One of the biggest concern a lot of people have when they think of travelling is the dangers of travelling by themselves. However, you have to realize that what you have been conditioned to believe by society in large is to be afraid of the unknown and alien things.

This is especially true among Western civilizations where the news like to talk about the dangers of the things happening outside their country, hence a lot of people have a innate fear of getting in trouble.

But you have to understand that the news only like to perpetuate this cycle of fear in order to sell things and push their agenda. The world is not a hostile and dangerous place if you believe that people are nice and there to help you. Of course you have to be wary of your surroundings and have some common sense when travelling but a lot of people think everyone is out there to get them which is farther from the truth.

In fact even in underdeveloped countries such as Thailand, Vietnam etc it is much safer for people to walk alone at night, because their cultures are very different and there is a different mentality.

However, your main concern should be about getting scammed by people who want to rip you off or there to benefit from you financially. So it not so much about your overall health and well being but your financial well being, because if you stand out as a foreigner who don’t speak the language in most underdeveloped countries you will be charged more and get a different treatment than you are back home.

You should be wary of people who offer you free stuff or give you something, because most likely they are going to demand a service while making you think it’s free. It’s pretty common in a lot of touristy places.

Make sure to keep note of your belongings and where everything is, because in touristy places you will have a lot of pickpockets and organizations of pickpockets or scammers.

It is always best to have a local friend or someone from the area you know through mutal connection, or social media if you want to be safe and know that you are not getting into bad neighborhoods.

I have found couchsurfing a great way to meet locals, because some locals do like meeting foreigners and learning other people’s cultures. It’s a good way to make new friends and enjoy your stay.

Couchsurfing events are less dangerous, but a lot of people have good experience with finding a host on couchsurfing as well, but make sure to look through the background more thoroughly before making a decision to stay at someone else’s place, because if you don’t do your due dilligence you might be stuck with a weirdo.