PSA: Ladies, it’s time we talk about safety while traveling alone for business or pleasure.

To kick it off, I’d like to start the conversation to bring awareness to the precautions you should take before booking your next work trip. Unfortunately for me, I learned the hard way.

During my first few years in NYC I was tasked to meet with a company up in Boston for an afternoon meeting. I took a look at some flights and because I didn’t have a corporate card and wouldn’t be reimbursed for awhile, decided to take the cheapest flight option as I was completely broke at the time. A flight that got me there in time for my meeting and the last flight out of Boston back to NYC.

After landing at LaGuardia, I sleepily got in the cab line, still in full work attire with only my purse and computer on my arm. I noticed my phone was on low battery (13%), but instead of stopping to charge it, I decided it was a quick cab ride back to the Upper East Side and I’d be fine.

Once in the cab I gave the driver my cross streets and called my mom as I always did for safety reasons and to download her on my trip. Since it was late and I was on the phone, I wasn’t using my map and wasn’t paying attention to the drive until the driver suddenly darted off of the highway. It was then I realized something was wrong as I had made this commute hundreds of times before and no one had ever gotten off the highway in this location.

I told my mom to hang on as I spoke up to the driver addressing his decision to get off the highway. The next 10 minutes were the scariest moments of my life and somewhat of a blur, but happened something like this...

“Sir, why did you get off the highway, we should take the midtown tunnel can you get back on?”.

No response.

Louder this time, “Sir HELLO CAN YOU HEAR ME?!!!!”.

No response.

Banging on the glass that separated us in a full panic, “STOP THE CAR I WANT TO GET OUT!!!! HELLO? LET ME OUT!!!!”.

The car takes an aggressive left turn into an alley. I see a dead end and a barbed wire fence. My mom is still on the phone- I hear her yelling my name. I look out the window and make the split decision that may have saved my life. I unlocked the car door and jumped out of a car moving about 50 mph. I didn’t care in the moment, I just new jumping out of that car as better than whatever was waiting for me at the end of that alley . I’m not sure how I didn’t injure myself more, but I somehow landed on my hands and knees, cell phone by my side, mom still on the line.

I picked up my phone and ran back out of the alley to the main road. Mind you it had to be past midnight at this point and I had no clue where I was, but from my surroundings it seemed to be an industrial park. I would find out later I was in Long Island City, not terribly far from my apartment, but indeed off the beaten path.

Mom still on the line, now with my Dad and younger sister all on as well. They had heard the entire occurrence unfold- a family’s nightmare. As I ran to the street I told her I was running to try and get help. It was then my phone died...

No shoes, purse left in the cab, ripped tights, bleeding from who knows where and covered in dirt from the unpaved alley, I stood on the corner with a dead phone and no cars in sight. Suddenly an SUV stopped on the corner and waited there, almost analyzing the situation and waiting for help to arrive. The man never introduced himself but I think he must have called the cops. Thank you to whoever that unnamed soul is, I’m forever grateful.

To my surprise and from something out of a horror film, the cab driver started to slowly back out of the alley, passenger door still wide open and lights on from where I had escaped. The driver had the audacity to approach me, and in a raised voice demand that I get back in the vehicle. I backed away and screamed at the top of my lungs that the cops were on their way and there was no way in hell I was getting back in the car (although my phone was dead so I had no idea if that was actually true). It was somewhere during that moment the cops made their heroic arrival and I knew the nightmare was over.

Moral of the story, I learned a few key lessons that day:

Do not travel solo late at night. My dad has always stressed nothing and no one good happens after midnight and I’ve found that to be true in this crazy world.
Never take shortcuts to save a few bucks. I have been an advocate for safe traveling hours for women at work and have made it clear to all companies moving forward I will not travel late at night due to safety reasons. Ladies, they must respect that or you MUST go to HR.
Always have a charged phone! You must have an outlet to share where you are with someone. I also find turning your location on while traveling is a smart way to stay safe. I also now make the extra effort to stop and charge a dead phone when exiting a flight because it is not worth comprising my safety ever again.
Stand up for yourself. If you feel like your driver is not listening to you, get their attention and call out their mistake. If they are not cooperating start strategizing an exit plan immediately. Praying your exit plan is safer than mine, but you never know the scenario you may find yourself.

Please take this story with you as you plan trips moving forward. It is always ok to advocate for your personal safety, please never feel inadequate to your male peers for doing so. To share your safety tips, please leave me a note in the contact me form- I’d be honored to share your story.

xx,