<p>i posted this on another grad website but thought i'd put it up here too for some feedback.</p>
<p>i'll be heading off this summer to nicaragua and honduras to do field research for my thesis. my sources are available only at these locations, they're not at the library of congress and they're not on worldCAT. the major cities i'll be visiting are fine. i know which neighbourhoods to avoid, whether or not to use public transit, if and when i should go out after dark, etc. i'll also be doing research at smaller cities, however, that have high crime rates and low security.</p>
<p>in one town, two cab drivers were murdered in their cabs last week (they suspect the assassinations were political, not economic). in another town, drug runners use it as a stop-off between colombia and the US. all of the hotels in town are used by local prostitutes and travel guides, even the adventurous ones, don't recommend that female travelers going solo (me!) stay there.</p>
<p>i was wondering if anyone here has any experience with or tips for traveling through dangerous areas like these. is it enough to keep my laptop in a dirty old backpack or should i not bring it at all? i need to photograph my sources and back them up, so should i get a cheap laptop or just buy a bunch of memory cards for the cam? should i get a cheap no-contract cell phone in these countries or go without? should i bring mace or pepper spray? is it easy to take those on international flights? should i bring a knife? i've been trained to use one, but colleagues who have been to similarly dangerous places (haiti, southern uganda, etc.) have given me mixed reviews on whether or not i should take a knife. (for what it's worth, the male said no and the female, who had to draw her knife to get someone to back down, said yes).</p>
<p>any advice or personal experiences are welcome. if i'm overreacting, please tell me. i just want to be safe, and i'm torn about whether i'm being vigilant or paranoid. i'm going to very poor countries (#2 and #3 poorest in the western hemisphere, after haiti), and i'm going to the poorest regions of those countries.</p>
<p>of course you should take your laptop. i’d leave the knife at home though. i would imagine anybody bold enough to rob you in daylight would either have a gun or be prepared for an unskilled knife wielder. i’ve traveled to both countries on business and wandered the streets quite impaired and never had a problem. beware of dark streets and traveling alone. and though it will be obvious that you’re an american , don’t go out of your way to advertise this fact. save your overwhelming pride for when you return. as a long-time member of the military, this is a tip they give us.</p>
<p>i’m not an unskilled knife-wielder, though. i’ve fought (albeit in controlled environments) with real knives before. again, i’m not concerned with tegucigalpa or managua at all. it’s el progreso and bluefields that worry me. have you been to either town? is it the same level relative safety?</p>
<p>also, i’m not american, so no worries about the pride. ha!</p>
<p>My boyfriend’s a security analyst for this region, so I can offer some basic info (if you’re interested in more details, feel free to PM) because I listen to these stories every day. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re overreacting at all. Better safe than sorry.</p>
<p>is it enough to keep my laptop in a dirty old backpack or should i not bring it at all?
If you absolutely need a laptop while there, I’d suggest going for a basic refurbished one (you can find super simple ones online for really cheap). When in Guatemala, which has similar crime rates, my boyfriend hid his laptop bag entirely. I don’t think it ever left his (nice) hotel. Leave your watch, jewelry, anything that looks flashy at home. Always keep cash separated in small denominations and small sums in separate places. Use the most basic wallet you can find.</p>
<p>i need to photograph my sources and back them up, so should i get a cheap laptop or just buy a bunch of memory cards for the cam?
memory cards would get my vote. </p>
<p>should i get a cheap no-contract cell phone in these countries or go without?
the former. you should always have some way of reaching the embassy/consulate/your family. Make sure you have these numbers stored in your phone. Check out any specific State Department travel advisories in effect before you leave. Register with the respective embassy/consulate when you arrive.</p>
<p>should i bring mace or pepper spray? is it easy to take those on international flights?
I’m tempted to say yes to both, but call up American or whatever you’ll be flying to check. </p>
<p>should i bring a knife? i’ve been trained to use one, but colleagues who have been to similarly dangerous places (haiti, southern uganda, etc.) have given me mixed reviews on whether or not i should take a knife. (for what it’s worth, the male said no and the female, who had to draw her knife to get someone to back down, said yes).
if you’re comfortable with using it, yes. There’s always the risk it could be drawn on you, though. A lot of schools offer self-defense classes - is there anything like that you could take before you go?</p>
<p>that was all really helpful. i’ll definitely PM you if i think of anything more to ask.</p>
<p>i used to teach martial arts and that’s where i learned how to attack with knives, how to defend empty handed against knives, how to disarm someone’s knife while empty-handed. i know all the techniques but since moving to a new city last summer, i haven’t been practicing/sparring. perhaps i should sign up for something here so i can be practiced and ready. while it could be drawn on me, i would be prepared to defend against it.</p>
<p>good idea about calling up the airlines to ask about the mace/pepper spray.</p>
<p>as for the laptop, i’m still torn. i definitely don’t want to take the one i have now because it’s an expensive macbook. something cheap may be the way to go, if i take anything at all. i’d likely be staying in hostels and cheap motels, so leaving it in the room isn’t optimal, but carrying it around with me isn’t either.</p>
<p>StrangeLight, netbooks are very cheap and extremely portable. You won’t be able to watch DVDs on one (usually no CD/DVD drives) or type comfortably for hours at a time, but you should be able to get basic work done. Always back up on a flash drive or memory card, and keep it separate from the computer. The netbook I have fits inside a large hand bag and weighs hardly anything. The six-cell battery lasts over six hours. Whenever weight/space or safety is a question, I travel with the netbook and leave my MacBook at home. Unfortunately, all netbooks use Windows, which is painful for Mac users. :)</p>
<p>If you’re really worried about data safety I’d recommend buying a few extra memory cards for your camera, get a 32 GB USB thumb drive (they can be found on Newegg for less than $75 nowadays, I believe), and definitely leave the Macbook at home. Get a small, sturdy netbook. You really don’t need much computing power in the thing, so just find something with two USB ports and long battery life.</p>
<p>Mace and pepper spray aren’t allowed on board airplanes, however you shouldn’t have a problem checking them. You may or may not need to declare them in the style you need to with a firearm, so I’d still check with the airline you’re flying on.</p>
<p>Also, not sure how it is there nowadays, but when my dad used to travel to dangerous countries I know he’d keep money in a couple of places on his person. It might be possible to get a hidden pocket put into your pants or something of that sort.</p>
<p>Also, be sure to leave photocopies of any and all ID you bring with yourself down there with your family at home.</p>
<p>Finally, if you’re really worried about your camera or anything, you could always throw an old fashioned disposable film camera (don’t get the digital, they’re atrocious) in your bag to take along.</p>
<p>Keep separate sheets of paper with telephone numbers that you’ve programmed into your cellphone with your money… I mean, what if you lose your cell and you need the number for the US embassy? ;)</p>
<p>lots of hidden money pockets, lots of lists of phone numbers, fake wallets with fake IDs, 20 memory cards, uploading all of my archival photos to the internet (in case my netbook, thumb drive, and external HD all get stolen), a fake wedding ring, a buck knife strapped to my calf… i better buy some cargo pants.</p>
<p>thanks for all the tips. tickle, are you going anywhere (frighteningly) exciting for your research?</p>
<p>LOL. If you want to call Israel “frightening”… just plenty of experiences of losing wallets and having my phone crashing a few times over there where security is everything.</p>
<p>Well, good thing that cargo pants are coming back in style so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding them!</p>
<p>At the moment, I don’t see any research projects that will take me overseas for this summer. I would imagine that, in the future, it would either just be Eastern Europe or/and Argentina.</p>