Isn’t That Too Dangerous?

(San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.) Before this trip, I had never been to Central America. Looking at the US government website I almost didn’t go at all, what with warnings of kidnapping, drug cartels, armed robbery, assault…it was enough to make me concerned that the entire region might be too dangerous to travel to. 

But then I kept reading about other people that journeyed there and had a great time, so I figured, if other people can survive the journey, I can too. I mean, I thought the scary stuff was already done – walking away from comfort, sheesh! Who knew that I had a whole other source of scary stuff ahead of me?!!

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

The irony of danger and perception really struck me when I decided to go to Nicaragua. My mom was really worried for me, and thought it was pretty dangerous. I checked into it online, and sure enough, many of my worst fears were confirmed on the US government website. But, I kept meeting travelers that had gone to Nicaragua, both female solo travelers and couples, and loved it (and survived the visit!)

This is the actual warning on the US government website about travel to Nicaragua. Without any other information to counterbalance it, I sure would think twice (or three times) about going….

And then it hit me – if I had never been to the United States and were going to judge my safety from the papers and so forth, it would appear that going to Nicaragua is safer than going to the average high school in America. Interesting to realize that the country that I call home has tons of violence and random incidents, and yet I believe I’m safe there. It may be a different kind of danger, but it’s still danger. The more I travel, the more I expand my circle of discovery, the more I see that safety is relative, and that no matter where you are, it’s always prudent to be alert. And, sometimes taking the risk to go someplace considered less safe puts you more in touch with your soundest instincts, which are at the heart of who each of us is.