I am a German tourist planning to visit North America. I prefer to explore cities beyond tourist hotspots and avoid spending a lot of money. I am curious about the safety of visiting different parts of town, including “ghettos.” Are the concerns about gangs overblown? How welcoming will locals be? I’ve heard Americans are social. I plan to import my Audi Rs6 but wonder if I should store it or only drive it in certain areas. Any advice is appreciated. I’m happy to answer questions.
34 comments
How long are you planning to be here for that you’re bringing your car over? Where are you headed?
>I am curious about the safety of visiting different parts of town, including “ghettos”
What the actual fuck
You think the disadvantaged and poor of the US are here for your amusement?
What is your itinerary like? What states and cities do you plan to visit? How long do you plan to stay?
Bringing your own car over will probably be more expensive and a much bigger headache than just renting a car here.
“Ghetto” areas will only be certain parts of large cities, anywhere in rural/small town America is as safe as you can be anywhere in this world.
Many people you talk to will ask you where you’re from…this will be out of genuine curiosity and you shouldn’t be alarmed at all.
Just pay attention to road signs about parking your car, some places will say “no overnight parking” or list hours, etc…if you leave your vehicle overnight in a larger city/higher crime area just make sure all your valuables are not visible.
You will not make contact with any gangs unless you try really hard to. Gangs are more interested in each other than with regular people, and they don’t stay in areas where tourists go.
Check out state parks wherever you’re visiting! Many are beautiful and highly underrated…ask locals where their favorite places to go are to eat/drink and they’ll be happy to share 😁
Well, first, welcome.
Second, don’t use the word “ghetto”. It has traditionally been used to describe poor, particularly poor and African American parts of cities, and it’s derogatory.
Third, you can import a car if you want, but remember that driving here is not like in Europe. Different parts of the country have different driving styles that might be frustrating for you. Also, our roads are generally pretty bad and watch out for speed limits and traps.
Lastly, you should be fine regardless of where you go. American are in general are very friendly. Aim to park your car in parking garages if possible, lighted lots if not. Get some good travel insurance, and make a plan for your trip that includes timed distances. Every European I’ve known has underestimated the size of the US, and unless you’re staying months, you might want to limit yourself to smaller area. We
Might be more helpful to you if you’ve got specific places in mind.
It’s overblown. If you want to dm me a specific question with no judgement, feel free.
You will see many cars as expensive, and many that are more, than your rs6 in some of the places you listed.
How long do you have? What types of things do you want to see? What time of year?
Giving specifics will get you much better answers.
Importing your car is a terrible idea. Not sure why you would be doing that if you are on a budget. Just rent a car.
The open road can be romanticized but driving from Chicago to SF, to LA, to Texas, and then to Florida sounds effing terrible to me unless you enjoy being in the car for like 80-100+ hours.
Do *not* go to “ghettos”-
1. People who live there are not your side show attraction.
2. You’ll probably get beaten and robbed.
Something that I see many European tourists struggle with: please be nice to the workers, and understand that sometimes there are laws and/or company rules that are stupid but which need to be followed by the worker regardless.
For example, when I was working at a convenience store/gas station (Sheetz), we occasionally had some Europeans who came through looking to buy alcohol. Company policy dictated that I need to ask everyone buying alcohol (and those with them who look like they might also partake in the alcohol) for their IDs. Unfortunately, the only IDs I could accept were US, Canadian, and some Mexican drivers licenses, a Mexican national ID card, and a passport. Every single European I saw except for one berated me for not being able to accept a EU ID card or something like that. They would always be argumentative and raise their voices, saying that I need to accept their ID regardless of policy etc. Obviously that never worked.
My point: understand that our country is different than your country, so please respect our laws, cultures, and above all, please respect our people and especially our workers.
Calling BS on this one, OP’s recent posts say he’s 15 years old lmao.
> Are the concerns about gangs overblown?
You tell me. What concerns? I’ve lived in several regions of the country over a 38-year span, and the number of times I’ve been concerned about gangs is precisely zero. Are there bad parts of certain major cities? Sure. But it’s not like it’s an everyday occurrence for the vast majority of people.
Concern of randomly running into a gang war in the US is probably the same concern level I’d have for running into neo Nazis in Germany.
The bad parts of town look like the bad parts of town. You’re not going to get mugged in the nice clean parts of the city.
