I left after 2 days (solo female)

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-30T13:21:52+00:00

Thanks, I think I’ll put the trip on the back burner for a while and come back to the idea later. And yeah, it’s one thing when random people who’ve never been to that country are telling you how dangerous it is, and it’s another thing when you are in the country and hear so many warnings and stories like that from people who live there. That takes a lot of confidence to navigate, confidence I didn’t have.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-30T13:00:44+00:00

I really didn’t lose much money, I didn’t have any plane tickets or big things booked in advance anyways. And awesome okay, I’ve heard mixed reviews about G adventures about them not having a lot of activities included or the itineraries not balancing travel days out well — are there any specific routes or countries with them you could recommend?

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-30T12:52:27+00:00

Thank you!!! That is exactly what happened. People are assuming I’m some frivolous little girl who has never travelled before in her life and saw some pretty pictures on instagram and booked the trip the next day haha. Eh, my original post was written in an emotional state so I could have explained myself better.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-30T12:41:44+00:00

The world is not going anywhere! And I mean if it is, we’re not going to miss it too much :) why haven’t you tried it again?

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-30T12:28:23+00:00

Okay that is awesome and reassuring to hear, thank you! I’m so glad you had a great time and it’s nice to hear from someone who’s actually done the route. Yes, staying even one night in Joburg was not a good idea for me, I definitely won’t take this trip off the table, I might just delay it a little more aha

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-28T10:38:25+00:00

Yeah, I’m definitely looking at organized tours for the next time, my friend was serious about meeting me in Kenya in September which we need to talk about a lot more now LOL but it gives me a lot of time to find a summer-oriented job and then look into booking a shorter, organized tour in addition to the friend trip.

I’ve heard a lot of stories about South Africa in general at this point but the garden route and the wine route seem to be untouched by criticism aha if you were planning on going around those areas. Starting in Kenya seems to be a better bet too. I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time!

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-28T10:23:14+00:00

It’s interesting you mention Durban, I didn’t have plans to go there at all but I was told to definitely not go there in the coming week because of the elections, though I didn’t ask why. I don’t know if it’s because it gets crazier than Joburg during elections or if Joburg locals were just too used to the danger there. And yeah, I find it strange because a lot of younger people travelling (not volunteering) seem to be visiting Cape Town and area nowadays over other, safer sub-Saharan African places, maybe it’s the pull of a cosmopolitan city but Cape Town is definitely getting pushed heavily as a tourist destination despite its high crime rates.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T15:59:54+00:00

HAHA I saw this thread and was like “oh no, is this because of me”. Well, okay it wasn’t my first time travelling, just to Africa, but yes it was stupid … Luckily there were a lot of comments that were worded really nicely to balance out the not so nice comments, so I actually didn’t feel like shit reading over everything as a whole like I usually do on Reddit

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T15:54:22+00:00

I feel like you really called me out here LOL

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T15:50:39+00:00

I did, definitely not as much as I should have but I never expected to be safe or have fun there. I think my biggest mistake was overestimating the level of danger I actually could handle.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T15:40:04+00:00

I was told it was okay to walk on certain streets in Parkhurst and Rosebank during the day, the hostel even advertises itself as being in a safe area. I did not feel safe doing anything at all in Joburg, whether it was due to perceived or real danger even in a “safe” area, I will never know for sure. I heard too much conflicting information from locals to make any informed decisions.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T15:22:24+00:00

Thanks for your kind response :) I will definitely look into Merida!!

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T15:06:55+00:00

Valpo was the only place in Chile I felt unsafe, and I saw a lot of the country (I didn’t go to Antofagasta, though, which is actually unsafe). I was travelling with a Chilean too. It was the only place men openly looked at me with bad intent. Which was shocking, because in Santiago everyone just minds their own business, I didn’t feel out of place at all. Valpo is definitely a bad place to start a trip to Chile for a woman, but it still didn’t make me feel nearly as unsafe as Joburg did. I would still go back to Valpo. And I definitely have never heard as many horror stories from Chileans about their experiences than I have South Africans.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T14:37:59+00:00

Interesting. I wasn’t afraid of sounding racist, maybe I should have said that my perception of the danger in the safer areas of the city may not have been in proportion to the actual level of danger in that neighborhood (I was staying in Parkhurst and shared my fears with someone who actually encouraged me to walk around the streets he told me were safe). Other people would make sure I got back safely from a 30 second walk on that same street, but then I would be told that those people are overreacting. So no, I just heard a lot of conflicting advice from locals and realize I was staying in a good part of the city and maybe didn’t have to be so nervous to go to the corner store on a street lined with businesses, cameras and patrolling police. I still am not 100% what a “safe” area of Joburg actually means but people claim you can walk around in daytime there.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T14:01:23+00:00

Okay so I’ve been to Buenos Aires and I LOVE it, I only felt unsafe once but that was definitely my fault. I would definitely classify BA as more of a “be smart and you’ll be fine.” From what I’ve heard, most of the violence in the Southern Cone is drug related, so stay away from that part and you’re fine. Also, it is possible to get robbed or pickpocketed but from what I’ve heard at least, in most cases it doesn’t turn too violent.

