Safety while travelling alone

[FlyboyAl]

We were at a conference in the US and a friend of our was elected international President.
This meant she would be visiting countries around the world as part of her "job"
At a later meeting she went up to my wife and asked her what sort of protection she carried.
As an aside, we live in Adelaide.
Catherine was a little confused about the question and when she asked some questions, the new lady showed her the .32 pistol she always carried in her purse!!!!!!!!!!
When we told her the rules in Australia, she could not believe it.
She still came to Oz, without the pistol.
But her fear was real in the US - she was about 5ft 6in and a very attractive lady.
I also recall visiting a Fry's store and seeing Tasers on the hang sell rack, and most outdoor stores sell bear spray in small containers.
I'm not saying it is the way to go, but if it is an issue, maybe buy one of these on arrival, and dump it when you leave.
I'm sorry you had that experience, but mental health is a problem world wide, and as there seem to be no votes in it, none of the pollies really care.

 

[Blackadder]

Great to hear you are ok, and that there was someone who came to your assistance.
As a solo traveler , the only time I've felt uncomfortable was my first trip to Los Angeles walking along Hollywood Bvd at night.
Can't put my finger on it , but had the feeling I was being followed by a couple of people. Even when I went into a shop to try and lose them, they were there to follow me when I came out.
Thankfully made it back to my Hotel, but definitely had me on a heighten awareness of mu surroundings for the rest of the time there.

 

[JIMMYTHEJET]

Don’t post on social media

 

[VPS]

Don’t post on social media

How will that help if you’re accosted in the street

 

[Quickstatus]

There seemed to be many women's self-defence classes in the 90's, are they still a thing?

SD classes are IMO a generally waste of time unless it is frequently rehearsed and practiced. Just like CPR, unless there is recency, it does not help.
The best SD course IMO is the Gracie "Women Empowered" . They run these courses in various Australian cities.

 

[Katie]

I'm at LAX and about to head home.

The location where this almost assault occurred was outside the Embassy Suites Monterey, which is in the suburb/city of Seaside.
It was the intersection of Del Monte and Canyon Del Rey.

Talking to Bay Area friends, one of whom studied in Monterey in the 90s/00s and the other lived in Seaside, they both said Seaside has been a problematic area, but they would have expected issues further into the suburb, not somewhere as open.

I have also remembered the scare my Teen and I had at a tram stop on Bourke St over the Easter weekend. It was Saturday afternoon, we were at the stop outside the Hilton heading up the street to get closer to the theatre and our dinner venue. We walked past a young man sitting at the tram stop having a conversation on speaker on his phone. We apparently stood too close to him, and he told us "girls" to move away as he was having a private conversation. At a tram stop, I thought to myself ... Anyway, we moved further down the stop, the Teen behind me and him behind her. He came closer, very threateningly, and scared my Teen, but not me. He didn't make it onto the next tram (they were all coming down from Southern Cross fairly full), banged on the doors and walls, and took himself off.

I share that anecdote, as while I wasn't as scared as what I experienced on Saturday morning here in the US, it shows you can have random, physically threatening experiences in Australia as well. It's not simply a matter of how mental health (and homelessness and unemployment ...) issues are perceived to be dealt with in the US.

 

[Katie]

Don’t post on social media

What? This was a random thing, not targetted and not in any way linked to any public information about my whereabouts.

That man would have just as likely accosted any other woman or vulnerable person walking along the road who "took his fancy" that day.

If it were targetted and intentional, I would have expected to have seen him lurking around my hire car or closer to the hotel entrance. I was definitely keeping an eye out for him for the rest of my time at that hotel and in that area.

 

[kileskus]

While noted above that SD classes aren't very useful if you don't practise regularly (which one should do, really), what they can help with is learning initial de-escalation techniques.

I would think of stages of an encounter as anticipate > identify > disengage > engage. Firstly take reasonable steps to keep yourself safe in any place - know where you're going and how to navigate without phone, ideally don't be walking alone at night etc. Know where the exits are if in an enclosed space. Don't wear hoodies or articles of clothing that overly restrict movement or can be weaponised against you.

Identify - being aware of your immediate surroundings and picking up on odd behaviour and attempting to avoid it. In Left of Bang this is described as 'establishing a baseline', you should know the expected emotional state, actions, and general characteristics of the people where you are. This is what you did when you noticed the man in your situation.

De-escalate/pre-empt - move away and towards other people but never completely turn your back on a person of suspicion, especially if they seem to have their sights on you. Turning your back not only hinders your awareness of them but psychologically bolsters a possible assailant by removing your most humanising features (i.e. face and hands) from their sight. In terms of assaults there are usually two broad categories - targeted/intentional crime like theft or rape or mental unwellness/anti-social traits. That guides the de-escalation strategies you would use.

Engage - hopefully you don't get there

I try to stay vigilant if travelling or not. I have some martial arts experience and was in the reserves back home so have some understanding of staying safe. But I have also had incidents abroad where I had to rely on running speed or appealing to strangers for help. Usually people are willing to help if you are in trouble, provided they are around in the first place and you appeal to them directly (obviating bystander effect).

Hope you had a good trip otherwise and welcome home!