Africa Travel Safety Rules of the Road and Street
Staying safe in Africa requires women to not present attractive targets. Ostentatious displays of wealth - such as wearing designer clothes, "real" jewelry or designer eyewear - and unescorted travel at night make women easy targets of opportunistic criminals. Other items to avoid displaying publicly are cell phones.
World Travel suggests that in South Africa safety tips for women must also include a warning against township areas, where crime pockets add to the already high crime rate. Solo hiking is also strongly discouraged, especially in light of Table Mountain and Lions Head robberies.
Staying Safe in Africa Requires an Attitude Adjustment
You might be a starving American student who shares a tiny dorm room with a group of giggling but equally broke girls, but Go Nomad points out that in Africa you are considered to be one of the rich women or women of independent means. This makes you a premier crime target. Approaching safety tips for women with the understanding that you are at constant risk of being targeted may sound like invoking paranoia, but it actually helps to heighten your awareness and thus also your safety consciousness while there.
Travel with a hidden money belt that you do not open in public. Remember that the backpack the bus driver lops onto the top of the bus may never be seen again. Do not place your hotel address inside the backpack, lest you will be followed there by the "finder" in search of a finder's fee. Educate yourself on the proper attire for women in the area. About 45% of religious Africans follow the teachings of Islam and the typical western female attire of flimsy blouses and short shorts is offensive.
Safe Africa Travel for Women: Using the Information Super Highway to Weigh the Risks
Familiarize yourself with the State Department's current travel warnings. While it may not deter you from actually undertaking Africa travel, it lets you walk into the situation with your eyes open and better able to stay safe. In Africa there are frequent unrests between the 53 countries, and among hotbeds (at this time) are Chad, Mali and also Kenya.
Staying safe in Africa - depending on where you choose to travel - may require you to know how to act if you are being taken hostage. The State Department emphasizes that it does not negotiate with terrorists and if you are captured during unrests, you are on your own.
Sources
http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/South%20Africa/Basics
http://www.gonomad.com/traveldesk/0103/stjohn_africatips.html
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html#hijacking
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