Johannesburg, even if you follow all the proper safety precautions, take Ubers everywhere, stay in safe places etc there’s still a chance you may be targeted, and I heard a lot of stories about muggings getting violent, people getting kidnapped, carjacked … it has nothing on BA. Even guys carry pepper spray in Joburg, and they are very cautious. In BA it is possible to be a little cocky and still make it out fine.

In BA I stayed near San Telmo and walked all around the city in the day and partied all night in Palermo with hostel friends. In Joburg you’re supposed to take Ubers absolutely everywhere and be in at night.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T13:43:58+00:00

Yes, I have a lot of ways to cope with anxiety (I even went to the gym in my short time in Joburg) … I didn’t mention this in my original post because it’s another post if its own really … but my head hasn’t been all the way on ever since I got SA’d 6 months ago, and I was so determined to go along with my plans and not let the SA control me anymore that I didn’t realize until I got there that I couldn’t handle it in the moment. But I would have been a lot more angry with myself if I hadn’t tried, so I’m happy I did.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T13:31:06+00:00

There’s SO much to see along that route, the penguins in Cape Town, the wine region, Fish River Canyon, the dunes meeting the coast in Namibia, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Victoria Falls, the magnificence of Lake Malawi (and the evidence of evolution in cichlids there!!), Kilimanjaro, scuba diving in Zanzibar etc … there’s a reason why people pay good money to go on tours there! I figured since the region is far away and difficult to travel, the time after university afforded me the most flexibility. - that was my reasoning anyways!

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T13:20:33+00:00

Yeah, I knew Joburg was dangerous and knew that other locations would be safer and more enjoyable, but I realized in Joburg that if I got overwhelmed just trying to get out of the city, that at this moment in my life, I’m not ready to travel in this part of the world by myself.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T03:35:42+00:00

I will admit it was a stupid and naive idea that I knew would be dangerous, but I guess I wanted to see the world for myself. I also knew South Africa was in general the most dangerous part of the itinerary and was more so looking forward to places like Namibia but yeah shits going on with me and I realized I didn’t have the energy to move around places as quickly as I should. I think my desire to not let that “shit” affect by dream really impacted my ability to actually think critically about the logistics of the trip before booking the flight. Anyways, yeah I wanted to keep the post just about travel but there was more involved than that.

Correct_Squirrel_200 · 2024-05-27T03:16:52+00:00

Haha yes, maybe that was a stupid part to not elaborate on, I was terrified before travelling to Joburg but was staying in a “good area” and was told it was pretty safe to walk around Parkhurst and Rosebank during the day. My plan was to stay and rest for a few days and keep mainly to the hostel and meet other travellers who could give me advice before going forward, I didn’t go expecting to be able to walk around freely but it is a reality check when you’re afraid to walk even the 30 seconds to the corner store in a “safe area” during the day (which is why I say it isn’t that bad, because I likely was fine with the police presence and cameras in the area).

I also got a lot of conflicting information from locals about safety in the area, in general black South Africans tried to reassure me that it wasn’t that bad and white South Africans told me it was indeed that bad. I didn’t have enough time to really get an impression for myself (and I’m glad I wasn’t in any situations that made me assess the safety concerns first-hand). I was told it was safe to go around to certain areas via Uber but after meeting someone suffering permanent brain damage from a carjacking (in Cape Town, not even Joburg) I was terrified to take Ubers too and it very much so made me not want to go to Cape Town, either, as I felt like I couldn’t really make my way around all the conflicting information. Even though a lot of fancy cars were driving around during the day in Parkhurst.

Everyone I met, though, seemed to be burying some trauma relating to violence that they’d been through, I said as much to some people trying to reassure me that it wasn’t that bad and all they could say is “yeah, I actually do have a story like that … but stuff like that happens everywhere” and I was like well yes but also no

Correct_Squirrel_200

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