being safe while being abroad

I must preface this by saying as a person who studies abroad twice in college, once in graduate school and has had about 10 long trips to foreign, never have I had a problem with my personal safety. I have actually been in the collapsing Soviet Union and was never robbed using my wits to guide me. Safety is an issue for many travelers as there are professionals who rely upon irrational foreigners to pay their rent.

As somebody who has never been robbed I must admit to meeting many travelers who have. Most of the conversations start with “it was late at night and I was drinking with a beautiful woman…”, and so on. A friend of mine was robbed at 3AM after a long night of drinking under a bridge in Leningrad (yes now St. P) by strangers he thought friends. Although I feel bad for him, honestly what did he expect? The first tip is simple, be smart and if the party seems to be too good, secondary motives exist. Be guided by wise choices and avoid situations you would not participate in at home. I never met anybody who said they got robbed at 2PM after an operatic performance at a church in the center of town. Please feel free to comment, suggestions, and or provide feedback as you like.