A flight attendant has shared why holidaymakers should place their suitcase in the hotel bathtub and put a shoe on top of the safe after checking into a room. Barbara Bacilieri, who served as a flight attendant for 14 years, shares travel guidance with her 5.1m TikTok followers and 2.9m YouTube subscribers.
Why the bathtub?
Bacilieri urged tourists to leave their luggage in the bathtub immediately upon arrival, instead of setting it on the bed or carpet. She told creatorzine.com: "Place your suitcase in the hotel bathtub before opening it. Leave it there, closed, while you inspect the room."
The guidance aims to minimise the risk of transporting unwanted stowaways back home. "Bed bugs are a very serious problem, and they can sneak into your luggage and come back home with you," Barbara warned. Bedbugs can lurk in mattresses, bed frames and upholstered furniture, and may crawl into luggage positioned close by.
Placing a suitcase in the bathtub allows travellers time to examine the room before unpacking. The hard surface also prevents luggage from being placed directly on fabric-covered spots where the insects might be concealed.
Inspecting the room and the safe trick
Barbara, 34, recognised online as Barbie Bac, advised: "Look at the mattress seams, headboard and luggage rack. If you find insects or suspicious signs, keep your bag closed and inform reception to request a room change."
Another tip concerns the hotel safe, where guests typically store passports, cash, jewellery and other valuables. Barbara's suggestion is to use a shoe as a prompt to remember to check the safe before departing. "If you put your passport in the safe, put one shoe inside and leave the other right by the door. This shoe will remind you to check the safe," she said.
The concept is to create a visual cue that's virtually impossible to miss when it's time to leave. A guest preparing to check out will require both shoes before exiting the room, prompting them to collect the one stashed inside the safe.
Packing and luggage tips
Before handing over a bag for check-in, she advises photographing it from multiple angles. "Take pictures of your bag before handing it in. A full picture of the bag, and another of the wheels, handles and corners. This way you will have a reference for its condition if they return it damaged," she said. She also recommended photographing the baggage claim tag and storing the original alongside your passport.
"Upon receiving your bag, inspect it before leaving the airport. If it appears broken, take pictures, notify the airline and keep the report number," Barbara explained. She added that photographs can assist with documentation but offer no guarantee of compensation, and advised verifying what travel insurance covers in relation to luggage.
She emphasised the importance of identification inside the bag itself. "The outer card may tear and get lost. Leave another identification card inside the bag where it is easy to see when it is opened. Name, phone number with country code, and email address. A contact person you can get in touch with during the trip," she said.
When packing liquids, she advised taking extra precautions. "Shampoo may leak even if the cap is closed, so keep it in a tightly sealed bag away from clothes. Do the same with other products that may spill. If anything leaks, the bag can contain it and save you from having to wash half the bag," she explained.
She also proposed making use of the space inside shoes: "Put the socks inside the shoe. If you are carrying perfume, keep it tightly closed and protected inside a bag before putting it away." Slippers, she noted, ought to be covered with a transparent plastic cover or shower cap so they don't come into contact with clean clothing.
She takes an empty bag for practical purposes. "This may be helpful if you encounter a problem when checking in. You may have to rearrange your bag because it is overweight. Upon returning, use it for dirty clothes," she said.
She reuses her packing list when departing the hotel and sets a particular alarm. "Set an alarm to remind you what needs to be checked. The charger, the safe, the documents. This name is more useful to you than an alarm clock that rings but says nothing. Set it a few minutes before leaving the hotel. When it rings, check everything before turning it off," she said.
Barbara, who hails from Argentina and is based in Spain, has amassed a substantial online following by sharing travel tips and offering insights into life as cabin crew.
