The Ordeal
I think everybody needs to hear this story, but particularly women traveling alone in the US, whether for business or as tourists.
Three weeks ago I had a very frightening experience. I was leaving the airport in Phoenix, AZ. I had made a lodging reservation previously at an Airbnb, but was unable to reach it due to a change in plans. I needed to find lodging close to the airport. This particular airport had no hotel shuttles. They also didn’t have a guide for lodging and transportation. I asked someone what they recommended for lodging close to the airport and they said, “Best Western.”
I didn’t realize that this is actually a punchline to a joke. We won’t go there.
So I called a cab and told them to take me to the nearest Best Western. They may have suggested a different hotel. They may not have. I was so exhausted at that point that I don’t remember too clearly. Anyway, by then all I wanted was a room at a clean, affordable chain hotel. One pretty much seemed as good as any other. Right?
I had a bad feeling as soon as I entered the lobby of the squat, one-story building, but by then the cab driver had already driven off. My room was nice — nicer than it should have been for the purchase price. It came with a hot tub, but I didn’t touch it. Instead I headed straight for the shower once I had checked in. After bathing, I put my clothes back on and took a 20-minute nap.
What happened after that I don’t remember too clearly. Somebody tried to come into my room. I don’t think anybody laid hands on me. I remember them getting close, and me taking the pink-and-green Bible* out of my purse and putting it between me and them. I picked up my luggage and walked past them and out the hotel door. I was chased.
Standing outside the building, they again approached. As soon as they got within a few feet of me, I again took out the Bible and read a few verses out loud. They stopped. I continued. I think by then a few people had gathered around, but I wasn’t wasting time to turn back and look at them.
I continued walking down the street very fast with my rolling luggage and laptop bags, until I got to the Circle K. I stopped for a few minutes there to rest, and then continued walking at top speed. That was what I did for the rest of the day and into the evening. I don’t know if anyone was following me, but I kind of got the feeling somebody might have been.
The thing that complicated matters was that my cell phone locked up on me. Nobody ever touched it — I hadn’t clicked an unfamiliar link or installed any new apps. It just went dark, with a tiny bit of purple visible. Occasionally it would come back to life, but not reliably.
This made it difficult to call for help. I didn’t trust the staff at the convenience stores that were open to call the police, and I couldn’t call a Lyft. So I just kept walking as fast as I could through the afternoon and after sunset: about six hours in total. I tried to check into several hotels in the airport zone and was told they were “full.”
Eventually I found one that would take me. I slept a short and uneasy night there and then headed back to the airport lobby. None of this would have worked if they had not been willing to call a cab for me.
So, in the end, I was fine. Nothing stolen. I got out alive and untouched.
But I am shocked and appalled that this could happen in the United States, so close to a major international airport. It could happen to anyone.
* Note to others: I don’t usually travel with a Bible and what I did will not work in every culture, or at every time.