Deer are stupid and like to hurl themselves into traffic at the speed of light without warning causing hundreds of deals and millions of dollars of property damage each year. They are especially dangerous at dusk and night. If you see deer slow down there’s usually more than one and their brains can short out when very bright lights are shined in the eyes so they end up standing there not moving as their brain tries to start working again and figure out what to do. Slow down when you see a deer near or on the road.
Just throwing this out there but not sure when you plan on visiting but it could be fun to compare the original German Oktoberfest to some of the ones in the US. I’m sure the ones here aren’t as big or as good as the German ones but it might still be fun.
just don’t get political.
Politeness goes a long way, especially when interacting with service workers. Avoid discussing politics and religion.
Despite what you read online, most Americans are genuinely friendly and can be very inquisitive. Get used to complete strangers starting a conversation with you and acting like you’ve been friends for years.
Don’t be put off by people asking you about Germany, your trip, what you do for work, etc.; it’s just what we do.
I just want to throw out the idea of doing some **real** research of the United States before getting over here.
I get the feeling a lot of Europeans skim for information or rely on assumptions and stereotypes they get from TV or friends. Don’t come over here and say “I couldn’t find bread anywhere!” when all you did was go to gas stations. The United States isn’t Europe Lite. We are a completely different country on a continent not connected to you. Treat it as such.
Use physical travel guides. Watch region specific video from creditable sources. Learn cultural customs and norms.
For what reason would you want to visit a ghetto?
Why are you trying to visit “ghettos?”
The US isn’t a zoo and the people living there aren’t for your entertainment.
If you plan on committing crimes while here, you may endanger your safety either because the police will arrest and deport you, or other criminals will target you.
If you don’ t plan on committing crimes, the likelihood of you being caught in gang warfare is almost non-existant.
Someone crunched the numbers on r/travel on what the homicide rate is for British tourists while in the US, and their homicide rate while visiting here is actually lower than it was in the UK. Tourists doing tourist things in the US are going to be incredibly safe.
EDIT: I’m sorry OP to come off as harsh. I know the term “ghetto” carries quite a different meaning elsewhere but here it can be a very charged word.
You’re going to have a great time. Americans are super welcoming, especially to a visiting European where they might not be used to someone from Europe visiting. I recommend going to the reddit page for each city and asking locals where to go and where to avoid, they will help you find authentic places without risking safety.
In terms of safety, organized crime or gangs are not your concern, but petty crime might be. You are not cool or edgy to intentionally go to run-down, dangerous neighborhoods so avoid them. Intentionally going to see places like that is just poverty porn and it’s not cool. We have guns here so don’t mess around. I mean it, it is not as safe as Europe in our bad neighborhoods, it’s likely unlike anything you’ve dealt with in Germany. In the DC area specifically make sure you avoid groups of rowdy teenagers, that’s what’s going to get you into trouble if anything is. Don’t leave valuables visible left in your car. Don’t leave your car running and step out to grab something, car jacking is fairly common. You can avoid tourist traps while still staying in safe places, just use your common sense.
Watch some YouTube videos on how to handle police stops. Driving such a long road trip makes it not terribly unlikely. Nobody has mentioned this, so beware of civil forfeiture and speed traps. When passing through small towns, follow the speed limit to a T, even a bit under. If you get stopped, be polite, provide requested paperwork, and SHUT THE FUCK UP. Do not consent to any searches. Cops can lie to you. Do NOT bribe them. Do not sweet talk them. Just politely refuse to consent to any searches and answer questions with I am invoking my right to remain silent. There are plenty of videos on YouTube by US lawyers that you can use to educate yourself on how to interact with the police. Do NOT piss them off. A famous video of a US law professor is floating around explaining all this and why, and a local cop agreed with him.
JFC, why do you want to go to a ghetto? Is poverty tourism acceptable in Germany or something?
As for how to travel safely there…don’t go. The locals will not appreciate some foreigner who thinks their daily struggles are tourist attractions. Also, you’re just asking for trouble in general.
Seriously, how can you possibly think this is a good idea or socially acceptable?
I would avoid “ghettos” especially if you’re going to have a pretty nice car here. Car jackings are extremely common, especially here in Chicago.
