We’ve all been there. You’re in your room, almost naked, and room service or the maid walks in. It feels scary for a second, before you see their embarrassment and you squawk “later please” in your broken version of the local language. It makes you wonder, however, if someone else could come in just as easily.
I’ve done my fair share of traveling. From going to Tokyo as a teenager, to traveling Europe by myself and making new friends as I went, I was blissfully unaware of the dangers that existed. Luckily, I had common sense (and a worried mother), which likely helped me escape an incident or two.
It’s not always easy traveling as a woman, but you can make your sojourns safer by following a few (okay, make that fifty) of our essential travel safety tips:
Choosing a Hotel
1. Smaller is smarter. You want the staff to be familiar with you and the other guests. The smaller the lobby, the more noticeable the loiterers.
2. Aim for a place in a busy part of town (neighborhood restaurants and late-night stores mean traffic, corporate offices and parking garages mean empty streets and tumbleweeds). Affluent residential areas tend to have more reliable transportation and a less threatening street crowd.
3. If you’re still concerned about the area, ask a female employee – not one in reservations – whether or not she feels it’s safe to walk around at night. (Call the restaurant, for instance.)
4. A reception and concierge desk near the entrance and/or the elevators is more likely to deter non-guest undesirables.
5. There should be privacy for guests checking in; nobody should be able to overhear a name, room number, or other personal information.
6. Room numbers should be written on the room key envelope, not told to you aloud or inscribed on the key. This way, anyone who picks up your lost key won’t have access to your room.
7. Look for a parking lot that’s well lit and secure. Find out if there’s valet parking . . . and if it will be available when you need it. Use it, even if it costs a little bit more.
8. Does the hotel gym have an attendant? Half-naked and alone in a hotel basement isn’t exactly where you want to find yourself.
9. The hotel should have sufficient staff to walk you to your room late at night. Inquire when you book and you’ll get an idea of how female-friendly the hotel is.
Room Rules
10. Request a room near the elevators and away from any renovation or repair work. Have your key out when you leave the elevator.
11. You want to be far from emergency exits (which someone might pry open to avoid using the elevators), ideally on an upper floor away from catwalks and terraces.
12. The door should have double locks – one of which is a dead bolt – and a peephole. Bring along a security doorstop if you think you’ll need extra protection.
13. The “Please Make Up My Room” sign tells everyone you’re not there. Call housekeeping instead to notify them your room’s ready for cleaning.
14. Conversely, the do not disturb sign can make the room seem occupied (especially handy if you leave expensive items inside).
15. Put expensive clothing on hangers under other garments. Robbers usually “shop” what they can see.
16. Lock valuables in the front-desk safe.
17. If your bag is stolen from the hotel, recruit management to search for it. Most hotel robberies are committed by the staff, and many companies, especially overseas, don’t allow employees to leave with packages; thieves take the money and dump the rest.
18. Stand near the elevator buttons with your back to the wall; if threatened, push all the buttons at once with your back.
Street Smarts
19. Study a map before going out. Once on the street, use a pocket-sized guidebook to avoid looking like the vulnerable tourist you probably are. Have your hotel’s concierge or a female employee mark any dangerous areas on your map.
20. Dress down. Fur coats and Prada heels scream “mug me.” If you do go out with the good stuff (for a nice dinner or some other formal event), use private transportation.
21. Ditch the jewelry – even a chain that’s fake gold can be ripped off your neck. Do consider wearing a wedding ring.
22. Loop a money belt through your belt loops so if someone cuts it, it won’t fall from your waist.
23. Be wary when getting off a bus or train, or riding stairs and escalators; that’s when pickpockets tend to strike.
24. Carry just one credit card and photocopies of important documents. Divide money for small and larger purchases so you don’t have to expose a wad of bills. (When sharing with friends, keep a kitty for common expenses to make digging for cash in public places unnecessary.) Become familiar with foreign currency before you need to use it.
25. Have tips prepared for porters and doormen.
26. Use prepaid phone cards instead of carrying your card number.
27. Ask the concierge to make any restaurant reservations, and have him or her say, “Please take care of our guest, she’s coming alone and will need a taxi home.”
28. Should a car start to follow you, immediately turn and walk the opposite way.
29. If you must ask for directions, approach families or women with children. To be extra safe, say, “Where is the –? I’m meeting my husband there.”
30. On sidewalks, keep your handbag and other valuables away from the street side (and on escalators, away from the opposite ramp).
31. If attacked, run, fight, and yell as loud as possible.
Transportation Savvy
32. Use covered luggage tags. Instead of your home address, write your office address on the baggage ID.
33. Lock all suitcases. If you make a lot of purchases on your trip and your bag becomes full, secure the bag with strong tape.
34. In public rest rooms, use the corner stall. Keep your purse and/or luggage on the wall side of the stall.
35. On overnight flights, keep an eye on your valuables. A good idea is to put your valuables in a security waist pack (versus leaving it in your stowed carry on) and wear it while sleeping. When you go to the lavatory, take your purse/valuables with you.
