A lit street corner at night with people crossing
For guests

Travel safety tips without the fear

Nowhere on this site is called dangerous, because the word tells you nothing. What helps is the specific thing: which streets are comfortable after dark, which ATM to skip, how a taxi scam works, and what to dial.

Photo by Jasmin Mazarine on Unsplash

Two lists, not one word

A city described as "dangerous" or "safe" has been described uselessly. Every large city has streets that are comfortable at two in the morning and streets that deserve more attention at noon, and what a traveller needs is the list, not the adjective. The safety card on every guide here has exactly two lists — where you are comfortable, including after dark, and where it is worth paying more attention — and every line in the second list carries its reason.

The reason matters because the right response depends on it. "Pickpockets on the tram" means keep the phone in a front pocket; "empty after the shops close" means take a taxi back rather than walk; "scams aimed at tourists" means know the script. None of those is a reason to stay in the hotel.

Every guide's safety rating, on one map

Each destination guide on this site rates the place from 1 to 5 and says in a sentence what the rating is about. Here are all of them at once — the dot is the rating, the lists underneath name the safest, the ones that ask for real care and why, and the countries by the average of the guides we have there. It is our assessment of the places we cover, not a ranking of the world.

Barcelona, Spain — Stay alertLos Angeles, United States — Stay alertBaghdad, Iraq — Stay alertMexico City, Mexico — Stay alertMontego Bay, Jamaica — Stay alertLalibela, Ethiopia — Stay alertSalvador, Brazil — Stay alertMadagascar, Madagascar — Stay alertRio de Janeiro, Brazil — Stay alertCape Town, South Africa — Stay alertBuenos Aires, Argentina — Stay alertLondon, United Kingdom — Stay alertParis, France — Stay alertMarseille, France — Stay alertRome, Italy — Stay alertAthens, Greece — Stay alertNew Orleans, United States — Stay alertFortaleza, Brazil — Stay alertLima, Peru — Stay alertSt Petersburg, Russia — Reasonably safeMoscow, Russia — Reasonably safeLake Baikal, Russia — Reasonably safeKamchatka, Russia — Reasonably safeBerlin, Germany — Reasonably safeAmsterdam, Netherlands — Reasonably safeCologne, Germany — Reasonably safeTiraspol, Moldova — Reasonably safeLyon, France — Reasonably safeMilan, Italy — Reasonably safeNice, France — Reasonably safeVladivostok, Russia — Reasonably safeChicago, United States — Reasonably safeNaples, Italy — Reasonably safeNew York, United States — Reasonably safeMadrid, Spain — Reasonably safeVan, Turkey — Reasonably safeSan Francisco, United States — Reasonably safeMardin, Turkey — Reasonably safeŞanlıurfa & Göbekli Tepe, Turkey — Reasonably safeGaziantep, Turkey — Reasonably safeTunis & Carthage, Tunisia — Reasonably safeAlgiers, Algeria — Reasonably safeLas Vegas, United States — Reasonably safeCairo & the Pyramids, Egypt — Reasonably safeKathmandu & Pokhara, Nepal — Reasonably safeAgra & the Taj Mahal, India — Reasonably safeJaipur, India — Reasonably safeMiami, United States — Reasonably safeVaranasi, India — Reasonably safeNassau, Bahamas — Reasonably safeHavana, Cuba — Reasonably safeCancun, Mexico — Reasonably safeTulum, Mexico — Reasonably safeMorelia, Mexico — Reasonably safePunta Cana, Dominican Republic — Reasonably safeSan Juan, Puerto