Travel Savvy Gal

I live in Milan, so you might expect that after the recent attacks that I would have serious thoughts and nightmare scenarios racing through my head. After all, I live in another major European city not that far away. I take the metro multiple times in a typical day. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, a concert I was planning to attend here in Milan was postponed after appearing on a list of ISIS targets. All the factors that should lead to a very worried American expat, right?

Honestly though, while I felt anguish at the terror in Brussels and Nice, and compassion for the victims and their families, questioning my own personal safety here in Milan didn’t even cross my mind. None of my expat friends around Europe (and certainly none of the locals) have mentioned this topic even once.

It is only after receiving multiple concerned e-mails from friends and family back in the US about whether I feel safe in Milan – and if there were additional security measures being taken over here – that it even occurred to me to question my safety. And those questions are also what inspired me to write this post.

Why was I not more concerned?

I should be concerned, right? I have been to the Brussels airport twice in the last year and a half.  Last year, although I did not go to Nice, I was in Monaco and other locations in the south of France. I was considering a weekend in Istanbul before the last attack.

I mean it when I say ‘I could have been there.’

But to me, post-attack is not the time to be nervous about locations abroad. Attacks have never stopped me from travelling before. Shortly after September 11^th, I bought plane tickets to Europe (for under $300 round-trip New York to London!) and spent a month travelling to London, Amsterdam, and Israel. This past fall, after a series of terrorist attacks in Israel, I checked flight prices and booked a great fare on EasyJet – 68 Euros for round-trip airfare between Milan and Tel Aviv – for travel in early December. In general, I find that post-violence security is better, there are fewer tourists, & prices are cheaper.

Does this mean I am reckless? Absolutely not.

Before September 11^th, I would have been the type of worker to stay at my desk even if people were telling me to leave. It is that precarious combination I possess of stubbornness and a Type A personality that would have led me at the time to think that I knew best. Plus, when I first heard about the towers being hit at work on the morning of September 11^th, it took me quite a while to process the news since having airplanes fly into the Twin Towers (even before they fell) was completely outside of the realm of what my brain thought was possible at the time. Had I been in the towers, I almost certainly would have perished, all the while feeling certain that I had made the right choice by not evacuating.

And post-September 11th?

Fortunately it was several years before I found myself in a situation that tested whether my stubbornness would get the best of me. In 2011, I was sitting at my cubicle desk in Washington, DC when I felt a slight rumble that lasted a few seconds and then shifted to a stronger sway causing my computer CPU to wobble enough that I had to reach out and actually catch the box to keep it from falling over. My stomach jumped a bit and my mind started racing…Was this a terrorist attack? It is DC after all. Or maybe an earthquake? But DC doesn’t get earthquakes, it couldn’t be that. But the shaking happened for long enough, that an earthquake was maybe the most likely explanation, right?

This happened just minutes before I was supposed to be on a conference call, and my rational mind starting thinking it was safe to stay. In fact, two of my colleagues stayed behind to be able to join the call. And me? I didn’t let my rational mind override my instinct, and got out of there as quickly as I could. Yes, I was a super-conscientious worker. But as I learned from September 11^th, life trumps diligence. At the time I was pretty confident that it had been an earthquake and not a terrorist attack. Even still, since DC is not an area typically prone to earthquakes, who knew if my office building had been constructed to withstand them?

Was everything all right in the end? Yes. Yes, it was an earthquake. Yes, the earthquake was weak enough that the building was safe to re-enter shortly after the evacuation. Yes, I was ultimately able to join that conference call. Even knowing the benign details now, and that I felt an amplified version of the earthquake since I was on a high floor at the time, am I glad I followed my instincts to evacuate? Yes. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.

And now?

Do I think it is my stubbornness that is keeping me from feeling unsafe in Milan, my current city? I can honestly say, no. For a few reasons:

1. Italy takes terrorist threats seriously. Although it did not get much mention in the English-speaking press, two of the Brussels bombers transited through Italy and spurred a re-examination of security measures. Even before the recent attacks, with the high number of recent refugees, all of Europe has been on increased security alert and more vigilant about airport and border checks, and I’m sure will be even more so now.

   

2. Milan takes terrorist threats seriously. I have personally noticed changes over the past months. There are more strade sicure (“safe streets”) armored vehicles driving throughout the city on a regular basis, when usually I only see them parked in front of vulnerable locations. Local police officers are monitoring Milan’s metro platforms and riding the trains.
3. I take my safety seriously. I am a city girl with street smarts. Even though Milan is relatively safe, I am always cautious. I keep my purse zipper facing front and my arm securely over it at all times. If I see someone suspicious-looking or who gives me an uncomfortable feeling on public transit, I switch metro cars. I walk with purpose.

Above all, I do not let terror terrorize me. I believe that tourist destinations are typically safer after an attack. And the risks (and rewards) of living in a major European city are no different than almost three years ago when I moved here: pre-Paris, pre-Brussels, pre-Istanbul, pre-Nice.

Life goes on, and travel goes on as well.

How about you?

Are you an expat living in Europe? Do you think Europe in general is safe right now? How about your city?

And is anyone out there re-thinking a European vacation they’ve already booked? Or are you someone who wasn’t planning to come to Europe and is now considering a trip?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.