safety Archives - Runaway Brit

How to Stay Safe in Thailand

October 15, 2014November 19, 2014 Advice, Asia, Beaches, Featured, safety, Travelling female safety, keeping safe, safety, thailand, travelling safely

I rarely write posts like this, but in the wake of the brutal murder of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao I feel compelled to write about the topic of safety

Traveller Debate: South America or South East Asia?

August 18, 2012September 13, 2014 Asia, Food and Drink, Literature, Nature, Partying, South America, Travelling beaches, cities, culture, debate, food, history, landscape, safety, south america, south east asia, travel

South America and South East Asia are both very popular tourist destinations, but unless you are on a RTW trip you are probably going to have to choose one region or the other. Having spent

Criminal Gangs in Colombia and the Implications for Travellers

August 12, 2012October 20, 2012 South America, Travelling advice, colombia, criminal gangs, safety, santa marta, south america, tips, travel, urabenos

Walking down the streets of Santa Marta one thing became eerily apparent: the streets were deserted. Secure metal barriers barred access to the seafront shops, supermarkets, liquor stores and restaurants. Door after door displayed an

How to Avoid Saigon’s Rip-Off Taxis: A Comprehensive Guide

May 28, 2012December 1, 2013 Asia, Travelling, Vietnam advice, avoid, counterfeit, ho chi minh city, rip off, safety, saigon, scam, taxi, tips, travel, vietnam

Whenever anybody asks me for advice about an upcoming visit to Saigon I always start with the same tip: be careful which taxi you choose to get in. "Never take a taxi from directly outside

I Didn’t Get Robbed in South America

April 16, 2012July 7, 2012 South America, Travelling advice, safety, south america, travel tips

This post is based on my experience of travelling in South America where I visited Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. I travelled around South America for five months and I did not get

How Safe is La Paz, Bolivia?

November 19, 2011December 2, 2013 Partying, South America, Travelling advice, bolivia, la paz, personal safety, safety, scams, solo female traveller, travel, travel tips

"...a little common sense goes a long way. Always trust your instincts"I have to admit that I was nervous about coming to South America. South America has a reputation for drugs, robberies, and violence: whoever

Warning: Fake Notes in Buenos Aires

October 9, 2011November 15, 2011 Partying, South America, Travelling braths irish bar, buenos aires pub crawl, counterfeit money, counterfeit notes, fake money, fake notes, safety, san telmo, scams, travel

When we first visited Buenos Aires at the start of our trip, Angela, our delightful Airbnb host, warned us against accepting fake bank notes as this is a common problem in Argentina, particularly in Buenos

A Close Call in Nha Trang, Vietnam

May 13, 2011May 29, 2011 Asia, Partying, Travelling, Vietnam asia, nha trang, safety, safety tips, south east asia, street crime, travelling, vietnam

"Careful. Bad people around" whispered the aged street-vendor who had just sold me a banana for an extortionate price, making me wonder if she might be one of the 'bad people' that she was referring