Transportation and Accommodations

• Be guarded during your conversation with the driver. Do not say you are traveling alone.
• If you are traveling alone, make a fake (or real) phone call during the ride to pretend someone is waiting for you.
• Stay alert to your surroundings and track the destination on your smartphone map, so you can tell if the driver is going off route.

• Confirm it is the correct destination and be dropped off at the entrance.
• Make sure you have all your belongings.
• Always tell someone where you are going, that you are arriving by taxi, and find out how close you can be dropped to the door.

• Study all the passengers around you.
• Try not to sleep on the train or the bus; if you do, sleep and ride with any bags that are against you — use them as footrests and pillows.
• On buses or trains, sit close to the front and close to other women.

• If the front desk clerk mentions your room number out loud, and other guests overhear, request a different room. Ask the clerk to write your room number on a piece of paper or on the key sleeve, rather than saying it out loud.
• Take a hotel postcard from the front desk with the hotel’s name, address, and phone number and keep it with you.
• Request a room between the second and fifth floors, near the stairs or an elevator, so that you do not have to walk through empty corridors at night. Do not stay in a room on the first floor or near exit stairways since they are more accessible and prone to theft.
• Ask for two hotel room keys and keep one in your bag and one on yourself.
• Know where the emergency exits and fire escapes are located.
• Check the room upon arrival and make sure it has a peephole, deadbolt and working locks on the windows, adjoining door and balcony door. If there are any issues, go back to the front desk and request a new room that is secure.
• Consider carrying door wedges with you; always lock and wedge the hotel room door. Also wedge the door to the adjoining room.
• Lock valuables and important travel documents in the hotel safe and carry copies of your passport and necessary visas.
• Keep the curtains in your room closed.
• When you leave your hotel room, make it seem as though someone is in the room. Leave lights on, and the closet and bathroom doors open. Hang up the “Do not disturb” sign and leave the television or radio on.
• Always check the hallway through the peephole before you leave the room.
• Do not hang up signs asking for the room to be cleaned, as these announce that there is no one in the room; contact housekeeping or reception and submit your request.
• Call reception to confirm the identity of anyone who comes to your room, claiming to be hotel staff, before opening the door.
• When you return to your hotel room always check the closets, bathroom, balcony and underneath the bed upon arrival to make sure that the room is empty. Secure the windows and the adjoining room and balcony doors before locking yourself in.
• If the door to your room is ever open or unlocked when you return, do not enter the room. Go back to the front desk and inform them of the security issue.
• Organize your belongings the same way every time so you know if something has been tampered with or moved.
• Do not work out in the gym alone, especially late at night.
• Avoid inviting people back to your hotel room.

Many travelers enjoy alternative accommodations, such as hostels, dorms, privately rented rooms or homes especially when traveling solo. These alternative accommodations may cause additional travel risks, especially for women. When researching alternative accommodations:

• Read all reviews and research the neighborhoods in which they are located. Try to find reviews written by females for their perspectives.
• Research places to avoid and local scams.
• Only stay at well-respected and highly recommended hostels.
• Try to stay at women-only rooms in hostels or dorms.

• Check the room upon arrival and make sure it is safe. If you do not feel safe, notify the renter or staff. If they are unable to find you a safer room, do not hesitate to go elsewhere, even if it means losing money.
• If you do not feel comfortable with your roommates, ask the hostel staff if there are any other rooms.
• Since alternative accommodations are not likely to have a safe, keep your valuables on you at all times, such as in a travel waist pack, even while you are sleeping.
• Ideally, only backpack with a group of trusted friends and use the “buddy” system, so no one is ever alone.
• Try to do most of your activities with another person.
• Always notify family or friends of your location and address.