Latest news with #NataliKhomenko
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Telegraph
I've been to 50 countries solo. These are my top tips for women travelling alone
Boxer shorts. Bibles. Sex toys. Toenail clippings. I've found some odd and unnerving things lurking in hotel rooms over the years – but never a pair of eyes. I can't imagine the horror Ukrainian vlogger Natali Khomenko must have felt when she looked under her bed to find a strange man peering from the darkness. The seasoned 32-year-old solo traveller was alerted to the intruder's presence after detecting a strange smell in her room during a trip to Japan, and has recently shared her story to raise awareness of the risk women sadly continue to face while holidaying alone. Reflecting a massive leap in searches for solo travel, Airbnb's Spring 2025 Travel Trends Report suggests more 42 per cent of Brits are keen to travel solo in the next 12 months with female explorers making up nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of all solo travellers. Personally, I've spent the past 25 years flying, sailing and hiking alone in more than 50 countries across all continents. The benefits – including a boost in self-confidence, freedom to make my own choices and the exhilaration of stepping beyond my comfort zone – have always outweighed any potential pitfalls. But never once have I taken my travels lightly. Quite the opposite. No matter how well I know a destination, I always take careful precautions. Over time, I've found ways to avoid dangers without detracting from the enjoyment and authenticity of my experiences. Khomenko's story is shocking and deeply concerning, reminding us all how important it is to be vigilant in new places. But it shouldn't deter other women from travelling alone – it certainly hasn't stopped me. Here is my best advice for holidaying solo, from pre-trip tips to safety suggestions while abroad. Do your research Spontaneous decisions have shaped some of my most memorable travel adventures, but I never leave home without a bit of careful planning. In a new city, I scour the internet for information about different neighbourhoods and work out which places to avoid. The comment sections on platforms like are also helpful. When were the most recent comments posted? Does the hotelier respond quickly? Have many people left positive feedback? These are all good indications of a safe and reliable space. Share your itinerary Sharing my whereabouts not only allows my mum to live vicariously through my travels – it also keeps me safe. Apps like TripIt can amalgamate confirmation emails into a detailed plan to be shared with friends and family, while TrackMyTour creates an interactive map of waypoints. If mobile roaming isn't an issue, switch on location services and share details with a select circle through the Life360 app or Find My on the iPhone. Where possible (and affordable), I always take an Uber rather than a taxi or local bus – largely because journeys are tracked and the trip status can easily be shared. But don't overshare Tempting as it might be to shout about adventures, avoid posting any geo-located material on social media in real time. Unless shared within a private group, never make public any information about travel plans and places where you intend to sleep. Either be vague about specific locations or post material a few days later. Making new friends is one of the great joys of travel, but I'm always hesitant to reveal too much personal information with strangers. If ever in doubt, it's fine to tell a few white lies and pretend you are travelling with somebody else or have plans to catch up with friends. When arranging to meet up with new acquaintances, always choose a busy place and share your plans with others at home. Carefully timetable Arriving anywhere after dark can be daunting – especially if you've never been there before. I always try to travel during daylight hours and avoid arriving at a hotel too late. If there's no other option – especially in the case of international flights – I pre-book transport through a reputable company or arrange to stay somewhere close to the airport. Connect with other women Sharing experiences with other female solo travellers can be both reassuring and helpful. Similar to a dating app, platforms like Tourlina, Bumble BFF and NomadHer can be used to find like-minded matches in different destinations. Users can create profiles, share ideas and even arrange meet-ups. On several occasions, I've also requested a female guide – partly to support greater gender equality but also to get a female perspective and inside knowledge. Another option is to join a specialist escorted tour. Companies like Intrepid, Trafalgar and The Adventure People arrange women-only tours – often providing access to activities that wouldn't be possible in a mixed gender group. Come prepared A lot of my travels are in developing