BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi there,

My friend and I are going on a two month trip through Eastern-ish Europe, and our other friend is coming along for part of it. Well we have a Croatian Sailing trip booked and she was unable to get on, so now she's spending a week around the balkans, and I was hoping to get some information on where she can go in the area that's safe for a single really pretty female traveling by herself? Anything in particular you would suggest?

I'd say that pretty much the entire Balkans area is safe...Greece is safe for sure. Same is Romania [that would be Southern Europe rather than Balkans per se]. Bulgaria is safe as long as you don't plan to drive from city to city...

In general big cities are safe for single women traveling but it might get a bit weird in the remote areas. So stick to the touristy places.

I know girls who traveled to Romania and had no problems while here but I also know persons who had problems in Bulgaria.

I travelled around Serbia on my own a couple of years ago on my own and it felt very safe. That's probably true for most if not all of the Balkans.

(It would be kind of silly to post only this, but the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says:

The Balkan area is, surprisingly, one of the safest in Europe. The report Crime and its Impact on the Balkans by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) belies enduring stereotypes of the region as a hotbed of organized crime and violence. People are as safe, or safer, on the streets and in their homes as they are in most parts of the world. )

Really!

Anyway, I agree with the above posts ... and would add Croatia has plenty of visitors around in the summer...if she can make it to Sarajevo it is a nice visit for a couple of days, and very unique.

quote:

Originally posted by miraclepie:
she's spending a week around the balkans, and I was hoping to get some information on where she can go in the area that's safe for a single really pretty female traveling by herself? Anything in particular you would suggest?

As the ladies above have pointed out, most of the Balkans is fairly safe (just so long as your friend is as safety-conscious and alert while traveling as she would be while walking down Jasper Avenue at 1 in the morning.)

As for where to spend her time, it depends on what type of gal she is. But...I'd suggest she travel around Istria while waiting for your return. Beautiful area, plenty of recreational activities, friendly people, and lots of good times to be had. Especially for a "really pretty female."

Hope that helps.

I thought this was a dating site for one minute.

sorry my girlfriend wouldn't approve if i opted to be her bodyguard.

what personality has your friend, i guess being canadian a non drinker, very quiet and interested in avoiding 'the party' )

no seriously I'd recommend looking at hostelworld.com
and reading the reviews of places to stay. I know from travelling on my own sometimes you can stop in really crummy places with few other backpackers and it can be as dull as hell.

looking over reviews on hostel sites you can see which are voted fun and which are not.

I'd much prefer to stay somewhere with a common room, or garden / terrace and or bar so that you can meet people.
many places in the baltics appear to be standard hotels or guesthouse or a local residents spare room. in which case unless the proprietor feels pity on your real pretty friend she may be all on her own.


the Hippo hostel in kotor in montenegro gets some good reviews.. a home awat from home

I spent 3 weeks in the Balkans last May and didn't encounter any trouble. I thought the areas were just as safe as Western Europe and people were quite friendly. I went to Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Sarajevo,and Belgrade. I stayed in hostels at all of those places so I was always meeting people and never alone. I think it really depends on the personality of your friend and how independent she is. If she feels really scared and thinks that she's so hot that everyone will notice her at all times she might feel more uncomfortable where if she knows she's competent and can stand on her own 2 feet she'll be fine. I will say though that I didn't see one single black person in the Balkans so she might stick out more if she's black.

i spent 31 years in eastern europe. Are you pretty sure nothing could happen ?

after spending the last ten days in belgrade, budva, kotor, dubrovnik and mostar

I'd guess your friend has to be extremly hot just to blend in, montenegro and serbia has some stunning looking women with not an ounce of puppy fat on them

i've never seen so many supermodel bums and legs in any country i have been before. I felt positively fat on the beach in budva

like anywhere in the world stay safe and keep an eye out around you and you will be fine 99.6% of the time

quote:

Originally posted by whatyadoinsucka:
i've never seen so many supermodel bums and legs in any country i have been before.

Ditto.

I don't know what Tito put in the Yugoslavian water for all those years, but it worked.