Tips for Traveling Solo – 10 Hotel Safety Tips to Abide by
As the daughter of a flight attendant, these hotel safety tips have been drilled into my head since day one. I especially recommend these precautions for those traveling solo!
Solo travel is such an eye-opening and memorable experience. Embarking on a trip alone, where you are fully and 100% responsible for everything, will teach you more about yourself than you realize.
While the perks of solo travel are many, there are also risks that come with traveling alone. Sadly, solo travelers are more likely to be targeted for theft, scams, and those with harmful intentions. This means extra precautions and being acutely aware of your surroundings and safety is a must.
These are my top 10 hotel safety tips for traveling solo. Some may seem obvious and some may seem a bit paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry!
Tips for Traveling Solo - 10 Hotel Safety Tips to Abide by
1. Prepare your hotel check-in responses
When the front desk asks how many keys you need, always say two so they (and anyone who may be listening) assume someone else is staying with you.
If the hotel staff asks how many people are staying in the room or if you are staying alone, always have a response ready explaining that you are not alone.
2. Check your hotel room
Complete a quick sweep of your room to make sure nothing is amiss. Check under the bed, behind curtains, bathroom, closet, etc.
Chances are slim to none that someone would ever be in your room, but I would rather be safe than sorry. This is a must for solo female travelers.
3. Be extra mindful when going to your room
An obvious and overall travel safety tip for solo travelers is to always be aware and alert. This is especially true when going to and from your hotel room. Stay alert whenever going to your hotel room to make sure no one is following you.
If you ever have the feeling someone is watching you, get off at a different floor. Never go to your room and give away which room is yours. Pretend you forgot your key if you need an excuse to turn around and go to the front desk.
4. Never say your room number or floor out loud
Most hotel employees are taught not to say room numbers aloud, but surprisingly, I have had several occasions where the hotel staff said my room number out loud. If they do this and you feel that others heard, ask them for another room and to please write the number down instead of saying it aloud.
Never feel bad for asking for a different room for safety reasons. The same goes if you feel someone has followed you and now knows where your room is or what floor you are on. Ask to be moved to another room.
5. Never stay on the ground floor or by an emergency exit, stairwell, or Elevator
I request to stay on the third floor or higher. Never stay by an emergency exit or stairwell as it's an easy place for someone to hide (and quickly get away).
Having a room right by an elevator is a no-go. Not only will others in the elevator see where your room is, but some crazy person could easily shove you into the room while you are opening the door. Going along this train of thought, I never unlock and open my door if someone is close on my heels. I'll wait for them to pass by (a good amount), and then unlock my door.
This tip is not only for hotel safety, but essential for having a quiet room and a good night's sleep.
6. Parking Garages
If you have a car, use valet so you aren’t walking in a dimly lit garage by yourself. If you must use the garage and need to go to your car at night or you feel uncomfortable in the garage, ask the hotel for an employee or security guard to walk you to your car.
SEE MY OTHER TRAVEL TIPS INCLUDING:
TRAVELING LIGHT | CARRY ON FOR A 2 WEEK TRIP
9 TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY
AFFORDABLE TRAVEL – 10 BUDGET TRAVEL TIPS
Best Places for Solo Travel in Europe | My 5 Favorite Cities
TRAVELING LIGHT – HOW TO SIZE DOWN YOUR BEAUTY BAG
7. Do your research on location
If you spend time researching only one thing, the location of your hotel should be at the top of your list. Every city has sketchy areas. Make sure you stay in a safe and lively (i.e., not deserted) area.
The last thing you want is to arrive at your hotel and realize it’s in a dark and empty part of town. Read through TripAdvisor and Google reviews to get a feel for the location of the hotel you're considering. Or search “where to stay in X city” or “safe areas to stay in X”.
I'll usually search for keywords on TripAdvisor and Google reviews like "location", "safe", "unsafe", "sketchy", "solo", "alone", when reading through reviews.
Google Maps Street View is also a great tool to see what the surrounding area looks like. Photos on hotel websites can be deceiving.
Another good rule of thumb is to focus on locations that are centrally located and close to popular attractions.
I stay away from locations that are right next to train stations and major metro stations. In my experience, these areas tend to attract questionable crowds at night.
8. Research the safety measures of the hotel
Does the hotel have a 24/7 manned front desk? Do the front doors lock at night so only guests with keys can enter? Is there a security guard on the property? Is the check-in desk or concierge desk located by the front door so staff can easily see who comes and goes?
These are all questions that can be answered with a quick call to the hotel.
AWA Tip: this is why I often opt for hotels instead of Airbnbs. It's nice to know that there are staff keeping tabs on who's coming and going and a quick phone call away if you have issues.
Once, I had to leave the hotel extremely early in the morning to walk my sister to the train stop. The hotel called me because I was gone for an hour and they were worried something might have happened.
While this level of awareness and concern isn't the norm from hotel staff, you most certainly don't have an "extra set of eyes" watching out for your well-being at a rental.
9. Never open the door unless you are absolutely sure who it is
Another especially important hotel safety tip for traveling solo is not to open the door unless you know who is on the other side. Even if the person at the door says they are housekeeping or room service, don’t open the door unless you asked for these services.
If you are unsure, call the front desk and ask if they sent someone to your room. Say “no thanks” from behind your closed door if you are still uncertain.
If you did order room service, wait in the hall with the door open while they set everything up. Locking yourself in a room with an unknown person is never a good idea.
The same goes for room issues, maintenance, etc. Wait in the hall with the door open while the hotel staff is in the room.
Requesting that housekeeping or room-service delivery be done by a female is an extra precaution solo female travelers might consider.
10. Don’t leave room service cards on your door - Do Use the "Do Not Disturb" sign
Many hotels now leave the option for you to fill out your room service or breakfast request on a card and leave it on your door knob. This is an easy way for any wrongdoer to see that only one person is staying in the room by how you filled out the card.
Order any room service by phone instead.
Also, don't leave the housekeeping card on the door. This advertises that no one is in the room, and therefore, the perfect time for theft. Call for housekeeping instead.
Make use of the "do not disturb" sign while sleeping. I've had it happen myself (thankfully when I was with Jake), where a maintenance crew entered our room at 3:00 am. They were supposed to enter the vacant room next door. Rookie error that we forgot to deadbolt the door.
Leaving the "do not disturb" sign on (and deadbolting the door) ensures hotel staff don't accidentally enter the room or another hotel guest who may have been given your room by mistake.
In Summary
I hope these 10 hotel safety tips for traveling solo gave you some precautions to put into practice. While many of these aren't necessary when traveling with others, I do think they are worthwhile for solo travelers. It's better to be safe than sorry!
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Tips for Traveling Solo - 10 Hotel Safety Tips to Abide by
