about 2 weeks ago I booked an Airbnb in another country I was going there for a concert the room was cheap so I knew I wasn't going to stay in a five-star hotel but it was only for one night so I didn't mind as long as I had a bed to start off it already wasn't a great trip because my data roaming apparently didn't work in that country at all I logged into a cafe Wi-Fi and planned my route in advance as best as I could managed to be at the house in time rang the only Bell and waited nobody came out I repeatedly rang it and waited for 5 minutes I noticed the door had a slot for mail and looked through it I was shocked to see an entrance that looked like an abandoned Barn a super Dusty couch right in front of the door pieces of furniture covered in cloth very dirty and extremely old I usually love old houses but that just didn't look like a house that was in use or prepared for guests at all I wondered if I was at the wrong house and what to do now as a super old unwashed looking guy walked towards the door from the street I asked him if he knew where the Airbnb was he mumbled something which I interpreted as positive so I asked him if he was Tim my host he said yes and open the door for me well I already described the entrance the centerpiece was definitely the super old creaky staircase that led to the upper part of the house I followed him upstairs he was heaving and coughing and stinking of cigarettes which wasn't exactly pleasant but all right the second floor was also abandoned looking super dark with clustered Furniture hung with cloth and randomly thrown together and a super creepy curtain that I couldn't catch a glimpse behind another stare up and we're in my hallway which was honestly the worst one cracks in the walls old rule paintings and Crosses hung up next to them it seriously looked like the set of a horror movie I usually don't have a problem with Decor like that I'm kind of goth so anything Darkly inclined as my jam but everything looked so badly taken care of that I got major Creo vibes from this house showed me the bathroom which had a huge hole missing in the bathtub tiling and the wall everything looked super dirty he showed me to my bedroom which was honestly okay there were just a lot of creepy dolls on the shelves that threw me off but the bed seemed fine I asked him if they had Wi-Fi and he said no which really sucked I really hope they would have because that meant I would have no way to communicate in there I also asked him when checkout was the next day he then said it doesn't matter he then dragged himself up to the fourth story which was in complete pitch black darkness by the way so that gave me very weird Vibes I definitely didn't want to get into the shower so I just quickly changed and charged my phone when I went to the bathroom I realized I didn't even notice the creepiest part there were no locks at all not for the bathroom and not for my room I also noticed that there were so many half-used items that someone who looked like the guest before me had left there like shower gels toothbrushes and toothpaste a random lash curler just lay abandoned on the Shelf not like a here you go for your use in case you forgot yours way but it just looked like someone left it and nobody bothered to clean it I already made my mind up that I would definitely not stay the night in this house my mind was just spinning scenarios what if all these products were left by the people before me why did nobody leave horrendous reviews I was super spooked I seriously debated if I should take all my [ __ ] to the concert because it didn't feel safe in the slightest but my back was really hurting for my heavy backpack so I just took my essentials and left the room as soon as I could not without sling a folded paper under the door so I'd see if someone tried to open in my absence when I was coming down the staircase I heard someone turning a key in the front door I was a bit confused but in the advert it said that a couple lived there so I expected to see the wife or girlfriend of the guy had already met instead a middle-aged man answers and says hey I'm Tim all I could think of then who the [ __ ] is the other guy I was [ __ ] myself inside but I had brief small talk with him and finally left the house I was shook luckily I made it in time to the venue and the concert was worth it afterwards I was so tired that I knew I couldn't stay awake for the whole night so I checked into a hostel that was also not perfectly clean but at least they had Wi-Fi a proper shower and a door that had a lock the next day I got thrown out at 10:00 a. m. so I made my way to get the rest of my stuff I don't know why but I checked the mail slot again and jumped back the old guy was just snoring on the couch directly in front of the entrance store I tried my best not to wake him up and snuck into my room to get my stuff the door hadn't been opened thankfully and I finally left this godforsaken place I don't know if I overreacted but honestly from the two Tims to the missing locks and a check out that didn't matter if I assumed the worst this would have been the perfect setup to assault or murder someone in the best case scenario nothing would have happened but I probably would have had panic attacks all night usually I love solo traveling but this was just too [Music] much if I remember correctly this happened in January or February 2024 I was visiting family in southern France and I didn't want to stay at their place even if they offered for personal reasons that I won't share here not that I visit them quite often and usually last minute so I would never book the same place and I would sometimes book a hotel room which was more expensive but