Meet the 11 Wineries on the Niagara Wine Trail

I know, I know—wine probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when someone brings up Niagara Falls.

But just a short drive away from North America’s grandest waterfall waits the Niagara Escarpment. This unique slice of land is ideal for growing grapes, which produce award-winning varieties across the Niagara Wine Trail year after year.

While ice wine is a top priority for many visitors, it’s hardly the only offer when it comes to wineries near Niagara Falls.

Ready to drink your way through the area surrounding the falls?

Meet the best wineries on the Niagara Wine Trail, each of which offers a special twist in the art of fermenting grapes.

Best wineries near Niagara Falls on the Niagara Wine Trail

A Gust of Sun Winery (Ransomville, NY)

Looking for something sweet this summer? Head to A Gust of Sun Winery. Not only do they specialize in dessert wines, but they also excel at wine and chocolate pairings. Aside from great wine, you can enjoy the company of the winery’s West Highland White Terriers while you kick back in the two-story Amish barn that serves as the tasting room.

Anthony Manor Winery (Sanborn, NY)

This homegrown project is born from passion and a penchant for grape-growing. Think: a converted garage tasting room, free roaming dogs, and a solid menu that you can enjoy while you sample the winery’s red, white, lil’ sweet, and Chardonnay varieties. Plus, you can shop for other Anthony Manor specialties, from jalapeno jam to fresh maple syrup.

Bella Rose Vineyard & Winery (Lewiston, NY)

This relatively new operation kicked off in 2015 with the goal of growing the best grapes in the Niagara Escarpment—but I’ll let you be the judge. At Bella Rose, you can sample wine while also enjoying other special events, from live music to paint/craft nights. You can even sample beer from their partners at RiverWorks.

Black Willow Winery (Burt, NY)

Looking for a well-established winery with award-winning wines and plenty of pairing options? Black Willow Winery offers chocolate and cheese pairings, with the latter coming straight from Amish Country. You also get to explore the 43-acre property, which includes a gorgeous lake and expansive orchards.

Honeymoon Trail Winery (Cambria, NY)

Award-winning wines that include fruit and ice wines—need I say more? In case that doesn’t sell Honeymoon Trail, go for their beloved Chocolate Covered Cherry Wine. Like the name suggests, this winery is also open for showers and other small gatherings.

Long Cliff Vineyard & Winery (Sanborn, NY)

Long Cliff specializes in wines like Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. All wines come from grapes grown on the property, offering a full-scope vineyard-to-glass wine tasting experience. This family-run establishment has been at it for around 50 years, giving you a professional and delicious experience.

Mayer’s Lake Ontario Winery (Hilton, NY)

This 90-acre estate produces over 50 unique styles of wine, along with other specialties like hard cider. There’s also an on-site bistro that serves up delicious cheese pairings. Live since 1961, it’s one of the longest-running vineyards and wineries in the Niagara Escarpment.

Schulze Vineyards & Winery (Burt, NY)

If you want ice wine, look no further. One of Schulze Vineyard & Winery’s specialties is Eiswein, aka Ice Wine, which is prepared traditionally. Even its sparkling variations, including Siegried Brut and Cuvee Reserve, are painstakingly prepared in the Champenoise style. It’s a little sip of Europe, in other words—but Niagara style, of course.

The Winery at Marjim Manor (Appleton, NY)

Pull up a chair and sample some of Niagara’s best fruit and grape wines at The Winery at Marjim Manor. As an added bonus, you also get to explore the historic manor, where you can learn a bit about local history—while you sample delicious wines and spirits, of course.

Victorianbourg Wine Estate (Wilson, NY)

Once again, you can get a taste for European-style wines in the Victorianbourg tasting room. They rely on the Burgundian model to produce high-impact grapes, which are then picked by hand. The added bonus? There’s a massive rose garden with over 40 different varieties. I can smell the winery from here!

Vizcarra Vineyards at Becker Farms (Gasport, NY)

With over 20 wines available, this gorgeous and stately vineyard is ready to host an intimate tasting—or host a full party, if you’d rather book the tasting room. Given this vineyard is on a larger farm (Becker Farms), you also have delicious fruits, veggies, cookies, and jams at your fingertips.

7 of the Best Travel Journals That You’ll Actually Use

The era of physical journals might be behind us as more and more people look for digital solutions.

That being said, many travelers still seek out analog ways to record their favorite travel adventures. Personally, I’m a bit fan of journaling while traveling, and always have a small notebook with me to jot down thoughts, ideas, and reflections.

