We all have our habits when staying at hotels. Some are logical, and some are a bit irrational. However, I’ve never seen anything quite like this before.
In this post:
Some unusual safety tips for solo female travelers
There’s currently a video going viral sharing hotel safety tips for solo female travelers. In less than 24 hours, it has been viewed roughly eight million times (and counting) on X, in addition to lots of views on other platforms, including TikTok.
Let me start by acknowledging that many female travelers do face travel safety concerns that the average male traveler doesn’t have to deal with, so it’s smart to take precautions, and it’s helpful for travelers to share tips online. However, I’ve never seen anything quite like these tips before. In the 60-second video, the female solo traveler makes several recommendations for hotel room safety:
- Place big men’s shoes in front of the door, to make it look like there’s a man in the room
- Place the “do not disturb” sign on the door
- Cover the peephole with a tissue
- Lock the door, and use a portable lock for extra security
- Block the door by placing an ironing board against the door
- Install a door stop alarm, so if someone tries to break in, an alarm will sound
- Install a hidden camera in the room
- Use a spy detector mirror to check for hidden cameras
- Check every corner of the ceiling and walls, along with the phone, lights, sockets, switches, and ventilation openings, for any listening devices
- Use binoculars to look out the window and make sure no one is watching you
Are these travel tips intended to be serious?
First of all, let me admit that I find this video to be utterly fascinating, and I’ve now probably watched it 10 times, because… well, I’ve just never seen anything like this before.
Maybe I’m dense, but I’m genuinely curious, is this intended to be serious, is it a joke, or something in the middle? As mentioned above, many female travelers understandably feel the need to take extra precautions when traveling. But as I watch this, my mind is sort of blown:
- Placing shoes in front of the door of a room?! When did that become appropriate hotel etiquette?
- The number of blocks in place with the door just makes no sense to me, and if anything, it seems like it would increase danger, in the event that a prompt evacuation is necessary
- We do sometimes hear of rooms being broken into, and items being stolen; however, a vast majority of the time it’s either when the room is unoccupied, or when the latch isn’t being used
- If you’re so concerned about someone breaking into the room (to the point that you have five mechanisms in place to prevent the door from opening), how do you safely enter and leave the room, when you’re out in the open?
- If you’re concerned about your privacy and safety, standing in front of a window near other buildings in just a towel probably isn’t a best practice 😉
Like I said, I can’t quite figure out how seriously this is intended. Regardless, it’s an incredibly captivating video, so if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth giving a watch, as I appreciate the creativity. This same TikTok user has all kinds of other videos about hotel safety, which are equally, umm, detail oriented.
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Bottom line
A video with hotel safety tips for solo female travelers is going viral. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before, because these aren’t just your typical safety tips. The video includes recommendations like placing men’s shoes in front of your door, and using five different mechanisms for locking and alarming your door.
What do you make these female solo travel tips? Am I the only one who can’t figure out whether this is intended to be serious or not?
If this woman truly feels this is necessary then I truly feel bad for her. I'm not in any position to tell a woman what to do to make her feel safe. However, I've seen several videos like this pop up on my feed, and my assumption is that it is engagement farming. And you know what... It worked!
I am a snowflake, so i breath only from a portable oxygen bottle stash i take with me whenever i leave the South to other regions of the contaminated and dangerous United States hotel rooms.
Except for Hawaii and Alaska of course which are both non-contiguous and have safe air. Good grief…the agenda of propaganda is so obvious to some!
As a solo woman business traveler, who spends about 2 weeks a month in a hotel- I hate to say that yeah, this is serious. Some of these things- no, I would never bother with... and yeah, some things seem a little funny. But the sad fact is, it actually doesn't matter the 'nicety' of the hotel. I've had drugged out guys try and break my door down in the best hotel in town and...
As a solo woman business traveler, who spends about 2 weeks a month in a hotel- I hate to say that yeah, this is serious. Some of these things- no, I would never bother with... and yeah, some things seem a little funny. But the sad fact is, it actually doesn't matter the 'nicety' of the hotel. I've had drugged out guys try and break my door down in the best hotel in town and the front desk be too young and scared to deal with it. Is a door alarm necessary? Probably not. But if it gives you enough peace you can get some sleep- go for it. I move furniture in front of doors. While I acknowledge that's probably not doing much, it makes me feel better.
