I thought I would briefly address this topic, since some people are concerned for my safety. A friend of mine even asked if I would be bringing a weapon. Since I've never handled a gun in my life, and there would be no way to get it on an airplane, that isn't even an option. And cans of mace can explode in tropical heat, and are illegal in Australia, so I think that would be more trouble than it's worth. A bit of a reality check is in order. The US is actually one of the most dangerous countries on my itinerary. Heck, there are murders right here in Columbia. But it's easy to avoid that stuff by using common sense and staying away from shady areas. This will be a non-issue in NZ and Oz, since those are laid back countries with low crime. Sure, every once in awhile a backpacker is murdered, but the media totally distorts the situation by making the one out of a million backpackers killed into a huge story. Once I get to Asia, getting ripped off or getting stuff stolen will be a bigger problem than getting murdered.