Though I use a regular notebook (from Venice’s famous Il Pavone shop, which I highly suggest you visit when in the city), there are dozens of specialized travel journals. They’re designed to be lightweight and easy to carry, offer special prompts for travelers, and also usually include maps so that travelers can visually log their journeys.

That being said, there are dozens upon dozens of travel journals on the market. If you’re looking for a special way to take your travels to the next level or want to give a gift to a traveler in your life, start with these picks.

They’re uniquely tailored for travel purposes, highly rated by buyers, and affordable to boot. Ready to discover the best travel journals on the market? Start here. I’ve selected travel journals for every type of traveler.

Best travel journals in 2025

Women’s pick: The Little Book of Big Adventures by Jen Simpson

Spiral-bound so that you can write easily on flat surfaces, this lightweight travel journal is functional and inspiring. Plus, it has a hard cover that makes it a bit more robust—and perfect for more rugged travelers like backpackers.

It’s got a map for you to record your travels, 16 segments designed to cover a trip, and plenty of prompts to keep your journaling streamlined.

Men’s pick: Grand Voyageur Leather Journal by Paper Republic

Small enough to fit in a pocket, this journal takes portable travel writing to the next level. The leather cover is faux, but sturdy and lightweight. Plus, the interior pages are refillable, letting you extend the fun after your musings multiply. You can even double-up on the interior paper refills if the standard number of pages is too few.

Great for kids (and fun adults): Travel Journal by Clever Fox

With a balance of cute illustrations and journal prompts, the Clever Fox journal has every feature you should look for in a portable notebook. The difference here is the focus on fun and creativity—the journal even comes with a few pages of stickers that you can use to add more color to your entries.

Plus, there’s a travel glossary in the back that includes things like safety tips. Both features make it great for younger travelers!

For stationery fans: Travel Journal by Papier

I’m a huge fan of Papier, which offers high-quality and bound journals of all stripes. Its travel journal includes six sections so you can log six adventures, offering prompts to help you set a budget, create an itinerary, and even plan your packing list. As an added bonus, the travel journal event includes games that you can play with others during long journeys.

Most portable pick: Country Passport by Letterfolk

Designed to be small, discreet, and lightweight, this little country passport lets you log your travels to each country. If you’re a country-counter or know someone who is, this is one of the best travel journal options, letting you log your experience in 20 different countries. The back also includes reference guides and checklists.

Not your typical option: I Was Here by Kate Pocrass

This visually dynamic journal gets your mind moving, offering drawn designs and unique prompts about your favorite (and least favorite) travel experiences. There are sections on time zones, tips from locals, and beyond, letting you remember your trips in the most dynamic way possible.

For photographers: Travel Journal Book by Duncan & Stone Paper Co.

If you tend to take a lot of photos during your travels, this journal is a great pick. In addition to those lovely travel prompts that help you measure and remember trips in unique ways, the Travel Journal Book also includes places for you to store photos.

I like that element because, though we tend to become amateur photographers when we travel, we rarely print out those photos. In this case, you’ve got a great reason to immortalize your favorite shots.

Middle Seat on a Long Flight? Use These 5 Survival Tips

Maybe you wanted to save money on your flight by not paying for seat selection.

Perhaps karma stepped in and prevented you from escaping the middle seat.

It’s possible you took the hit for a loved one, giving them the aisle or window seat.

Regardless of how you ended up with a middle seat on a long flight, there’s one surety at play: it’s going to suck. Even the most patient and lax passengers are likely to feel a twinge of discomfort on a long flight when they’re crammed between other travelers.

With shrinking seat width and an ever-shortening distance from the next row, the average middle seat is less manageable than ever before.

And that’s not likely to change, unfortunately. If you’re stuck with the middle seat, this is what you need to know about making it through a long flight without weeping tears of sorrow.

5 tips to survive the middle seat on a long flight

Tip #1: It might not be too late to get a window or aisle seat

If you realize you’ve been assigned a middle seat, the best way to get to an aisle or window seat is to wait until the 24-hour mark before your flight. That’s when airlines send check-in links to your email or via text.

Usually, that’s the cheapest and most surefire way to get a free seat change or pay for a modest upgrade.

When you click on the link, you’ll fill in your personal information (or confirm it), then be shown seat arrangements. You can easily see which spots are still open. That being said, you need to watch out for that check-in link like a hawk—most long-haul flights are fully booked or almost fully booked, meaning you won’t have many options.

Tip #2: Get rid of your bags

The last thing you need in the middle seat is an overstuffed backpack jammed under the seatback in front of you. If you’re in a middle seat and you are planning to bring a carry-on onto the plane, take the necessary steps to minimize the luggage you need to bring with you.

