Tourists reveal their advice on how to stay safe on holiday

It’s a simple thing many travellers do while on holiday, but it turns out it could be a huge mistake, And no, it’s not drinking.

They are a lot of fun but travellers should be cautious when wearing resort wristbands. Picture: Malia Revolution VP/Twitter

It’s a simple thing many tourists do on holiday without a second thought, however it could be putting them in danger.

A traveller revealed in a popular Facebook group for female tourists that leaving resort wristbands on during a night out could be an easy way to become a target because there’s a chance anyone could easily learn where you’re staying.

“Be very aware that your resort wristband is a calling card to predators for easy conversation and location,” the traveller wrote on the Girls Love Travel page.

“For example a man approached me at a bar well outside of our resort and said, ‘Oh I saw you earlier today. We are staying at the same resort’ … blah blah blah seemed nice,” she said.

“Well when he handed the bartender his card I noticed he didn’t have any wristband on.

“And realised my neon one was glowing like a light bulb in the bar. Layering bracelets over wristbands can help deter the obvious.”

They are a lot of fun but travellers should be cautious when wearing resort wristbands. Picture: Malia Revolution VP/Twitter

Some resorts have very distinctive wristbands, with many stating the name of the resort and even the location.

@clubwyndham#ClubWyndhamBonnetCreek added Cinderella Castle to their resort wristband! Shut the front door!😜Thank you Club Wyndham! I love it!🥰#ClubwyndhamPlatinumOwner#BonnetCreekResorts@WaltDisneyWorld#WaltDisneyWorld#DisneyWorld50pic.twitter.com/iDc0paEfC2

— Tracee Y. Millard, Esq.👩🏽‍⚖️⚖️👸🏽🏰 (@YVETRA) October 1, 2021

Can't remember if I tweeted this. Wristband from Jamaican resort pic.twitter.com/wKMqIhmM

— pat h (@pfrankh) January 16, 2012

On vacation and noticed that my resort wristband looked a little too familiar....same Happiness Begins font! T-minus 1 week til KC @jonasbrothers 😁 @nickjonas@[e-mail]/EgQ7Vi0JPo

— Izze Wendt (@izzemay13) September 15, 2019

She had several other safety tips for women travelling solo. Another involved bringing your pool towel inside your hotel room.

“Do not hang your pool towel on your exterior railings or patios,” she wrote. “It’s a dead giveaway to which floor and room you are in.

“Also it usually is a telltale sign for how many people are occupying said room. (Obviously doesn’t apply when using hotel-given towels.)”

Don’t leave that towel hanging outside your room. Picture: iStock

And when it comes to safety during transportation, it’s best to be busy on the phone.

“If you are in the back of a car do not be afraid to fake a phone call … act happy, be pleasant, don’t let them sense any fear – their ignorance is your weapon.

“During the fake call tell them all the details about your current moment – ‘Oh I’m not late, you are just early! I’m just enjoying a back seat ride in a sweet blue Corolla with the lovely XXX driving me to the museum where I’m going to drag you to see all the oil paintings’ – you get the drift.”

She also advised to make friends with the locals. And if you’re ever concerned someone could be following you, put your exterior camera on and fake a phone call, walk around while pretending that you’re distracted by the call but you’re actually capturing them.

“Lure them to stand near things that can tell visual identifiers like height, shoulder width, etc. I have also [gone] into a rest room and either turned my shirt inside out, put my hair up or taken off a layer just to be extra vigilant.”

If you feel someone is following you while you’re out and about, put your exterior camera on and fake a call. Picture: iStock

Other commenters added some tips they have learnt during their travels.

“I’ll add another tip,” one said. “Always carry an AirTag with you and let it be paired to someone else’s device.”

Another wrote: “Body language is huge. Walk tall. Don’t leave drinks unattended. Just because they’re female doesn’t mean they’re completely trustworthy. Carry a solar cell battery pack/phone charger so you always have a charged phone. Don’t park next to vans or other cars if it can be avoided. Keep a hotel card with you.”

Meanwhile a third said: “Don’t ever wear ear buds or headphones while walking around. That way you can hear if someone creeps up on you! Do research before going to a destination from hotel or Airbnb. Always contact a friend or family back home before every excursion so they’re away of your whereabouts in case you get hurt or go missing.”

Apple AirTags can be handy.

Another commenter agreed about the original poster's wristband advice, saying wearing one had landed her in grief overseas.

“The wristband hack was how I ended up locked in a jewellery shop in Tunisia with my partner at the time. It was traumatising.”

She explained that while out walking with her partner a “guy comes up to us, named our hotel … said he had seen us at the restaurant the night before. Me and partner knew we hadn’t as we weren’t there but were nice thinking he just got a bit confused.

“He asked us what we were looking for so we said we were just browsing, then he said he would show us where the good shops were to get the real Tunisia kind of experience.

“Just followed him because we didn’t want to be rude. He then took us to this jewellery shop (I don’t even wear jewellery) and they basically locked us both in there trying to hard sell us jewellery, trying to put things on me, wanting to design stuff in Arabic with my name etc.

“I was going into a bit of an anxious meltdown – they wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

For more advice on safely travelling solo, go to smartraveller.gov.au.