We normally think we’ll be safe when we go. We feel comfortable when we see decent reviews, great photos, and sites that state they have “verified hosts.” These signs are something that people who have been traveling for a long time get used to.
What should you do if such signs aren’t right?
This is the account of a harrowing trip I took over the weekend and how it changed the way I think about travel safety.
The light that flashes
The vacation began like any other. My wife and I made a reservation at a luxury Airbnb for a short trip. The reviews were favorable, the photographs were good, and the price looked fair.
But things changed less than an hour after they got there.
My wife observed a tiny light blinking on the smoke detector while we were unpacking. I believed at first that it was just a dead battery ⚡. But she made me check.
When I opened the cover, my heart fell. Inside was a little camera lens.
I paused. Then, without saying anything, I put our things back in the bags. We left in a matter of minutes after getting in the car. What used to feel like a cozy house suddenly felt like a prison.
😰 From Happy to Scared
We stopped at a diner in a town that was only a few miles away. When I opened my laptop and hurriedly submitted a cautious review on Airbnb, I was both scared and happy. I thought there might be no answer, or maybe a “no.”
But the host got back to them right away:
“You’re a fool.” It wasn’t a camera. That part of our private security system sends out signals. Now that you’ve shattered it, they’ll come seeking for it.
That word, “they,” made me shake. Who were “they”?
When I looked at the pictures I had shot before, I saw something I had missed: a faint red dot burning on the curtain. Not the smoke alarm. Not from anything I knew. It looked like a laser.
At that point, I knew that the object was more than just a camera.
🏚️ The Fake Airbnb
The more I thought about it, the more it became evident that this wasn’t a regular rental.
📸 Perfect pictures? Most likely put up.
⭐ Good reviews? Not likely real.
🏡 Is it actually a warm house? It’s just a front.
It wasn’t made for those who travel. It was made to keep a close check on them.
✂️ Getting Out
We drove for hours that night. I broke the prepaid phone I used to book the hotel in the next city. We thought that was the only way to make sure no one was following us. 📱💥
I called the cops the next morning. I exhibited the photographs, told about how the host responded strangely, and pointed out the weird red dot. The police heard me, but I wasn’t sure if anything would truly happen.
A Tough Lesson
That night, I finally understood that you can’t always be sure you’ll be safe when you travel.
We trust platforms, pictures, and reviews a lot, but they could all be fraudulent. And when it does, the results could be quite bad.
Older travelers may not know that things like concealed cameras and other surveillance equipment can look like normal objects.
How to Stay Safe from Cameras You Can’t See
We learned that being extra careful can help you stay safe. Here are some easy things that everyone who travels should do:
appear for smoke detectors, alarm clocks, outlets, and anything else that doesn’t appear right in the room.
utilize your phone to shine a light over lenses to see if they reflect light, or utilize apps to find strange Wi-Fi signals.
If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
📡 Take charge of your relationship. If you can, utilize your own hotspot instead of the rental’s Wi-Fi.
🏃Get out right away—your safety comes first if you see something strange. Go outside and call the police.
What It Means
It’s never been easier to travel, yet this ease comes with new dangers. Fake rentals, hidden cameras, and high-tech surveillance devices are all huge difficulties.
Our “simple weekend getaway” turned out to be scary, led to a police report, and made us lose faith in ourselves. We now inspect things twice and are more attentive on every trip we take.
But not every pleasant host or gorgeous place is what it seems. 🏠❌
