It’s easy to recommend that a person avoid a certain country or city, but if I have had a bad experience, that doesn’t mean the other person will.
However, if the statistics show that other people have repeatedly faced danger, of course we have to take this information into account, right?
So, other than blatantly just avoiding these said dangerous countries in South America, how else can we stay safe in the new places that we visit?
How to stay safe while in South America
In this guide, I will share some tips from my own personal experiments as I have travelled in South America, to help you avoid been an easy target.
In reality, no matter where in the world that we go, or how street smart we think that we are (or not) we can be seen as walking targets. The main difference is, that in some places the probability is much, much higher.
Unfortunately, when choosing our next destination, merely just placing ourselves in one of the safer places does not exclude us from the fact that most petty crimes still need to be actively avoided to a certain degree.
Or, at the very least, when visiting notoriously dangerous parts of certain South American countries, know how you can evade or minimize danger.
5 Tips for staying safe in South America
Let’s look at how I managed to accomplish this. Below are five ideas that steered me away from those moments where it could’ve all gone wrong.
1. Know Your Weaknesses
What are your weaknesses?
If you know you find it difficult to communicate with others, take this opportunity to meet other travellers, especially other solo travellers.
For me, one of the beauties of solo travel in South America is that when you get there, nobody knows who you are. You start with a blank slate.
You can make mistakes and not feel anxious about messing up any of your interactions. Then, if you do happen to mess something up along the way, you can just take it as a learning experience and quietly move on.
2. Learn The Lingo
Can you speak another language?
Try to learn a few words to help you avoid those awkward moments where you have no choice other than to ask a local for advice.
I’ve found that locals in most Latin countries respect the fact you are trying to speak their language, and you will be interpreted much better.
Over the years, I have loved residing in Latin America for longer periods of time as I was learning to speak Spanish. This is mainly because my goal was to become fluent in the language through daily practice with natives.
Spanish isn’t the only official language in this continent. The official language of Brazil, the largest country in South America, is Portuguese. Also, Guyana is an English-only speaking country in South America.
3. Shoot Photos
When are you in a photographic mood?
Taking photos of your current surroundings can have many benefits. There have been many times when a previous photo has helped me.
For example, when I got lost without an internet connection or needed a visual reference, photos helped me to locate somewhere or something.
Or even the times when I have quickly needed to show somebody my identification without actually carrying it out on the streets with me. Come to think of it, this has happened to me numerous times in South America.
4. Eat Communally
When is it socially acceptable to share food?
In some cultures, it’s unheard of to share your plate. What I’m suggesting is when it comes to mealtime, ask locals to share conversation – not food.
If offered food as a result of initiating conversation, then you’re in a better position to connect with local people more on your travels.
For me, the danger levels automatically decreased when I connected with a helpful local along my travels and has given me many valuable lessons.
This is one reason why continually learning Spanish in South America has given me more access to these types of local connections.
Without having cultural access, things like sharing conversations around dinner tables can seem a little intrusive or even creepy.
5. Find your people
Who will you connect with?
Whether it’s backpacking Colombia or Cambodia, solo travel is difficult when entirely alone. For me, being solo and being alone are worlds apart.
Once, I almost got tied down at a hostel in Tulum in Mexico. I met a fellow backpacker who drank beer every single night to get absolutely wasted, and I felt obliged to have a few beers with him on the first night.
After seeing the mess he was getting himself in every single night, I decided that was not fun and had no choice but to abandon him.
If you can’t connect with the right people at your location, I find it’s best to move on and find people who can actually enhance your experience.
I have spent time connecting with local people that can help me through language exchanges and to share cultural ideas.
You can also check out programs like remote year, which allows you to combine work and travel with like-minded people.
How to stay safe in South America
As you can see, there are many ways to avoid danger in South America.
These are just 5 ideas that I have wanted to share with you.
I invite you to read more about South America while browsing this site.
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