Same - and I also check for cameras (and bed bugs,!). Don't care about listening devices.
If a viral video was the goal here, mission accomplished as that’s all this was about. This is beyond stupid and completely unnecessary. If you’re that paranoid about hotel safety, then stay home!
I average 185 room nights in hotels a year and have never had a problem over decades of business travel. The only thing I do is be sure the “do not disturb” sign stays on whenever I leave the room.
I am a guy who has experienced several very threatening situations during hotel stays over the course of 40 years of travel. I am an average size guy. I am cautious and consider myself to be "urban smart".
I believe safety concerns and considerations apply to both male and female travelers.
And for what it's worth, we were told during flight attendant training that barricading the hotel door was a hazard in the...
I am a guy who has experienced several very threatening situations during hotel stays over the course of 40 years of travel. I am an average size guy. I am cautious and consider myself to be "urban smart".
I believe safety concerns and considerations apply to both male and female travelers.
And for what it's worth, we were told during flight attendant training that barricading the hotel door was a hazard in the event that rapid evacuation from the room became necessary .
Uhh, Florida man, NYC is the only urban part of the United States. Your handle says you are in St. Petersburg.
They do and the only necessary precaution is common sense awareness of one's surroundings. What you perceived as threatening situations may have been your paranoia. If you think I'm gaslighting you well you didn't include any specifics. What you...
Uhh, Florida man, NYC is the only urban part of the United States. Your handle says you are in St. Petersburg.
They do and the only necessary precaution is common sense awareness of one's surroundings. What you perceived as threatening situations may have been your paranoia. If you think I'm gaslighting you well you didn't include any specifics. What you did say is you're urban smart despite not living in NYC which immediately discredits you.
Why do you have to be such a jerk?
I disagree I’m a jerk, but if you see it that way, then I regret to tell you, you have to be a “jerk” (unambiguous and truthful, even if critical) to amount to anything in life. I’m an equity partner at a >$6MM PPEP law firm.
As an American you have to live in NYC if you want to claim credibly that you are urban smart.
Telling us how much you make is vulgar, nouveau riche behaviour. Here's a tip - old money doesn't discuss their wealth in public, because they have nothing to prove.
Arps is a law school student in Jersey City.
On my last trip to NYC, someone (probably my neighbour) started hammering on my door at various intervals starting at 1:30 a.m. After the third time, I called the front desk and they were up in a flash, security cameras would have told them who it was. Of course they wouldn't tell me, but the next day they said "the person beside you checked out", so I assume it was him. I will never again travel without a portable door alarm, I want that extra level of security.
The solution isn't to travel with a door alarm. It's to stay in better hotels (= better clientele)
That's the same line of thinking as "better" hotels don't have bedbugs.
The woman featured in the video cannot be the least bit concerned about her privacy, as she is wearing intimate apparel. People will do and say anything for a brief shot at fame.
WOWWWW major "dressed slutty, asking for it" vibes that have fallen way, way out of favor in the last 50 years. Shame on you
I think you misinterpreted Greg's comment. The only problem with it is privacy (which he is right about) is not the same thing as being accosted (which he is not).
He's aksi right that she could have easily done that video in normal clothes if she wasn't trying to be sensational. Saying that someone is a social media slut is very different than saying they are actually one in behavior or that they deserve poor treatment because of it.
If the shoes were leather ones, then I would certainly see the logic.
A few decades ago it was standard that one left shoes outside the door to be polished by staff overnight.
Theft largely killed off that idea.
Perhaps it is still common in some parts of the world? South Asia?
I take those multiple ideas for making the door difficult to open as a menu - which one to use being dependent on the particular arrangement in a given hotel.
And in the rare case when one has already been followed back to the hotel one might use multiple ones to feel more confident (a bit like setting multiple alarms before an important early flight)
The ironing board under the handle is a variation...
I take those multiple ideas for making the door difficult to open as a menu - which one to use being dependent on the particular arrangement in a given hotel.
And in the rare case when one has already been followed back to the hotel one might use multiple ones to feel more confident (a bit like setting multiple alarms before an important early flight)
The ironing board under the handle is a variation on something I was taught in a self-defence class decades ago - a chair with a wooden bar at the top of the back to prevent a handle being turned.
