This post is part of a Peru series.

I‘m not canceling my trip to Peru.

I can’t. Going solo to foreign countries is what I do. It’s what defines me. It’s how other people know me and it — “it” being not only international travel but accumulating life experiences — is the barometer by which I determine the success of my life (a jetlag and red wine-fueled epiphany  that struck me at around 3:00 a.m. on a candelabra-lit balcony of  a Loire Valley chateau).

You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut. – Dr. Seuss

However, I will adjust my trip to ensure that I travel safely (as safely as possible, anyway) through Peru.

HOW TO TRAVEL SAFELY

My strategy to travel safely consists of three components: prevention, emergency planning and proper mindset.

I purchase emergency evacuation assistance from FrontierMEDEX for only $7 a day. If I experience a medical emegency when I’m in Peru I AM NOT messing around with local healthcare: I’m taking a private helicopter the hell out of there.

I register my trip in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) even if completing the online form is tedious, counter-intuitive and time-consuming. Registering for the program ensures I’ll receive travel alerts and warnings about Peru, and assists the government in reaching me if an emergency occurs.

I cancel the Paracas portion of my itinerary (which would have required me to drive a rental car from Lima) and replace it with a stay in the Amazon (which does not require that I rent a car). Of course there’s no assurance that I’ll travel safely through the jungle, but from what I’ve read, driving in Peru practically GUARANTEES disaster.

To be on the safe side I pack:

• Luggage locks
• My SABRE RED Compact Pepper Spray with Pink Key Case (that pink key case will surely strike fear into any would-be attacker)
• My Belle Hop Travel Door Alarm, a lightweight device with two metal prongs that I stick into the crack of the door. If the door opens — thereby breaking the connection between the prongs – it activates a loud, high-pitched alarm

• Extra color copies of my passport page (and email it, with a copy of my itinerary, to my family and myself)
• My Pacsafe CitySafe 200 Anti-Theft handbag. It’s not going to win me any fashion awards, but between the concealed pouch, the tamperproof zippers and the snatchproof strap, I won’t be an easy target

• A small dummy wallet containing a canceled credit card which I’ll supplement with a couple Nuevo Soles (the Peruvian currency). If forced to part with my billfold, I’ll offer this one
• Malarone (an antimalarial) and Diamox plus ibuprofen (for altitude sickness)

Going from Point A to Point B is when I’m most susceptible to danger, so I book a taxi from the Cusco airport to the J.W. Marriott in advance (frontdesk.cusco@marriott.com).

And of course I always consult the Ultimate Travel Checklist: What To Do Before You Go before I go!

ONE LAST THING

That just leaves one last important thing, and it can’t be packed, prescribed or purchased: proper mindset. To travel safely I believe a traveler (especially a solo, female traveler) must have confidence — people who pray on others can detect fear and hesitancy — while maintaining a healthy dose of caution. SO… I aim to project self-assurance without letting down my guard.

This post is part of a Peru series.

This post is part of a Peru series.

SAFETY & SOLO FEMALE TRAVEL

JANUARY

The discovery of the body of Sarai Sierra, an American woman traveling solo to Istanbul, is reported. She was murdered.

I’m not going anywhere near Istanbul this spring (that’s my July trip) —  I’m heading for Peru in two months — and although I’ve traveled by myself all around the world and know that random murders happen everywhere (My hometown of Chicago being no exception), the news reminds me of the vulnerability of being a woman traveling solo in a foreign country.

IS PERU SAFE?

FEBRUARY

I receive an email from a friend containing a link to a post about Peru on the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security site, which reads:

The U.S. Embassy warns U.S. citizens of a potential kidnapping threat in the Cusco area.  The Embassy has received information that members of a criminal organization may be planning to kidnap U.S. citizen tourists in the Cusco and Machu Picchu area.  Possible targets and methods are not known and the threat is credible at least through the end of February 2013. For the moment, personal travel by U.S. Embassy personnel to the Cusco region, including Machu Picchu, has been prohibited and official travel is severely restricted as a result of this threat.

Well, that’s just great. I’m traveling to Peru — including the “Cusco and Machu Picchu area” — in six weeks. The criminal organization in question is The Shining Path, which (according to Wikipedia) is a Maoist guerilla insurgency. Really? There are Maoist guerillas in our midst? I haven’t heard of The Shining Path since, like, fifth grade and now the bastards are threatening my vacation.

Is Peru safe? Should I reschedule my trip? I don’t know.

FEBRUARY

This just in: an America couple bicycling through Peru have gone missing. The common, obvious speculation is that they were kidnapped or killed.

MARCH

I need to decide if I should take this trip to Peru at the end of the month or if the risk of danger is great enough that I should cancel it. I turn to the U.S. Department of State website to determine if Peru is safe:

The Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) terrorist group remains active in Peru and has previously expressed an intention to target U.S. interests.

Violent crime, including carjacking, assault, sexual assault, and armed robbery is common in Lima and other large cities.

In the recent past, there have been a number of cases of armed robbery, rape, other sexual assault, and attempted rape of  U.S. citizens and other foreign tourists in Arequipa and in Cusco city, as well as in the outlying areas in the vicinity of various Incan ruins. These assaults have occurred both during daylight hours and at night.

Thieves often smash car windows at traffic lights to grab jewelry, purses, backpacks, or other visible items from a car.

Is Peru safe for travel? Is Peru safe for a solo, female traveler? Clearly not. Crap.  I should cancel my trip.

This post is part of a Peru series.