How safe is it for a woman to travel alone in El Salvador?

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Câ™¥nejita Câ™¥queta

hi well let me tell you safety is an issue all around the world there isnt a place were you are guaranteed to be safe 100% but i currently live in el salvador and well my boyfriend is german american and he does fine here he doesnt need me by his side all the time el salvador isnt a bad place its beautiful and the people are nice you have nothing to worry about like when people see my boyfriend ofcourse they can tell he isnt from around here and they are very nice and helpful even though he barely speaks any spanish people have been very good to him so youll have no problem here some areas in san salvador may not be completely safe but the rest of the country is pretty safe you have nothing to worry about theres so many people that atrent even salvadorean living here like youll see many caucasians asians and people all races nationalities that are visiting living or working here and they seem to be doing just fine i hope you have fun here

FaZizzle

A woman traveling alone WOULD be a target pretty much anywhere in Central America. The best way to go is to go with someone or even a tour group. You'll find it safer.

Many women are abducted because they venture out alone. It's sad, but women are prey in some places.

libby1210

I am a single woman who traveled to El Salvador alone and lived there 2005-2006. A woman alone is a target when she looks rich, American, and/or can't speak the language well. I lived outside San Salvador and never had any problems, but I was also was well taken care of. However, I did feel threatened many times by the catcalling, staring, following, etc. Catcalling is common, but you can never know whether it's done out of "appreciation" (as I've heard it called) or out of another intent. The first best thing for a woman to blend in would of course be to look like you're from El Salvador. Speaking the language fluently, and walking around like you know where you're going and what you're doing is good. I always carried pepper spray just in case. Nothing ever happened to me, but almost every Salvadorean I knew had a mugging story.

In general though, I found Salvadoreans to be much more friendly and helpful than Americans. I understand why everyone else has been saying how nice it can be to live there, you just have to be smart and take precautions (especially if you stick out).

mo jo 66

i as a woman would not travel alone in central America or any where now days,, there have been so much raping and killings.some countries like that .don;t like to report the crimes.as it would hurt tourism..if possible find a friend to travel with,,,,,,good-luck and stay safe

beez

'Solo' women in Central America are always targeted. Is important to learn what not to do when the men say things to you. Never establish direct eye contact, don't go out at night alone, walk with great confidence, say you are married when asked and he's on his way. Stay away from bars, etc. Common sense will have to be elevated if you travel alone to El Salvador.
Speaking the language is a big plus.

*wanaka*

i think people who have never visited el salvador have no place giving comments and relying on a newspaper alone if the world relied on newspapers to choose were they travel nobody would want to live were they live and nobody would travel! your not guaranteed safety everywhere you go ive heard in mexico thiefs can even take your car if they want to **** it sounds more dangerous than el salvador and people go every country in this world has some kind of crime problem thats for damn sure name a place that you can say and have complete proof that is the safest place there isnt one! from personal experience el salvador is great youll have fun take precautions but dont walk around all paranoid for what itll suck the fun out of everything besides everybody else that lives there goes there seem to be alive and well and wanting to go back

curly bob

Stay at a resort and don't leave the resort unless you are with someone you can trust.

Americans must be careful there, because of its previous foreign policy. In the 1970s a civil war between the government, and leftist anti-government guerrillas had the US join and support the government forces. In 1992, the government signed a peace treaty with the guerrilla forces. It's been peaceful for while now, but many were angry about the US involvement which helped the right-wing forces to win.

This history of US involvement in Latin and South America has left many with less than positive feelings toward Americans; unless they're selling something to you.