Rico — Reasonably safeAntigua, Guatemala — Reasonably safeSanta Marta, Colombia — Reasonably safeCartagena, Colombia — Reasonably safeTamarindo, Costa Rica — Reasonably safePanama City, Panama — Reasonably safeBogotá, Colombia — Reasonably safeQuito, Ecuador — Reasonably safeManaus, Brazil — Reasonably safeLa Paz, Bolivia — Reasonably safeSalar de Uyuni, Bolivia — Reasonably safeAsunción, Paraguay — Reasonably safeFoz do Iguaçu, Brazil — Reasonably safeSantiago, Chile — Reasonably safeGarden Route, South Africa — Reasonably safeDenali, United States — Reasonably safeAnchorage, United States — Reasonably safeHamburg, Germany — Reasonably safeStrasbourg, France — Reasonably safeUlaanbaatar, Mongolia — Reasonably safePortland, United States — Reasonably safeBordeaux, France — Reasonably safeBishkek, Kyrgyzstan — Reasonably safeBudva, Montenegro — Reasonably safePhiladelphia, United States — Reasonably safeZion, United States — Reasonably safeDeath Valley, United States — Reasonably safeErbil, Iraq — Reasonably safeSulaymaniyah, Iraq — Reasonably safeGalilee & the Sea of Galilee, Israel — Reasonably safeTel Aviv, Israel — Reasonably safeJerusalem, Israel — Reasonably safeSharm el-Sheikh, Egypt — Reasonably safeMazatlán, Mexico — Reasonably safeGuadalajara, Mexico — Reasonably safePlaya del Carmen, Mexico — Reasonably safeTaxco, Mexico — Reasonably safePalenque, Mexico — Reasonably safePuerto Escondido, Mexico — Reasonably safeDakar, Senegal — Reasonably safeAccra, Ghana — Reasonably safeBwindi, Uganda — Reasonably safeJuneau, United States — SafeEdinburgh, United Kingdom — SafeDublin, Ireland — SafeCliffs of Moher & the Burren, Ireland — SafeGlacier National Park, United States — SafeSeattle, United States — SafeMayrhofen, Austria — SafeSt. Anton am Arlberg, Austria — SafeIschgl, Austria — SafeSölden, Austria — SafeVenice, Italy — SafeTurin, Italy — SafeYellowstone, United States — SafeBologna, Italy — SafeGenoa, Italy — SafeRimini, Italy — SafeFlorence, Italy — SafeAlmaty, Kazakhstan — SafeVarna, Bulgaria — SafePerugia, Italy — SafeSofia, Bulgaria — SafeKotor, Montenegro — SafeBoston, United States — SafeTbilisi, Georgia — SafeBatumi, Georgia — SafeTirana, Albania — SafePorto, Portugal — SafeBari, Italy — SafeIstanbul, Turkey — SafeTrabzon, Turkey — SafePuglia, Italy — SafeThessaloniki, Greece — SafeOsh, Kyrgyzstan — SafeAnkara, Turkey — SafeSarandë, Albania — SafeValencia, Spain — SafeIbiza, Spain — SafeWashington, DC, United States — SafeLisbon, Portugal — SafeMoab, United States — SafeDushanbe, Tajikistan — Safeİzmir, Turkey — SafeMount Nemrut, Turkey — SafePamukkale, Turkey — SafeZakynthos, Greece — SafeYosemite, United States — SafeSicily, Italy — SafePamir Highway, Tajikistan — SafeSeville, Spain — SafeGranada, Spain — SafeMarmaris, Turkey — SafeMálaga, Spain — SafeIos, Greece — SafeAlanya, Turkey — SafeSantorini, Greece — SafeBig Sur, United States — SafeNashville, United States — SafeChefchaouen, Morocco — SafeFes, Morocco — SafeJoshua Tree, United States — SafeSavannah, United States — SafeMarrakech, Morocco — SafeAustin, United States — SafeEilat & the Red Sea, Israel — SafeTenerife, Spain — SafeHurghada, Egypt — SafeLuxor, Egypt — SafeLos Cabos, Mexico — SafeSapa, Vietnam — SafeOahu, United States — SafeHa Long Bay, Vietnam — SafeTequila, Mexico — SafePuerto Vallarta, Mexico — SafeChiang Rai, Thailand — SafePuebla, Mexico — SafeVang Vieng, Laos — SafeBacalar, Mexico — SafeOaxaca, Mexico — SafeSan Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico — SafeCape Verde, Cape Verde — SafeGoa, India — SafeKanchanaburi, Thailand — SafeBangkok, Thailand — SafeSiem Reap & Angkor, Cambodia — SafeCuracao, Curacao — SafePalawan, Philippines — SafeCebu & Bohol, Philippines — SafeKoh Tao, Thailand — SafeKoh Phangan, Thailand — SafeKerala Backwaters, India — SafePhuket, Thailand — SafeKoh Phi Phi, Thailand — SafeSri Lanka, Sri Lanka — SafeKota Kinabalu, Malaysia — SafeKuala Lumpur, Malaysia — SafeMasai Mara, Kenya — SafeSerengeti & Ngorongoro, Tanzania — SafeDiani Beach, Kenya — SafeSeychelles, Seychelles — SafeZanzibar, Tanzania — SafeYogyakarta, Indonesia — SafeKomodo & Flores, Indonesia — SafeLombok, Indonesia — SafeCusco & Machu Picchu, Peru — SafeLake Titicaca, Peru — SafeArequipa, Peru — SafeGreat Barrier Reef & Cairns, Australia — SafeFiji, Fiji — SafeVictoria Falls, Zimbabwe — SafeOkavango Delta, Botswana — SafeMauritius, Mauritius — SafeKruger, South Africa — SafeIguazú Falls, Argentina — SafeFlorianópolis, Brazil — SafeMendoza, Argentina — SafeSydney, Australia — SafeMontevideo, Uruguay — SafePunta del Este, Uruguay — SafeBariloche, Argentina — SafeRiga, Latvia — SafeCork & Kinsale, Ireland — SafeAstana, Kazakhstan — SafeVancouver, Canada — SafeBrno & South Moravia, Czech Republic — SafeChișinău, Moldova — SafeSarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina — SafeGrand Teton, United States — SafeToronto, Canada — SafeMostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina — SafeBilbao, Spain — SafeKutaisi, Georgia — SafePlovdiv, Bulgaria — SafeCorsica, France — SafeUlcinj, Montenegro — SafeTashkent, Uzbekistan — SafeBaku, Azerbaijan — SafeYerevan, Armenia — SafeHalkidiki, Greece — SafeZagori, Greece — SafeKsamil, Albania — SafePelion, Greece — SafeSkiathos, Greece — SafeLake Tahoe, United States — SafeLefkada, Greece — SafeKefalonia, Greece — SafeAshgabat, Turkmenistan — SafeSamos, Greece — SafeBryce Canyon, United States — SafeMykonos, Greece — SafeKos, Greece — SafeFethiye & Ölüdeniz, Turkey — SafeSanta Fe, United States — SafeKarpathos, Greece — SafeSedona, United States — SafeCharleston, United States — SafeSan Diego, United States — SafeEssaouira, Morocco — SafeMerzouga & the Sahara, Morocco — SafeAgadir, Morocco — SafeKey West, United States — SafeLa Paz, Baja California, Mexico — SafeTodos Santos, Mexico — SafeKauaʻi, United States — SafeIsla Holbox, Mexico — SafeIsla Mujeres, Mexico — SafeGuanajuato, Mexico — SafeSayulita, Mexico — SafeMaui, United States — SafeValladolid, Mexico — SafeCozumel, Mexico — SafeLuang Prabang, Laos — SafeHawaiʻi Island (the Big Island), United States — SafePai, Thailand — SafeChiang Mai, Thailand — SafeBanaue & the rice terraces, Philippines — SafeHuatulco, Mexico — SafeBoracay, Philippines — SafeSiargao, Philippines — SafeKoh Samui, Thailand — SafeKrabi, Thailand — SafeSigiriya & Dambulla, Sri Lanka — SafeKoh Lanta, Thailand — SafeKandy, Sri Lanka — SafeElla, Sri Lanka — SafeLangkawi, Malaysia — SafeMedellín, Colombia — SafeGalle, Sri Lanka — SafeGeorge Town, Malaysia — SafeRaja Ampat, Indonesia — SafeBali, Indonesia — SafeSossusvlei & the Namib, Namibia — SafePerth, Australia — SafeAuckland, New Zealand — SafeMelbourne, Australia — SafeSwedish Lapland, Sweden — Very safeTromsø, Norway — Very safeLofoten, Norway — Very safeReykjavik, Iceland — Very safeBergen, Norway — Very safeLahemaa, Estonia — Very safeTallinn, Estonia — Very safeStockholm, Sweden — Very