Before we ventured off and mentioned to people that we were going to be travelling around South America for 6 months, most people’s initial reaction would be to tell us to be careful. Or ask if we were scared because of the dangers that come with South America. Especially in Brazil and particularly the safety in Rio.
Even whilst travelling around Brazil, we were warned by locals to be careful because of the dangers around Rio. Additionally, people from other parts of Brazil would have chats with us about safety in Rio.
Of course, we were also aware of the reputation these places had before we left but this didn’t put us off travelling there. At the end of the day, thousands of people travel and live there every single day and nothing has happened to them. However, even with this frame of mind, we found that once we arrived, it was hard to shake the feeling of slight fear. Especially walking around at night or even in quiet places during the day. Sometimes even in crowded places, it seemed to always be in the back of our minds that we had to be extra cautious about our safety in Rio.
After spending a month in Brazil, we must say that these notions now actually aggravate us. To the point where we felt the need to write a blog post just to inform people that it is possible to travel to Rio safely!