When it comes to traveling, it’s important to stay safe!

Here at DFB, we have people at the Disney Parks every. single. day. We travel to parks around the world, to cruises, and we have one team member who traveled full-time as a digital nomad for the past two years! That means we know a thing or two about traveling — since we all do it SO often! We always want to prioritize our safety, and we have come up with some things that we ALWAYS do when we get to our hotel room to make sure all is well before settling in and getting rest for the big day ahead of us. Whether or not you’re traveling for work or taking your annual trip to Disney World — take these tips, use what you’d like, and most importantly — stay safe!

To start, we want to talk about things that will help ensure your safety as much as possible throughout your hotel stay.

Let people know you’re traveling.

This is IMPORTANT. Letting people know that you’re going out of town, telling them where you’re going, and giving them the address to your hotel can add another level of safety before you even get to your destination.

Make sure you tell someone you trust, and who you check in with often. If you’re comfortable doing so, you could even share your location with a close family member or friend so that someone is aware of where you are at all times. That varies from person to person, and you should only do what you’re comfortable with — but at least let someone know you’re heading out of town and update them regularly. 

Locate your nearest set of stairs.

In case of an emergency happening at the hotel, it’s important that you know where the nearest set of stairs is in relation to your room.

During some emergencies, the elevators are shut down so EVERYONE will be directed towards the stairs. To avoid any confusion and (hopefully) a crowd all trying to go down the stairs at once, locate them before you even get to your room so that you’re prepared if an emergency happens — it is better to be safe than sorry, y’all!

Check different areas of your room for intruders.

What is the likelihood of you finding an intruder in your hotel room? Well, the odds of it are pretty slim but it isn’t unheard of. To practice safety, take a few seconds when you walk into your room to check areas like closets and showers.

If you have a suite with multiple rooms, make sure you take a peek in all of the rooms as well as whatever hidey holes (is that a word? it is now) it could have. The main goal with this is to avoid Freddy Krueger lurking in your room — and it only takes a few seconds to do!

Do ALL the things to keep your door shut.

We know that all hotel room doors lock automatically when you shut them, but we like to use some other methods of ensuring your door stays shut overnight.

Make sure you use the swinging bar lock to add that extra layer of security. Along with that, we also like to bring rubber stoppers to put under the door so that the only way you can get the door open is from inside. 

Don’t let strangers inside.

One of the first lessons we learn as a child is “stranger danger” — and that lesson is VERY important if you’re traveling. If someone is knocking on your door, make sure you verify who they are before opening it. If they say they’re an employee of the hotel but you didn’t make any calls about anything to the hotel, call the front desk and ask them about why that person is there and if they’re legit. If they are really a hotel employee, they’ll get it.

Another person who may come up to your hotel room is a food delivery driver. If you order from Doordash, GrubHub, or any other food delivery service — make sure you select the option that has them leave it at the door. Before opening the door to retrieve your food, check the peephole to make sure they’re gone before opening the door to grab your meal.

We know traveling is fun and exciting, but it is also important to stay safe while doing so — ESPECIALLY if you’re traveling alone. Hopefully, these tips help you feel more prepared. Now, go enjoy your trip — but remember to stay safe!

We’re always thinking of different tips and tricks we can pass on to you, so keep checking in with us at DFB for updates!

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