Securite, securite, securite!

Now that we've made it out of Colombia alive, perhaps we could talk about safety. Okay, maybe it would have been appropriate after our hitchhiking adventure through Canada. Last but not least, our parents are probably wondering when we will finally be landing in Pakistan.

Colombia? Isn't it dangerous there because of the drug cartel? Did something happen to us when we were there? We could simply answer: "We were really exceptionally lucky, but we had also taken all possible precautions and at the same time heard from others who unfortunately had their passports, wallets, rucksacks and other things stolen."

We could also say: "In every respect, you shouldn't be outside at night, and preferably not during the day either. The taxi (better still UBER, you can't trust taxi drivers) should ideally pick you up right outside the hotel and take you directly to the sights. It's also better to leave your valuables in the hotel so that they don't get stolen, but at the same time never leave them in the hotel because someone could break into your room.

In addition, because of the contaminated water, you should not eat or drink anything that you have not prepared yourself, but at the same time you should not use kitchens as they are unhygienic. Only drink water from bottles, but always check whether the click cap still clicks, otherwise it could be that tap water has been poured in.

And then no accepting drinks in bars from strangers, no flirting, no night buses, no car hire, no beaches (because of the sharks), no excursions without guides and no exchanging cash in bureaux de change, but also no withdrawing money from ATMs and no paying by card (card details could be stored)."

Sounds like an uncomplicated and relaxed trip? Let's go!

Everything listed above was actually told to us when we were travelling in Colombia, either from websites or signs or as (always so valuable) tips from the locals. Of course, that can make you crazy. We even suspected that these stories were one of the reasons why we hardly saw any German tourists in Colombia (whereas in the rest of the world there seems to be a nest behind every mountain, together with a Lufthansa air terminal).

Before we report on what our experiences and tips really are, let's take a closer look at the concept of safety. Of course, we always objectively assess how safe or unsafe a (travel) destination is: (1) based on the stories and ratings in chat forums, or (2) simply on the respective country page of the Federal Foreign Office.

But is it really about "safety"? Actually, it's much more about a subjective sense of security. This is the decisive factor in whether people feel comfortable and safe in their neighbourhood - regardless of whether the perceived safety is actually there or not. This means that some places can actually be safer based on criteria such as crime rates, even though you subjectively don't feel safe there. Like your old school, for example. Or the ex's neighbourhood.

When you read all these precautions about where you can and can't be, what you should and shouldn't have, you naturally get a rather uneasy feeling. I am also guilty of this and even bought a second cheap mobile phone in advance, which I should only use in South America so that a "probable theft" would not be a major obstacle to our journey.

So what are our real experiences? We felt very comfortable and nothing happened. In the end, we have to say that you can actually get around quite normally in South America, just like in Europe. After the first few days of "thief"phobia (actually harpaxophobia according to Google) and familiarisation time, I no longer carried my stupid spare mobile phone but the normal one.

The realistic dangers in cities that we wanted to take precautions against were pickpocketing, fraud and robbery.

• Passports and valuables always in the hotel or in view: As we were staying in the cheapest hostels anyway, we didn't assume that anyone would break into our rooms. It was safer than constantly walking around with cash.
• Avoid unsafe neighbourhoods: Before our tour of the city, we did a quick google search to find out where not to go. It was usually always a cluster of neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city or towards the bus terminal or airport. We simply didn't go there.
• Ignore dealers: No matter who approached us, we ignored everyone, usually looking at the floor and shaking our heads slightly. I've still often listened to what they wanted (I might have dropped my iPhone and someone might have called after me).
• No jewellery: We don't have much with us anyway, but I took off my running watch and Leah took off her big diamond bling (given to her by me, of course) 😉

For all the other safety precautions, we didn't think it was worth limiting us on our trip for even smaller risk. Yes, there are very rare, isolated robberies in tourist restaurants, but should we stop eating out and starve? Or should you buy a gun?

We developed more and more of a healthy subjective sense of safety, so we kept a few real dangers in mind, but then moved the rest to the background. At some point, you can't control every uncertainty and the rest then belongs to the "good story" chapter.

What we have noticed, however, is that the subjective feeling of security is a great way to take a bit more money. Sure, you only have to look at some of those cheesy US adverts for alarm systems.

But it's strange why backpackers order an UBER in the middle of the day for a distance of 1.5 kilometres from the train station to the super-touristy Comuna 13 in Medellin, even though the route there is about as dangerous as Venloer Straße in Cologne-Ehrenfeld.

And in the unlikely event that something really does happen, which in most cases could not really have been avoided, you can be sure that you will read about it very quickly. Every little story ends up in chat forums and is hyped up and embellished once again - everyone loves true crime. And so the next backpackers will buy second-hand mobile phones again and be chauffeured to Comuna 13 by taxi.

A lot of generalisations have been made, I admit. A cautious disclaimer would be better that this is all our (humorous) opinion and that this text is not a guide to travelling safely in South America (hopefully nobody believes that anyway). Therefore an important addendum: Where you should perhaps really be careful and organise further precautionary measures are regions that are not touristy and are on a government warning list, but you usually don't want to go there anyway.

In the end, everyone has their own sense of security. You have to set your own rules, keep them in mind and follow them more or less strictly. Too few but also too many safety precautions can ruin your trip. In the end, between all the madness, you just have to use your common sense (if you have any) and not be too much stressed out.