There was a crash from the door and a strip of light from the hallway spread into the room. Hey! I said, a warning to pay attention that I was around the corner of the room.

I jumped out of bed and ran to the door covered by the closet. A frightened woman stood in the hallway, apologizing. Without thinking about the final morning, I had returned my annulled key card the previous day, since I had received a new key card for the rest of my stay. Finding it, the cleaner had (of course) thought that I had left, and had rushed to take care of the apartment. We apologized to each other. I for the way I had surprised her, and she for opening the door, even though I was still there.

About this post

This post was not a travel reflection I planned, but one that insisted on being written. On this blog, I share not only the good and inspirational side of places I’ve been, but also the unsettling things that happen, both home and abroad. The following text explores the shadowy aspects of solo travelling.

Uninvited guests in hotels

The alarming encounter with the cleaner came not long after a night when I woke from a deep sleep to a loud bang. It was early in the morning, and I saw my belongings were scattered all over the floor. Someone was standing on the other side of the closed door, and had tried the door handle. Behind the door was the common area of a budget hostel, where a group of thirty-something men were spending a long, drawn-out evening. By the morning, they had moved behind their own doors, and I ventured to the farthest shower room I could find. As I was getting out of the shower, one of these men appeared in the doorway, and stood there staring at my towel-framed face, until he decided to let me pass, and walked away.

Another time in a hotel I saw my neighbor crouching at my door. I had just left and gone some distance around the corner when for some reason I turned to look into my own corridor. Two people had appeared at my door. When they saw me they hurried back to their room. In the night I was awakened by a noise that told me that someone was (again) trying to get into the room.

I later recognized the neighbor while I was at the reception. My key card didn’t work, and the receptionist replaced it for me with a mechanical key. The neighbor greeted the staff briskly, and opened the door to the back office. In the inn’s café, the woman sat down on the other side of the room, directly opposite me, and glared at me from there. After a while, I got up, looked at her, and walked towards her. The woman’s expression came to life and she whispered to the man sitting with his back to me, She’s coming here! While the woman kept her eyes on the man, I walked next to her, put my espresso cup on the counter, as usual, and walked out.

From hotels to home

I flew back to Helsinki in the darkness of an autumn night. I woke up at home a couple of hours later, a bit after 6 am to someone opening the front door. Quickly, with keys, and slamming it shut after realizing they weren’t alone.

The door opening was quick, like a habit, a recurring stop over at my place on the way to the morning shift. At least the timing was right – if the shift starts at seven, like it did for us, the uninvited guest had time to explore my home before work. A small inconvenience was that I had returned home from my trip without any notification.

Then there was the time when my neighbor told me about burglaries in the area and suggested I get a security camera. When I installed it, it worked when I left home, but soon after the camera went offline. I recorded the sounds of my home while I was away, and I heard someone rustling the products I had in a box in the kitchen. The noises stopped when the person found the cell phone among them, listening to it all.

When I needed my old cell phone one day, it was gone. Another day, the cell phone was back where it belonged.

I was a blonde woman living alone, but I found long, dark hair in my fridge. My clothes changed places on their own, and one spring I lost all my underwear. When I visited my friend in another Finnish city this summer, the first thing I had to ask was if I could wash my new knickers in the washing machine, because they were the only ones I had.

Precautions against disturbances

People have told me of thiefs visiting their home during the night, or how a stalker was waiting for them in their hotel room. Although I have had uninvited guests in my home for years, I have yet to come face to face with an intruder. Better safe than sorry, here are some precautions that I take, whether I arrive at home or in a hotel room.

Every day:
1. I check the premises every time I return home from outside: Every room, behind curtains, under beds, in closets…
2. I make sure that no one from outside can get in without me noticing, even while I’m sleeping.

Traveling alone has taught me to always pay attention to my surroundings. Certain situations tend to reoccur no matter which city, country or continent it is, or whether it is at home or in a new place. Unpleasant events might not happen every day, but sometimes they do.

Even if it might not be easy to admit it, there are people who are not well, who will invade other people’s spaces. I believe it is better to prepare for it than to bend when belittled by those who don’t want to acknowledge it, because harassment does happen. By living and travelling alone one might be an easier target than houses inhabited by several people. I know I have too many experiences with harassment, at home, in hotels and in common public places in general.

Is there a precaution that has worked particularly well for you? I’d love to hear what methods you have against residential disturbance?