We normally think we’ll be safe when we go. We feel safe when we find sites with decent ratings, great photos, and “verified hosts.” People who have been traveling for a long time grow used to these signs.
What should you do if such signs aren’t right?
This is the account of a harrowing weekend journey that made me ponder about how safe it is to travel.
The light that flashes
The vacation began like any other. We made a reservation at a great Airbnb for a short getaway. 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 small 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 lens for a camera.
I paused. I then put our things back in the bags without saying anything. We got in the car and were gone in a few minutes. 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 wasn’t too far away. I was both scared and thrilled when I opened my laptop and promptly wrote a careful evaluation on Airbnb. I thought there would be no answer or a refusal.
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. You broke it, and now they’ll come looking 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.
By that time, I knew the thing was more than simply a camera.
🏚️ The Fake Airbnb
It became clearer to me that this was not a standard rental the more I thought about it.
Perfect pictures? Most likely put up.
⭐ Positive reviews? Not likely to be real.
🏡 Is it really a warm home? 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 be sure no one was following us. 📱💥
The next day, I called the police. I exhibited the photographs, talked about how the host responded strangely, and pointed out the odd red dot. The police were listening, but I wasn’t sure if anything would happen.
A Tough Lesson
That night, I finally understood that you can’t be sure you’ll be safe when you travel.
We trust a lot of things like platforms, pictures, and reviews, but they could all be fraudulent. And when it does, the results could be quite bad.
Older tourists, in particular, may not recognize that things like concealed cameras and other surveillance equipment can look like typical objects.
How to Avoid Cameras You Can’t See
We learned that being extra careful can help you stay safe. All travelers should do these easy things:
Look around the room for smoke alarms, alarm clocks, outlets, and anything else that seems off.
You can use your phone to shine a light on lenses to see if they reflect light, or you can utilize apps to discover strange Wi-Fi signals.
If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
📡 Take charge of your relationship. If you can, use your personal hotspot instead of the Wi-Fi in the rental.
🏃Get out right away—your safety comes first if you see something strange. Go outside and call the police.
What It Means
Traveling has never been easier, yet this ease comes with new dangers. Fake rentals, hidden cameras, and high-tech surveillance devices are all huge issues.
Our “simple weekend getaway” ended in terror, a police report, and a loss of trust. We are more attentive and inspect things twice on every trip we take now.
Not every pleasant host or gorgeous house is what it seems, though. 🏠❌