Becoming a Passport Pro (Part 6): Be safe

It's been a while and our community has grown significantly, so I wanted to drop some game on something I think about quite often: safety. When I started my journey a while back, I mistakenly walked around with this aura of invincibility. This was due to the information that had been fed to me in the U.S. about foreign countries. I thought "I don't have to worry about getting shot."

Newsflash: every country has guns. Also, you can get stabbed, punched, and basically anything can be a weapon. Luckily for me, I've never been a troublemaker—I was annoying in the "bothering my teachers" sense, but not in the violent sense. However, throughout my many travels, I see others walking around with this same aura of invincibility.

In a way, being in a minority group in the U.S. humbled me because I never fully considered myself privileged, so I wasn't trying to flex or exercise that privilege. Being older and wiser now, I understand how privileged I am to be healthy and to have been lucky enough to explore so much of the world.

With that said—and I really don't want to generalize or be stereotypical—more often than not when I'm traveling and some wild shit happens where people try to use their privilege in places where it's not recognized, it tends to be white males. I want you to be safe whether or not you fit into that group, so please don't come for me. But real talk: fuck around and you will find out. Safety can be broken down into many parts, but I'll tackle it at some high levels.

The Law

Whatever laws you're used to bending back home, please don't assume they apply elsewhere. Other countries have freedom (shocker!), but they don't have an open policy when it comes to disrespect.

For example, when I was in Thailand, two American tourists were arrested at the airport after they posted a picture where they mooned (showed their ass) at a sacred Thai temple. Just think about that for a second... You went to another country, went to a sacred temple, and thought "lol, lemme show some booty." The first act of stupidity was the idea, the second was doing it, but then you posted it while still in the country? Bruh.

It would still be weird if you did that at the White House, and you'd perhaps be more likely to avoid legal repercussions there. That example was just jail time. Unfortunately, in a more tragic case, a University of Virginia student was detained at the airport in North Korea after stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment with hard labor. Sadly, he fell into a coma, and his family made the difficult decision to take him off life support after he was returned to the United States.

The world is not all the same, and it's better to err on the side of caution.

The People

In most cases, if you mind your own business, you will be safe 99% of the time. But if you go to a country where the average monthly salary is $500 and you decide to wear expensive chains, watches, and bags to flex, then you lack the evolutionary trait of self-preservation. Yes, that doesn't justify being robbed, but you're not helping yourself. Being low-key is the true flex. Also, from a dating perspective, do you want to be easily identified every time you go out? "Hola, it's señor passport bro again!"

Here's the important part: by now you should have a good sense of where you stand on a 10-point scale. Adjust for confidence, grooming, style, etc.—even if you "location max" as people say. When the most beautiful girl you've ever met or matched with, who's a few points above you, makes it super easy by inviting herself to your place, isn't that just a little suspicious?

I've had friends who brought girls back home after a night out, woke up the next day, and got robbed of anything valuable. I pretend everyone is an op until I actually know them. Passport, wallet, etc. get put away. One time I hid my passport so well that it took me an hour to find it. If I match with a baddie and I read "where do you stay" within the first few minutes, I'm unmatching. I'm risk-averse when it comes to these things.

Honestly, it doesn't even need to be malicious from the "I'm getting robbed/drugged" standpoint. If I suggest getting dinner and they recommend a 5-star Michelin restaurant, I'm also removing myself from the conversation. It's always easy to spot the guys who are experiencing their first baddie because they're the "my ex used to do this" guys—but they're always the ex, not the current guy.

Words of wisdom: If she likes you, you don't need to do all that peacock shit.

Drinking and Substances

Honestly, the case against drinking gets stronger and stronger the longer I travel. At times, it's not even with malicious intent. For example, several people died in Laos this year after drinking free whiskey at a hostel that was laced with methanol—basically, a cost-cutting measure to water it down while maintaining the same strength. Some who survived went blind. There's another story of a woman from Australia who went blind after drinking at a bar in Bali. Also, don’t snort that random powder from the British girl. Why is it always the British girls?

Of course, the odds are low, but it's something to be aware of. I personally prefer drinks from well-known brands versus locally made drinks. I make up for my suspicion of local alcoholic drinks by being very open-minded with the food. I'll take diarrhea over blindness any day. Bali belly almost took me out, but I still showed up to eat that grilled chicken satay from the random pop-up on the side of the road right after I recovered.

We know about the guys getting drugged by women in Colombia—and the lucky ones only got robbed. Sadly, this has led to some deaths. Be safe, be careful.