Being a frightened traveler

I always have a pic of my hotel and the name and address in BLOCK letters.

We just returned from a trip that included Naples. We were mindful of the potential for pickpockets, and we did simple things to be safe, like having my passport and wallet at the bottom of my cross body purse and have made it a practice to not remove the purse during the day. On a train/bus, if I feel the need to take it off, I put my leg in the strap. Also, ladies, the leggings with pockets are incredible for many reasons, including the times when I want to go out without a purse or backpack.

I've been through Naples Centrale a few times in the past. This time we were there a handful of times, including for a trip to Herculaneum. There was absolutely nothing of concern, and the station was bright and clean.

Probably more of a concern on the RS Europe Facebook site than on this forum regarding the never ending question concerning safety. Is this an American thing brought on by the violent crime at home? People ask about the 'dangers' of pickpocketing like its a violent crime rather than an inconvenient crime. My trip to France in 2019 was during the yellow jacket protests and there were so many questions from people asking if they should cancel their trip that I was starting to drink the kool-aid too. But it turns out that social media sensationalism is simply a menace mostly brought on by the uninformed of certain countries (or country).

There was absolutely nothing of concern, and the station was bright
and clean.

I wrote in Trip Report about Sorrento a couple of years ago that based on what I'd read about the Circumvesuviana train I feared I was likely going to be shot, stabbed and violated as soon as I stepped on. It's not the most comfortable metro train in the world but it's also wildly exaggerated by some. And the Naples subway... it may be the cleanest and most comfortable I've ever been on.

People do talk a fair amount about the Circumvesuviana, and yes its a little grimmy, but super convenient to Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorrento. I have taken it a few times now, and wouldn't hesitate to take it again.

Actually, one of our trips on the Rome metro was not dull and a bit "educational". But, there was nothing dangerous and nothing that would stop me from using it again.

I don't think there is anything wrong with warning people about the potential for pickpockets. My daughter was pickpocketed in Barcelona in spite of her careful efforts and I had an attempt at the Milan train station. I take some precautions, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. It would be quite inconvenient to have to replace credit cards/passports, etc. We all come from different places. Where I live, I drape my purse over a chairback, have my purse on my grocery cart and step away from it, and many things I wouldn't do in many places in Europe. For some first time travelers that come from communities like mine, a suggestion to be mindful is kind, in my viewpoint. I would also tell people, that it wouldn't stop me from visiting anywhere in Europe. There is not one place I've been in Europe that I've been the least bit uneasy.

I'm sure for people that spend a lot of time on the forum, pickpocket warnings become tedious. However, quite often there are new travelers, or people that are new to the forum, that may find a warning to be careful helpful.

"Is this an American thing brought on by the violent crime at home?"
Interesting question. Is it an American thing? Probably yes. Is it brought on by violent crime at home? More likely brought on by fear of violent crime at home. Our media definitely sensationalize violent crime, which causes unnecessary fear in a lot of people. Please, Canadians (and others), do not believe everything you hear/see/read about violent crime in the US. It definitely happens, but I've lived here all my life (so far), and it hasn't happened to me, nor to most of my family and friends.

The British question in travel groups is 'how much is a pint of lager in . . .' The American question is 'is it safe?' I think part of that stems from the fact that the US is such a violent country with armed loons everywhere. I am an average person who has always lived in a good neighborhood -- in Seattle, in Columbus, in Bloomington IA, in Ann Arbor, in Nashville and now in Chicago. And over the years have come this close to school shootings: nephew near Chicago was in a classroom where some disturbed toad entered and shot kids killing one, my son in Nashville was in a middle school where a kid brought a gun to school and it 'went off' during a film and killed a little girl in his class, in Nashville there was a recent school massacre about two blocks from the house we lived in for 30 years. America is not safe, so Americans who do nothing to make America safe are terrified and seem to lap up nonsense on the internet about 'no go zones in Paris' or dangerous parts of cities.

I am always particularly amused at acquaintances who asked 'aren't you nervous about going to Paris?' which is a city where violent crime is very rare whereas it is common in every US city and rural areas have high levels of violent crime as well. There is no place in Paris I am afraid to go; while Chicago is a much safer city than its reputation suggests (in 13 years here we have never felt nervous), there are parts of the city I wouldn't wander around after dark.

Is it safe? is the American question.

I'm not sure why the OP posted this. Maybe because she's new to this forum (this is her first post)?

Regardless, I've been traveling solo for over 30 years and have never felt frightened. I agree with Allan that a lot of it comes from social media but even before social media was invented, there were misconceptions about travel.

I'm not a terribly cautious person by nature, nor do I think I am in regards to travel. None the less, I do appreciate a heads up on any petty crime, and when I'm in a new city, whether it is Chicago, DC, or Naples, I like to know if there are specific areas to avoid and what to look out for.