For example, if you have a carry-on suitcase and a shoulder bag/backpack with you, ask the airline to check your carry-on suitcase through to your destination. Most airlines are happy to do so for longer flights; they might actually request passengers to do this before boarding.

You should be at the front of the line. After that, it’s up to you to find a spot in the overhead bin to store your remaining hand luggage. In my experience, there’s always a little space left for you to cram a purse or backpack in at the last minute.

Tip #3: Claim the armrests

It’s my personal opinion on plane etiquette that the person in the middle seat gets dibs on the armrests. If you’re in the middle seat, I recommend claiming those armrests sooner rather than later, just in case other passengers aren’t the most concerned with etiquette.

If there’s any fuss over who gets the armrests, politely point out that you’re fighting for your life in the middle seat. You can, of course, opt for a less dramatic appeal.

Tip #4: Bring your best investments

You’re going to need a solid neck pillow, reliable noise-cancelling headphones, and possibly an eye mask on long flights. These travel products are optional, but I recommend splurging if you’re someone who doesn’t like to pay for seat placements.

Those who don’t select their seats when buying tickets often end up in the middle seat, so if that’s a familiar scenario for you, go all-in on those three comfort-related products.

Tip #5: Know how you’ll pass the time

Unless you plan on rawdogging the flight, you might want a little game plan on how to pass the time.

For example, I had a soul-sucking 12-hour flight from Barcelona to San Francisco recently. Even though I had the comfort of an aisle seat, I still boarded with a game plan—and I suggest you do the same.

Here’s my long-flight game plan. First, I stretch out as much as possible beforehand—just a little toe-touching and arm swinging to get my body ready for a long-haul sitting session.

Once I’m seated, I look through the entertainment options; if sleep is my goal, I find the most boring documentary. If not, I catch up on all those blockbusters I don’t see at the movie theaters. (It’s also prime time to catch up on celebrity gossip, if you don’t mind spending on pricey magazines before take-off.)

I also schedule some administrative work. Now that most long-haul flights offer reliable Wi-Fi at a reasonable price, I might take a few hours to send emails, organize my taxes (I’m a freelancer, it’s a pain), and do other similar work-related tasks.

If you have a long list of small things to catch up on (and what adult doesn’t?), a middle seat sesh can be productive—and by productive, I mean you’ll be distracted for a while.

10 Affordable Hotels in San Francisco

When I first visited San Francisco, I was staying with fellow twenty-something friends. I’ll never forget heading into the apartment where I’d be staying and seeing the little cubby under the staircase where my friend stayed. With her boyfriend.

I remember being stunned by the setup and how much they paid monthly for the ‘room’. Though I knew places like New York City were expensive enough that the average person used their oven as storage space, I hadn’t realized how pricey San Francisco was.

Ten years later, the city hasn’t gotten any cheaper.

Despite the steadily rising prices, San Francisco remains top of mind for many tourists—and for good reason.

Whether you want an unforgettable Chinatown adventure, to delve into the city’s highly unique history, venture into nearby areas like Marin County and Oakland, or take a closer look at its modern sensibilities, there’s enough to keep you busy for weeks.

And if you want to get the most out of your stay, I vote you seek out savings when it comes to lodging. Though it takes a bit of time, you can find safe, comfortable, and affordable hotels in San Francisco.

Start with these ten great picks.

10 affordable hotels in San Francisco

1906 Mission
Hotel Garrett
Kasa La Monarca San Francisco
Nob Hill Hotel
Hotel Fiona
Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf
The Inn at Union Square San Francisco
Hayes Valley Inn
San Remo Hotel
The Mosser Hotel

10 affordable hotels in San Francisco

1906 Mission

Who says you can’t stay on Mission Street without breaking the bank? This hotel includes 30 rooms set inside a 1906-built historic building. Though you’ll be sharing bathrooms and a kitchen, you do have a charming patio to relax in. Plus, the rooms are modern and tastefully appointed.

Hotel Garrett

Modern, simple, and comfortable, Hotel Garrett puts you in a central location that lets you walk to some of SF’s tastiest restaurants and coolest shops. There’s even a heated pool where you can unwind and rest those legs after a long day.

Kasa La Monarca San Francisco

Located right in the Union Square area of the city, Kasa La Monarca is right in the center of the action. Despite the great location, you won’t be overpaying. (Though you might need to wear the complimentary earplugs at night!)

