Travel on Andrew Lavery

Rio de Janeiro November 2024

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 20:29:58 +0000

Rio November 2024

Safety snapshot Visit context: Nov 2024

Tourist-directed crime High

Robbery, phone theft, and beach or transit-area crime.

Random violence Elevated

Urban violent crime and stray-violence exposure.

Chile May 2023

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:54:44 +0000

Chile 2023

My second trip to the Hispanic world in 2023, and one I enjoyed! The city of Santiago was fun and similar feel to Buenos Aires, though a fair bit more expensive. Overall, I would say to go for the wine country, Easter Island, Atacama Desert, and the Patagonian coast - not for Santiago itself.

Santiago

Safety snapshot Visit context: May 2023

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

Remote stops such as Easter Island and Atacama share the national profile here, with local crime generally lower than Santiago.

Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia 2026

Mon, 25 May 2026 03:38:32 +0000

Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia 2026

I visited Georgia in Late April and May, staying in Tbilisi with visits to Baku, Yerevan and Batumi. Overall, I would say that the region is interesting with a lot of history, fantastic scenery and great prices, but maintenance in Georgia was generally lacking and food variety could have been better. Still, I enjoyed my time.

Tbilisi

Safety snapshot Visit context: Apr-May 2026

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Regional conflict zones and demonstrations.

Thailand January-February 2026

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:35:23 +0000

Thailand January-February 2026

January in Michigan is quite cold and dark, so I headed somewhere warm and (ideally) sunny. It wasn’t perfect, but it was still fun, and I was able to visit both Laos and Vietnam.

Bangkok

Safety snapshot Visit context: Jan-Feb 2026

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

National unrest and terrorism cautions outside the central Thailand stops.

Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay 2025

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:41:19 +0000

Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay 2025

Buenos Aires

Safety snapshot Visit context: Oct-Nov 2025

Tourist-directed crime Elevated

Street theft, phone snatching, and robbery in tourist-heavy urban areas.

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

The 2025 rating is higher than the 2022 Buenos Aires snapshot because the later trip is framed more cautiously around street crime.

Argentina February-March 2022

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Buenos Aires

Safety snapshot Visit context: Feb-Mar 2022

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Argentina (2022-02-01)

Asia 2024

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Asia 2024

I was lucky enough to string a number of countries into a single trip, starting in Japan and arcing south through Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

Tokyo

Safety snapshot Visit context: Mar-Jun 2024

Tourist-directed crime Low

Random violence Low

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Japan (2024-03-01)

This was the start of my trip, and where I expected to see cherry blossoms! There were not cherry blossoms - they arrived very late this year… But there was a ton of other things to do, and I would rate Tokyo as the nicest city I have ever visited.

Austria August 2022

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Vienna

Safety snapshot Visit context: Aug 2022

Tourist-directed crime Low

Random violence Low

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Austria (2022-08-01)

Budapest

Safety snapshot Visit context: Aug 2022

Tourist-directed crime Low

Random violence Low

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Hungary (2022-08-01)

Prague

Safety snapshot Visit context: Aug 2022

Tourist-directed crime Low

Random violence Low

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Czech Republic (2022-08-01)

Bratislava

Safety snapshot Visit context: Aug 2022

Tourist-directed crime Low

Random violence Low

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Slovakia (2022-08-01)

Berlin August 2023

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Berlin 2023

Berlin

Safety snapshot Visit context: Aug 2023

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Germany (2023-08-01)

Dresden

Safety snapshot Visit context: Aug 2023

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Germany (2023-08-01)

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Oshkosh 2024

I was able to snag a flight to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to see the busiest airport in the world (for the week) - EAA AirVenture 2024! Thank you so much to Tony Hurst for making this happen!

Oshkosh

Safety snapshot Visit context: Jul 2024

Tourist-directed crime Low

Random violence Guarded

General U.S. public-venue violence baseline.

Ecuador 2025

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Ecuador 2025

I was here in August and early September 2025!

Quito

Safety snapshot Visit context: Sep 2025

Tourist-directed crime Elevated

Street crime, robbery, and transport scams for mainland city stops.

Random violence Elevated

Security deterioration and localized violence.

