Woman who has visited more than 30 countries reveals place she felt most unsafe

A 22-year-old Australian backpacker has now logged close to 40 countries, and her most unsettling stop was not some far-off war zone. It was Bulgaria, and she didn’t even stay long enough to pretend she knew everything about the place.

She posted the whole story on Reddit, explaining how she saved for years after moving to Melbourne and then hit the road right after high school. Along the way she’s handled the usual backpacker chaos, from south-east Asia tourist routes to Europe hopping, but Bulgaria hit different, with poverty she hadn’t seen anywhere else and a “sketchy vibe” that came with theft attempts and people following her at night.

And once she couldn’t relax even in a group or on public transport, she realized the danger felt personal, not just “travel risky.”

Main Story

A woman who's backpacked in more than 30 countries has detailed the nation she felt most unsafe in.

With Gen Z and millennials 'embracing' a simple travel trend to safe money in 2026, budget traveling is at an all-time high.

Her plan sounded like the dream budget itinerary, but that Reddit AMA is where the Bulgaria details start to land.

Key Point 2

One anonymous explorer took to Reddit to explain how she's visited close to 40 countries on a 'tight budget' at the age of just 22.

On the 'AMA' forum, the traveler explained: "I’m lucky enough to be Australian. Born in Sydney, moved to US for 9 years, in Melbourne since then (except 1 year in Estonia).

Key Point 3

"In Melbourne, it’s common to have a job from 14yr9mo, so I had 4 years to save up as much money as I could and travel as soon as I graduated high school. I’m deeply interested in nature, culture, architecture, and language in particular."

She went on to explain that she's backpacked the likes of Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Romania and the Netherlands, while she's also visited the Middle East, the Americas, and done the popular tourist route of south-east Asia.

After listing Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Romania, and the Netherlands, she still singled out Bulgaria as the one place that made her feel vulnerable.

Key Point 4

While the Redditor has experienced new cultures and met loads of amazing people along the way, there's one European nation she's visited that made her feel vulnerable.

Explaining the country she felt most unsafe in, the backpacker explained: "Honestly, Bulgaria. I wasn’t there long so I don’t pretend to have a deep knowledge of the country, but as a young female tourist, that was scary.

Similar to Snooki urging awareness after her cervical cancer diagnosis.

Key Point 5

"I’ve never seen anything like the poverty I saw in Bulgaria - not even in south-east Asia. Whilst that’s sad, not scary, it did explain the sketchy vibe and attempts at theft/robbery."

She went on to explain how structures were 'missing floors', while it was pretty common for homes to be filled with 'dirt floors'.

The “missing floors” and dirt-filled homes were bad enough, but the theft/robbery attempts and people following her at night turned it into something scarier.

Key Point 6

On top of that, the traveler experienced people following her at night, though that was also common in the day.

"Being afraid to walk anywhere, even in a group, but being afraid to catch public transport or taxis because of other experiences," she added.

Key Point 7

While the backpacker admits the people of Bulgaria are 'beautiful', she cannot recommend a visit to the Balkan nation, particularly for solo travellers.

Speaking to UNILAD in 2024, Drew Binsky, who's visited every country on the planet, detailed another scary place you may want to avoid.

Even when she tried to move around in a group, she said she was afraid to walk and even more afraid of taxis or catching public transport.

Key Point 8

"Back in 2018, I spent time in N'Djamena, Chad's capital, and largest city. Never in my life have I been more scared, threatened, or attacked (both verbally and physically) than I was in that hot, dusty, and beaten-down, deserted city," the YouTuber explained.

Drew continued: "I was involved in a disastrous police chase on a motorbike and was attacked by over a dozen people for trying to take a photo. If it wasn't for my 6'6'' local friend (AKA Bodyguard), then I'm not sure I would have made it out of that country alive - no joke!

Key Point 9

"The lessons I learned from my experience there are the following: always ask before taking a photo of anyone, avoid crowds, including any demonstrations or protests."

For a traveler who could handle so much, Bulgaria was the one country that made her feel like the trip was chasing her back.

Wait till you see Daniel Radcliffe’s plan to keep his son from Harry Potter fame.