countries so I'm always cognisant of the yawning inequality between (relatively) wealthy foreigners and local workers on a low wage. Unfortunately, I've occasionally had cash go missing – even in five-star hotels. To avoid any issues, I carry a padlock to put on my suitcase and keep any valuables inside – although I tend to leave any jewellery at home and prefer to travel light. I use a door latch, if there's one available, and stuff any visible peepholes with a piece of tissue. When entering a room, I check windows are lockable along with any interconnecting doors. Pack appropriate clothing I'm a big believer in clothes as a form of self-expression, but sometimes it's better not to shout about your presence too loudly. Preferring to blend into the background, I avoid wearing anything showy and opt for conservative clothing where culturally appropriate. In Muslim countries like Oman, for example, I would never bathe in a wadi wearing a skimpy bikini and would always opt for long skirts, trousers and T-shirts rather than hot pants and crop tops. Use your intuition If a situation feels uncomfortable, there's no shame in walking away. Whether it's a guide, fellow traveller, bus driver or waiter – nobody has the right to invade your personal space. Either politely deflect any unwanted attention, or – in more serious cases – alert others to what is going on. Even if you are travelling solo, having a network of friends nearby or connected online means you will never be alone.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woman Recounts Terror When 'Weird' Smell Leads to Discovery of Man Under Hotel Bed: 'I Thought He'd Choke Me or Rape Me' (Exclusive)
Natali Khomenko shared a TikTok video claiming she discovered a man hiding under her bed in a hotel room in Tokyo "I thought that he will choke me or rape me or kill me in those seconds. I was like, 'that's it. That's it," Khomenko explained. Khomenko says she is speaking out to help prevent further incidents from happening to other female solo travelers Natali Khomenko always wanted to travel to Japan. So, to celebrate her 32nd birthday, she and her husband made a plan to travel there in the spring. However, at the last minute when her husband couldn't join her because of work, she decided to go alone. 'It was a present to me to go to Japan,' she tells PEOPLE. The Ukrainian creative producer flew from her home in Thailand and arrived in Tokyo on March 29, checking into her hotel around 10 p.m. The next morning, she left her hotel around 10 a.m. to take in Tokyo's temples, Ueno Park, food markets and cafes. She arrived back at her hotel around 7:30 p.m. 'I was so tired,' she says by the time she returned to her hotel. 'I just laid down on my bed with my phone. I wanted to book a train from Tokyo. Then she noticed a 'weird smell.' 'It was rotten. It was like a dead animal but a sweet odor,' she says. 'I realized the smell was coming from under the bed. And without any bad thoughts I just leaned forward to check under the bed. I leaned forward and I just saw him. I saw the eyes.'Khomenko says the man, who appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, was lying on his belly. 'His arms were bent a little bit. One of his legs was a little bit bent. He was very quiet. It was only the smell that helped me to spot him.' She immediately screamed and watched in horror as the intruder dressed in all black crawled out from under the bed, stood up and stared at her. 'He was quietly staring at me for three seconds while I was screaming,' she says. 'And then he started to scream. I thought that he will choke me or rape me or kill me in those seconds. I was like, 'that's it. That's it.'' Khomenko says she was absolutely paralyzed with fear. 'I could not move,' she says. 'I was just screaming and standing very stiff.' Seconds later, the intruder turned around and dashed out the hotel room door. She attempted to call the front desk. 'I started to dial the reception, but I could not because I was in panic mode, and I couldn't understand which number I should dial.' Travelers in the next room heard her screams and called hotel staff, who then called police. Khomenko says after a search of the room they found the intruder's power bank and a USB cable under the bed. 'It's just my thought that he definitely wanted to spend the night,' she says. 'Maybe he wanted to record me and that's why he took the power bank. Because the camera is taking a lot of batteries from the phone and that's why he needed to recharge it. He was prepared.' Khomenko says she asked the hotel staff how the man could have gained access to her room. 'How did it happen that this person entered my room? And she didn't have an answer for me. She was like, 'I don't know. I don't know.'' After she spoke to the police, Khomenko says she checked her luggage to see if anything was missing. 