Stop at all gas stations and carry extra water if you are driving on roads in Death Valley. Also just because your maps say you are next to a military base doesn’t mean people will be near by those can be thousands of square miles.
I spent age 7-17 and 21-23 in Germany, went to uni in USA and live in USA now.
One advice I firmly believe in, is the gap between the Asian food in America and the Asian food in Germany is bigger than the gap between American food in America and American food in Germany. I lived in Düsseldorf which arguably has the best Japanese food in Germany, it’s complete shit compared to LA and NYC.
I don’t think locals will be welcoming, but gangs have also never been a problem for all my time here. Have never met a gang member, never seen a gun other than law enforcement. Whether or not you will accidentally run into a ghetto varies from city to city if you are walking. Generally I don’t think you will have a problem with ghettos unless you go out of your way to find one. Chicago, and NYC, I think you generally will not accidentally end up in a ghetto. LA and San Francisco, I think it is a possibility. Nothing to worry about in a car though, but it’s generally not that bad IMO.
If you are just going to the big cities locals won’t really live up to the stereotype either. They just want to get on with their day and want to ignore tourists as much as possible. People might be a little annoyed if you’re in a tourist group, but solo travelers will likely not have any encounters really unless they really go out of their way. Like some Australian tourist I met that stopped me in the street, asked me for Japanese food recommendations in Little Tokyo, told me he was Australian, and held me hostage in conversation for 5 minutes.
People drive nicer cars than an RS6 in pretty shitty places. I don’t think you will have a problem with that. When I first moved I used to be pretty afraid to park my car some places until I noticed that there will always be a more expensive car there haha. If you want piece of mind just park next to one.
> I am curious about the safety of visiting different parts of town, including “ghettos.”
They are no more or less safe than the “ghettos” of cities like Berlin or Paris.
> Are the concerns about gangs overblown?
Yes, absolutely
> How welcoming will locals be?
It depends how you act, its important to remember that these are real people leading real lives, not actors at a theme park.
I know you’ve received a lot of comments about the actual traveling but, to answer some of your other questions:
>Are the concerns about gangs overblown?
For the most part, yes. If you hear about gang violence on other continent that means it was newsworthy enough to talk about that gar away. There are areas that aren’t safe and most local people will tell you if there are areas to avoid. If they tell you to avoid them, you should hede their warning.
>How welcoming will locals be? I’ve heard Americans are social.
Just like anywhere else, we have assholes and jerks but, for the most part, Americans are very friendly to tourists. Something that may throw you off is how outgoing people will be with a total stranger, starting up surface level conversations with strangers is a national pastime. Once they realize you aren’t from here you will be bombarded with questions and suggestions where to go. It will almost always be meant with sincerity, as we like to be good hosts.
Good luck and happy travels
stay away from martin luther king boulevard and any dollar store after dark
Remember to tip 20% when dining at a restaurant, toss an extra buck in for some coffee or a beer.
If you aren’t involved in criminal activity, gangs are pretty much irrelevant for your planning regarding safety.
The actual issues you should consider for a trip like this are pickpockets, muggers etc. Like most places, these can all be mitigated by staying aware of your surroundings and a bit of research about the specific location ahead of time. And when doing so, it’s best to hear from locals. For example, Chicago is often stereotyped as dangerous. But the overwhelming majority of the violence takes place in specific neighborhoods. While that’s still a major public policy issue, it isn’t a problem that generally affects tourists.
Nah you wouldn’t have to worry about gang violence unless you’re in LA and meander into the wrong part of town – but even then, if you’re not involved in gang activity, gangs aren’t really a thing a lot of Americans worry about. It’s really just the random people that pop up and decide to shoot up a Walmart. I’m not saying this to scare you – I’ve lived my life up and down the east coast and have been totally fine, it really is a random thing – just putting it in perspective. Like if you get a bad vibe, be polite but keep it moving. Don’t pick up hitchhikers, I personally wouldn’t go out of a public place with people I just met either – like if you’re at a bar and they invite you back to their house, I wouldn’t do that but I err on the side of caution. The most likely outcome is you will have a great time exploring a new country.
If you don’t flash your wealth and don’t engage with people who try to provoke you, you should be ok anywhere.
Just appear as plain and simple as you can, with nothing to give; don’t carry cash.
Lock your car and don’t leave anything tempting in it. If it’s a manual car you are guaranteed that nobody will steal it.