In collaboration with Travels in Black

By Lakeisha

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With cheap airlines such as EasyJet, Ryanair & Wizz Air (etc) providing such affordable flights, it is no wonder that there has been a boom in travel amongst Millennials and Gen Z. At this point you have solo travel, girls’ trips, lads’ holidays, baecations, staycations and the list goes on and with this comes the question- IS SEX ABROAD ACCEPTABLE? Now I am not referring to going away with your other half or even FWB, I’m talking about going away, meeting someone and hooking up once or twice knowing you’ll never see them again or a holiday romance that you both know has to come to an end. If you ask me, the short answer is abso-fucking-lutely.

1. TRAFFICKING– This is such a big issue because how do you know who to trust abroad? Who do you discuss your worries with if you’re travelling solo? Are you just being paranoid or are your instincts working overtime to protect you? We all would like to think we could spot a trafficker if it came down to it but realistically you never KNOW until it is too late. 

For me as soon as I spot any of the next few signs, I am looking for a way out. Does this person seem overly eager (it can be something as small as too insistent on buying me a drink or if they’re too forward in the conversation)? Are they asking loads of questions? If so, lie, lie, LIE, LIEEEEEE YOUR BACKSIDE OFF; there is no reason to let them know where you’re staying, if you’re alone (or not) or how long you’ve been travelling. Whenever I’ve been faced with these types of questions, I always have a boyfriend waiting for me, I’m living in a shared accommodation, I’ve been travelling for 5 months- I basically live here hoe. Keep as much personal information to yourself as possible. 

Another thing to look out for is if the person is trying to hurry the conversation along with scripted or ungenuine responses and suggestions of moving to somewhere more private/ away from crowds. Unfortunately, a now common tactic is using friendly girls (sometimes overly friendly)- this tactic sends in a victim of trafficking to gain the trust of other female travellers or to dupe male travellers. It is a sad fact, but women will always warm to other women and many men will respond more favourably to a woman; if the conversation seems too eager/ scripted- get out of there! Always trust your instincts- that little voice talking you out of doing something could save your life. 

2. GOING MIA– If I had a pound for times I’ve said “where’s *insert name*” or “what happened to you last night” while on a girl’s holiday. We are all adults, so I am not saying to not go and do your thing but just wandering off with someone you met in the club/bar and not re-appearing until the next day is my pet peeve! Always let someone know where you’re going and if you aren’t exactly sure then when you get there send your location- it’s 2021, a pin drop is not hard people. After living and working abroad, it was scary to see the amount of people who used to spend their mornings/ afternoons walking into random hotels looking for their lost friend. At least with a location your friends have a starting point the next morning or (God forbid) the police have last known location looking for you.  

3. GET AWAY PLAN– Now we never want to think the worst is going to happen, but it can never hurt to be prepared for the worst to happen. In my mind, there will never be anything wrong with having a get away plan. The main things for me are 1. If I want to leave how am I getting back to my accommodation (does uber/bolt/ kaptan. etc run in this country- if not where is the closest taxi rank)? 2. Keeping my phone charged or a charger on me 3. If shit goes south, do I know who to call? 

It is a sad reality that these things need to be thought about before you even think about how much fun you’re about to have, but these small thoughts could save your life. Below I’ve dropped some emergency numbers to make life easier: 

Europe- 112

UK- 999

America/ Costa Rica/ Dominican Republic- 911

Mexico- 066

Cuba- 106

Australia- 000

New Zealand- 111

UAE- 999 for police/ 998 for ambulance/ 997 for fire

4. HOLIDAY ROMANCES– First and foremost, STRAP TF UP! Please, please, please, no matter how much you think you like this person you have no clue who they really are and what they may or may not have. Let us just be safe rather than sorry, there are far too many STIs/STDs out there to get caught slippin’! Now that is out the way, holiday romances are cute AF; sometimes the connection you make with someone in such a short amount of time can be strong especially when the beach, alcohol and great weather is involved. I think it is so cute when you can go see the tourist sites together or grab lunch or just spend time lazing around the pool. While in Budapest I met an amazing guy from America and we ended up seeing all the tourist spots together, we also went on dates to dinner and even clubbing, in the space of a long weekend I was convinced I had found my husband HAHAHA (let’s all laugh together), but there is nothing wrong with it. It is great to make connections and it is ok for those connections to end. Keep it fun and light, if you’re travelling with others make sure you consider how they feel about the extra tag along or you being MIA but ultimately, enjoy the memories you’re creating along the way. 

I hope this hasn’t come off all doom and gloom, I am all for a quick hook up, holiday romances and anything in between but the most important thing is safety. This is of-course a lot easier said than done because believe me when you are caught up in the moment and you’re excited for what’s to come- the last thing on your mind is looking for the nearest taxi rank or memorising three digit emergency numbers BUT these small details can really help if anything was to go wrong! With that being said, get out there and get some!! Happy Holiday Rompin’ 😊

Lakeisha xoxo

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