Traveling as a queer person, a woman, a person of color, or a trans or non-binary person can be tricky. That’s why you need to know how to secure your hotel room because no one relies on the old lock that everyone has a key to. This may sound psychotic to some, but if you are a minority, you should know what to do to protect yourself, whether in another state or another country.

You never know who else has a key to your house or how good the deadbolt is; you need the device to secure your room. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and see some of the things you should have to secure your hotel room while traveling.

1. Portable door locks

This is a simple way to secure your hotel room, and they come in several shapes and styles, but they all work in the same way. Portable door locks prevent the door from opening inwards, and they will protect you in most hotel rooms unless they open out in the corridor.

Most of them have one piece of metal that fits into the metal plates which goes into the existing lock or latch. When they are installed securely, they prevent the door dorm opening unless someone physically breaks it, and if this happens, this will wake you up and give you enough time to call for help.

When the portable door lock is installed, and someone tries to open the door, the horizontal force is transferred into vertical pressure, securing the lock more tightly. There is a science behind this, and they are the perfect travel-size gadget to keep with you while traveling.

2. Travel Door Alarm

While this gadget doesn’t prevent someone from entering your room, it alarms you when someone opens your door. A door alarm should scare away any potential thieves determined to break into your room. It will help you have peace of mind while sleeping at night, and it will help you sleep on both ears.

There are different versions of travel door alarms out there, but most of them hang from the door handle and have two blades or prongs that you have to push between the door and frame. When the door is open, and the prongs fall apart, then the alarm sets off.

It is a simple yet rather effective technique to protect yourself while staying in a hotel room. One of its main advantages is that it works on any hotel door and even those that open outwards. The alarm takes a couple of seconds to set up, and you don’t need to spend ages messing around every time when you come and leave the room.

3. Door Wedge

This is an extremely inexpensive and reliable way to make sure it’s harder to get into your room. Not only are they cheap, but they take up little to no space in your bag and can be carried in your backpack at all times. Most travelers swear by their rubber door wedge, which adds an extra layer of security to your hotel room if you’re an avid traveler like me. 

Plus, they take seconds to set up and can be applied as soon as you enter your hotel room. There are door wedges with Velcro that prevent them from slipping on the carpet. The door wedge works best on hard surfaces like hardwood floors or tile. We recommend purchasing a door wedge with an alarm for added security; a signal sounds when someone opens the door.

4. Lock Locker

If your hotel room has a deadbolt, but you are wary that the hotel staff or others still have access to spare keys, then this is the gadget made for you. This two-part device has a long flat section around the handle and a round piece that fits over most deadbolts. 

Combine both pieces, and you have a system that makes it impossible for anyone to open the deadbolt from the outside. It is impossible to open it from the outside whether you have a key to the room or not. This is also the perfect device to travel with as it is very portable, and you can take it with you wherever you go in the world.

Final thoughts

Leave the door open with your suitcase when you enter your hotel room. Walk quickly through the room to make sure no one is inside. Yes, this is one thing you need to do. Leaving the door of your hotel room open will give you a quick escape route in case there is someone in the room with you.

So check all the places where someone could be hiding, under the bed, in the closet and the bathroom. If there is someone in your room, run out and start yelling because it’s better to be safe than sorry. This may sound really paranoid, but as a minority, we need to protect ourselves.

You can buy these gadgets on Amazon, and most travelers swear by them because they keep us safe and secure during our travels. They let us sleep peacefully, especially when we travel to a foreign country. Remember, be careful and protect yourself. Let us know what you think of the gadgets in this list in the section below.