Shari, this is a very common concern, but Southeast Asia is actually an incredibly safe destination and while there are incidences of pickpockets and robberies, violent crime against travelers is incredibly rare. We advise all of our guests to be aware of their surroundings. In the bigger cities, like Bangkok and Saigon, there are problems with theft, just like here in the US. We recommend wallets in front pockets for men and caution taken with backpacks as it’s incredibly easy to steal a wallet out of the top of a backpack if the zip isn’t secure. In terms of larger scale issues and civil unrest we have had our share of that in the last 5 years, both with the riots in Bangkok and the monk protests in Myanmar. Generally in these situations we rely on our team in the location. While Bangkok might look like a disaster on the news, for those of us there, we knew the rioting was only in one location and wasn’t affecting the majority of Bangkok and that guests could continue with their travel plans. When this later became untrue and rioting and violence spread, we changed tours and diverted guests to other areas in Thailand so they could continue to enjoy their vacation away from the volatile situation. The bottom line is that we encourage our guests to be careful with their belongings and then we are careful with them.

 … Read more »