Take serious precautions.

whutup

people that think that you shouldnt go places cuz you dont know were your goin are dumb! then there wouldnt be any tourists! that is why people travel to go see other places to meet people thats the whole point! like when people go to costa rica & puerto rico people dont know were the hell there goin but they want to go discover new places so they go theres many people that go to el salvador and are european that dont even speak english! and they do fine if you dont know were your goin theres the internet it tells you how to get anywhere and thats why we have maps ive been to el salvador and well i hadnt been there since i was 11 and when i got there i didnt know were the hell i was goin but people are very friendly and help you out specially when they know you arent from there or are unfamiliar with the country they dont want you to leave with a bad impression and want you to come back so they are really nice and do whatever they can to help so youll do fine good luck and have fun in that amazing country

$$$

i live in el salvador you will have no problem ive seen many american,asian women here walking around and nothing happens to them ofcourse safety is an issue anywhere in the world but youll do just fine here you wont be a target... san miguel and the area around it la union etc are very safe i know some cities by san salvador might have some problems but nothing serious well i live here anymore questions just ask and ill gladly answer take it from me my family is from nicaragua but ive lived in el salvador all my life and i love it here and i wouldnt want to live anywhere else

Optimus Maximus

It depends if you speak spanidh or not. If you look like a rich american tourist (i.e. white, new clothes, speaking English), then you are very likely to get mugged. If you can look humble and speak spanish well, then your chances are significantly lower.

chavalo

i moved from nicaragua to el salvador and well i like it so much there and people are incredibly nice like you wouldnt believe it dont worry and im sorry i dont mean to sound racist but this will help me guide you better in el salvador theres people of all nationalities living there and well if your white or filipino you could blend in there many european looking people and many salvadoreans that look asian etc... theres people like when i was there i met an american girl and there were people there that looked blonder than her! youll see many people that have colored eyes about 65% of salvadoreans have green,blue,hazel eyes and about 25% have light golden brown to blonde hair and the rest look mestizos (like a regular hispanic person brown hair brown eyes) so they probably wont be able to tell wether your from there or not until you talk and you have an accent or something so whatever nationality you are youll be fine the only way youll stick out is if your african for the reason that el salvador does not have an african population like the rest of central america and about the cat calls is nothing threatening it just means they think your really good looking and they'd like to talk to you but dont worry youll be fine youll have fun its a great place and the food mmm you must try everything you see its unbelieveably delicious im getting hungry just thinking about it

?Ariana?

my friends moved there and ive never heard them say its not safe they love el salvador and they are even looking into getting legalized thats how much they love the place and the people they say its beautiful i might be moving there myself so you have nothing to worry about youll be fine

corinto

el salvador youll be fine there theres nothing to worry about people in central america leave their countries to go live there looking for a better life and they all seem to be alive and well also theres many americans asians italians french colombians and puerto ricans etc living there and they seem to do fine you wont be a target this brazilian model just moved there and well she speaks portuguese not spanish and she has nothing negative to say about her move

Mimarspre

absolut no. If you do not know the country, the language and the places which are safe or relative safe I would not do it.

The crime rate is just too high and it is not as when you are in other countries, where you can walk through the streets and you are relative safe or really safe. You also know, there are other countries, where crime is also high, but they have a sort of security plan to protect foreing visitors as for example: guides about which places are safe to visit, police availability in the right places etc. look for example South Africa. El Salvador hat nothing like that and there are a lot of problems with gangs, and defenitly you can not trust the police there. If you could read in spanish the local papers on line, you would think it twice going there without a plan, guide etc.

People who live there, know already how to react or where to go, how to go, or a what time, if you do not know any about that, I think you are taking too much risk.

No offence, but I think it is pretty irresponsible to say the contrary. Pity, since El Salvador is indeed a beautiful country, but not safe, you can never in life compare the security conditions in El Salvador with Costa Rica or Puerto Rico. And something else, most of the visitors are salvadoreans who live somewhere else (or people with salvadorean roots), visitors from other countries are pretty rare. People from Europe are so much as almost no one. Most European doesn't even know where El Salvador is located ( I live in Europe) and the most popular countries between them are Republica Dominicana, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba and a couple more countries not El Salvador.

Well, I just would like to make something clear, I know exactly what I am talking about, I live in Europe but come from El Salvador but I will not close the eyes to the realities there.

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