Query About Danger of Traveling in Spain

I have made airline reservations to visit Spain at the end of October and
had planned to take a train from Madrid to Granada and then pick up a rental car
and drive around to see the historic sights as I have done several times in
Italy. However, my wife has been reading guidebooks which emphasize the crime
problem in Spain - danger leaving cars on the street, gangs of pickpockets and
muggers, etc. and wants to go with a tour company instead. Can it really be
true that it is unsafe to travel on your own in Spain or is this just tour
company propaganda?

Please reply to:

Thanks much.

Tony

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 11:49:08 GMT, tc wrote:

I have made airline reservations to visit Spain at the end of October and
had planned to take a train from Madrid to Granada and then pick up a rental car
and drive around to see the historic sights as I have done several times in
Italy. However, my wife has been reading guidebooks which emphasize the crime
problem in Spain - danger leaving cars on the street, gangs of pickpockets and
muggers, etc. and wants to go with a tour company instead. Can it really be
true that it is unsafe to travel on your own in Spain or is this just tour
company propaganda?

Spain is much safer than the US. There is very very little violent
crime agaist tourists. The on exception perhaps is that there are a
lot more pickpockets and petty thieves -- but a lot less muggers and
murder. I have parked in the street in Granada without problem.
Although I once had an antenna stolen in a parking garage, the rental
company did not charge me for it. If your car does not have something
of value visible when you park it, you are unlikely to have a problem.

Granada is one place I would be careful in you go into seedy areas
such as the caves; however, if worst came to worst, you are likely
just to lose a wallet,.

Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

"tc" píse v diskusním príspevku
...
I have made airline reservations to visit Spain at the end of October and
had planned to take a train from Madrid to Granada and then pick up a
rental car
and drive around to see the historic sights as I have done several times
in
Italy. However, my wife has been reading guidebooks which emphasize the
crime
problem in Spain - danger leaving cars on the street, gangs of pickpockets
and
muggers, etc. and wants to go with a tour company instead. Can it really
be
true that it is unsafe to travel on your own in Spain or is this just
tour
company propaganda?

I did this both in Spain and din Italy and I felt much safer in Spain.

Regards,

Ondrej

"tc" wrote in message
...
I have made airline reservations to visit Spain at the end of October and
had planned to take a train from Madrid to Granada and then pick up a
rental car
and drive around to see the historic sights as I have done several times
in
Italy. However, my wife has been reading guidebooks which emphasize the
crime
problem in Spain - danger leaving cars on the street, gangs of pickpockets
and
muggers, etc. and wants to go with a tour company instead. Can it really
be
true that it is unsafe to travel on your own in Spain or is this just
tour
company propaganda?

Perhaps five years ago I had the same dilemma. I solved it by taking a
10-day Trafalgar tour (Toledo, Granada, Gibraltar, Seville, Cordoba), and
then had a rental car reserved to 10 days. My theory was that the bus tour
would let me gauge the situation, and there wasn't a penalty for being a
no-show on the rental car. That was the first time I'd ever taken a
multiday tour, anywhere.

The tour was of some convenience in avoiding parking problems at tourist
sights, etc.

From what I saw on the tour, I concluded that driving in Spain would be NO
problem and picked up my car at the Madrid airport on schedule after the
tour. I spent to first night at Cuenca - since I didn't want to be
committed to drive all the way to Valencia the first day - and I could find
no other town of any size between Madrid and Valencia. I then puttered down
the Med coast for a number of days, having reserved ahead for lodging. It
wouldn't have been necessary even at the beginning of October. I drove the
"back" road from Cartegena to Aguilas - even though the fellow I know near
Aguilas had reservations. It turned out to be a very adequate road. From
Aguilas I took the "big" roads back to Madrid and stayed the last night at
Alcala de Hernares near the Madrid airport. Plan on morning traffic jams of
people driving to work in Madrid.

The big intercity roads in Spain are quite good. There are also impressive
restaurants scattered along the roads, even lesser roads such as the inland
road from Jerez to Algeciras. They often have a sit-down restaurant, a
cafeteria, a snack bar, etc. Shaded parking for cars is a nice feature.

I saw only one car that had been vandalized - a very ancient Citroen
abandoned on blocks that appeared to have been there for years. Most nights
I paid the extra 1000 ptas (few dollars/euros) to park in enclosed Hotel
carparks. My friend borrowed a garage for me in his town. I parked in the
open next to the hotel the last night at the town near Aguilas. I had
absolutely no car problems, even though I had been upgraded to a fairly
fancy car.

To entertain you with the symmetry, I've always hesitated to drive in Italy,
yet you've done it a number of times ;-))

sgwennodd "tc" yn neges
...
I have made airline reservations to visit Spain at the end of October and
had planned to take a train from Madrid to Granada and then pick up a
rental car
and drive around to see the historic sights as I have done several times
in
Italy. However, my wife has been reading guidebooks which emphasize the
crime
problem in Spain - danger leaving cars on the street, gangs of pickpockets
and
muggers, etc. and wants to go with a tour company instead. Can it really
be
true that it is unsafe to travel on your own in Spain or is this just
tour
company propaganda?
If you've done this in Italy, Spain will be no problem - on the whole, I'd
say there's less street crime there. What crime you'll come across is geared
towards theft, not violence. Just don't leave anything visible in the car!
Your problem with pickpockets could be worse if you go with a tour group.
It's much easier to "blend in" when there's only 2 of you coming out of a
car rather than 10s of you coming out of a tour bus...

hwyl!
geraint.

"tc" wrote in message ...
I have made airline reservations to visit Spain at the end of October and
had planned to take a train from Madrid to Granada and then pick up a rental car
and drive around to see the historic sights as I have done several times in
Italy. However, my wife has been reading guidebooks which emphasize the crime
problem in Spain - danger leaving cars on the street, gangs of pickpockets

Spain is the only place I have experienced a pick-pocket (and I was 18
months in Italy and never saw one). Just be careful and don't walk around
with much money at any one time

and
muggers, etc. and wants to go with a tour company instead. Can it really be
true that it is unsafe to travel on your own in Spain

I think what limited dangers that you will face do not depend upon you being
on your own

or is this just tour company propaganda?

I don't know, do they say this?

Tim



Please reply to:

Thanks much.

Tony