We had a strange interaction in Rome, where it was actually somewhat crowded. My husband was taking a photo (he's an amateur photographer) and someone with a bottle of something was very close to him I believe pretending to take a picture. I noted there was a fair amount of a substance on my husband's jacket, pants and camera bag/backpack that looked like bird poop. Because somewhere along the line, I had heard about a scam with fake bird poop, I hurried over to my husband, and the man walked briskly away. It wasn't bird poop on his jacket.

Do I pour over guidebooks and the web looking for scams and "dangerous areas", no. Do I appreciate getting information on what to watch out for, yes. Do I worry about crime in Europe more than I do in the U.S., no. I traveled alone with my kids frequently in the U.S. when they were little. To places like Chicago, New Orleans, DC, NYC, etc. You bet I knew what areas to stay out of.

That said, I agree with Mardie, that with a post like this out of nowhere I have to wonder what the motive for the post was.

I think part of that stems from the fact that the US is such a violent country with armed loons everywhere.

I know this was posted by a long time participant on this forum, but this is blatantly false and (in my opinion) inappropriate. It sounds to me that one person's experience has been extrapolated to an absurd conclusion.

That said, I agree with Mardie, that with a post like this out of
nowhere I have to wonder what the motive for the post was.

I often read posts like this on the RS Facebook and Frenchies Facebook sites. I think because in general people are less travelled than on this one and try to be helpful by posting their tips after a first grand adventure. This is the 2nd post of this type this week on the Forum. I think by different authors. Maybe these tip posts are leaking over to the Forum.

that a lot of it comes from social media but even before social media
was invented, there were misconceptions about travel.

I think it was the late 90's and we were in Florida with our small kids; aged about 3 and 2. Before the trip we started getting news reports about people in rental cars being followed and robbed or carjacked. Apparently the Florida license plate made it clear which cars were rentals ( I think). We were driving from Clearwater to Orlando and we got lost so I got off the freeway to look at a map (no GPS yet) and it occurred to me that I was in a lower income neighbourhood. We immediately started thinking of what we heard and read on the news and got the heck out of Dodge. No reason to think we were in danger, but the media got to us.

Being in danger has never occurred to me in Europe but ask any Canadian about the US and they'll shake their heads at the gun laws and violence we hear about.

I think the word "frightened" is too much. Replace with "cautious". Scams and pickpocketing are just something we in the US dont think about or expect to encounter in our daily lives. So being alert to a new and unfamiliar threat is not unwarranted. It's low risk but high consequence when you're 5,000 miles from home. Of course social media focuses on the bad things - thats human nature - amplified by people who get power from promoting disinformation.

Yes, people with experience and judgment know how to evaluate safety while traveling but most people aren't experienced with travel abroad, so they promote the same things to get people stirred up. I have a friend who wants to go to London badly, but is convinced that hordes of dangerous people take over the streets to do their daily prayers.

And then, of course, my other friend who got pickpocketed on the Strip in Las Vegas last month.

Well, why it was posted? Haven’t we all had a moment where we realized something about how our travel attitude has changed? And wanted to pass that on?

I can’t say I disagree with the post at all. We’ve all agreed caution is wise, while fear is almost always unjustified. When we realized that “people are just living life” where we go, it lets us release the fear while retaining mindfulness. These days my mindfullness is more about not forgetting something than will it be stolen, but that has changed over the years.

As much as I travel, I still had a brief struggle with myself on this yesterday. I am in Sri Lanka for an overnight: new country, late night arrival, and not enough basic facts (oops) before my long layover (like how do I pay the taxi driver, do I actually need cash, how do I get it). So I wasn’t worried about crime, but the general unease (till I had a short conversation with myself) was completely unjustified and illogical. It was a weird feeling. Sometimes it’s just the unknown or the unplanned. So waking up to this topic this morning makes me laugh at myself. (Side note: it was one of the easiest airport experiences ever.)

well put, TTM

I disagree with this statement : No one is eyeballing you waiting for you to slip up so they can take advantage of you.

Professional pickpockets definitely do exactly this.

But they prey on naive tourists in just areas packed with tourists - not all over the city.

Rick Steves has been successfully pick pocketed once in his long career.

Learn how pickpockets operate. They are easy to defeat. Learn what to look out for.

PIckpockets are not dangerous and they are ubiquitous in European cities; there are families that earn their living this way and the lack of border controlls means they can more easily get from country to country to ply their train. But they are not dangerous.

Violent crime Is MUCH higher in the US than in Europe and Americans are thus more cautious and ask more questions about dangerous areas of places they plan to travel. It is a silly question about Paris, but people can't know that until they ask.

Tolkien said it best I think:
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”