Common Sense: Your Most Important Tool

       We've all heard it before: gypsies are real, wallets get stolen, people get mugged/raped/drugged/hurt, look left instead of right, etc. etc. etc... But all of these things are so important, especially when traveling somewhere you've never been by yourself.

Things To Keep in Mind:

• Keep your wallet in your front pocket
• Get a crossbody purse/messenger bag and hold it in front of you so that you never have something on your back - it's easier to steal it if you can't see it
• Be aware of who is around you
• Cover your drinks - if someone offers to buy you a drink, go to the bar with them to make sure they can't put anything in it
• Don't go out at night alone if you can help it 
• Do not engage with people who are drunk on the street or look sketchy
• Be polite - you're more likely to get hurt if you ruffle some random person's feathers
• No one left behind - DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT leave your friend, or let your friends leave you, alone at a bar/pub/club; people are more likely to be attacked/mugged when they're alone, especially if they've been drinking
• Make sure you have a DW (Designated Walker) - someone who can get you and everyone else home safely so that you aren't a group of drunks wandering through the streets alone
• Take turns drinking excessively when you go out so that everyone gets a turn to be a little crazy, but always make sure someone is sober enough to get your home alright
• Ladies, watch yourselves - there are a lot of perverts out there, so buddy up and keep your wits about you
• Do not go out with anyone you don't trust 
• If you are drinking in London and the tube closes or you don't think you could navigate it, please, please, call a taxi; they aren't too expensive and it's better to pay a little more to get home than to be wandering for hours or try to figure out the bus system drunk (it's difficult enough while sober)
• Likewise, if you're with a friend who is going somewhere different from you and has to travel alone, it is better if you put them in a cab and have them pay you back than risk them not getting home safely

Admittedly, I am not a city girl by any means, so going to London was completely outside my comfort zone, but that was also a big part of why I picked it: I wanted to experience city life. We went out almost every night to a pub to drink and relax, which was a lot of fun, but we always made sure someone was sober enough to get us home (especially if we had to navigate the tube). London, however, is also not like most cities. It is perhaps the safest city you could be in, and I say that for several reasons: 1) guns, knives, and mace are illegal, so it's a safe bet that those who would try to mug you have only a very small pocket knife or just their fists, 2) there are lights and cameras EVERYWHERE, so finding a place to hurt someone without the risk of getting caught is difficult, if not impossible, and 3) the city closes early, so most likely you will always be out with people around and very rarely find yourself on an empty street while walking home. I am a very cautious person, someone who usually carries a pocket knife in my purse and was very uncomfortable not being allowed one in London, but I soon realized that I felt so entirely safe there. We went on countless night walks, and never once did I feel in danger. As long as you are aware of your surroundings and don't look like someone who would be an easy target, you'll be fine. 

Stick with your friends and have common sense, simple as that.