'He didn't take anything,' she says. She immediately checked out of the hotel and her husband booked her into another one. However, the rest of her trip was filled with anxiety. 'I didn't sleep at all in the new hotels,' she says. 'I was in shock. I could not sleep. I was talking to my relatives till 4 a.m.' The hotel would later tell her that it didn't have cameras, making it difficult for police to identify the intruder. The hotel declined her request for $1,600 to recoup her expenses after the incident, she said, but did reimburse her for the three nights she planned to stay there. Khomenko reached out to the Ukrainian embassy and on April 25 spoke out about the incident on TikTok in a post that has since gone viral. 'It was very scary,' she recalls. 'It was an absolute violation. All my experiences, my birthday, everything was ruined.' Part of the reason she has spoken out, she says, is to prevent this from happening to other female solo travelers. 'I wanted to bring awareness," she noted. "A lot of solo travelers wrote to me that they're grateful that I shared with this this story because they could not imagine that it could happen, especially in Japan.' Read the original article on People
Scottish Sun
01-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
I noticed disgusting smell in my hotel so checked under bed – I saw two eyes staring back & thought I was going to die
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HOLIDAYMAKER has told how she spotted two eyes staring at her from under her hotel bed - after smelling what she thought was a dead body. Ukrainian model Natali Khomenko told The Sun about her "horror movie" encounter which turned her dream trip to Japan into a "nightmare". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Natali Khomenko's dream holiday turned into a nightmare when she found a stranger lurking under her hotel bed Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi 9 Natali was backpacking in Japan when the horror unfolded Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi 9 The Ukrainian influencer said she 'thought her life was over' Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi Her birthday week holiday morphed into a living hell - as she "couldn't sleep" and was "constantly on edge, checking every corner of my room". She said: "I thought my life was over." Natali explained that after a day of sightseeing on March 30, she returned to her hotel room at about 7:30pm and got undressed before laying down in bed. After 15 minutes of relaxing, she started to notice a "weird smell". Thinking it might be her hair or the bed sheets, the 32-year-old then made the realisation that the stench was coming from under the bed. She said: "Jokingly, I thought 'what if there's a dead person laying under the bed?' "But when I leaned over to check, I saw a pair of eyes staring at me." Shaken to the core, Natali froze up in fear, thinking that she must have been hallucinating. She jumped up and got ready to defend herself, hurrying to the corner of the room in desperation. "And then I just started screaming... A lot of people [next door] heard me screaming," she told The Sun. The two locked eyes for three seconds - with Natali trapped on the bed in the corner of her room and him blocking the door. At that point, she thought "my life was over". "I was screaming and crying. It was like a horror movie. And then he just started to scream." She claims the ominous figure then fled the scene, leaving Natali still crying out in shock. I was screaming and crying. It was like a horror movie. And then he just started to scream Natali Khomenko She added that neighbouring guests in other rooms could hear her screams and shouted back asking which room she was in. "People were afraid to go out from their rooms," Natali explained, due to her ominous wailing. "I was just in my underwear, so I needed to put on some pants before I opened the door and I screamed my room number." She then met two men in the corridor and begged them for help. Police were called to the hotel and started to investigate. They even managed to find a portable charger and USB cable that the perpetrator had left behind. 9 Natali said the horror encounter left her 'constantly on edge' for the rest of her trip in Japan 9 Police retrieved a cable and charger that Natali claims the man left behind 9 Natali says she is not being taken seriously - and there has been a lack of investigation into the incident Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi But Natali's hopes ended there - as she was quickly informed that cops "probably wouldn't find him". Feeling completely unsafe, she immediately left and took a cab to a different hotel - but was still restless. She described the rest of her holiday as "five days of horror". "I'm afraid he just wanted to wait until I switched off the lights, fall asleep and then climb from under the bed and choke me or do whatever," she feared. "It's like my nightmare." Devastated, she