safeHaapsalu, Estonia — Very safePärnu, Estonia — Very safeTartu, Estonia — Very safeSaaremaa, Estonia — Very safeCēsis, Latvia — Very safeSigulda, Latvia — Very safeScottish Highlands, United Kingdom — Very safeJūrmala, Latvia — Very safeKuldīga, Latvia — Very safeLiepāja, Latvia — Very safeKlaipėda, Lithuania — Very safeCopenhagen, Denmark — Very safeCuronian Spit, Lithuania — Very safeKaunas, Lithuania — Very safeVilnius, Lithuania — Very safeTrakai, Lithuania — Very safeGdańsk, Poland — Very safeGalway, Ireland — Very safeKillarney & the Ring of Kerry, Ireland — Very safeBath, United Kingdom — Very safeBruges, Belgium — Very safeBanff & the Rockies, Canada — Very safeLake Khövsgöl, Mongolia — Very safeCornwall, United Kingdom — Very safeKarlovy Vary, Czech Republic — Very safePrague, Czech Republic — Very safeKrakow, Poland — Very safeČeský Krumlov, Czech Republic — Very safeWachau Valley, Austria — Very safeVienna, Austria — Very safeMunich, Germany — Very safeBlack Forest, Germany — Very safeTerelj, Mongolia — Very safeSalzburg, Austria — Very safeHallstatt, Austria — Very safeBudapest, Hungary — Very safeGarmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany — Very safeKitzbühel, Austria — Very safeZurich, Switzerland — Very safeZell am See, Austria — Very safeOrheiul Vechi, Moldova — Very safeInnsbruck, Austria — Very safeIași, Romania — Very safeBad Gastein, Austria — Very safeOradea, Romania — Very safeLucerne, Switzerland — Very safeQuebec City, Canada — Very safeDavos, Switzerland — Very safeCluj-Napoca, Romania — Very safeInterlaken & the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland — Very safeGrindelwald, Switzerland — Very safeVal Gardena, Italy — Very safeCortina d’Ampezzo, Italy — Very safeLivigno, Italy — Very safeSt. Moritz, Switzerland — Very safeBormio, Italy — Very safeDolomites, Italy — Very safeLake Bled, Slovenia — Very safeLake Bohinj, Slovenia — Very safeMadonna di Campiglio, Italy — Very safeSaas-Fee, Switzerland — Very safeVerbier, Switzerland — Very safeLjubljana, Slovenia — Very safeZermatt, Switzerland — Very safeLake Como, Italy — Very safeChamonix, France — Very safeAnnecy, France — Very safeTimișoara, Romania — Very safeBergamo, Italy — Very safeBrașov, Romania — Very safeTrieste, Italy — Very safeLake Garda, Italy — Very safePiran, Slovenia — Very safeMontreal, Canada — Very safeTignes, France — Very safeVal d’Isère, France — Very safeVerona, Italy — Very safePadua, Italy — Very safeCourchevel, France — Very safeMéribel, France — Very safeDanube Delta, Romania — Very safeAlpe d’Huez, France — Very safePlitvice Lakes, Croatia — Very safeParma, Italy — Very safeModena, Italy — Very safeBucharest, Romania — Very safeRavenna, Italy — Very safePortofino, Italy — Very safeCinque Terre, Italy — Very safeLucca, Italy — Very safeGobi Desert, Mongolia — Very safePisa, Italy — Very safeProvence, France — Very safeSplit, Croatia — Very safeCharyn Canyon, Kazakhstan — Very safeSan Sebastián, Spain — Very safeSiena, Italy — Very safeTurkistan, Kazakhstan — Very safeHvar, Croatia — Very safeDurmitor, Montenegro — Very safeVeliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria — Very safeAssisi, Italy — Very safeSapporo, Japan — Very safeMestia, Georgia — Very safeKolsay Lakes, Kazakhstan — Very safeOrvieto, Italy — Very safeKazbegi, Georgia — Very safeDubrovnik, Croatia — Very safeKarakol, Kyrgyzstan — Very safeSong-Köl, Kyrgyzstan — Very safeBansko, Bulgaria — Very