Solo Traveler Hotel Safety Checklist:
Whether it has been for business or pleasure, most of my recent travel has been on my own. I know that there are a lot of women who are nervous to begin traveling on their own out of concern for their safety, and I wanted to share the things I do when checking into a hotel and entering my room. Now this is not to make you paranoid. My hope is that you can use this list and have it provide you some peace of mind during your stay.
Always check the peep hole
As soon as you walk into your room, check that the peephole was correctly installed. From the inside of the room, you should be able to view what is happening outside in the hallway. If the peephole was reversed during its installation, everything will be blurry when looking out. If correctly installed, like most are, you have nothing to be concerned about. It is important to check this during your check-in to make sure you can get a new room before unpacking your belongings. If installed incorrectly, it becomes possible for people outside, in the hallway, to watch what is happening inside.
Kinda creepy!
Confirm the locks on your door work
After you look in the peephole, take a moment to confirm that all of the locks on your door work. Engage the Privacy Door Latch at the top of your door so the door automatically stops after opening a couple of inches; with this engaged no one can enter your room without you activly disengaging it.
Check for cameras.
A great rule of thumb to consider is to look places that would be easy to conceal a small device while still being at a positive vantage point. Check the fire alarms, vents, shower-heads, mirror frames, tv and radios, lamps, coffee pots, plants, etc. If a small camera can be conveniently hidden, check the area. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
Check for microphones or recording devices.
As you are checking for cameras, also be sure to check the same areas for any microphones or similar recording devices.
“Traveling alone will be the scariest, most liberating, life-changing experience of your life. Try it at least once!”
5. Make sure all the mirrors are not double-sided
Even if your room only has one mirror, always take a minute to scrutinize every mirror on the wall of your rooms. If you stick your finger on the mirror, it should reflect with a small gap between your fingertip and the reflected fingertip. This test ensures that the mirror is a one-way mirror as the reflective coating is on the back of the mirror.
If you do this and there is no gap at all, meaning your finger and the reflected image touch, the mirror is a two-way mirror. The missing gap occurs because glass will have a thin metallic coating on the front of the glass that reflects an image to the viewer or subject, while a person on the other side looks through the glass.
6. Never tell anyone you are staying alone
Last but not least, the most important practice is never let anyone know that you are staying alone. This is a multiple step process that begins before you step foot on a plane or in a hotel. First, I always make the hotel reservations for two (2) people. Then when I am checking in, I always ask for two keys and say that my partner is getting the car parked and will need their own key once they come in. I do this in order to ensure that whoever is checking me in won't think that I am staying alone and thus an easy target.
After I’m checked in and in my room, I always put the “privacy” or “do not disturb” placard on the handle. By keeping housekeeping out of my room, I am able to (hopefully) avoid anyone seeing that there is only one suitcase or one size of shoes in the room. That would immediacy insinuate that there is only one person staying in the room, thus defeating the purpose of having people think I am traveling with someone.
Throughout my trip I continue to speak about my plans as though I have a travel buddy, taking care to say “we” instead of “I”. If I am talking with someone in the elevator, at the hotel bar, or pool, I never want to give off the impression that I am alone. Nobody needs to know that I am alone, thus making me an easy target to follow back to the room and get alone.
As solo travelers, especially young women, we can never take enough precautions to ensure our safety. Although these may seem like drastic measures, I will do anything to ensure my safety and peace of mind. I strongly encourage you to take a solo trip if you have not already done so and I hope that these tips will help give you peace of mind the next time you are traveling for business of pleasure..
If you enjoy this type of content and find the information valuable, let me know on my social accounts. I have more helpful tips like this for solo travelers that I can begin sharing more frequently. I am here to serve you as much as this blog is a creative outlet for me. Any feedback you may have is always welcomed.
See you next week!
Globetrotting is not always as easy as it seems. More often than not, many little things need to be considered and done before you even begin your travels. Rather than trying to figure it all out on your own, I have made a quick list of tips for you to use in the planning stage of your next vacation.