Sometimes simplicity is the best way to manage more complex concerns about personal safety. The FoneTrac travel safety app is one option that can help female travelers while traveling alone.
A recent article in the New York Times entitled, “‘Don’t Succumb to the Fear’: Women Share Travel Safety Tips,” offered a number of practical suggestions provided by women travelers. One suggestion encouraged travelers to bring along a rubber doorstop while away from home. This solution would have been helpful for a female traveler who was sexually assaulted while staying as a hotel guest.
While staying at a reputable chain hotel, a female business traveler was sexually assaulted by a man who was let into her room by the hotel’s own staff. According to news reports, a front desk clerk provided the perpetrator with a key card without verifying that he was authorized to enter that room. Worse, when he found the bar latch was engaged and he couldn’t enter the woman’s room, he summoned a maintenance worker to open the latch. He then entered the room and assaulted her. Admittedly, this horrific scenario isn’t one we see every day. But could a rubber doorstop or a travel safety app like FoneTrac have helped prevent this crime?
Travel Safety Apps are Part of the Solution
We’ll never know the answer to that specific attack, but the idea that a travel safety app or other solutions are available tells us that complex concerns may be addressed with relatively simple solutions. Rather than concerning yourself with how well a hotel’s staff is trained, or asking what its verification process is for issuing key cards, wouldn’t it be simpler to bring your own deterrent?
A female traveler quoted in the New York Times article also encouraged travelers to keep their bearings. Her suggestion related to that sense of bombardment you can feel when stepping off a plane, train or bus. She offered simple insight as to the importance of pre-planning, disengagement and observation when trying to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed. This solution isn’t as simple as the use of a rubber doorstop, but her advice to step back, stay calm, observe, and then act is a process that can yield great results towards keeping you safe.
The New York Times article underscored that travel safety solutions don’t need to be complicated to be effective. It’s wise to identify concerns and solutions as a priority before embarking on a journey…especially for female travelers who worry about safety issues.
Simple Solutions to Travel Safety for Women Travelers
There are a variety of simple solutions you can pack or download onto your smartphone, such as the FoneTrac travel safety app. Whatever your concern, make it a point to know…or ask a travel security expert…what tips, techniques and technologies are available. And most importantly, as the female travelers highlighted in the New York Times article mentioned above, don’t ever discount the power of simplicity when it comes to keeping yourself safe.