sent multiple emails to the hotel demanding compensation money for her trauma as well as expenses - including the new hotel she had to book in the middle of the night after her chilling experience. The investigation proved fruitless after the hotel told her there was no CCTV footage and that cops told them that they were unable to identify the culprit even after taking fingerprints. "I was like no way - it ruined my birthday trip to Japan... I had severe emotional damage," the tourist said. I'm afraid he just wanted to wait until I switched off the lights, fall asleep and then climb from under the bed and choke me Natali Khomenko Despite defending Japan and claiming that it had nothing to do with the situation, she said that she will never return to the country alone. "I don't want to scare all girls travelling to Japan - but be cautious. "Check everything. Under bed, in the bathroom, everything," she warned. After taking to social media to warn followers about her frightening ordeal, she was met with support and backlash. She claims dozens of women, Japanese locals and tourists alike, were "telling me their stories, saying that no one takes women seriously". Natali was accused by many of fabricating her story for attention - but called these comments "disgusting". "The women who are writing to me, who are supporting me, they are giving me so much power," she said. Natali has since written to the Ukrainian embassy in Japan in hopes that they will help her obtain a police report - but she has had no response so far. The influencer explained that she didn't post her story for a month because she was so scared that she "could not speak". "I'm just starting to speak out now and I'm crying," she said. Natali sent The Sun video footage of her hands trembling in the days after the horror encounter. I didn't post my story for a month because I could not speak. I'm just starting to speak out now and I'm crying Natali Khomenko She said that she still has "severe panics" whenever she enters a hotel room, and that the ordeal "absolutely changed my life". "I need some small light next to me like always, or I'm afraid to fall asleep," she explained. The nightmare has also put an end to eight years of solo travelling the world. "Right now I can't [travel] - I have severe panics in hotels," she said. Traumatised Natali wants the hotel to take full responsibility and receive compensation for the "breach of safety" so that "travellers are more aware". She admitted: "I am not sure I will see justice." 9 Natali said her hands couldn't stop shaking after the horror encounter Credit: NATALI KHOMENKO 9 Natali says she has been put off travelling alone Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I noticed disgusting smell in my hotel so checked under bed – I saw two eyes staring back & thought I was going to die
A HOLIDAYMAKER has told how she spotted two eyes staring at her from under her hotel bed - after smelling what she thought was a dead body. Ukrainian model Natali Khomenko told The Sun about her "horror movie" encounter which turned her dream trip to Japan into a "nightmare". 9 Natali Khomenko's dream holiday turned into a nightmare when she found a stranger lurking under her hotel bed Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi 9 Natali was backpacking in Japan when the horror unfolded Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi 9 The Ukrainian influencer said she 'thought her life was over' Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi Her birthday week holiday morphed into a living hell - as she "couldn't sleep" and was "constantly on edge, checking every corner of my room". She said: "I thought my life was over." Natali explained that after a day of sightseeing on March 30, she returned to her hotel room at about 7:30pm and got undressed before laying down in bed. After 15 minutes of relaxing, she started to notice a "weird smell". READ MORE WORLD NEWS Thinking it might be her hair or the bed sheets, the 32-year-old then made the realisation that the stench was coming from under the bed. She said: "Jokingly, I thought 'what if there's a dead person laying under the bed?' "But when I leaned over to check, I saw a pair of eyes staring at me." Shaken to the core, Natali froze up in fear, thinking that she must have been hallucinating. Most read in The Sun She jumped up and got ready to defend herself, hurrying to the corner of the room in desperation. "And then I just started screaming... A lot of people [next door] heard me screaming," she told The Sun. The two locked eyes for three seconds - with Natali trapped on the bed in the corner of her room and him blocking the door. At that point, she thought "my life was over". "I was screaming and crying. It was like a horror movie. And then he just started to scream." She claims the ominous figure then fled the scene, leaving Natali still crying out in shock. I was screaming and crying. It was like a horror movie. And then he just started to scream Natali Khomenko Ukrainian influencer She added that neighbouring guests in other rooms could hear her screams and shouted back asking which room she was in. "People were afraid to go out from their rooms," Natali explained, due to her ominous wailing. "I was just in my underwear, so I needed to put on some pants before I opened the door and I screamed my room number." She then met two men in the corridor and begged them for help. Police were called to the hotel and started to investigate. They even managed to find a portable charger and USB cable that the perpetrator had left behind. 