Tag Archives: personal safety alarm

 

Is it safe to stay in a hotel alone as a woman? If you have ever had a concern about someone unexpected entering your hotel room while you’re inside? The problem while not prevalent is real.

Alarms for Hotel Room Doors Can Keep Intruders Out

Even with security protocols in place, well-meaning hotel personnel like housekeeping and maintenance staff might open room doors for guests encountered in the hallway. They may even use a tool to bypass the metal swing bar dead-bolt to help the “guest” get inside. The swing bar can only be flipped from the wall and over the door if someone is inside so if it is engaged someone is inside the room!

While this post focuses on how to add an alarm to your door, there are more important hotel safety tips for women traveling alone at the end of the article so keep on reading to the end.

Two Popular Security Alarms for Hotel Room Doors

The Personal Door Alarm and the Door Stop with Alarm are two solutions worth learning about. The Portable Door Alarm alerts you if the door is opened even just a little bit by sounding an alarm. It will allow the door to be opened. It is small light weight and easy to pack. The Door Stop and Alarm stops the door from swinging open plus it has an alarm that goes off when the door swings onto the steel plate and pushes down on the plate. Slightly larger it too is easy to pack.

Both alarm devices can help you feel safer if you need to stay in a hotel alone. Here’s more on both alarms for hotel room doors.


is it safe to stay in a hotel alone as a woman, portable door alarm for hotel doorsPortable Travel Door Alarm with LED Flashlight

  • Flashlight & door alarm in one unit
  • Easy to set up on any door – no installation required
  • High Pitched 95-decibel alarm triggered when unauthorized entry is attempted.
  • Great for hotel and motel rooms, train compartments, as well as dorm rooms.
  • Built-in emergency LED flashlight
  • Uses 2 common CR2032 button-cell batteries, included

The Portable Door Alarm is easy to use and can be used on doors and many styles of hotel room windows. Simply hang the door alarm on the inside handle of your hotel camper, or boat door knob or lever. When someone attempts to open the door from the outside, the device activates a piercing 95-decibel alarm which is designed to scare off the potential intruder. A Door Alarm also features a built-in flashlight for use in a darkened room for additional safety and convenience.

How the Portable Door Alarm Works

The Portable Door Alarm is extremely easy to use and takes only 5 seconds to setup which is described as follows:

Pull the bottom clip which removes the two slim silver prongs which are attached by a wire to the Portable Door Alarm. The prongs are held together with a clear plastic cover. Slide off the cover (save the cover as you’ll want to replace it when the alarm is not in use) and the prongs will separate causing a loud alarm to sound alerting you that the door alarm is functioning properly. Use your fingers to press the prongs together which stops the alarm.

Portable door alarm for hotel rood doors

Locate a space in the door or window jamb and slide the closed prongs between the door and frame (or window and frame). As long as the door remains closed the Travel Door Alarm will remain silent. If the door or window is opened (even a little bit) the Portable Door Alarm will loosen from its placement causing the prongs to separate and the alarm to sound. Not only is the high-pitched alarm a great warning to you, but is likely to startle and scare off an unsuspecting Intruder.

When the Portable Travel Alarm is not in use, the sensor slides back into the alarm. Nothing to turn on or off…the battery is used only when the alarm sounds.
Door stop wedge with alarm for hotel doors

 

The Door Stop and Alarm

The door stop with alarm can be used in two ways. Use it as a regular device to keep a door from swinging open into a room.  Use it as a safety device by turning it on and an alarm will sound if a door swings onto it and presses the silver plate down onto the unit. Turn the switch off and the unit is a regular door stop.  If an intruder attempts to open the door, the wedge-shaped design will prevent it from opening and activate a 120 dB alarm to frighten him away. The door stop requires a 9-volt battery to make the alarm work. This is a great item for home or apartment use; especially if you have a side door to the house or another entry door which is not well secured.

portable door stop and alarm for hotels

Both Alarm Devices are useful beyond home and hotels, other applications, include:

  • Hotel Windows
  • Dorm Rooms
  • Apartments
  • Boats and Campers
  • Vacation Rentals

More Hotel Safety Tips for Women Travelers

  1. Stay in a hotel with room access only from the interior of the hotel. Exterior room doors found in motels are riskier.
  2. Reserve the room under your first initial and last name, that way the reservation is nongender specific.
  3.  Don’t stay on the ground floor, they are easier to access for non-guest intruders. Ask for a room higher up but not higher than 6 or 7 stories in case of fire or natural disaster. Typically fire ladders reach about 7 stories up.
  4. Have the front desk employee write down your room number and not announce it for privacy.
  5. Upon entering the room inspect the room for hidden intruders behind the curtains, under the bed and closet and bathroom. Make sure the windows and adjoining room door have functioning locks. Use the deadbolt AND a portable door alarm in case even the deadbolt is compromised.
  6. Use the main lobby door to enter and leave the property. Do not use the stairwell where you could be isolated.
  7. When leaving your room make it seem occupied by leaving the TV on and leaving the do not disturb sign on the door handle.
  8. Use the valet service to park your car, while more costly it is safer than walking in a parking garage by yourself.

