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While it depends on where you study, the majority of students feel safer abroad than they do in the US. Violent crimes are less common in study abroad. More prevalent are purse/bag snatchers and pickpockets who rob unsuspecting tourists. I was eating in a Barcelona café when apparently a man walked in, lifted a woman's purse, and then left without anyone noticing his actions. When she realized that her purse was gone, the owners played back the video surveillance. It showed the thief in action, but his identity was concealed by a large cowboy hat that covered his face. Regardless of where you live and travel, health and safety is never a guarantee. We will all die someday from something; we can only hope that it is from natural causes at a very old age. While destiny is not in our hands, we can do things that reduce our risk for illnesses, accidents, and death. We can use good judgment and street smarts, and make wise decisions about everything we encounter in this life. Don't be careless, thinking that bad things cannot or will not happen to you. Preventable illnesses, accidents, and death happen to the most unsuspecting people, every day. While certainly you could be hurt by a number of things in any country, including the United States, international travel (and study abroad) does pose some unique risks. To reduce these risks, you have to (1) be aware of them; (2) do all you can to take necessary precautions against them; and (3) plan, plan, plan! A few things that come to mind are jet lag, motion/altitude sickness, travelers' diarrhea, parasites, viruses, diseases, bacterial in-fections, sunburn, insect bites, auto accidents, and drowning. You should research the risks that are relevant to your host city and country, as well as other areas you will explore. For some reason, students tend to take more risks while they are traveling than they would normally take at home. I'd like to caution you in this area. Picking up your passport doesn't mean putting away your brain. Educate and protect yourself! Information is empowering and making good decisions with that information helps you to be healthy and safe. Get informed, use sound judgment, and weigh your behaviors and actions against possible consequences. When we are young and indestructible, it is easy to forget about the least favorable results (immediate and long-term). It is human nature to be caught up in the moment and say that you'll be more careful later, but really, the time to be careful is now. The time to pay attention to you and your body is now. If you don't, later may never come, or worse, it may be miserable. Take it from someone who has experience. For one reason or another, I had a hard time understanding my mortality when I was in my teens and twenties, and therefore didn't always use my common sense and take precautions. Being smart now, will pay off later if you are willing to make several small changes. What you have to do is simply be mature enough to understand the potential consequences of your decisions and behaviors. You should then engage in those behaviors because you believe that the short- and long-term benefits of participating are more valuable than the least probable result, after you have done everything you can to reduce the risks. Risks are necessary and healthy for full enjoyment of life. We take a risk every time we get into a car, train, or plane. We take risks when we eat certain foods. You took a risk when you decided to go to college and study abroad! While bad things do happen, and sometimes safety is beyond our control, we can take certain measures to reduce our risk in otherwise risky situations. If you can reduce your risk from death to injury (by getting trained and wearing appropriate protective gear), or you can reduce your probability of getting sick from 95% to 15% (by taking certain precautions), then you can still enjoy life to its fullest, from an audacious point of view. Nobody is asking you to be a hermit and nobody expects you to eliminate risk. Just learn the dangers and do small things to reduce your risk for injury and death. Additional information :: Is sexual harassment a concern? :: Study Abroad Health Checklist & Tips :: Study Abroad Safety Checklist & Tips :: What if run into legal problems?
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