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Its often popular to stay near the 'hauptbahnhoff' in Frankfurt - but if you can, try and avoid it. The 1km around the Hbf (hauptbahnhoff) has a reputation for being seedy and full of crime. There are many hotels just five minutes' underground ride away from the Hbf, which will leave you more centrally located for any meals/drink you may want - usually located around Hauptwache or Konstablerwache.
Sorry to be a downer but I was very disappointed. I live in the Middle East and love it but Damascus is not worth visiting compared to, say, all of Jordan for antiquities, Oman for real Arab culture, Istanbul for atmosphere and visible history or even Alex for vibrancy. The historical area is small, not very well looked after, severely compromised by recent modifications. The rest of the city is like Bucharest circa 1987.
I am amazed that other people found it friendly; I found it creepy, sullen and resentful. I speak some Arabic and I am familiar with and respectful of the culture, so it wasn't me! Maybe because I have had much better Arabian experiences elsewhere (including food), that element was completely lacking for me but charmed others.
What didn't help on our first night there was two scary hours of detention by (presumably) the secret police - we never really knew who they were. Our apparent crime was looking at a map (a poor photocopy provided by our hotel, the very unhelpful and mediocre Meridien) to try and find our way back from the old city at night.
A pushy little cigarette seller had a gang of thugs quickly surrounding us when we didn't comply with his instruction to hand over the map. Pleas to passers-by fell on deaf ears as did calls to our hotel. I guess, as another correspondent said, many people are in the pay of the secret police. The fact that my friend was a gulf Arab automatically made us suspicious, apparently, and I guess this guy thought we were his payday.
We were physically restrained on the street, bundled very roughly into a car, brought to a building in an unmarked compound, left in a bare room where various people would wander in and quiz us over an over or just bark at us in English and Arabic without ever telling us who they were or why we were there, then finally turned out on the street after midnight.
Damascus is not without some charms (eg the market by the Ottoman mosque near the National museum, much better than the souq) but there are many other places more worth visiting. In Syria things can go suddenly wrong for no apparent reason and you have no recourse to anyone. Your lack of security is a fact which you can choose to ignore and it may never matter. But it just might.
Another scam that an acquaintance of mine (long-time Syrian expat) experienced in Damascus was with changing money. The official rate is ridiculous so everybody uses the money-changers who hang around the souk. When he did this, he was immediately arrested by 'police' who demanded a hefty payment ($300) to release him because this is offically illegal. The money-changer was not arrested of course.
Thanks goodness we haven't needed to actually use them yet, but I bought two ID wrist bands for the kids to wear on holiday in Granada, in case they got lost in the city or at the Alhambra.
They're made of velcro so are easy to adjust to fit small wrists. You write your name and contact details on a waterproof piece of paper and slip it inside the little pocket on the inside of the wrist band.
I'm sure they would be good for the beach too.
Look out for pickpockets - one trick is to hop on the metro, stand in the doorway (look confused) whilst 2-3 conspirators close in behind and go through you stuff as you try to get by before the doors close (when they make a fast exit and you're minus your valuables). Similarly crowded trams can be a problem and notices warn the unwary.
metro tram buses
Trakai is really nice resort, nice guests. But the country is quite poor, and there're lots of thieves watching for tourists. Never leave your bags unattended as it can be removed (not destroyed, lol!).
Some of them are so cheeky - they try to take your money out of your pocket hoping you don't notice! So bear in mind where you are while admiring wonderful nature.
Avoid like the plague - unless you enjoy men looking lewdly at you as you go about your 'business'.
Carrer d'Alí Bei, 80
The places by the lake are backpackery, obsessed with drugs and Angkor beer. OK for a chilled-out day drinking and watching the lake, but paper-thin walls and minimal security did not make me feel safe.
I certainly wouldn't recommend it to lone women. If anything goes wrong (and it did with me) you will have absolutely no help whatsoever.
Capitol Guesthouse looks awful from the outside but on the inside it's scrupulously clean, has cable TV, private bathroom, air conditioning, good security (proper walls!) and all for about $8-10.
It also runs buses to Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap etc so it's very well located. You'll get off the backpackers trail just that little bit and experience much better levels of comfort, security and hygiene. And it's just round the corner from possibly one of the best and friendliest restaurants in Cambodia - Mama's.
Several locations across Phnom Penh. Well known - ask any moto driver. If you get the bus from HCMC or Siem Reap, chances are you'll be dropped off right outside!
Leave your watch and Mobile phone at home.
This is how left luggage offices are indicated on railway stations in south India. If you have time between trains or need a cheap and secure place to leave your bags after checking out of your accommodation look for the 'Cloakroom'.
After a recent journey to Rio de Janeiro I would recommend pre-booking your airport to accommodation transport BEFORE arriving at the airport - from past experience tourists get pounced on the minute they leave the main concourse. At least we did!
This time around we found a company online called Rio Airport Transfer, they're a UK registered company so I felt a little more comfortable about booking through them.
We had booked a trip with them and one of their drivers meet us on the main concourse at the airport and delivered us safely to the hotel in air-conditioned comfort.
The service is around £10 more than getting a taxi at the airport, but made me feel a lot more secure. Highly recommended for those who prefer a little less stress and haggling.
Even before the tragic incident at Hatshepsut in November 1997, where about 90 tourists were massacred by Islamic fundamentalists, security of tourists was an important issue in Egypt. Since then however, the authorities have introduced heightened security measures aimed at protecting visitors, and therefore the all-important tourist industry.
The impression you receive as a tourist is that your safety is of paramount importance and that no risks will be taken. This has naturally taken on even greater significance in the current international crisis. Now, at all the main sites there are greater numbers of police, although compared to some other countries their presence is by no means overbearing.
Within Luxor town itself it is perfectly safe for tourists to wander round, although it is unwise to linger in or around the town of Qena, considered to be a fundamentalist stronghold. For trips to other towns such as Hurghada or Aswan, tourists must now travel on specific police-escorted convoys. There are sometimes just two or three convoys per day, so if driving yourself make sure you know the departure times or you will be turned back at the first checkpoint.
Most Thais are Buddhists. There are a few Muslims. There is no trouble between these groups mostly, but way down in southern Thailand there is infrequent violence.
Beware - especially if you're a single male - of being approached by seemingly friendly blokes who start chatting (usually by asking you the time and then saying 'Oh, sorry, I thought you were Turkish...'), invite you to drink with them, particularly around Istiklal Caddesi. This can lead to you being relieved of your money in a dodgy nightclub. It very nearly happened to me.
Istiklal Caddesi
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