This is a question that I frequently hear from many westerners when they first start to consider traveling abroad. Many people have these horrible ideas of what might happen if they travel abroad, but generally these ideas are wildly exaggerated. Global news has brought global problems to everyone’s doorstep and many assume that every place must be as bad or worse as where they are now.
It really all depends on where you choose to go. Just like in many cities in the USA, there are areas that should probably be avoided if you can. There are plenty of others that you can enjoy spending time in. There are safe parts and dangerous parts of every country and most any cities
Just consider the number of mass shootings in the USA. There were already 314 mass shootings just in 2022 as of July 5th! The year was only half over. More than 22,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence so far. Over a dozen mass shootings happened just this Labor day holiday. This is an issue that is largely limited to the United States, but this is very far from the average around the world.
If you are from the United States, you might actually be surprised (Or maybe not) to learn that you are already in one of the most dangerous countries on earth. The United States ranked 129 out of 160 according to the 2022 Global Peace Index.
That means as someone from the United States, you can go to almost any other country on earth and end up in a more peaceful country. Even in the countries which rank lower, there are lots of peaceful and pleasant places to stay, just make sure to check with the locals or others who have traveled there and avoid the areas they tell you to.
It’s also interesting to look at the change in rankings from this report. North America has continued its deterioration while South America is showing signs of improvement. Each year this trend has been continuing, and it has made many Latin destinations far more peaceful than many North Americans realize. Even if you aren’t from the USA, if you’ve ever travelled there
Consider in South America, Ecuador, which ranks over 50 countries safer than the United States. Ecuador has a quality healthcare system that is available at a fraction of the cost in the USA and even free in many situations. They also have a number of high-quality dental clinics with English speaking dentists.
Another interesting example is Paraguay which ranks another two spots higher than Ecuador. Another small, often overlooked country that is both safe and affordable, although much further away for North Americans.
