A female solo traveller has revealed the five places where she felt most unsafe.
And while many have have shared plenty of negative experiences online before, with reports of harassment in countries like Egypt and Morocco, for Sarah Lim, they’re all in Western Europe.
The Asian content creator documents her travels on TikTok, according to MyLondon.
And she has shared the cities where she had negative experiences.
Despite Europe often being considered to be safe, Sarah says it might not quite live up to expectations.
And the place she felt the most unsafe? Paris, the much-adored city of love.
Here are the five destinations Sarah doesn’t recommend to fellow female solo travellers…
Paris, France
Solo female travellers often flock to Paris – but it might not be the safest choice (stock)
Sarah said: ‘I was stalked at night alone on my first trip and then chased by a bunch of men when I was with five friends on my last trip.’
She also said the city was rife with petty crime.
For example, bag-snatching and pickpocketing were common in the French capital.
Brussels, Belgium
Grand Place in old town Brussels, Belgium – a city which Sarah found unsafe (stock)
Sarah said she felt a constant sense of discomfort in Brussels.
She added the unsafe ambience was exacerbated when it got dark.
She said: ‘There were many groups of men lingering around the city centre at night – very unsettling.’
Milan, Italy
In Milan, you’ll need to be careful of both scams and pickpocketing (stock)
Sarah herself was almost scammed upon arrival in the Italian fashion capital, leaving a negative taste in her mouth.
She also said: ‘Walking around at night near the residential areas felt quite unsafe – had to call male friends to escort me and my friend back.’
As such, the popular travel destination made the list.
Barcelona, Spain
Solo female travellers in Barcelona should beware of pickpockets (stock)
While Sarah didn’t have any major problems in Barcelona, she said she was worried about pickpockets during her trip.
She said she had to stay vigilant the whole time.
Plus, Sarah added: ‘I heard about stabbing and mugging cases from fellow Erasmus students.’
Rome, Italy
The Italian capital city is known for scams and theft (stock)
The final spot on Sarah’s list is Rome.
She explained: ‘It felt the most touristic – hence the number of scammers in the open.
‘Pickpockets and snatch thieves were common here.’
She’s not the only one to complain, with many other travellers criticising the pickpocketing in the Italian city.
