Flight attendant explains why you should always put a shoe in your hotel safe

There’s a travel hack we think you ought to know about. One that might well just save you from one of the most annoying travel mistakes out there… leaving your passport in the hotel safe. The trick? It involves your shoe. Yup, that's right. Just one, though. A member of cabin crew from Dutch airline KLM dropped the advice in a TikTok video designed to improve the lives of frequent hotel guests. And it’s the kind of tip you’ll wish you’d known sooner. Because really, who hasn’t checked out of a hotel in a rush and then spent the rest of the day panicking about whether they left something behind? (Picture: Getty Images)

The woman behind the smart travel hack is Esther, a flight attendant who’s clocked up plenty of hotel nights thanks to her job. In her video, she breaks down what she sees as an underrated step that every single traveller should be taking the second they walk into a hotel room. Most people know to chuck valuables into the room safe - passport, cash, credit cards, things like that. But plenty of travellers forget to grab their stuff when it’s time to check out and leave. Especially if they're just making quick pit stop stays. That’s where her unexpected - but rather clever - shoe tip comes in… (Picture: @esthersturrus/TikTok)

Esther says that the easiest way to make sure you that don’t forget your valuables is to put something in the safe that you physically cannot leave the room without. For her, it’s a high heel. She always puts one in with her passport and other essentials because there’s no way she’d leave the hotel without her full uniform. No heel, no work. No work, no wages. It’s as simple as that. And the best part? This trick works whether you’re on a weekend getaway or just crashing in a room for a single night (Picture: Getty Images)

If you’re not the kind of person who travels with spare shoes or heels (or if you wear trainers 24/7), Esther says you can swap in any must-have item - your coat, your phone charger, even your favourite hoodie. Just pick something you’d NEVER leave behind. The goal is to trigger that panic moment before you check out, not five hours later when you’re already at the airport security line frantically unzipping every pocket in your backpack and sweating about not being allowed on the plane. Nifty idea, right? (Picture: @esthersturrus/TikTok)

And while we’re talking hotel room travel tips, there’s another viral piece of advice that might make you rethink your hotel morning coffee routine. Barbara Bacilieri, an Argentine flight attendant and travel influencer with nearly half a million TikTok followers, is warning travellers about one hotel appliance that could be far less clean than you’d expect - the humble kettle. According to Barbara, it’s not just used for boiling water. Some guests, apparently, get very creative with it. And by 'creative', she means 'disgusting' (Picture: Getty Images)

In her video, Barbara urges people to always inspect the kettle or coffee pot before firing it up. ‘Before boiling water for making tea or coffee, think it through,’ she says. ‘It is said that some guests use the kettle for weird stuff, such as washing underwear, cooking sausages or even cleaning the menstrual cup!’ Which is a charming picture, isn't it? As horrifying as it sounds, the idea of the kettle being multi-use is one that apparently gets shared around in the hospitality world more than you’d expect (Picture: Getty Images)

Barbara follows that up with a line that’ll stick with you next time you reach for the hotel room kettle: ‘You weren’t expecting this one, right? Just imagine how many other things guests do and we don’t know.’ It’s a reminder that even the most standard hotel amenities might be hiding stories you’d really rather not know about. We dread to think what horrors go on in the toilet, bed or even the shower... (Picture: Getty Images)

Whether you’re staying in a five-star resort or a budget-friendly city hotel, these flight attendant tips come straight from people who basically live in and out of hotel rooms for a living. They’ve seen things, maaaan. And while the shoe-in-the-safe trick is all about saving your sanity, the kettle warning might just save your immune system. So next time you’re unpacking your bags in a new room, take a second look at your surroundings, kick a shoe off and maybe think twice before you trust the kettle for your next brew. After all, it might've had sausages in it (Picture: Getty Images)