Safety vs. Comfort

We often receive questions about safety abroad. How safe is it for American’s to travel to …? How safe is it for women?

These are very important questions and most answers can be found through sites like http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Usgresponse/Travel_Safely.shtml#vgn-international-travel-vgn

The point of this blog though is to discuss the difference between safety and comfort. It's frustrating to someone who has traveled a lot to hear someone refer to a location as unsafe simply because it made them feel uncomfortable or they are unfamiliar with the details of the culture. You can feel uncomfortable in a situation without feeling unsafe. Being unsafe however, inherently causes discomfort.

I’ve been in some very uncomfortable situations while traveling abroad – new language, new faces, new food, gun wielding men. Some would call these situations unsafe. However, because I had researched the area and knew what not to do, I felt safer there than in many parts of the United States.

The point is that you can feel uncomfortable without feeling unsafe. I was in a group discussion about China and the facilitator shared her experiences as a woman and said that she felt uncomfortable when she was stared at by men or when people spoke Mandarin to her. But she had studied the culture and knew the harsh penalties for crime, so she felt very safe.

It's ok to feel uncomfortable at times. It shows an opportunity for growth. Avoiding unsafe situations comes with research. Learn the safe and unsafe aspects of your journey and you'll be a global citizen in no time.

Posted by Marc