better for me as I don't necessarily want to socialize with the hosts even when I would book airbnbs I would always search for flats or Studio flats and not a room in the flat SL house where other people live as I want to be on my own so this is an important Criterion for me so I booked this Airbnb within walking distance to where my family members stay it looks very nice on paper I think it was marketed as a house or ground floor flat with access to a yard and a garden it was probably one of those cheaper options I don't remember for sure but I wasn't going there for leisure or planning to have a very nice place for myself to have enjoyable holidays if that makes sense so I really wanted something for convenience and wouldn't pay extra for any kind of luxury there were not a lot of reviews but the few ones were pretty positive so I go to that place with my suitcase waiting in front of the house I contact a landlord who should gave me the keys but he's late I spent at least 1 hour waiting outside and I'm trying to to be patient realizing at least the neighborhood is pretty nice and seems safe even if I need to walk through areas that are slightly Dody to get there from more my relatives stay the landlord finally arrives he seems like a fairly good man and apologizes profusely saying he was in another town visiting his cousin or friends and time flew by first red flag he says they were drinking and didn't have time to sober up so he had to speed on the highway on his motorbike while being tipsy or drunk he stops and asks me how half jokingly not to say that in my review I get a bit serious and tell him he shouldn't be drinking and driving but he says he really didn't want to make me wait further I tell him I won't flag that in my review spoiler alert I will but I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot this guy is nice otherwise and seems trustworthy very chatty and open to socializing and frankly I was just happy I could finally get in and drop my stuff the second red flag is when he tells me I'll be living in a small flat adjacent to the bigger house he lives in but I shouldn't worry because I would have my own place own bathroom own kitchen Etc I didn't like that too much but I actually think it might be good because I'm not super comfortable being on my own in a ground floor accommodation knowing anyone can get into the yard and access the front door I guess you could say I'm paranoid so knowing that someone I quote unquote know is close by in case something happens gives me a sense of safety but I was wrong he show thrs me around it all seems okay it's pretty old but as I said I wasn't looking for a luxury stay the part where I would stay is on a lower level than street level not exactly like a basement because there is access to a garden but I need to walk down a set of stairs outside and get into the flat through the backyard this shows mostly when I'm in the bedroom as I see through the windows that is clearly at a lower level next red or rather yellow flag is when he shows me a door close to the bedroom which is the connecting door between my par part in his house I was kind of expecting that but thought he might need to at least cross the yard or access through the front door to get into my part of the house he says his door stays closed and it's locked anyway not as a warning for me not to try to open it but more like you'll notice there is the door it's useless for you what's beyond it is not part of what you're renting we chat a little bit too long for my taste because I was tired and also still annoyed at his lateness and I wasn't in the mood to socialize he gives me his phone number because he said the Airbnb chat feature isn't that good and that it's easier to use whatsa and then he leaves I start to settle down open my suitcase and get changed before leaving to visit the family I think go back to the place in the evening and decide to have a shower if I remember correctly what I'm saying next happened before I took a shower because I remember locking the bathroom door which I never do when I know I'm on my own and I recall being quite anxious when taking the shower so the biggest red flag before the last drop I'm sitting on the bed and I hear a knock and someone saying my name 2 seconds later before I get the chance to answer or even understand where the noise comes from I hear Keys turning in a lock and a door opening as you might have guessed it's the connecting door next to the bedroom the guy enters and says he can't find his phone and that he might have left it downstairs I'm a bit shocked probably because if he had come 10 minutes later I would would have probably been naked ready to take a shower or maybe walking around in a towel since I'm supposedly alone I know it might sound like I'm just being a [ __ ] but keep in mind I'm a relatively young woman alone in a house with a man in his 40s or 50s who has control over when he can get into my place at anytime I stay polite and try to tell him that no I haven't seen his phone I would have noticed there's literally nothing except my open Suitcase on a couch in the bedroom he still gets in speaking a lot and very fast while I'm sitting there not fully realizing what's happening and not having a chance to tell him to leave he looks around the flat and obviously doesn't find the phone then he says sorry and probably asks if everything is fine if I had dinner or something like that and then he leaves again at that point I'm really wondering if I should stay or not since I know you get refunded only if you cancel two nights in advance I just thought I would lose the money for the night that has already started because it was already after 11:00 p.
