'Is she a spy giving tips to other spies?': Cautious TikToker demonstrates cruise safety tips, sparks debate about travel safety

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jan 5, 2024 1:00 PM EST

When does an attempt to assure your safety tip over into paranoia? It's a thorny question by anybody's standards. It's always wise to have your wits about you in an unusual environment, especially if you're a woman. At the same time, there can be a thin line between taking lifesaving precautions and doing something that could be actively counterproductive to that.

This is an argument that has preoccupied the internet recently after a video of a woman on a cruise went viral. In it, she demonstrates a multi-step routine that she uses to protect herself in her room at night. Involving things like portable CCTV cameras and alarmed doorstops, the whole thing almost comes across as a QVC advert.

When this content reached Twitter, many were quick to question how useful it would be to take all these safety measures at once. However, numerous people insisted that there was nothing excessive about this. While what is needed to feel safe is different for everyone, there's no denying that room would be difficult to exit in an emergency.