safeSighnaghi, Georgia — Very safeKhiva, Uzbekistan — Very safeQuba, Azerbaijan — Very safeSafranbolu, Turkey — Very safeDouro Valley, Portugal — Very safeSheki, Azerbaijan — Very safeGabala, Azerbaijan — Very safeLahij, Azerbaijan — Very safeDilijan, Armenia — Very safeIschia, Italy — Very safeBerat, Albania — Very safeMatera, Italy — Very safeAmasya, Turkey — Very safeAmalfi Coast, Italy — Very safeSorrento, Italy — Very safeCapri, Italy — Very safeLecce, Italy — Very safeBursa, Turkey — Very safeÇanakkale, Turkey — Very safeSardinia, Italy — Very safeHimarë, Albania — Very safeGjirokastër, Albania — Very safeBeijing & the Great Wall, China — Very safeBukhara, Uzbekistan — Very safeMeteora, Greece — Very safeSamarkand, Uzbekistan — Very safeCorfu, Greece — Very safeMallorca, Spain — Very safeAssos, Turkey — Very safeTatev, Armenia — Very safeSkopelos, Greece — Very safeSintra, Portugal — Very safeCappadocia, Turkey — Very safeNapa Valley, United States — Very safeDelphi, Greece — Very safeÇeşme & Alaçatı, Turkey — Very safeSeoraksan & Sokcho, South Korea — Very safeEphesus & Selçuk, Turkey — Very safeCórdoba, Spain — Very safeKonya, Turkey — Very safeTaormina, Italy — Very safeAzores, Portugal — Very safeOlympia, Greece — Very safeSeoul, South Korea — Very safeNafplio, Greece — Very safeHydra, Greece — Very safePatmos, Greece — Very safeSpetses, Greece — Very safeNaxos, Greece — Very safeAlgarve, Portugal — Very safeParos, Greece — Very safeBodrum, Turkey — Very safeSifnos, Greece — Very safeAntalya, Turkey — Very safeDalyan, Turkey — Very safeSide, Turkey — Very safeNikko, Japan — Very safeDatca & Knidos, Turkey — Very safeMilos, Greece — Very safeMonemvasia, Greece — Very safeFolegandros, Greece — Very safeSymi, Greece — Very safeKanazawa, Japan — Very safeRhodes, Greece — Very safeOlympos & Çıralı, Turkey — Very safePatara, Turkey — Very safeKaş, Turkey — Very safeTakayama, Japan — Very safeGrand Canyon, United States — Very safeMalta, Malta — Very safeGyeongju, South Korea — Very safeTokyo, Japan — Very safeCrete, Greece — Very safeHakone, Japan — Very safeBusan, South Korea — Very safeKyoto, Japan — Very safeOsaka, Japan — Very safeNara, Japan — Very safeHiroshima, Japan — Very safeXi’an, China — Very safePalm Springs, United States — Very safeJeju, South Korea — Very safeMadeira, Portugal — Very safeDead Sea, Jordan — Very safeShanghai, China — Very safePetra, Jordan — Very safeWadi Rum, Jordan — Very safeOkinawa, Japan — Very safeDubai, UAE — Very safeTaipei, Taiwan — Very safeHong Kong, Hong Kong — Very safeHanoi, Vietnam — Very safeMérida, Mexico — Very safeSan Miguel de Allende, Mexico — Very safeQuerétaro, Mexico — Very safeNinh Bình, Vietnam — Very safeCampeche, Mexico — Very safeDa Nang, Vietnam — Very safeHoi An, Vietnam — Very safeAyutthaya, Thailand — Very safeAruba, Aruba — Very safeBonaire, Bonaire — Very safeHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam — Very safePhu Quoc, Vietnam — Very safeMaldives, Maldives — Very safeSingapore, Singapore — Very safeGalápagos Islands, Ecuador — Very safeTahiti & Bora Bora, French Polynesia — Very safeAtacama Desert, Chile — Very safeUluru, Australia — Very safeEaster Island, Chile — Very safeRotorua, New Zealand — Very safeWellington, New Zealand — Very safeTasmania, Australia — Very safeFiordland & Milford Sound, New Zealand — Very safeQueenstown, New Zealand — Very safeTorres del Paine, Chile — Very safeUshuaia & Tierra del Fuego, Argentina — Very safe