m. and the following one knowing I had booked at least four nights I really needed to take a shower but questioning if I should I tried to see if there were available hotel rooms but it was already too late to book one or they were already fully booked I decided to take my shower real quick wondering if you could hear the shower and deciding that he forgot something else to get in again nothing bad happens I then go back to the bedroom get dressed as fast as I can just in case sit down and think I decide that I will just stay for the night and I'll probably be less paranoid in the in the morning if I'm still alive that's when I noticed the chairs in the bedroom there are two and one of them has ropes tied around the armrests the chairs are in good shape and the Rope is definitely not there to keep the armrest fixed to the chair as they are just loose to this day I have no idea why they were there I still decideed I should sleep there for the night and try to use a chair to block the door handle in the bedroom like in the movies but guys this only works in the movies I try with both chairs trying to pile them up even trying to use the ropes one way or another the handle can still go down enough to open the door easily I think that at least if I leave them in front of the door I'll hear if someone tries to open it but the door opens the other way and in any case I didn't know what I'd do even if the noise woke me up again I'm clearly paranoid and anxious but living alone abroad my motto is to never ever take risks for my own safety as I'm usually the only one who can save myself so it's better to avoid any tricky situation doesn't mean I never go out but I wouldn't get drunk around people I don't trust and I would take a cab if I feel unsafe going home on my own after midnight I now live in a city that's rather safe but has had too many bad encounters unfortunately nothing unusual for most women not to be careful so from an external point of view this is a story about someone booking an Airbnb with good reviews with a nice and friendly landlord who is just overly open because he likes to meet people and the ropes are just a detail but for my anxious and paranoid self it's the premise for a horror story or thriller where you shout out the stupid and trusting victim to get away ASAP before the guy comes back so I decided to call my brother who came to pick me up around midnight for me to spend the rest of my stay at his [Music] place so I my boyfriend his best friend and his girlfriend drove up to Big Bear on June 26th then a day later another friend of ours drove on the 27th and he was supposed to sleep downstairs since there are only two bedrooms the first night we stayed there it was kind of creepy because the cabin was pretty remote and of course there were absolutely no lights outside it is the woods with coyotes howling and bears but nonetheless completely normal activity on the 27th around 12:00 a. m.
my boyfriend and I are in bed when suddenly our friend sleeping downstairs comes banging on the door freaking out saying he saw shadows in the woods and that the motion light came on and there was stumping outside we got a little freaked but my boyfriend got out of bed and checked the entire cabin and even went outside nothing we go up to the other couple's room where there's a porch with a sliding glass store that looks out to the woods it's important to note that I Am Naturally very anxious and a scared person while my boyfriend is a rock he is calm and logical while I tend to jump to the worst case scenario my boyfriend goes over to check the last place in the cabin so he pulls the curtain and jumps and yells oh no at this point I'm terrified my boyfriend is a 180lb CrossFit coach and to see a big guy like that scared is nauseating he locked the door and backed away slowly he quietly says there's a large man standing outside staring at us he's just standing in the woods looking at us at this point I'm thinking he's [ __ ] with me he looks at me and says go lock to door now that's when I knew he was serious everyone is of course freaking out I run and lock the door behind us and we all decide to stay in the room to keep an eye out it's the middle of summer and it's really hot but we refused to open a window I'm so scared but trying not to show it as everyone else seems to have calmed down about 30 minutes go by and nothing happens I get annoyed with the Heat and the fact that there's five people in a tiny room and three of them are men so my boyfriend and I go back to our room I'm still pretty spooked so my boyfriend tries to cheer me up at this point it's about 1:30 a. m.
