A Solo Traveler Shared The 'Scariest' Hotel Room Discovery & A Safety Tip She'll Never Forget
"I don't get spooked very easily, but this def scared the absolute crud out of me."
The woman sharing her story on TikTok. Right: A safety tool to deadbolt your door.
A solo traveler said she had the most "terrifying" encounter at her Dallas hotel room, and after sharing her story on TikTok in a two-part series, she's urging her audience to stay safe whenever they take a trip.
The creator Lyndsey Windham (@lyndsey_windham) was renting a room alone, and she said she always makes sure to check everything for her safety when she's in a vulnerable position.
After one good night of sleep and a dead bolted door, she went to get some breakfast around 6 a.m. and bring it back to her room. Then, she locked her door but forgot to deadbolt it.
When Windham was in the shower, she heard her room's phone ring, but as she got around to it, it stopped. Then she heard a faint knock and the sound of someone opening and closing the door to her room.
Now, she was getting suspicious.
@lyndsey_windham Part 1 of the most vulnerable / scariest moment I’ve had traveling alone. DEADBOLT your doors!! #travelsafety #womenssafety #hotelsafetytips #hotelsafetyhacks #hotelsecurity #womentravelingalone #womensolotravel #trustyourgut #storytime
"I opened the door of the bathroom hoping to see a housekeeper with her cart doing her rounds, but instead, I see a man standing in the middle of my hotel room. From what I could tell, the man didn't have anything that said he worked at the hotel. So, whenever I saw him, I screamed," she said in her second video. She also mentioned that, at this point, she was only wrapped in a bathroom towel.
The man was stunned and said he was maintenance and there was a leak in her room, but she still screamed for him to get out.
She added text on the screen that read the hotel did confirm he was a new employee on their maintenance team, and there was some sort of leak, but followers in her comment section said it was still not okay.
"I work at a front desk, and there’s no way I would ever send that maintenance unless the guest checked out or I confirmed and the guest knows," one woman replied.
Many people agreed that she should have been checked out before they sent anyone to her room.
@lyndsey_windham Replying to @katydoingthings I’ve been traveling alone since I was 22 and I dont get spooked very easily but this def scared the absolute crud out of me 🫣🙃🙃#hotelsafety #hotelsafetyhacks #travelsafety #womenssafety #womentravelingalone #womensolotravel
Now, Windham said she'll never forget to dead bolt the door. In fact, she even has a portable doorstopper on her keychain and shared how to use it in another video.
You can put the door stopper between the lock and the shut door, then wedge another piece of the tool between that space when the door is closed for an extra measure of security.
@lyndsey_windham Replying to @Stormey Hester I have a bunch linked on my amazon storefront under “independent girlies” if yall are interested 🫶🏻💕 #graduationgifts #womenssafety #womensolotravel #livingalonecheck #gradgiftideas #womenlivingalone #livingalonediaries #womensecurity #hotelsafetytips #hotelsafetyhacks
TikTokers replied to Windham's video that they have this portable lock, too, and it gives them peace of mind when traveling alone.
Windham did comment that she believed the maintenance guy was innocent, but it was a scary reminder to always have her guard up.