Scary Situations

I love travel. The thrill of the unknown is what gives me drive and purpose. Showing up to a country I’ve never been to, do not speak the language and don’t know anybody is both exhilarating and stressful. To successfully navigate these situations I prepare as much as possible by doing my research and downloading maps and translators. When I volunteer I check reviews from past volunteers and always have a back up plan, should things fall short. Despite all of my preparations there are always circumstances beyond my control.  

Below I’m going to put links to some of the most frightening things that have happened to me in my three years of travel. I’m not doing this to scare you, but to show how I survived it and feel stronger because of it. Also, the high intensity of these situations makes for a good read.

That being said, I’m extremely lucky. Despite feeling threatened sexually I’ve always gotten away. Despite being followed down alleys I’ve never been robbed. I follow certain guidelines like not going out alone after dark. I love my lifestyle and I don’t want to change it so to ensure that I can continue traveling, I try to take every precaution.

 

Here are the situations that didn’t go as planned.

1. “Ransomed” to the US Embassy-Uganda

Despite being a terrible situation, I’m very lucky. I wasn’t held at gun point and my captors escorted me to the people that saved me (in the hopes of getting money).

2. Caught in a Political Rally-Kenya

I was lucky to have the owner of a gas station take me in. We hid inside the gas station as tear gas bombs exploded outside and outraged locals lit the street on fire. The scariest part was that my saviors seemed to think that if I was seen outside people would hurt the “white girl” to make a statement.

3. Followed by Two Men-Singapore

This article reflects on fear in a general way while retelling the story of being pursued by two men in Little India, Singapore.

4. Sexual Advances while far from Civilization-Namibia

I was volunteering at a game reserve, 40 kilometers from the nearest road. The lodge was closed for renovations so when my host made physical advances on me, we were alone. My fear of no escape made this scary, he didn’t try to over power me and a staff member helped me escape the next day.

5. Altitude Sickness-Nepal

This article is long but if you skip to the altitude sickness section you can read about the risk of trekking without a porter. When altitude sickness hit, I had nobody to turn to and worried my brain would bleed out. Luckily, after a sleepless night of hallucinations I was able to acclimate.

6. Lost in the Snowy Mountains-Georgia

I went on two treks in Georgia and each one was a small disaster. On the first trek I felt threatened by a group of park rangers. Later on the actual trek I lost the trail because it was covered by snow and my foot prints melted. My socks got wet trudging through the snow, causing toe fungus by the end of the week. When I tried to dry my boots by the fire the rubber started to melt. It was a nightmare.

7. Trekking in Thailand

This article doesn’t go into the details but during a trek in Chiang Mai our trek leader made sexual advances on me. He seemed unstable. He was sweet and childlike all day, carving us things with his machete and slightly flirting with the ladies. Then that night he drank lots of rice moon shine and lead me to “collect wood” in an attempt to feel me up. Nothing bad happened but being in the woods with a man that has a big knife and is the one guiding you is definitely a powerless feeling.

8. Unwanted Male Attention-India

I’m putting these last because they were more frustrating than scary. Unfortunately, my first month in India turned me into a very hostile and grouchy traveler. Men on the beaches of Goa constantly tried to take pictures of me. Then another man followed me on a waterfall hike and felt me up with clay despite my saying no.

 

What I’ve learned

1. Don’t get trapped

Like I said, I’m extremely lucky that everything turned out the way it did. I often have to end cool experiences early just to make sure I’m safe. As a female solo traveler I couldn’t risk staying at the game reserve in Namibia or completing the trek in Thailand. If I don’t see an escape route and a sexual advance is made, I’m out of there. Better safe than sorry.

2. Prepare more for treks

My trekking disasters taught me a lot and I am now much more prepared before I go out into the wilderness alone. Still, it was just luck that I found my way through the snowy mountains or that my altitude sickness wasn’t too far gone.

3. Don’t Panic

Then some things are just out of your control and all you can do is react to the best of your ability. I never expected to be held against my will in Uganda or to be thrown into the middle of fire and bombs in Kenya. I tried to be nice, I took help when it came and if things had gotten worse I would have fought.

I’d say in three years of traveling, I’ve done pretty well. In fact, not a single scary thing happened on my most recent continent switch to Central America. I think I’m getting better at this female solo traveler thing. The good experiences far out weigh the bad ones. To prove it to you, I will soon be posting an article highlighting all of my most magical experiences.