The Most Unexpected Travel Dangers I’ve Faced

I’ve been living and traveling abroad for over 14 years now—wandering across Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, Europe, and all over Asia.

If you’re someone who stays “informed” via the news, you might clutch your pearls at some of the countries I’ve explored: war-torn Angola, militarily run Myanmar, the surveillance-heavy state of China, conservative Islamic regions of Indonesia, crime-infested cities of Nicaragua, remote, almost-forgotten mountain villages of Laos—and even road-tripping down the coast of Mindanao, Philippines by motorbike.

And yet…here I am. Alive, well, and better for it.

Midnight Panic in Sumatra

My husband and I were recently reflecting on the past year of travel, and the biggest dangers we’ve faced. And no, they didn’t involve corrupt officials or knife-point robberies.

They involved nature.

Like that time we hiked for three days through the steaming, emerald jungle of Sumatra. The air was thick with humidity, the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves heavy in our nostrils. Hornbills hooted from afar, their eerie calls echoing through the dense foliage.

Camp was made in a clearing beside a river, beneath a sky so inky black it felt like falling into velvet. Mosquitoes buzzed in lazy clouds as we lay down on thin mats, our bodies sticky from sweat.

Sometime after midnight, I woke with a full bladder. I tried to coax myself back to sleep, eyes fluttering shut. That’s when I felt it—a faint brush across the top of my head. 

Was I dreaming?

Another second passed and no, I was definitely awake. I grabbed my phone and flicked on the flashlight, its beam slicing through the darkness.

A three-foot-long snake shimmered in the glow, slithering across the floor just inches from my face—making its way toward Mat’s head.

I grabbed his shoulder, shrieking his name. You’ve never seen a man go from sleep to standing in such record time.

We roused our guide, who shuffled over and calmly nudged the snake out with a stick.

“Is it poisonous?” I asked, my voice tight with panic.

“No, no,” he replied, unfazed. “Just a baby python.”

Just a python. You know, the kind that grows nine feet long, strong enough to strangle a goat and swallow it whole. Comforting.

Kaohsiung’s Monkey Mafia

Then there was Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a city stopover we hadn’t expected to enjoy. 

We escaped the bustle by heading to Shoushan Park—a stretch of green hills alive with banyan trees and thick bamboo groves. The scent of plumeria floated on the warm breeze. We meandered along shaded paths, cicadas ticking like clocks in the branches overhead. 

Photocred: @mathivananselvaraj

As we rounded a corner, a hulking male macaque burst from the bushes. His broad frame was cloaked in coarse gray fur, muscles rippling beneath his chest. Menace sparked in his coal-black eyes as he lunged toward Mat without hesitation.

His lips curled back in a snarl, baring yellowed two-inch fangs. Claws glinted as his arms shot out, body puffed and primed like a spring-loaded trap.

Mat instinctively stumbled back, narrowly missing a bite that would have sent us racing to a hospital for stitches and an emergency rabies series.

The monkey held his ground for a moment, chest heaving, before retreating with a guttural grunt, vanishing into the trees like a king receding to his throne.

The Truth About Travel Dangers

Hands folded, heads bowed—just people trying to get through it, together. -Laos, 2012

So no, the biggest dangers of our travels haven’t come from political unrest or crime. They’ve come from nature doing what nature does. From wild things acting like wild things.

And frankly? I’ll take that over paranoia and fear-based stagnation any day.

The news would have you believe the world is full of chaos, conflict, and cruelty. And sure, some of it is. But most of the time? The world is just people living their lives—building homes, feeding kids, laughing with neighbors, washing clothes. Living. Trying to get by, same as you.

Fear Will Keep You Home. Wonder Will Take You Places.

Don’t let fear rob you of what the world has to offer. Being afraid of one another—of other countries, cultures, or communities—is its own kind of danger. It narrows your world and limits your growth.

The truth is, the vast majority of people I’ve met in every far-flung corner of the planet have been kind, helpful, and beautifully curious about others. 

So go. Explore. Let the snake slither, let the monkey scream. Trust that there is more good out there than bad.

Just stay alert—and know when to back away if needed.

Photocred: @iamromankraft

🌏 Let's Reflect

• Do you think the media shapes how we perceive other countries—and has that ever stopped you from exploring somewhere new?

• What would you do differently if you trusted the world just a little bit more?

• How has travel challenged or changed your understanding of “danger”?

👇 I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. The most powerful travel stories aren’t about the places we go, but what we discover along the way.