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Travel Essentials  – How to Pack Peace of Mind

It’s exhilarating to see new places and experience new cultures. While you’re focused on enjoying the people, food, sights, and even ordinary street life be sure to always be aware of your surroundings. Being aware means making a mental picture of the street names, if you’re exploring the city. Being aware on public transportation means not keeping your gaze on your phone, but looking at the other riders and keeping your bag in front of you to discourage pickpockets. And perhaps the best advice is to make sure you have a confident and strong demeanor. One way to boost your personal confidence is to take steps to protect yourself even before you pack your bag.

Security and Safety on the Go

A few small gadgets can help keep you safe and give you peace of mind.

Location: Hotel, hostel, dorm
You don’t know who has a passkey to the room, or if the key is an old style metal key, who has a copy of it. Would you want an uninvited visitor to come into the room while showering or sleeping? You can have peace of mind that the door will remain locked while you’re inside by traveling with a device that prevents your door from opening even with a key. It’s low cost too.

Location: Walking alone, or anywhere you may need to call attention to your situation
As the saying goes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And so it is with your safety. A personal safety alarm is useful in many situations if you have a medical emergency and can’t scream if you want to just scare off someone before they get too close or is making you uncomfortable, or if you need to draw attention to your situation. Another option is an alarm app for your phone.

Location: Crowds, public places 
The security of your identity is as important as your personal safety. Your personal information is stored on tiny chips embedded in credit cards, passports and even ID card such as drivers licenses.  You need to shield your cards and passport from e-thieves who with the help of a hand-held device can read your information stored on the chips as they stand next to you or walk past you in a crowd. The scanners can work up to a distance of 10 feet away!  The solution is carrying your cards and passport in RFID shielding, sleeves, wallets or bags.

Some Bonus Tips

Whether you’re packing, going out for a day of sightseeing, or going out at night, you will want to keep it light.  Our advice, plan ahead on what you will carry in your bag and on your person. A few moments of planning before you go are worth it, take it from a woman who has over packed.  Your top two concerns should be function and security. We have a few finds or must have travel essentials that help you keep your valuables secure and your hand free.

Packing Light  – Packing Strategies

Seasoned travelers advise they maximize the space in their bags with packing organizers. There are different styles for different needs. Our favorite type of packers are Compression Packers to reduce wrinkling in your bag to maximize space with their compression technology. Waterproof styles help separate dirty and sweaty clothes from clean and keep toiletries in your checked bag from leaking.

  • Select Clothes Which Layer and Mix and Match – Wear layers, short-sleeved shirts can go under long sleeve ones. A long scarf is decorative and can double as an evening wrap. Jeans or khakis go from day to night with the change of an athletic to a dress shoe or sandal.
  • Choose Knits, Wool, and Cotton Blends – These fabrics tend to resist wrinkles and are versatile and stick to a few colors which mix and match.
  • Roll Softer Garments and Fold Stiffer Ones – Underwear, T-shirts, jeans, cotton pants, and knitwear won’t wrinkle when rolled tightly. Stiffer fabrics, such as starched cotton shirts, blazers, dressy pants, and skirts, should be carefully folded.
  • Place Rolled Items in the Bottom of the Bag – Think of your suitcase as a three-layer cake. The suitcase is the icing; the rolled items make up the first layer.
  • Place Folded Garments Next – For your middle layer, start with the longest items, like skirts and slacks. Stack the garments on top of each other, alternating waists with hems. Position the pile flush with the suitcase, draping leftover fabric over the opposite end. (This conserves space since thick waistbands won’t be piled on top of one another.) Wrap the draping ends of the pile into the center. Next, lay collars of shorter items, like shirts, at the hinge with the ends over the handles. Fold the collars and ends over once and fold the arms in.
  • Cover the Pile with a Dry-Cleaning Bag – Because of the bag’s slippery surface; folded clothes don’t stay in one place long enough for creases to set. Easy upgrade: Place a bag between each layer of clothing. To get to a certain layer easily, simply pull the ends of the bag up on either side.
  • Wash Your Clothes on the Road – Vacation rentals often have laundry facilities, however, if you’re staying in a hotel, or taking a cruise wash clothes in a sink and hang them to dry, a blow dryer or iron can help get rid of any lingering dampness. Pack laundry soap sheets and a portable laundry-drying line. Carry a stain stick in your bag to remove stains right when they happen.

Sight-Seeing Essentials

Keep your hands free to snap photos or to read guidebooks. Sure you’ll look like a tourist, but then again you are a tourist.  Local thieves who prey on tourists know that the best time to zip open your backpack or bag is when you’re distracted. The distraction can be real or staged by one of their accomplices, either way, your focus is momentarily not on your gear, and that is when they strike.

Guard against being a victim by selecting an anti-theft bag and wearing it cross-body style. If you must travel with a bag that is not anti-theft, then use a body pouch to protect your valuables such as your passport, money and credit cards.