Very safe Safe Reasonably safe Stay alert Take real care

Rated very safe

18 of the 237 guides rated 5 — the best known first.

Where to take real care — and why

Every one is a place people visit happily. The guide says what the care is for.

  • Barcelona SpainViolent crime is rare, but Barcelona has Europe’s worst pickpocketing and it is close to a certainty on La Rambla, the metro and the beach if you are careless.
  • Rio de Janeiro BrazilDon’t take expensive phones to the beach.
  • Cape Town South AfricaAvoid walking alone at night outside tourist areas.
  • Mexico City MexicoCentral neighbourhoods (Roma, Condesa, Polanco, Coyoacán) are comfortable, but this is a huge city with real crime outside them.
  • Lalibela EthiopiaThis needs saying plainly.
  • Los Angeles United StatesSafe in most visitor areas but varies sharply block to block.
  • Buenos Aires ArgentinaReasonably safe in Palermo, Recoleta and Puerto Madero, less so elsewhere.
  • Montego Bay JamaicaResort areas and the Hip Strip are patrolled and fine.
  • Salvador BrazilThe culture is extraordinary and the crime is real, and both should be said plainly.
  • Madagascar MadagascarOne of the poorest countries on earth, and the crime that affects visitors is opportunist rather than violent.
  • Baghdad IraqPossible now, and done with a guide who knows the day: the checkpoints are many and want a passport, the security picture changes with the news, and the guide reads it.
  • Paris FranceSerious crime is not the visitor’s problem here; organised theft is.
  • Rome ItalyYou are very unlikely to be hurt in Rome and quite likely to be robbed.
  • London United KingdomViolent crime against visitors is rare; theft is not.
  • Athens GreeceLow violent crime, but persistent pickpocketing — the metro line from the airport and the crowd at Monastiraki are where it happens.
  • New Orleans United StatesNew Orleans has a genuine violent-crime problem and a tourist zone that is largely insulated from it, and the honest advice is to respect the boundary.
  • Lima PeruMiraflores and Barranco are comfortable and well-policed; central Lima needs more care and outer districts should be avoided without local guidance.
  • Fortaleza BrazilFortaleza has a serious crime problem away from the coast and a heavily policed tourist strip along it — the honest version is that Beira Mar, Meireles and Praia do Futuro by day are fine, and the rest of the city is not somewhere to wander.
  • Marseille FranceMarseille asks for more attention than any other French city, and the guide should say so rather than talk it up.

Countries, by the guides we have there

The average rating of our guides in each country with at least two. A country with two guides is rated on two cities.

  1. Japan 5.0 11 guides
  2. Switzerland 5.0 9 guides
  3. Romania 5.0 7 guides
  4. Estonia 5.0 6 guides
  5. South Korea 5.0 5 guides
  6. Lithuania 5.0 5 guides
  7. Croatia 5.0 4 guides
  8. Slovenia 5.0 4 guides
  9. China 5.0 3 guides
  10. Norway 5.0 3 guides
  11. Jordan 5.0 3 guides
  12. Poland 5.0 2 guides

…and the lowest averages:

  1. Brazil 2.8 6 guides
  2. Bolivia 3.0 2 guides
  3. Iraq 3.0 3 guides
  4. South Africa 3.0 3 guides
  5. Russia 3.0 5 guides
  6. Colombia 3.4 4 guides

The scams that repeat in every country

The same half-dozen scams run in Rome, Bangkok and Lima, adapted to local costume. Knowing the shape is most of the defence.

