Solo travel for women has been on the rise for years now. And while there will always be risks and headlines of the dangers involved, it doesn’t mean that one should shy away from solo travel. Instead, what you can do is arm yourself with knowledge and research, and maybe employ these few basic hotel safety precautions;
Keep Lines Blurry
Many frequent travellers swear by keeping things gender neutral when making a room reservation. Use your first initial (or your first name and middle name initial) and your last name when you’re booking a hotel.
Create An Illusion
Ask for two keys upon check-in to create the doubt of your travel status. This will also come in handy if it’s one of those insert-keycard-for-electricity type situations. With the extra keycard, you can keep the television on while you’re out to sell the illusion that someone is in the room and deter break-ins or staffers with sticky fingers.
Make Requests
Avoid accepting ground floor rooms as they are easiest to access for non-guests and intruders. Ask for a room a few floors up and avoid rooms that are in isolated areas of the building. Make these requests ahead of your check-in via a phone call so that it isn’t obvious to other guests that you are alone.
Be Your Own Security
Make sure all the doors and windows of your room can be locked from the inside before you unpack. If there isn’t a safety latch on the door, use a rubber door stopper that can be easily installed on an inward-opening door.
Question Strangers
If someone knocks on your door and identifies themselves as the employee of the hotel, it’s always wise to question why they are there. If you’re feeling particularly suspicious, ask for a name and call the front desk to verify.
