Xangsane
jova
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2021
- Posts
- 130,500
- Reputation
- 106,851
Reddit - Dive into anything
reddit.com
An unfortunate reminder for other young female solo travelers
I decided to take a solo trip to Europe for a couple of weeks, something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time. I chose Berlin, Prague, and Vienna as my destinations and have been so excited for all I have planned on this trip.
I’m from the Pacific Northwest so my flight to Berlin was quite long. I arrived at 7am and after a brief walk through the site’s closest to my hotel and brunch at a cafe, I decided to wait in the lobby of my hotel for a couple of hours until my room was ready (I was very in need of a nap). After about 30 minutes, a man came up to me saying he wanted to practice his English. He was chatty with the hotel staff and wearing a name tag, so I assumed he must have been an employee. After exchanging hellos, he left, only to come back 15 minutes later asking to have coffee with me (in the cafe section of the hotel). Maybe I was being too naive, or maybe due to my exhaustion, I said yes to the coffee and he sat down next to me. Our conversation started out pretty innocent, he told me he was in town for a dermatology conference and gave me some skincare advice (as someone who loves skincare, I’m always looking for free suggestions lol). The conversation quickly turned sexual however, and he spent the next 30 minutes trying to persuade me to have sex with him and talking about the various things he would like to do. Keep in mind this man is in his 50s and I’m in my mid twenties. I was pretty upfront about how uncomfortable this made me and he would act as if he respected this, and then quickly make me uncomfortable again. I had to lie that I was Amish and married in order to get this man to back off a little. Eventually he left to go back to his conference, and I told hotel staff about what had happened. Though this didn’t make the situation any better, they did make me an expensive drink and put it on his card which provided some satisfaction.
I feel absolutely disgusted, not even 8 hours in Europe and I’ve already been sexually harassed. In the future, I think I’d say no to anyone who came up to me, regardless of how pure their intentions seem. I hate having to say this, but for other women who are traveling by themselves, always remain aware and skeptical. You never know what could happen. Stay safe