Posts Tagged ‘tourists accident in philippines’
How Safe Am I In The Philippines?
Good question but along the lines of ‘how long is a piece of string’. As we cover in great detail in the “Philippines Survival Handbook” the threat level varies from stubbed toes to kidnapping and murder. The latter do happen but you need to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and the good news is that you can’t easily get there. The dangerous areas require government issued permits and very strong reasons for going into these areas. As a tourist you will have no reason at all to visit Basilan or Jolo and meet the local Abu Sayyef!
More likely risks include getting hit by trikes, jeepneys or motorbikes as you cross the road. Pedestrian crossings merely give the drivers aiming marks! Most traffic accidents are either very minor fender benders or horriffic multiple death pile ups on rural roads. Overcrowded jeepneys and buses driven by hopped up Dongs do crash. Mind you, in over twenty years of travelling throughout the islands I have never had a crash but I have seen a few.
There are other hazards such as getting a serious case of cellulitis infection in the leg as happened to me on my last trip. Four days in hospital and then another three in a hospital at home and two weeks of care before the leg cleared up. Serious illness like that can ruin a vacation so have your travel insurance paid up!
Otherwise the risks are very low in my opinion. I feel safer in the Philippines than I ever did in Thailand or Indonesia. Just be sensible and never get drunk alone and far from your home or hotel room. Prevention is better than cure and the “Philippines Survival Handbook” will tell you everything you need to know to travel safely. We also offer a FREE Travel Safely report you can download.












