Staying Safe Walking in Latin America
How to Avoid Muggings and Taxi Scams

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Latin America is an irresistible part of the world. Colonial streets, volcanoes and coastlines, warm and open people, food that's cheap and delicious. I lived in Costa Rica for two years and have walked through Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador and Belize, and they are all places I'd happily go back to.

But it's also true that walking around with a Japanese sense of safety can get you into trouble. Pickpocketing, bag-snatching, muggings and taxi scams can happen even in tourist areas. No place is perfectly safe, and there's an element of luck. Even so, a handful of small habits will reliably lower the odds of being targeted—that's the feeling I came away with after several stays.

This article is a summary of what I actually do when I walk around Latin America. It isn't professional risk management; please read it as one traveler's set of self-protection habits.

The golden rule: if you're mugged, don't resist

Before the specific habits, the single most important mindset.

In Latin America there is a non-zero chance of facing someone armed. The worst-case scenario is getting badly hurt—or killed—because you tried to hold on to your belongings. So don't carry anything you can't afford to lose, and split up what you do carry. Then, when the moment comes, you can simply hold it out and say "here." This act of letting go in advance is the foundation of every habit below.

As I'll explain, I split my money into two wallets. Even if I hand over the one I walk around with, there's another back at the hotel, so the trip goes on. Building a "I can hand over everything and still be fine" state in advance also gives you peace of mind.

Split your money into two (or more)

The most basic habit, and the one with the biggest payoff, is splitting your wallet. I divide mine into at least two.

• The walking-around wallet—a small amount of local cash for the day, plus maybe one backup card. If I'm mugged, this is the one I hand over.
• The hotel wallet—my main credit card, the bulk of my cash, and my passport go into the hotel safe or a locked bag. They never come out onto the street.

The trick is not making the walking-around wallet so shabby it looks like a decoy. I keep it as a wallet I wouldn't mind losing, but that still looks like a real one. Handing over a beat-up or empty wallet can irritate a mugger and make them press you—"you've got more, don't you?" A wallet with a little real cash in it is something you can hand over naturally.

The main card and passport stay at the hotel. If you're robbed and the damage is one card and a little cash, you can keep traveling. A lockable suitcase, or securing your bag inside the room with a wire lock, adds another layer against trouble in the room.

Keep valuables hidden and held close

Whether you get targeted depends a lot on whether you look like you're carrying money. So show as little as possible.

• Keep your camera in your bag. Walking with one slung around your neck is basically saying "please, take this." Take it out only to shoot, then put it straight back.
• In dodgy areas, carry your backpack on your front. A pack on your back can be unzipped without you noticing. Just holding it against your chest dramatically cuts the risk of pickpocketing and snatching.
• Keep your phone, wallet and watch out of sight as much as possible. An expensive-looking watch or jewelry is best left at home entirely.

Making the bag itself anti-theft helps too. In an environment like Latin America, an anti-theft bag—one with lockable zippers and slash-proof fabric—is reassuring. I use bags from a brand called Pacsafe, which has become the standard in this category.

Don't walk while looking at your phone

This one really matters. Don't look at your phone while walking. When you need to check the map, stop—ideally step into a shop or café first.

Standing on the street fiddling with your phone broadcasts two things at once: "a foreigner unsure of the way" and "someone carrying an expensive phone." The trick of snatching a phone from a passing motorbike is not rare in Latin American cities. Get the route into your head beforehand, or check it on an offline map (more below) before you set off.

Learn the "warning signs" of a bad street

Whether you should step onto a given street is something you start to sense in the air as you walk. Putting the signs into words makes the call faster.

• A smell of urine—a marker of an area where daily life and upkeep have slipped.
• Lots of graffiti tagging on the walls—tends to correlate with turf-marking and worsening safety.
• Shops with shutters down in daytime, or foot traffic that suddenly drops off—the mood can change just one street in.
• A group staring at you—gazes are a surprisingly honest signal.