9 Natali said the horror encounter left her 'constantly on edge' for the rest of her trip in Japan 9 Police retrieved a cable and charger that Natali claims the man left behind 9 Natali says she is not being taken seriously - and there has been a lack of investigation into the incident Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi But Natali's hopes ended there - as she was quickly informed that cops "probably wouldn't find him". Feeling completely unsafe, she immediately left and took a cab to a different hotel - but was still restless. She described the rest of her holiday as "five days of horror". "I'm afraid he just wanted to wait until I switched off the lights, fall asleep and then climb from under the bed and choke me or do whatever," she feared. "It's like my nightmare." Devastated, she sent multiple emails to the hotel demanding compensation money for her trauma as well as expenses - including the new hotel she had to book in the middle of the night after her chilling experience. The investigation proved fruitless after the hotel told her there was no CCTV footage and that cops told them that they were unable to identify the culprit even after taking fingerprints. "I was like no way - it ruined my birthday trip to Japan... I had severe emotional damage," the tourist said. I'm afraid he just wanted to wait until I switched off the lights, fall asleep and then climb from under the bed and choke me Natali Khomenko Ukrainian influencer Despite defending Japan and claiming that it had nothing to do with the situation, she said that she will never return to the country alone. "I don't want to scare all girls travelling to Japan - but be cautious. "Check everything. Under bed, in the bathroom, everything," she warned. After taking to social media to warn followers about her frightening ordeal, she was met with support and backlash. She claims dozens of women, Japanese locals and tourists alike, were "telling me their stories, saying that no one takes women seriously". Natali was accused by many of fabricating her story for attention - but called these comments "disgusting". "The women who are writing to me, who are supporting me, they are giving me so much power ," she said. Natali has since written to the Ukrainian embassy in Japan in hopes that they will help her obtain a police report - but she has had no response so far. The influencer explained that she didn't post her story for a month because she was so scared that she "could not speak". "I'm just starting to speak out now and I'm crying," she said. Natali sent The Sun video footage of her hands trembling in the days after the horror encounter. I didn't post my story for a month because I could not speak. I'm just starting to speak out now and I'm crying Natali Khomenko Ukrainian influencer She said that she still has "severe panics" whenever she enters a hotel room, and that the ordeal "absolutely changed my life". "I need some small light next to me like always, or I'm afraid to fall asleep," she explained. The nightmare has also put an end to eight years of solo travelling the world. "Right now I can't [travel] - I have severe panics in hotels," she said. Traumatised Natali wants the hotel to take full responsibility and receive compensation for the "breach of safety" so that "travellers are more aware". She admitted: "I am not sure I will see justice." 9 Natali said her hands couldn't stop shaking after the horror encounter Credit: NATALI KHOMENKO 9 Natali says she has been put off travelling alone Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi 9 She says she has 'severe panic' in hotels Credit: Instagram/@natalisi_taksisi
The Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I noticed disgusting smell in my hotel so checked under bed – I saw two eyes staring back & thought I was going to die
