Travelling Alone

The following tips suggest ways to increase awareness and use good planning to enhance security for women traveling alone:

Choosing a hotel * Large, luxurious chain hotels usually maintain better hotel security than smaller ones and are located in safer areas. The concierge on duty is an expert on the local area who can make restaurant and other reservations, as well as advise you on places to visit or avoid. The locks in the rooms are more likely to open with key cards, which provide much better security than old-fashioned keys. It is also possible to bolt them from the inside, so that no one can enter by stealth. * Many women business travelers favor upscale bed and breakfasts, which offer greater privacy, personalized service, and relative freedom from the possibility of unwanted attention women sometimes receive from male guests in larger hotels. * If you decide to stay at a motel, choose one with interior hallways, rather than rooms with doors that open directly onto the parking lot. * In case you do stay in a smaller hotel that lacks a secure key system, be prepared with a security door stop or door brace. Both of these products fit nicely in your suitcase and, when deployed, make it impossible for anyone to enter your room when you are in it. * Leave the "do not disturb" sign on your doorknob whenever you're away from your room. It may be enough to discourage a thief who is planning to enter the room in your absence by making him think the room is occupied. * On first entering your room, and every time you return after being away, check all windows and doors and make sure they are locked. * When returning to your room at night, ask security to accompany you, especially if you are given a room far from the elevators or at the end of a dark corridor. Once in your room, double lock or brace it and don’t open the door for anyone. * If you are driving, choose a hotel with valet parking, if you can. This allows you to pull