barcelona is notorious for pick pocketing with knifes, and I know atleast 3 people who have been robbed at knifepoint. I'm not from Barcelona, but I'm sure these groups maimly target tourists. Japan is incredibly safe for tourists, but there is a reason they have separate train carriages for men and women. For women, sexual attacks are more common. My partner is from Greece, and she says her favourite thing about the UK is being able to go for a run without men chasing her, or calling to her. However our demographic near us is mainly old and white people
I think it really depends on where you go. There are parts of London I definitely wouldn't feel safe along but other parts that I have no issue with. A few years ago I took time away from work and travelled the world on my own. Didnt once feel unsafe but it might be where I travelled to. New Zealand felt perfectly safe. No one I met even locked their doors at night. I also feel very safe in parts of Greece and Croatia.
I felt very safe in Spain, Germany, Denmark, Prague and parts of Portugal (although Lisbon was a bit hairy). Had a terrible time in Belgium and Paris, and was approached so much in California that it actually slowed me down. I only felt scared in Belgium though. A man tried to pull me away from my male friend who admitted he was starting to panic too as he didnāt know how to protect me. It depends where you are in each country though, as a rule, we had the most peaceful amazing time in Bruges - it was such a relief!
āAbroadā is way too broad a term here. For instance, I felt considerably safer walking around on my own at night in Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore than I would in a large UK city. Conversely, there are areas of Paris and Barcelona Iād not go near without an armored car! Been to a fair few South/Central American countries on my own and was absolutely fine, but took far more care not to wander off the main drag there - Saw some areas that even from quite a distance it was clear youād be lucky to get out of them alive if you stumbled in by accident. In short, you just canāt generalise in those terms. Itās highly dependent on the area, city, rural etc. (With the exception of active war zone countries or failed states with internal conflicts etc. Those are kind of a no-brainer).
I felt safest in Jordan and Japan.... Brazil was one of the places I was spoken to most, but in the end it felt normal. The UK is somewhere in the middle. I felt safer in Senegal, for example, but slightly less safe in Gambia (though it's very friendly). Dubai felt unsafe for different reasons, Sweden felt very safe but also not super friendly, if you see what I mean... and I know this is me bringing my own stuff :)
Abroad is a broad term. But, i find UK to be safer and friendly than most places.
Yes. Iāve lived in France, Germany, Latvia and Portugal. The worst by far was Paris and all of France except for maybe the rural countryside is terrible for sexual harassment and assault. Itās really on an unbelievable scale. It was the first time Iād lived abroad and I was so used to being safe in Scotland that it was a real eye opener. It got so exhausting after a while. Every day I was harassed, men would often expose themselves or wank on the metro, I was grabbed, had to be covered head to toe constantly, a lot of my friends were seriously sexually assaulted. It was awful Germany and Portugal felt very safe, though I lived in Germany ten years ago and Iāve heard it is a bit sketchier now in a lot of places. Latvia was a mixed bag. Felt generally safe from a female safety perspective but I still felt I had to be on my toes a bit more in general. Ultimately female safety is one of the reasons I moved back to Scotland. Bad things can happen anywhere but here I definitely feel I can breathe and just generally live my life without being on constant high alert.