01 February 2024 , 15:49
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Leaving a towel by the hotel door is one way a flight attendant sleeps peacefully at night.
The life of a cabin crew member is one which involves an awful lot of sleeping in hotels across different parts of the world, especially for those working on long haul flights.
Being by yourself in a far away country, having worked a long shift, is a combination that some flight attendants find leaves them a little uneasy. American cabin crew member Cici has a checklist she follows whenever she stays in a hotel, particularly when she first arrives, so she can get some rest.
For her, safety is the most important thing for her when on a stop over with work or in a rented room for leisure, so she always follows a security routine after she checks in. One of her core safety moves involves taking a small towel from the bathroom and wrapping it around her room door's safety latch. The flight attendant then closes the latch lock with the hand towel, which will make it harder to open.
According to the travel pro, it is also essential to "always count the number of doors to the exit stairwell", so that you know where to go if there is a fire and the visibility isn't great - and for the same reason, it's important to actually read the security and evacuation maps you'll find on doors and corridors.
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Once she has check the evacuation routes and made sure the door is closed, Cici's final check is the peephole. If there is no cover for it on the door, "just take some tissue and shove it in there so nobody can see inside your room".
When it comes to letting strangers into her room, the flight attendant has a strict, no messing around policy.
"If someone knocks at the room and says they are housekeeping, but you didn't order anything, call the front desk. This could also be room service, security or anything you weren't expecting," she said.
Finally, "for added protection at night", the flight attendant recommended using door safety alarms, which are set off if someone enters the room. "Always bring two door wedges or door stop alarms just in case you have an adjoining room and they weren't able to accommodate your room request," she continues.