今週の LA Times 日曜版から Airbnb Uber を 女性一人旅のとき 安全に使う方法

https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-travel-spot-safety-tips-solo-woman-traveler-20190421-story.html

Accommodations
►Whether it’s an Airbnb or a hotel, choose a place that has plenty of reviews (track record is important) and positive postings. Are some of those fake? Maybe, but it’s hard to fabricate hundreds of reviews.

►Figure out its location using Google maps (satellite) and see what’s around it. Avoid accommodations that are in the middle of nowhere, but even in a city try to divine whether the neighborhood is sketchy.

►Supplement that information with a crime mapping program such as Crimemapping.com or CrimeReports.com if you’re in the U.S., Coffey said.

►As a last check, call the police department and explain where you’re staying. Ask for a quick safety assessment of the area, said Coffey, who noted that success with this measure “depends on who picks up the phone.” But you won’t know until you ask.

►Hotels may not be your cup of tea, but most have security and may be designed to enhance that security. A big, lavish lobby may look pretty, but common sense suggests properties with a smaller footprint have a “security advantage,” Bradley said, because “it’s easier to secure a smaller space.”

►Those properties with rooms that begin on an upper floor also may provide an advantage; you generally must pass one layer of security just to get to the elevators that take you to the hotel lobby.

►When you get into an elevator with someone else, let him or her punch the floor button first. If it’s the same floor as yours, go up another level.

►Check for hidden cameras in your room. Be suspicious if there’s a smoke detector over the bed or in a corner. Coffey often turns out the lamps and looks for a pinhole of light coming from those supposed devices, a clock radio on a bedside table or even a surge protector.

Ride share
►When you summon a ride share, be sure to check the license plate and the picture of the driver on your phone — but don’t stop there. Before you get in ask, “Who are you here to pick up?” or “What’s my name?” Do this before putting anything in the trunk.

►Text someone to let him or her know that you’re taking a ride share. Explain where you are going. And text when you arrive.

►Both Uber and Lyft have a help button if your driver is driving erratically or being abusive. If your driver isn’t using the correct route (one you know or have checked out ahead of time), use the help button (remember, the ride share company is tracking your route) or call 911. Or both.

What you know — information gleaned from homework — can help.

Every time you go out, you should be as prepared, by researching ahead of time, as if you were going on an excursion, Bradley said.

Women should not stop traveling because of fear, but be prepared to take action and speak up if there’s a problem, Coffey said.