A HOLIDAYMAKER has told how she spotted two eyes staring at her from under her hotel bed - after smelling what she thought was a dead body. Ukrainian model Natali Khomenko told The Sun about her " horror movie" encounter which turned her dream trip to Japan into a "nightmare". 9 9 Her birthday week holiday morphed into a living hell - as she "couldn't sleep" and was "constantly on edge, checking every corner of my room". She said: "I thought my life was over." Natali explained that after a day of sightseeing on March 30, she returned to her hotel room at about 7:30pm and got undressed before laying down in bed. After 15 minutes of relaxing, she started to notice a "weird smell". Thinking it might be her hair or the bed sheets, the 32-year-old then made the realisation that the stench was coming from under the bed. She said: "Jokingly, I thought 'what if there's a dead person laying under the bed?' "But when I leaned over to check, I saw a pair of eyes staring at me." Shaken to the core, Natali froze up in fear, thinking that she must have been hallucinating. She jumped up and got ready to defend herself, hurrying to the corner of the room in desperation. "And then I just started screaming... A lot of people [next door] heard me screaming," she told The Sun. The two locked eyes for three seconds - with Natali trapped on the bed in the corner of her room and him blocking the door. At that point, she thought "my life was over". "I was screaming and crying. It was like a horror movie. And then he just started to scream." She claims the ominous figure then fled the scene, leaving Natali still crying out in shock. I was screaming and crying. It was like a horror movie. And then he just started to scream Natali KhomenkoUkrainian influencer She added that neighbouring guests in other rooms could hear her screams and shouted back asking which room she was in. "People were afraid to go out from their rooms," Natali explained, due to her ominous wailing. "I was just in my underwear, so I needed to put on some pants before I opened the door and I screamed my room number." She then met two men in the corridor and begged them for help. Police were called to the hotel and started to investigate. They even managed to find a portable charger and USB cable that the perpetrator had left behind. 9 9 9 But Natali's hopes ended there - as she was quickly informed that cops "probably wouldn't find him". Feeling completely unsafe, she immediately left and took a cab to a different hotel - but was still restless. She described the rest of her holiday as "five days of horror". "I'm afraid he just wanted to wait until I switched off the lights, fall asleep and then climb from under the bed and choke me or do whatever," she feared. "It's like my nightmare." Devastated, she sent multiple emails to the hotel demanding compensation money for her trauma as well as expenses - including the new hotel she had to book in the middle of the night after her chilling experience. The investigation proved fruitless after the hotel told her there was no CCTV footage and that cops told them that they were unable to identify the culprit even after taking fingerprints. "I was like no way - it ruined my birthday trip to Japan... I had severe emotional damage," the tourist said. I'm afraid he just wanted to wait until I switched off the lights, fall asleep and then climb from under the bed and choke me Natali KhomenkoUkrainian influencer Despite defending Japan and claiming that it had nothing to do with the situation, she said that she will never return to the country alone. "I don't want to scare all girls travelling to Japan - but be cautious. "Check everything. Under bed, in the bathroom, everything," she warned. After taking to social media to warn followers about her frightening ordeal, she was met with support and backlash. She claims dozens of women, Japanese locals and tourists alike, were "telling me their stories, saying that no one takes women seriously". Natali was accused by many of fabricating her story for attention - but called these comments "disgusting". "The women who are writing to me, who are supporting me, they are giving me so much power," she said. Natali has since written to the Ukrainian embassy in Japan in hopes that they will help her obtain a police report - but she has had no response so far. The influencer explained that she didn't post her story for a month because she was so scared that she "could not speak". "I'm just starting to speak out now and I'm crying," she said. Natali sent The Sun video footage of her hands trembling in the days after the horror encounter. I didn't post my story for a month because I could not speak. I'm just starting to speak out now and I'm crying Natali KhomenkoUkrainian influencer She said that she still has "severe panics" whenever she enters a hotel room, and that the ordeal "absolutely changed my life". "I need some small light next to me like always, or I'm afraid to fall asleep," she explained. The nightmare has also put an end to eight years of solo travelling the world. "Right now I can't [travel] - I have severe panics in hotels," she said. Traumatised Natali wants the hotel to take full responsibility and receive compensation for the "breach of safety" so that " travellers are more aware". She admitted: "I am not sure I will see justice." 9 9
