A TRAVEL security expert has revealed the dangerous mistake millions of Brits make when taking a taxi to the airport.
Most Brit holidaymakers heading to the airport will probably pre-book a taxi to collect them from their home before jetting off on holiday.
While this may sound extremely organised and efficient, it can actually pose a potential safety risk, as Carolyn Person, the CEO and Founder of Maiden Voyage, explains.
Carolyn told Sun Online Travel: “I don’t know if this is an urban myth or a rumour, but there’s an understanding within our city that there’s a certain minicab company that when they know that the occupants are on holiday, it seems to be coincidental that they’ve taken that minicab firm and their houses get broken into.”
“If you’ve got concerns about your minicab company, maybe organise a pick up which is close to your house but not your actual address.”
Carolyn explains that your pick-up location could be on the corner of your street or slightly further down the road.
By changing the pick-up location slightly, it keeps your home address concealed from potential thieves.
Make sure to keep your address hidden on any luggage tags as you load your suitcases into the taxi too.
Although don’t use a neighbour’s address as your pick-up location, as this could lead to them getting burgled instead.
This happened back in 2019 after an unnamed man asked on Reddit if he was in the wrong after using a different address.
The Reddit user added that he didn’t tell his neighbours, who live four doors down from him, what he did, and just said “damn, that sucks”.
He asked online if he was in the wrong – with many claiming that he was, so make sure to keep your neighbour’s house safe too.
Carolyn Pearson founded Maiden Voyage, a business dedicated to making travel safer, 16 years ago.
As part of her role, Carolyn educates businesses and industry professionals on safety and security in the travel sector.
In addition to providing training to hotel employers and their employees, Carolyn also shares safety tips, tricks, hacks, and advice with holidaymakers.
In a series of other articles in Sun Online Travel, Carolyn revealed a series of tricks and tips to keep holidaymakers safe when staying at hotels.
At the end of last year, Carolyn urged holidaymakers to avoid announcing their room number at the check-in desk.
She said: “Once they’ve read out the room number, reception staff will give guests directions to their room.”
Despite seeming helpful, sharing this information in a hotel foyer could be dangerous.
Ask for your room number to be written down instead, so other guests won’t know where you’re staying.
Carolyn always makes sure to travel with a £1 doorstop too, to give her hotel room some extra security at night.
She said: “I always travel with a door jammer because there are some hotels that I really like, but they don’t have a second lock.”
FLIGHT attendants and other travel safety experts have also shared how they keep themselves when travelling.
The travel safety expert also makes sure to keep her valuables locked in her safe.
This is because housekeepers often wedge doors open when they are cleaning rooms to accommodate their large trolleys.
If the room is being cleaned mid-stay, valuables like laptops and bottles of perfume on vanity tables can be spotted through the open door as the cleaner is in the room.
Carolyn added: “This person can tell housekeeping that they’ve forgotten something in your room, and very easily pick up any valuables left on the desk.”
Passengers also make these safety mistakes when getting on board our planes
Not charging devices
Sometimes airline staff might ask you to prove your phone, or any other device, works as expected.
This is to show us that it’s actually a phone and not just a phone case hiding something sinister or banned.
If you’re unable to prove your device works, we have the right to take your phone off you and force you to leave it behind at the airport.
It’s either that, or you don’t board with it – those are your options.
Vaping on board
This is really stupid – imagine the panic you could cause by creating a billow of smoke in the plane cabin.
A lot of people think they can get away with vaping, but the smoke is so thick and often comes with a pungent aroma that we’re more often than not going to catch you in the act.
Storing electric devices in the overhead bins
This is a huge fire risk and you should never do it. Phones, vapes and other devices should be in your personal bag under the seat in front of you, if it has to be on the plane at all.
If the batteries crack in a certain way, they can very easily start fires and that’s the last thing you want to happen in a metal tube 40,000 feet in the sky.
Meanwhile, a flight attendant recently shared her top safety hacks for travellers to prevent hotel break-ins.
And Royal Marine Robin has revealed how you can stay safe in your hotel room using just a belt.
