Papua New Guinea is not your typical holiday destination, but being a country I had never visited, I was very excited that my job, even if just for a few days, took me to its capital, Port Moresby.

Welcome to Papua New Guinea

Carjacking, assault, bag snatching, robberies…

Port Moresby has the dubious honour of being the most at-risk location for Australian business travellers.

When I told my parents I was going to Papua New Guinea, not sure if they are just getting used to me and my adventures, but they were pretty calm. Their only advice was to make sure my travel insurance had hostage coverage.

Drive from Airport to Hotel – I’m sure that is betel not blood on the pavement.

Hence, due to the high crime rate, my time in Port Moresby was spent living in bubbles of safety; the airport, a gated hotel complex and a gated office block; with organised transport between these bubbles.

Living in Gated Communities

Each morning, as I sat in a cafe, enjoying a coffee and looking out across the beautiful bay, I found it hard to believe Port Moresby has such a bad reputation. The nerves in my stomach were more to do with having to deliver training than any danger I felt with the city.

View from Office

I definitely felt more uncomfortable travelling solo in Nairobi and South Africa. The most dangerous place I have probably been is Belize City, where on 2 separate occasions I saw a gun being pulled out, but I was very young and naive back then, so I took it in my stride.

During my trip to Papua New Guinea, all I saw in my safe little bubbles were lovely, smiley and happy people. I guess like with any walks of life, the majority are good people, it is only that small minority that create trouble and spoils everyone else’s reputation.

View from my Hotel Window

To reduce the risk of unwanted attention I did dress down (not really hard for me) and I left all my jewellery at home. I carried a decoy purse, with just a little money, to hand over in the event of being accosted. I didn’t explore outside my little bubbles, which was hard for someone with an adventurous soul like mine. I certainly didn’t venture out after dark.  I was driven everywhere, even though my hotel was only 2 blocks from the office. And, whilst on the bus, I kept my bags on the floor, so not to tempt smash and grabs.

Safety, not adventure was my main priority.

The only locals that annoyed me were the pesky mozzies, which despite of my beautiful scented DEET perfume, had a fantastic feast on my bum and boobs.

Goodbye PNG

I am therefore happy to report I survived my brief business trip to Port Moresby without incidence. I am sure the crime exists, but I was very, very sheltered, living in bubbles.