Travel Safety Tips: Dangerous Places

* New Orleans and Washington, DC seem to annually swap places for the murder capital of the US (based on murders per capita).

* Maracaibo, Venezuela had over 60,000 cars stolen and taken into Colombia in one year - many of them car-jackings.

* Colombia is the kidnapping capital of the world, followed by Mexico with Brazil and Russia tied for third.

* And last but not necessarily least, wherever the English soccer fans go, violence and rioting follow.

All of this makes you want to avoid these areas like the plague, but many people live as expatriates, or visit as tourists, many of these areas, or others touted as dangerous, without experiencing first hand any disastrous effects. That's not saying the areas these areas can't be dangerous, but statistics and even personal accounts of bad experiences can be misleading if only taken at surface value.

A Brazilian seaman recounts that to him the most dangerous place in the world is Newport News, Virginia. It was the only place that he had ever been mugged and he frequents places in Rio that most tourists would be wise to avoid, plus he spent a dozen years as a Brazilian Merchant Marine frequenting the seamier side of ports-of-call all over the world. But to him, Newport News was the most dangerous. Put that way, a expatriate oil field worker relates that his hometown of Gulfport, MS is the most dangerous as it is the only place that he had ever been mugged. His wife had her gold necklace snatched in her hometown of Manaus, Brazil, so maybe she should feel that Manaus is the most dangerous place in the world (but she doesn't).

A closer look at some of these statistics and incidents will give us a better perspective of the relative dangers. Alaska is a rugged and harsh environment and the majority of the people that live there tend to participate in high risk activity. Many Alaskans fly small bush planes (also highest number of privately owned airplanes per capita of US states) in and around mountains, where changes in weather can be rapid and dramatic. They also participate in white water kayaking, mountain and ice climbing, grizzly bear hunting, snowmobiling, extreme skiing and snowboarding, King Crab fishing in small boats in rough, icy waters and so on. Is it any wonder that Alaskans have such a high accidental death rate? If you wish to participate in these types of activities, you should be aware that even with precautions the risks are high. Avoid these kinds of activities and you'll probably be on the safe side of the statistics.

Yes, New Orleans and Washington, DC have horrendous murder rates. However, these cities also have terrible drug problems and the murders, to a large degree, are confined to areas where drug activity is high and occur amongst rival factions of drug syndicates, dealers and users. Sure, there are innocent victims who happen to live in, or be in, these areas when they are killed. As a tourist, avoiding these areas, and activities, will certainly increase your chances of not becoming a statistic, in these cities or any other.

An American expatriate oil industry worker relates that he witnessed a car-jacking in Maracaibo, but never had a car stolen, or any other trouble for that matter, and knew very few people who had any problems there. The car-jacking occurred in the middle of the afternoon at a busy intersection. Two thugs just opened the front doors of the first car in a line waiting at a traffic signal, pushing the driver to the middle between them and drove off. It was over in less than 5 seconds. Even though he never even had an attempted car-jacking, he always locked his doors when driving in town. Additionally, although no guarantee of safety, he avoided areas that were known to be a problem whenever possible. He also used a shifter lock when he parked his car. Taking precautions such as these against known problems is often a simple task, but it is also easy to become relaxed and forget the hazards exist when it always happens to the other guy. Certainly the woman driving the car that was car-jacked knew of the risks -it was regularly reported by local news media - but she probably just got too comfortable and thought "it will never happen to me."

Kidnapping of foreigners in Colombia is definitely a problem, but the number of Colombians kidnapped is over 25 times that of foreigners. Quite often the kidnappings (especially of locals) are between rival guerilla factions or drug cartels, or for political reasons. Foreigners kidnapped are often engaged in activity that either makes them good ransom material (such as oil company employees) or draws adverse attention to them (such as the people, working for the rights of indigenous people, who were kidnapped and killed a few years ago). As a tourist, or expatriate, in any country there are some things you should do (and not do) to minimize your chances of kidnapping or mugging.

First of all, never draw attention to yourself. Dress simply, avoiding obviously foreign clothing and don't wear much (or none is even better) expensive jewelry. Don't flash a lot of money around. If you are shopping, divide your money into small packets and place some in each pocket, money belt, shoes, etc. Don't pull out a big wad to pay for your purchases, especially in crowded local marketplaces.

Try to avoid using hand gestures unless you are sure of their meaning. The wrong gesture can bring on problems when none would have existed. For example, the common American hand sign for "Everything's O.K." - forming a circle with thumb and forefinger - has a vulgar and insulting connotation in many countries. Using this sign in Brazil may get you a beating instead of a friend.

Vary your routine and avoid areas where you can be cornered, when possible. Try to stay in a small group of friends when you go out at night. If you think you are being watched or followed, go into a crowded restaurant, bar or other public place and have them call you a taxi to take you back to your hotel or car. Awareness and a little common sense will help you avoid kidnappings or muggings. You don't have to become paranoid and withdrawn when traveling in such areas. Many expatriates who live and work in areas where kidnapping is considered a problem take simple precautions and still managed to enjoy themselves and their experiences with the locals.

You can enjoy places where accidents, kidnapping, mugging, murder and other calamities are considered a problem as long as you are alert to the possibilities and take a few simple precautions. As in the examples mentioned above the only experiences one expatriate and his wife had as victims of crime occurred in their hometowns - where they were most relaxed and complacent. So - where is the most dangerous place in the world? Probably your hometown, or anyplace else you become too complacent, and definitely wherever the English soccer fans are gathered for a soccer match.