How to not get kidnapped or stolen from while traveling.

The first thing people had to say when I told them I was volunteering/backpacking abroad: 
What if you get kidnapped? How do you know this is safe? 


Me, not scared, just done after walking miles in the icy cold. Ireland 2012.


I get where they are coming from.. An 18 year old girl, flying out of the country for her first time, not to mention alone, 5,000+ miles away from home, in the big, foreign, scary land of Europe where creepy middle-aged men pickpocket your belongings or throw you in a prostitution ring. Well, if you say it like that then yeah, Europe does seem scary as hell...... but y'all are a little too paranoid.
Rachel's top safety tips:
  1. Educate yourself about the horrible things that do happen to people who go abroad.
  2. Watch your bags. Watch your valuables. Keep them hidden. Don't show them off.
      • Keep money/cards/tickets/passport in a money belt under your clothes. 
      • Keep all electronics in pocket that is either locked or not easily accessible to pickpocketers. 
      • Here is an informative article about pickpockets. Just read it. Stop being lazy.
  3. Walk confidently and with a purpose like you know where you are going even if you're not even sure you're walking on the right side of the fecking street! Just keep acting like a koool kat 8)
  4. Trust your intuition. That gut feeling. Feel the vibes man~
      • Is it feeling a little sketchy? Don't ride that wave of doesn't-feel-rightness dude. Trust yourself and get out of there.post signature

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