Germany and Malta December 2024 - January 2025

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Germany and Malta December 2024 - January 2025

I had fun seeing family for Christmas in Germany, and enjoyed missing Michigan’s weather while in Malta. Between Rothenburg, Frankfurt, Mainz, Malta and Tunis I saw more churches, temples, mosques, and other religious sites than you can shake a stick at. That wasn’t entirely what I had expected the trip to be, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Safety snapshot Visit context: Dec 2024-Jan 2025

Tourist-directed crime Low

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Germany (2024-12-01)

Rothenburg was a small, pretty town with a nice wall, Christmas markets and a famous Christmas store. It was a good place to spend Christmas. The streets were narrow, the buildings were old, and generally what you’d expect from a stereotypical German town from a Christmas movie, because it’s the town in a lot of those movies.

Greece October-November 2021

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Greece October-November 2021

Athens

Safety snapshot Visit context: Oct-Nov 2021

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Greece (2021-10-01)

Athens, the capital of Greece, is a city rich in history and ancient monuments. The Acropolis, crowned by the Parthenon, dominates the city’s skyline. Other notable sites include the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the ancient Agora, and the Panathenaic Stadium, the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.

Italy December 2021-January 2022

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Italy December 2021-January 2022

I started this trip with family, but I was able to stay far longer than they were.

Sorrento

Safety snapshot Visit context: Dec 2021-Jan 2022

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Italy (2021-12-01)

We spent Christmas together in Sorrento, with visits to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Everything was quite pretty, and the water was swimmable though not warm.

Mexico and Columbia Early 2023

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

CDMX

Safety snapshot Visit context: Early 2023

Tourist-directed crime Elevated

Robbery, scams, taxi issues, and tourist-area theft.

Random violence Elevated

Organized-crime violence and localized unrest.

Governmental risk Guarded

Police interactions and emergency margins.

Panama City March 2025

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Panama City 2025

I had a little bit of time free after attending Replicated’s 2025 All Hands in Los Angeles, and I thought Panama City would be fun, close, and much warmer than Michigan in March.

Panama City

Safety snapshot Visit context: Mar 2025

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Civil unrest and higher-risk areas elsewhere in the country.

Peru January 2024

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Peru 2024

I spent the first 6 weeks of the year in Lima, with a few weekends elsewhere. It was entertaining, but it won’t be the first city I return to.

Lima

Safety snapshot Visit context: Jan 2024

Tourist-directed crime Elevated

Robbery, theft, and transport scams.

Poland September-October 2024

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Poland 2024

The trip started off on an odd note, with some flight difficulties. KLM cancelled my flight to Amsterdam 3 days before departure, which is honestly fine. The issue was the initial rebooking - ORD -> JFK -> AMS -> WSW would not have been my first choice of routing, and the 50 minute connection in JFK made it implausible to me. The way it displayed on the website really didn’t help either! [Show/Hide]

Portugal December 2023

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Portugal 2023

This was my last trip of 2023, and I was looking for somewhere in Europe that wouldn’t be too cold in December. Portugal fit the bill, and I’m glad I visited!

Porto

Safety snapshot Visit context: Dec 2023

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Low

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

U.S. State Department travel advisory - Portugal (2023-12-01)

Porto was pretty, but also really hilly. Everything was walkable, but my calves got quite the workout for the week I spent there!

Spain and France May-June 2022

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Madrid

Safety snapshot Visit context: May-Jun 2022

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Pickpocketing, scams, and theft in dense tourist areas.

Random violence Guarded

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona are grouped, with Barcelona generally driving the tourist-theft caution.

Thailand November 2022

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Bangkok

Safety snapshot Visit context: Nov 2022

Tourist-directed crime Guarded

Random violence Guarded

Political unrest and terrorism cautions elsewhere in the country.

Governmental risk Low

Sources and notes

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket are grouped for the 2022 trip, away from southern border provinces.

Turkey and Romania September-November 2023

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:26:45 +0000

Istanbul 2023

This was a very interrupted trip! I started with the intention of spending six weeks in Istanbul, but then flew to Salt Lake City in the middle for a week of in-person work. At the end of the trip I spent a week in Bucharest, Romania, after leaving Istanbul early. There were still things left to do, but I wasn’t sure of the political climate following the October 7th attacks in Israel.