If you pick up on these signs, don't go in. If you're already in, don't stop—walk through quickly. The courage to turn back matters too. Don't push on just because "there's a sight a bit further ahead." Even on tourist routes, plenty of cities change character the moment you step one block off it. Simply choosing bright main streets with lots of people cuts the risk a lot.

Be back at the hotel before dark

The same street is a different place by day and by night. I make "be back at the hotel before sundown" a basic rule. If I absolutely have to go out at night, I skip walking and go door-to-door by Uber (below), or head straight there and straight back to a place I trust.

Latin America sits at low latitudes, and in many places it gets dark fast after sunset. "Just a little more wandering" is what tends to lead to danger, so it helps to build the habit of calling it a day early in the evening.

Move by Uber. Avoid taxis where you can

For getting around cities, I use Uber (or a similar ride-hailing app) whenever I can. This may be the single habit I'm most glad I changed about traveling in Latin America.

Ride-hailing apps are safer because the system itself has these advantages:

• The fare is fixed before you get in—no room for overcharging.
• The driver, car and route are on record—the trip history in the app deters crime.
• No cash changes hands—you don't have to take out your wallet in the car.
• You don't have to say your destination out loud—you can set it on the map even if your language skills are shaky.

By contrast, I never use a street taxi you flag down on the road. Neither the fare nor the driver is on record, and you're exposed to overcharging, the long way around, and—worst case—getting caught up in a crime. And even so-called official (licensed) taxis are not automatically "safe just because they have the markings"—overcharging and detours happen routinely. So avoid official taxis too where you can. Only when you genuinely have no choice—an area Uber doesn't cover, or the ride from the airport—skip flagging one down: have your hotel or restaurant call it, or use the airport's official taxi desk with set fares.

Apps worth having

While you shouldn't look at your phone while walking, it's the strongest tool you have for preparation and for emergencies. Here are the apps worth installing for Latin America.

• Uber (ride-hailing)—your main mode of transport, as above. Register and set up your payment method before you leave. In some countries DiDi or Cabify is more common (Mexico, for example), so install whatever app dominates your destination too.
• Google Maps (offline maps)—download the map of your area in advance and you'll know your location and the streets even with no signal. To cut down on phone-while-walking, make a habit of checking the route at your lodging before heading out.
• Google Translate—save the language pack offline and it'll help with communication and reading signs when you need it. Camera translation is handy too.
• Tabi-Regi (Japan's MOFA)—a travel-safety registration service run by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Register your trip and you'll receive local safety information and emergency contact. For stays over three months, don't forget the "residence notification" too. It's free, so there's no reason not to register. (Travelers from other countries have equivalent programs—the US STEP, for instance.)

And the quietly crucial piece: securing connectivity. Maps, Uber and Translate are all useless without a connection. Set yourself up to be online at all times on the ground with a travel SIM, eSIM or mobile Wi-Fi router. With an "unlimited" plan or a pocket Wi-Fi device, you won't hesitate to check the map or call a car, so treat it as an investment in safety.

Conclusion: lower the odds with habits

No trip is perfectly safe, and you can still get unlucky. That's exactly why it's worth steadily chipping away at the odds of being targeted through small daily habits. Here's the checklist to finish.

• If you're mugged, don't resist. Hand over everything if asked. Your life comes first.
• Split your money into two or more wallets—a walking-around (hand-over) one and a hotel one.
• Camera in the bag. In sketchy areas, backpack on your front.
• No phone-while-walking. Check the map standing still, or indoors.
• Stay away from places that smell of urine or are covered in graffiti. If you're in, walk through fast.
• Be back at the hotel before dark.
• Move by Uber. Never use street taxis; avoid official taxis too where you can. Avoid buses and trains in countries you don't know.
• Install Uber / Google Maps (offline) / Google Translate / Tabi-Regi, and secure your connectivity.

You don't travel in order to spend all your time on security. None of this is about bracing yourself in fear—it's the foundation that lets you enjoy a city with peace of mind. Let go of what you can let go of, and use the headspace it frees up to savor the streets and the people of Latin America to the fullest.