My Rio de Janeiro Decision (And A Big Thank You)

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Last week I wrote about some of the concerns I’ve been having surrounding a trip that I have planned to Rio de Janeiro next year and, as so many of you were kind enough to email in with your thoughts and kind enough to comment on the blog, I thought I’d follow up and let you know what I (finally) decided to do.

As a recap: Despite having visited more than my fair share of destinations that are less than tourist-friendly, a recent bit of research resulted in me questioning my decision to visit Rio.

I’m more than aware that there are very few cities in the world where one can take personal safety for granted and I realise that all major cities have their dark sides…..but Rio seemed different.

Outside of places where one would naturally expect there to be a high risk of trouble I can’t think of another city that I’ve read about which comes with as many health warnings as Rio…and that’s more than a little off-putting 🙂

For the first time ever I found myself seriously questioning if I should be taking a trip I had already booked.

I booked my Rio trip using Avios from last summer’s Iberia promotion so I knew that I had the option of cancelling my flights and booking a trip elsewhere…but I was having trouble taking the decision to pull the plug on my trip.

I’m not really the kind of person who gives up on things very easily so I wanted to be sure that I’d really thought everything through before I made a decision. I also wanted to be sure that I was basing my decision on well-rounded information rather than hearsay and anecdotes.

Well…

After writing the blog post (which really helped me arrange my thoughts) I did a lot more reading (some courtesy of suggestions in the comments section of the post), I read all the emails I received from readers (there were a LOT) and I read all the comments people had left on the blog.

There was a lot of information to take in and the bulk of it seemed to be confirming that Rio was a dangerous city and a city where one really has to take care….but it also confirmed that Rio also a city well worth visiting and one where sensible precautions can make a big difference.

I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely happy with my decision when I first took it (I’m happier with it now) but there was one overriding feeling playing on my mind and that was probably what pushed me to taking the path I chose – If I didn’t visit now when would I visit?

Next year? Next decade? Never?

Would Rio ever be a city that was as safe as most others that I visit?

Possibly not…at least possibly not in my lifetime.

I didn’t like the idea that I may never visit one of the world’s most famous cities just because there are some bad people in the world with whom I may or may not come into contact.

Allowing muggers and thieves to scare me off from visiting a city I really want to visit doesn’t sit well with me.

It just feels like giving in….and if everyone just gives in (which is what I was considering) doesn’t that mean that the bad guys win?

So I’m going to Rio and, now that it’s been a few days since I made my final decision, I’m really looking forward to going.

I’m going to let other people’s experiences (both good and bad) guide my approach to my trip and guide how I behave in Rio but I’m not going to allow myself to spend my whole trip looking over my shoulder and worrying about what may or may not happen.

I’m going to be prepared for my trip, I’m going to be sensible when I’m there, I’m not going to invite scrutiny when I’m exploring the city and I’m going to have a great time 🙂

A Really Big Thank You

I’d like to say a really big thank you to everyone who emailed me and who commented on the blog with their thoughts – I read everything that came my way and each contribution was very gratefully received.

This wasn’t really a big issue or a big deal (there are far more important things going on in the world than a blogger wondering if he should fly somewhere) but it was genuinely something I felt I needed assistance with and so many people really helped out.

A lot of things people have been saying to me resonated and a lot of the comments and information provided helped me come to the decision I eventually took – thank you.

But there’s actually a little more to this….

As well as helping me make up my mind, everyone who wrote in actually contributed to something that meant more to me than just my decision about the trip….and it’s this that I’m most grateful for.

Whether we like it or not the internet can be a very negative place and, speaking as someone who spends an inordinate amount of time on the internet, it can be easy for that negativeness to grind you down….but this exercise was a hugely positive experience for me.

So many people took time to craft emails and comments to let me know their thoughts and to give advice….and that was incredible.

There wasn’t a single snarky, sarcastic or pointless comment or email and it really felt that people just wanted to share their own experiences and how they felt.

That was fantastic.

This was the internet’s traveler community really helping me out (regardless of how important or unimportant the decision actually was) and this was the internet as it really should be – that was a very positive thing to experience. Thank you.