Why I Never Travel Without Travel Locks

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As a woman who travels alone quite frequently, I’ve had my fair share of uncomfortable encounters. I have also learned many lessons in safety and trust. But it wasn’t until a recent encounter at my hotel in Rome that I knew I had to invest in travel locks.

Ladies, take the utmost precautions when traveling. Don’t wait until you have an encounter that endangers you to finally get a travel lock or any other self defense device. As the old credo says: It’s better to be safe than sorry.

My Story

In September of 2022, I took a two week long solo trip to Rome. My plan was to spend a week and a half by myself. On my last weekend, I was going to meet three friends in the city before continuing my solo trip to Budapest. This was my second time in Rome, but first time on my own. I fell in love with Rome and its incredible history, art, architecture, food, and more. But after this trip, it is definitely a city I would not travel to solo again.

I arrived to my hotel near Roma Termini and checked in with no issue. Now, Roma Termini is arguably not the safest area to stay in Rome, as there are many pickpockets and scammers in the area. But I was quite familiar with these issues from my previous trip, so I felt pretty confident. The hotel was located in an older building and not luxurious by any means, but it was affordable and comfortable. So the first few days went by without a hitch and I loved my solo time in the city.

On the third day, I left around 9am to go work at a local cafe for the day. As I packed up my laptop, the male housekeeper knocked and announced, “Housekeeping!”

I replied with something along the lines of, “Oh, just a second please. I’m leaving soon.”

He said, “No worries,” and he would come back later.

Not too long after this exchange, I left my room to head to the cafe. On the way out, the hallway was dark, but I saw him peek his head out of the room he was cleaning and smile at me. I just waved and said “Thank you,” and went about my day.

When I entered my room later that evening, it wasn’t just clean, but spotless. Like it was reset for a new person. Not gonna lie, I was really impressed with how well the housekeeper did his job. I’m talking new towels, folded and rolled up, new sheets, spotless floors, just above and beyond how it was cleaned before.

Then I turned to the desk and saw a handwritten note on toilet paper. And it was the most unsettling thing I had ever seen:

This note made me break down in tears, as I realized I was completely alone. No one was nearby to help. I went to the reception desk to show the manager the note and tell him that this was NOT okay, but apparently nobody is there past a certain time.

I walked back to barricade myself in my room and propped the desk chair up against the door. This was a man who had access to my room and all I had between me and the hallway was an older, wooden door with only one lock.

When I finally showed the hotel manager the note, he was shocked and confused. He told me no one on his staff spoke English well enough to write something like that. I simply told him I didn’t want anyone going in or out of my room for the remainder of my time there and left.

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering: Why the Hell didn’t you leave and stay somewhere else??? Of course I tried, but this is one of the cons of budget traveling. I spent a huge part of my budget on this accommodation because of its central location and affordability. And because I booked through a third party site, I was not eligible for a refund (huge mistake). And when I looked at hostels and other hotels nearby, there was either no availability or it was wayyy out of my already limited budget.

Also, I was completely alone hundreds and hundreds of miles away from the closest person I could rely on. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene and potentially put myself in more danger. So I blocked myself in my room every night with my desk chair and slept with my beauty scissors on my bedside table.

It was a long, sleepless, paranoid week, but my friends who came to meet me for my final weekend were my guardian angels. When they arrived, I told them everything that had happened and they invited me to stay with them for the rest of my time in Rome. They only had a small couch in their room, but at least we would all be together and I’d finally feel safe while I slept.

It was one of the scariest weeks of my life not knowing what to expect. Sometimes I’d hear him in the hallway talking and cleaning other rooms and I’d have a panic attack that he would try and enter my room. I was very lucky that nothing else happened. And I was kicking myself that entire week for not having any travel locks or self defense devices.

Travel Locks and Self Defense Tools I Recommend:

As you can imagine, as soon as I returned home I bought some travel locks, door alarms and a few other self defense tools. So fellow ladies, here are some of my recommendations for must have travel locks and self defense tools that are TSA friendly, so you can bring them with you on your next adventure.

Travel Locks and Stoppers for Your Door

There are a few different options you can choose from for some extra protection while inside your hotel or accomodation.

This is a portable door lock you may have come across on Tik Tok. I like this particular lock because there are two different sized door slots: a smaller one for single lock doors and a larger one for hotel doors. It works really well and is super easy to figure out. It even works on doors that don’t lock properly! I now refuse to travel without it and have a newfound peace of mind when I use this lock.

This door stopper is not letting anyone into your room. It’s super sturdy and will 100% prevent any attempt at forced entry. The only downside to this door stopper is that it is about 27 inches at its smallest, which might take up a lot of room in your suitcase or backpack. But if you are more interested in added protection, then I can’t recommend this one enough.

Door Alarms

If you’re looking to literally scare any intruder away from your door, then a portable door stop alarm is a great option. It has three different sensitivity levels and lets out a shrill alarm when activated. This option is super affordable and easy to pack away in your backpack or suitcase.

Luggage Travel Locks

Another thing I stressed about when I found that note in my hotel room, was whether or not the housekeeper went through my luggage. I didn’t find anything amiss (at least I don’t think so) but the thought of a creepy stranger going through my personal things was super unsettling.

I have been traveling with these suitcase travel locks for a while now and always bring both on my trips. They’re great because you don’t need a key (I always lose small lock keys), you just need a three digit code. Easy! Both of my codes are exactly the same, so I don’t mix them up, or in case I misplace one.

Self Defense Tools

An alarm for your door is one thing. But an alarm to keep on your person is another great safety tip. People are unpredictable and having a personal alarm on you is one of the quickest ways to draw attention to yourself and your situation. What I like about She’s Birdie alarms is that they are super easy to use, they’re made for women, by women, and the company gives a percentage of their proceeds to organizations that support women’s health and safety.

If you are looking for discreet (and fashionable) protection, these self defense rings by Defender Ring are amazing. There is a sharp protrusion hidden in every ring. It’s a great solution to get out of a situation quickly and to even collect DNA. According to the company, no ring has been confiscated by the TSA. But they do have a policy if your ring is taken by TSA: just email them with your information and they’ll replace it for free! Learn more here.

Final Thoughts

Although this is one freaky travel story, this is not meant to discourage you from solo traveling. Especially to all the women out there. This was just one unfortunate experience I had out of hundreds more amazing ones. I have met incredible people from across the globe, with whom I’m still in contact. I have seen wonders of the world that I never thought I’d see with my own eyes and have had some of the most delectable food my palette ever tasted.

My story and the urge to invest in travel locks and other self defense tools is unfortunately a precaution that we as women have to take when we travel. Of course, it is not fair by any means that we must be the ones to always err on the side of caution, but teaching other women about safety measures can prevent scary things from happening. And let’s not forget, men must be included in this conversation too if we want to begin to see a difference.

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