Expat Community > Ecuador

stevenlloyd
Joined 2016
Posts: 114

safe travels

7 years ago

On another board, I have been reading repeated concerns about travelling by bus, by how even locked duffel bags placed under the bus could be at risk. One poster even suggested purchasing an extra seat to have your bag beside you (I would think some folk might get upset if some gringo was using an entire seat for a duffel bag). In fact, we hear a lot of negative feedback on crime and violence in Ecuador, and while I strongly agree we should always be aware of our surroundings and safety, especially while travelling, I wonder how different Ecuador is from anywhere else?

I live in a small northern town in British Columbia, Canada. In Vancouver, there are daily occurrences of stabbings, home invasions and even shootings in broad daylight. Even our small northern town is not immune to crime and violence (in my position I work closely with police and have that added perspective). One always must remain aware of one’s surroundings I think, and be deliberate about not putting yourself in a dangerous situation.

I was hoping bus travel could be relatively safe. I have heard the concerns about keeping your luggage secure, but heard from at least one poster on another board that travel in daylight was a must, along with locked luggage (we have duffel bags that can lock). He suggested bags put under the bus would be relatively safe. I’m wondering if he is being naïve. In lieu of travelling by bus, I’m wondering how difficult it would be to hire drivers to transport us from town to town. Is that realistic?

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