36. Talk to female passengers and flight attendants on the plane about the safety of your destination.
37. In a busy area, if you deposit your belongings on your car’s passenger seat, lock the door before walking around to the driver’s side.
38. Don’t exit a taxi until you’re sure you’ve arrived at your destination. Pay while still in the car so that you can be sure you’ve gotten the proper change.
39. Stay close to your valuables when passing through airport security.
40. If you place your carry-on bag on the floor when sitting in a restaurant or other public area, put your foot through the strap; don’t leave it loose.
41. Tear your name and address off magazines before leaving them on the plane. Why announce to the world that you’re away?
42. To avoid getting lost when leaving a tricky airport, hire a taxi to lead your rental car to the expressway. Don’t use an unmarked taxi; if necessary, take public transportation to a city center.
43. Rent a mobile phone or bring your own. Put the police on speed dial.
44. On the road, if someone tries to get your attention or your car is bumped, don’t stop until you arrive at a well-lit and busy area, or, failing that, stay in the car and blow the horn until someone comes to your aid.
45. If suspicious about “phony” police, don’t open the window. Instead, hold your license against the glass.
46. In your car, keep items out of sight (especially maps and guidebooks). Hatchbacks leave your luggage in plain view.
47. When possible, park so you won’t have to back out. It makes for a speedier departure.
48. A mistake many women make is getting into an aggressor’s car when they pull a gun and order you to step into their vehicle. Most attackers don’t want to shoot you; they want you to get into the car so that they can drive you to a deserted place and torture you. Don’t comply. Run screaming. It is MUCH more likely than not that your assailant will just move on to an easier target.
General Advice
49. Don’t just check the weather at your destination. Also make a note of when the sun rises and sets.
50. Before you set out, scour the internet for safety info you can find about the place you’re planning to visit.
And remember: Above all, make sure to have fun! Don’t let fear keep you from getting out there and meeting people, or doing adventurous activities. A little planning goes a long way to keeping you from having to worry about any type of danger while you’re away.
I live in a pretty messed up neighborhood, so sadly I already have to do many of these. The best thing that worked for my safety, however, was cutting my hair and wearing looser/baggier clothing and other clothes typically meant for men. Now when I go out I am generally left alone. Now, I am non-binary, but I was born as female and presented as one while in the closet for many years, so I have firsthand experienced the fear of walking alone at night or even in daylight. After I started passing as male, it’s startling at how much safer I feel. It’s even gotten to the point where other people will cross the street when I’m walking by at night, so much is the fear of men in my neighborhood. It’s sad how horrible things like these to keep women safe are necessary in our day and age.
These are pretty useful tips for anyone travelling. Not just women. I’m sure guys also feel equally threatened/prone to attacks and theft while travelling.
Yes, most of these do apply to men as well, and everyone should be careful when travelling alone, especially in a foreign country. However, in many countries around the world there is very little respect for women as opposed to men. This does not necessarily mean that women are weaker or more vulnerable, but it does mean that they are often targets for theft or rape. So yeah, most of them can be used for both, but men are often less likely to have these troubles.
Interesting. And also confused. I traveled a lot on my own. Never got in trouble. Trust your instincts, be alert and relaxed at the same time, know who you are, get really loud if you have to, don’t be shy. But also be polite at the same time. And have the courage to slap the other person in the face by surprise if the situation would ask for it. Most people back off by surprise if you act differently than they would think you would.
Where I live, taxis have a visible registration number on the door. I always make it a point to call someone during the ride and say, “I’m on my way, currently at XYZ street. I’m using taxi provider ABC and the registration number is 12345.” This way, the driver knows that someone knows exactly which taxi I’m in. Might come in handy for anyone travelling in Indonesia or anywhere where the taxi registration number is largely visible (which I assume is most places, but I’m not well-travelled enough to know).
It’s so frustrating that as women we have to incorporate these defense mechanisms into our daily routines, and, sadly, many men are completely oblivious.
It’s so incredibly sad that we have to think about our safety like this. A lot of my guy friends didn’t know that I think about things like this when I go places and just thought I was being ridiculous…
This reminds me of when my boyfriend asked why I always locked the car doors as soon as I got in. I had to explain to him that it’s out of habit because many predators look for younger or older women sitting in their cars to attack or rob.
Men just don’t get it!! My ex got mad at me for being so furious that he was 30mins late meeting me, when we were doing study abroad, downtown at night…. on a street corner where I had been flashed a week before. He could not understand why I was so terrified and angry with him.
Both men and women can use these tips, but it’s a fact that everywhere women are more likely to be thought as prey than men.
Although this article is very good and have personally used some of these tips when I travelled alone, it’s sad that we still live a world where such posts are needed and smart, capable women have to go through all this for a simple trip.
Not sure what other people’s thoughts are but I have met a couple girls who were given safety whistles before they went traveling.
Great tips! Very useful. Overall, I really enjoy reading your blog and being able to live vicariously through all our travels. I wish you the best of luck and safe travels always and to always have a good time! Tank you for being a travel blogger!