By Katie-Ann Gupwell,Natalie King
Copyright manchestereveningnews
Travelling can be liberating, thrilling and help you shake off all the pressures from daily life. One couple even took their daughter on a gap year around the world as it’s ‘cheaper than the UK’. However, unfortunately, holidays don’t always turn out to be as peaceful as you hoped. Just like life back home, things can go awry when you’re overseas. And it can be absolutely frightening when this occurs. Not only are you in an unknown place, you’re often miles away from your family and friends. That’s presumably why travel TikToker Sabrina reached out to her followers for assistance after experiencing a horrifying wake-up call during her first evening in Tenerife . The vlogger, who uses the handle @sabrinaescapes on TikTok, took to the platform last year to explain. She wrote at the time: “At 4am today whilst I was sleeping, someone smashed the windows of the apartment I’m staying in and then threw the glass bottle at me. I didn’t know what their plan was so I grabbed something and screamed until they left.” Sabrina also filmed the glass bottle that was allegedly thrown, which lay smashed across the floor. Some fragments even ended up in her bed. In the clip, she told viewers it was her first evening on the island and displayed the damage to the windows. Unsurprisingly, the incident left her shaken. She added: “And now I’m contemplating, do I book another hotel? A nice one that noone can get in to? Or do I just fly home and call it a day? It’s only going to be like 50 Euros to fly back to the UK. I don’t know.” Sabrina admitted her first evening was a “bad experience”, and she remained optimistic that matters would get better. Her footage encouraged others to share their own encounters as well. One traveller revealed: “My daughter had a similar experience in July. She and friends had just arrived.” Another commented: “Tenerife is beyond belief at the moment, a place to stay clear of.” And a third person added: “My friend has been robbed in a hotel last week Sabrina. He’s devastated because they took the safe with all his possessions in.” Sabrina hasn’t allowed the awful incident to spoil her holiday. She has notified the police about the matter and moved to a different hotel. In a follow-up video message, she told viewers: “I’m fine… I’m in a nice hotel, nice resort now. It’s fantastic, my view is incredible… I feel much safer here. This is a beautiful resort with lots of entertainment going on tonight. “I’m going to chill and here and probably just explore the rest of Tenerife in the morning.” Crime in the Canary Islands, which includes Tenerife, has been increasing modestly year‑to‑year, with a there being a 2.9% rise in total crime in 2024 compared with 2023, according to Tenerife Weekly. Meanwhile, Tenerife itself saw a 7.8% increase in reported offences in 2023 vs 2022. Homicides have increased significantly. In early 2025, there were 10 homicides in the Canary Islands compared to two in the same period in early 2024 — a 400% increase. However, even though serious crimes are increasing in some categories, many visitors and locals still consider Tenerife relatively safe, especially compared to large cities.