Self defense classes are a scam. They feed into paranoia. No data shows that people who take self defense classes are any safer than people who use common sense.
From the self-defence course I remember nothing of the "judo" element.
I remember a lot of what now seems to me common sense.
i.e. you are right about using common sense; good self-defence classes teach it.
I concluded the cheapest room at the nicest hotel was the safest option for a hotel. The individuals in the videos would be viewed as prospective victims in light of the clown outfits alone.
I would absolutely stay at the cheapest room at a Mandarin Oriental over the penthouse suite at a Courtyard by Marriott.
The amount of stuff on and around the door is a safety/fire hazard. It would be my luck I would get the door open only to trip on the shoes. People need to be accountable for giving advice.
The probability of a fire at a hotel affecting you in any way shape or form is 0.0000000000001%
Nice statistic! You got a source for that, buddy?
Yeah it's called my ass
Not surprised!
The probability of someone getting passed the regular hotel locks is less than that..
Guess what arpshole? PHX 1980 double tree hotel. Club ( top) floor. 6:00am transformer fire. No exit lights. ( code violation ) the news truck was there before I got out.
Here's a quick safety tip - don't open your hotel door wearing nothing but a towel. SMH
Nice! Victim blaming. How about you chop off your cock so you don't accidentally rape somebody.
This is a nonsense feminist talking point that leads to women with RBF clogging our cities and making them inhospitable.
STFU son. You haven’t a clue. Go ask your Mum.
America is this way. In the UK where you say Mum, people (including women) are more likely to uphold a semblance of decorum and manners.
The fact that someone liked Arps' sexist comment here is 100% proof he's employing an alt.
Watson, nobody, paid or free, is liking your comment. What does that say about you, other than you like to throw baseless accusations of sexism?
That’s a rhetorical question by the way. The answer is you’re a moron and the case is closed. I will not be reopening this thread. G’day!
Lol "this is my final response". Pout harder.
It's a TikTok video, it's meant for dumb people, not for people with enough attention span to be able to think.
Its crazy that its never been safer for any solo traveler and yet people seem more afraid than ever. Is stuff like this making it worse
I do block the peephole. I can't figure out if a do-not-disturb sign makes you more or less a target. Maybe don't open the door or stand at the window in just a robe.
Why just one pair of big men shoes? Take 3 of them.
You don't want people mistaking your room for the one with the gangbang.
The overly extensive safety measures for women alone is a meme at this point - probably started with well intentioned influencers and spiraled, as these things on the Internet do. I have seen some funny videos from a woman who pretends to do things like wear a detachable fake pregnancy belly that you can throw at an attacker, and stay on a fake phone call for an entire cab ride where you constantly talk about...
The overly extensive safety measures for women alone is a meme at this point - probably started with well intentioned influencers and spiraled, as these things on the Internet do. I have seen some funny videos from a woman who pretends to do things like wear a detachable fake pregnancy belly that you can throw at an attacker, and stay on a fake phone call for an entire cab ride where you constantly talk about how big and muscular your scary boyfriend is, etc. This kind of satire is intentionally pretty dry because it's good for engagement to get people in the comments arguing about whether or not the OP is actually serious.
Women’s safety is no joke, but it’s hilarious that a woman would have enough room in her luggage for a “large pair of men’s shoes”
"is this intended to be serious" - it is intended to go viral
She’s been around. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings when you travel—and yes, solo female travelers should take extra precautions. But this is either satire or this woman is mentally ill (or a big amazon grift). Just watch her videos on what she does at home when her husband is away.
Hardly ridiculous. I’m a single dude and I personally employ at least half of these tips on a routine basis. The binoculars thing is weird though.
@ Sark Azim -- So half of the tips aren't unreasonable, I agree. But the binoculars? The shoes? The door alarm?
Binoculars and the shoes are odd. As is the concern for listening devices: unless you're a senior government official or perhaps an executive, most people aren't so interested in what you have to say.
The door alarm isn't actually crazy: a loud noise may well scare off someone who forces the door open... but agree, the point of this video is clicks. And its been successful! :)
The fact those safety devices exist means there is indeed a market for them.
Ultimately, it's hard to fully fathom what female solo travelers go through, unless you are one yourself.
Some of these are good common sense tips for people regardless of gender. To some they might seem excessive, but if it provides someone peace of mind, so that they can sleep at night, then why not use them?