  • The ATM in the tourist street with a fixed fee and a poor rate — use a bank's machine, ideally inside the branch, and decline the currency conversion
  • The taxi with a "broken" meter, the long route, or the counterfeit-note switch — use the ride app where one runs, or agree the fare before moving
  • "The temple / palace / market is closed today" from a helpful stranger — it is not; walk on
  • The friendship bracelet or the sprig of rosemary pressed into your hand, followed by a demand for payment — keep hands in pockets and keep walking
  • The bar bill: a friendly invitation to a bar you did not choose, and a bill you cannot dispute — choose your own places
  • The card terminal that "failed" and needs to be tried again — it did not; check your app before tapping twice

Pickpockets: where and how

Pickpocketing is a crowd crime. It happens on the metro at the moment the doors open, at the top of escalators, around the famous fountain and the main station, and wherever a group of people has stopped to look at something. Violence is almost never involved; distraction is.

The defences are dull and effective: nothing valuable in a back pocket or an outside bag pocket; the bag in front in a crowd; the phone put away before the doors open, not after. A spare card and a copy of the passport photo page somewhere else means a bad ten minutes rather than a bad week.

Getting home at night

The nightlife card on a guide exists only where there is a real evening, and the safety list says which streets to walk between. The rule that covers the rest: know how you are getting back before you go out. Where a ride app runs, the car is priced and tracked and the driver is named; where it does not, the licensed rank outside the venue beats the unmarked car that offers.

Drink-spiking is rare but real in a handful of party districts, and the defence is the boring one — buy your own, watch it, and leave together.

The number to dial, and what it reaches

112 works across the European Union and much of the world besides, and on most phones it connects with the screen locked, and in many countries without a SIM. Outside Europe the number differs — 911 in North America, 999 in some Commonwealth countries, three separate numbers in Japan and others — and the health card on each guide here gives the one for that country.

Know also what the number reaches. In some countries the operator speaks only the local language; in some the ambulance is a private service you pay for; in some the tourist police are a separate and more useful call. Save the number and the address of your accommodation in the phone before you need either.

  • Save the local emergency number and your embassy's number on arrival
  • Photograph the passport photo page and your entry stamp; keep the passport itself in the room safe
  • Travel insurance is for the helicopter, not the doctor: read the repatriation cover, not the excess

Solo, and travelling as a woman

Most of the advice above applies unchanged; the part that changes is the reception, which differs by country far more than by city. The etiquette card on each guide covers dress and conduct where it matters — whether a covered shoulder is expected at a temple, whether a woman alone in a bar is unusual — because the point is comfort, not restriction. A hostel or a well-reviewed stay with a host who answers messages is worth more on a first night than the cheapest room.

See it done for a real place

Every destination guide carries these checks — the rain, the ATMs, the entry rules, the number to dial.

a large body of water next to a lush green hillsideGalleSri LankaA Dutch fort on a headland, walled, walkable and lived in, with the south coast beaches beside itThe Roman theatre in Plovdiv, its marble seats and stage seen from abovePlovdivBulgariaOne of the oldest cities in Europe, a Roman theatre still in use, seven hills, and a bohemian quarter called the TrapThe Yosemite valley at sunrise, El Capitan on the left and Half Dome behindYosemiteUnited StatesA granite valley with waterfalls down both walls, the biggest cliff face in North America at one end, and sequoias older than most countries

All the destination guides

Common questions

Which countries are safe to travel to?

The question is too big to answer well. Safety is a matter of streets and hours, not countries, and a city's best neighbourhood is safer than another city's worst regardless of which flag flies over each. Look for a guide that names areas and gives reasons; distrust one that gives a single score.

What is the most common travel scam?

By money lost, the ATM and the currency-conversion prompt at card terminals. By frequency, the taxi with a broken meter or a long route. Both are avoided by using a bank ATM and paying in local currency, and by using a ride-hailing app or agreeing the fare first.

Should I carry my passport with me?

Carry a copy or a photo of the photo page and any visa, and leave the passport in the room safe unless the country requires you to carry it — a few do, and the guide for the place says so. A lost passport costs days; a lost photocopy costs nothing.

Does 112 work everywhere?

It works across the EU, the UK, and many other countries, often redirecting to the local number. It is not universal — North America uses 911 — so check the health card for the place. On most mobile phones 112 or 911 connects even with the screen locked.

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