Alright folks, let’s get straight into this bus and train safety thing abroad. Last month I took that solo trip to Istanbul and decided to actually write down every little move I made transport-wise, ’cause honestly? Didn’t wanna end up as some cautionary tale on Travel Police Instagram.
Getting My Brain Ready First
Grabbed my rusty laptop and hit up travel forums real hard the week before flying out. Scrolled through hundreds of comments looking for patterns – not those “be careful” generic warnings, but actual stupid mistakes people admitted making. Wrote down three repeating nightmares:
- Backpacks sliced open in crowded carriages
- Phones snatched when trains stopped
- Dudes following tourists after they got off at wrong stops
The Wallet Test Run
Dug out this old button-down shirt with inner pockets I hadn’t worn since 2018. Practiced walking around my apartment with two decoy wallets – one cheap fake in my back pocket stuffed with expired gift cards, the real one buttoned inside my shirt. Felt ridiculous patting my chest every two minutes but kept doing it till it felt automatic.
On the Ground Actions
Day one hopping on Istanbul’s Tram T1 line:
- Stood crushing my back against the wall near doors – no standing in open aisle space
- Kept right hand permanently gripping the phone in front pocket during stops
- Stared hard at map stickers before sitting down to avoid looking lost
Got off near Hagia Sophia sweating buckets from focusing too hard.
That Sketchy Bus Moment
Took bus 28T up the hills one rainy night. Noticed same bearded guy boarding after me at three straight stops. Made sudden eye contact like “I see you bro” while slamming the emergency window hammer with my elbow accidentally. He bailed next stop. Could’ve been innocent… or not. Notebook update: pretending to know emergency tools works as psychological armor.
Two Weeks In Muscle Memory
By day fourteen:
- Automatically checked seat handrails for gum or grease before leaning
- Developed “resting scowl face” mode that made chatty scammers walk past
- Could re-button my hidden wallet pocket while walking uphill without breaking stride
Flew home with cash untouched and peace of mind. Simple stuff? Absolutely. But you gotta consciously drill this crap till it’s reflex. Your turn now!
