Comments on: Travelling Safely: Antidotes to Fear

By: Travelling Safely – Antidotes to Fear | Global Bloggers Network

Travelling Safely – Antidotes to Fear | Global Bloggers Network — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:49:46 +0000

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By: Tango Lucy

Tango Lucy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:46:28 +0000

Its a shame that so many people stay in one country all there lives because of fear of the unknown and fear for their safety. Great article!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:34:43 +0000

Agreed, Marina! The risks don’t change but our perceptions of them do — that’s what’s so strange about travelling out of country. Of course, once on the road, they ebb and flow and then begin to recede when a certain amount of comfort with becoming a vagabond is achieved!

By: marina k. villatoro

marina k. villatoro — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:33:35 +0000

Fear is the killer of all things. You can just as likely get hit by a bus leaving your safe home as you could get hurt traveling!

So leave the fears behind and just go!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:01:42 +0000

Hi Emily—thanks for the comment. I agree with you regarding flying. It’s an unnatural act to strap yourself into an aluminium tube and throw yourself through the sky. Hence, a little anxiety is totally normal—at least I feel the same way. As long as anxieties and fears don’t get in the way of everyday life, I think that a little anxiety can actually help sometimes!

By: Emily @ Maiden Voyage

Emily @ Maiden Voyage — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:50:17 +0000

I sometimes find myself getting anxiety about headlines — the recent flurry of plane crashes has made me a little freaked out about my flight in a few weeks (doesn’t help that I was on an Air France flight just one week before the Air France crash). But I am trying to remember that those are rare and planes are generally very safe.

I was in Paris by myself for a few days last summer and when walking by myself at night, I was a little paranoid and kept looking behind me. I am probably a little too cautious, but I agree that as long as you use common sense and vigilance, you shouldn’t find yourself in a troublesome situation. There’s always the random chance that you will get mugged, but for the most part if you look like you know what you are doing and stay confidant, people will leave you alone. I also always make sure to have a messenger bag across my front as a day pack, so it’s never out of my site — it doesn’t allow anyone to pickpocket me or to snatch it off me.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:03:13 +0000

Agreed, Brian—I think that putting travel into a frame of reference that we all can relate to (ie act and behave as you would in any big city in your home country) is especially helpful—thanks for the comment.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:01:32 +0000

Exactly the correlation I expect!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:00:56 +0000

Thanks — that’s very sweet of you. Appreciate the link!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:33:02 +0000

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Truly appreciate them!

Regardless of the manner by which you consumer your news, it’s easy to fall prey to “headline anxiety”. You read a headline, and your heart rate increases. The US 24-hour news networks (especially Fox) have turned this into an art from. Even when a real cause for concern exists, the anxiety produced by headline news doesn’t help us to respond throughfully or critically to what’s happening. But the news outlets hardly care, they increase their viewership, which drives their earnings.

Now, the problem is exacerbated when government news agencies seemingly confirm the anxiety spawned in the headlines. Suddenly, we have a prudent, unbiased trusted source of news corroborating the fears fed to us by the worst of mainstream media. One’s anxiety is suddenly amped up, and all of our fears are seemingly coming at us from all sides.

For this reason, I prefer the CBC or the BBC to CNN or FOX.

Also, that’s why I like to talk with those that have been there; those that you meet on the ‘tourist trail’. Other travelers are often the best source of information about a given area. At the same time, however, I don’t dismiss what I see or read in the news, I merely regard it in a more critical fashion.

By: Bali Travel

Bali Travel — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:25:20 +0000

Hi,

I’ve awarded you with a “Travel Bloggers Linking Award” which you can read about at – http://balineseindonesia.blogspot.com/2009/08/travel-bloggers-linking-award.html

Do pass on the award and inform other travel bloggers regarding the award so that we all can benefit on this and increase awareness of our blogs.

Thanks!

By: Anil

Anil — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:12:17 +0000

The more you hear about something on the news, the less likely it is to happen

By: brian from nodebtworldtravel.com

brian from nodebtworldtravel.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:30:36 +0000

You act and behave as you would in any big city in your home country. When I traveled around the world I am fortunate to say I had no run-ins with the police and was not the victim of petty or violent crime. Be vigilant and keep your eyes open and the odds are you’ll come home with nothing more than fantastic memories.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:14:24 +0000

Love the ‘driving’ analogy. That’s exactly what it’s like. Thanks, Jason!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:13:33 +0000

Agreed—although I’m guilty of sometimes getting lost in the moment! Vigilance, intuition, common sense are such intangibles. It seems to me the longer that you travel the more ingrained they become. Even these days I more aware of my daypack than I was prior to a long-term trip. Always keep it close to my body—even when out with friends!

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:25:38 +0000

Most of our friends and family wish us safety first. It’s because they see the dangers on the news, but not the triumphs. Understand that it’s supposed to be a fun trip, but one that along with the simple task of driving a car, requires alertness and common sense.

By: Gadi Glogowski

Gadi Glogowski — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:39:50 +0000

I am usually not suprised when I hear of an incident when a traveller had something stolen from them. Usually the cause was that they did not use common sense. Some people are use to behave like they do at home and forget that in the new surroundings they play with different rules.

Great article.