When going on holiday most of us are only worried about our flight being on time and remembering our passports. Once we’re at our hotel we’re more concerned with bagging the best sunbed and enjoying the beach.
However, flight attendants have spoken up about the safety precautions Brits should take when flying abroad or even on a staycation. Cabin crew stay in hotels for work more times in a year than most so they’re the experts when it comes to staying safe.
Former flight attendant Nassim recently spoke to Express about the best ways to stay safe in a hotel room. She claims that her suitcase hack is the best way to ensure nobody breaks into your room at night.
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She said that her number one tip for people staying in hotels – in the UK or overseas – is that she always keeps her suitcase or handbag by the door. It sounds simple and it is because hack will alert hotel guests if someone is trying to enter their room.
Nassim explained: "I would always place my bag by the door. In case someone would open it from the outside so that it would make a noise."
Essentially, stacking your empty suitcase – or a small item or furniture or similar – in front of the door means it will fall over when someone pushed the door open. In the night, the crash is likely to wake you and alert you to an intruder.
As hotels often have master keys, it means anyone who snags them and doesn't need to break the door down will still make a noise. Plus, some hotels have had key card errors which mean multiple keys open the same rooms. This way you'll be alerted to guests who accidentally enter your room.
Always ensure that whatever you put in front of the door is easy for you to move and lift, however. This is so that you can still easily escape in case of a fire.
You may be thinking that it is rare for anyone to break into your hotel room. You’d be correct, but that doesn’t mean it never happens.
Another flight attendant, Cici, has a checklist she follows whenever she stays in a hotel, particularly when she first arrives to make sure she can sleep soundly. She uses a clever towel trick to add an extra layer of security.
She revealed that she always grabs a small towel from the bathroom and wraps it around the safety latch as an extra security measure to make sure the door can't be forced open. The flight attendant then closes the latch lock with the hand towel, which will make it harder to open.
She went on to explain that she uses "a personal safety alarm like the Birdie" to make a loud sound and bright light in the event of an attack.Plus, if someone unexpectedly knocks on her door saying they’re a hotel worker she calls the front desk to double check.
Finally, "for added protection at night", the flight attendant said that anyone can benefit from using door safety alarms, which are set off if someone enters the room.
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