Many of my readers are first time travelers, with so much excitement and possibilities ahead of them. It makes me happy when people find the love of travel at a young age and work towards making it a priority. However, one of the biggest factors that stop many new travelers from traveling abroad is safety. It’s also one of the major reasoning for why people choose to travel to the countries they do. Safety should be the top priority especially for a first time traveler, whether you are traveling solo or with others. Keep reading for a few places I have visited that I thought were very safe and welcoming.
Within North & Central America
Out of all the countries I have been to, the one country that stands out in my mind for being one of the safest is Costa Rica! The minute we landed in Costa Rica, my sister and I were approached by a taxi driver to see if we needed a ride. Initially, we thought they just wanted business and we said no thanks and ignored him. Even after we told him we will take the public bus instead, he still offered to guide us to the right bus based on where our Airbnb stay was. He said that tourism is very important in their country and that he wants us to be safe and just wants to help. He then spoke to the driver and got us on the right bus.
Check out my full review of Costa Rica!
Another place I would highly recommend, especially for first time young travelers is Cancun, Mexico. If you are visiting Cancun, make sure to stay in the Hotel Zone. This area is very touristy, has all the resorts and night clubs in one area and is the safest place for tourists to be. Transportation around the hotel zone is also very easy to arrange. If you book day trips from hotel zone, the guides will pick you up and drop you back to your resort, making it one of the safest ways to book day trips out of Cancun. For anyone looking for nightlife fun, Cancun is a place that is vibrant and up all night long!
Check out my Cancun blog post for more details on everything we did while we were in Cancun!
Similar to Cancun, Punta Cana is also a touristy area, but with much less people! All the staff and locals there were also super friendly as tourism is also their main source of income. We met a taxi driver in Punta Cana (he dropped us home after a day out) and ended up booking a day trip with him! I can’t say the same for the rest of Dominican Republic, but if you caught on to the trend, then it’s rather simple. All places that rely on tourism are likely to be more safe. Check out our Punta Cana adventures here!
Where else?
I can’t speak for the countries I have not been to, but Italy, in Europe, Thailand, in Asia and Dubai, in the Middle East all seemed perfectly safe to me! Although none of them top the list for safest countries, because tourism is welcomed in all these countries, tourists rarely come into any kinds of violent crimes. I have even traveled solo for a day in both Thailand and Dubai and felt very safe.
If you want to see a list of safe countries to travel to based on perception, check out the top 10 by US News. (America is only at 32 on this list.)
With all that being said, I also think safety is mostly a relative term. Which country doesn’t have some form of danger or set backs? Which country can guarantee you no accidents, no petty crime cases or no tourist scams? I think if you follow a list of common safety rules, you can be safe in most countries.
For all the new travelers, here is a basic go-to safety list:
– Don’t stay out late alone/walk in the dark
– Don’t go outside of tourist areas/resorts
– Keep a working phone on you in case of an emergency
– Have a phone flashlight or a small one on you
– Tell your family/friend where you will be
– Tell your hotel concierge or Airbnb host when you will be back by
– Keep the address of your hotel/resort on you at ALL times
– Always carry some cash on you
– Don’t flash your valuables such as jewelry, electronics, etc.
– Keep all your belongings on you at all times
– Be alert and on your guard
– Drink responsibly and know the rules in the area regarding drinking
– Dress appropriately
Bottom line is to trust your gut, be cautious of your surroundings and don’t assume the rest of the world is dangerous because of what you hear. Other countries appear to be more dangerous to us until we visit them. Once we do, we realize they are not as bad as people or the media make them out to be! Safe travels!
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