Nob Hill Hotel

A treat for the eyes both inside and out, Nob Hill Hotel offers you a classy stay inside a renovated 1906 building—that retains certain features, like the marble floors. You’ll also notice Victorian antiques throughout, which gives this hotel an added dash of style.

Hotel Fiona

If San Francisco’s SoMa district is high on your bucket list, head to Hotel Fiona. You’ve got all the area’s best museums and sites in short walking distance. Plus, the hotel gives you access to its sister property’s gorgeous outdoor pool (across the street).

Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf

Looking for a great hotel chain? Riu is one of the best hotel chains from Spain that runs hotels around the world. Its SF location is highly affordable while offering a slightly elevated stay. You’ve got great on-site dining, along with a lovely outdoor pool. The real perk is its location in Fisherman’s Wharf.

The Inn at Union Square San Francisco

This under-the-radar boutique hotel puts you right in the middle of Union Square, one of SF’s most sought-after neighborhoods. Though small, this spot offers a clean and chic escape. From the entrance, you have some of the city’s best restaurants and shops at your fingertips.

Hayes Valley Inn

This classic inn stay gives you access to quiet rooms and a shared kitchen. The Hayes area is also great for solo travelers, as it has plenty to offer in the way of nightlife and entertainment. It’s also a short walk to public transportation that will take you into the heart of SF.

San Remo Hotel

This hotel is set in a 1906 Victorian-style building and is run by an Italian-American family, which has kept certain European sensibilities throughout. Except gorgeous antiques, shared bathrooms (that are well-kept), and a little bit of noise at night. In exchange, you get an unbeatable location in North Beach and a comfortable stay.

The Mosser Hotel

The rooms are small, many reviews mention that the radiators are noisy, and some of the rooms include shared bathrooms. That being said, if you want to save on a hotel in San Francisco while staying right across the street from the Union Square neighborhood, none of those facts should dissuade you. I’d also like to add that most radiators make noise; if you’ve spent any time in an older city like NYC or Boston, you’re probably familiar with the arrangement.

10 Jungle Creatures I Came Face-to-Face with at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort

If you’re heading to the Riviera Maya, you’re bound to run into a jungle creature at some point.

The Yucatan region is blanketed in tropical, lush jungle. Though many resorts in the area attempt to curate and manage the types of flora and fauna that wind up on their properties, some locations actually seek to do the opposite.

They welcome the jungle, allowing guests to feel truly immersed in the tropics—all the while providing all the modern comforts a traveler would expect of a five-star stay.

That’s a tightrope balance that not many properties can achieve. And it should be on your travel radar.

Recently, I had the chance to stay at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and it was a master class in the type of jungle immersion you’d associate with a place like the Amazon, not the Riviera Maya.

Framed around a massive, gorgeous cenote, the property includes dense forests that are full of life. There’s a suspension bridge over a small, tropical waterfall, a mangrove pathway where staff teach you to differentiate between red and white mangroves, and even a separate Jade River waterway where you can swim beside mangrove trees and roots.

I could go on and on to rave about my time at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort (and I will—just stay tuned), but for now, I want to highlight just how mindfully immersed this resort is in the jungle.

To do that, I’m showcasing the real-life and beautiful jungle creatures that I came face-to-face with during my stay.

If you’re a nature-lover and animal-lover like me, you can count on spotting these animals, birds, and reptiles during your own stay. In fact, I learned about most of them during my tours throughout the resort. Staff aren’t just knowledgeable about the jungle creatures living on the property—they’re also passionate about educating visitors.

If you want to lock eyes with exotic fauna on your next vacation, I’d suggest booking a stay at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort during the offseason. In addition to savings, the resort is less full, meaning the animals come out to play more often.

10 jungle creatures I met at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort

The main cenote at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort

Coati

Things I never knew: Central America and many parts of South America are home to a raccoon-like mammal that wanders around throughout the day.

Meet the very cute coati, a peaceful and relaxed animal that you’ll notice throughout the grounds at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. They have a long snout and a longer, cat-like tail. Thanks to their slightly piggish nose, they’re sometimes called hog-nosed raccoons.

Cozumel Raccoon

Pygmy Raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus) (Getty)

This familiar little creature looks just like the raccoons of North America, only smaller—and critically endangered, having been native to Cozumel. (It looks like they’ve since made their way to mainland!)

This little raccoon sticks to the mangrove forests, which are found throughout Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. Though they’re much harder to spot than coatis (which aren’t very elusive), I spotted a raccoon during my time at the resort.

White-tailed deer

Venado deer in Riviera Maya of Mexico (Getty)

On my second morning at the resort, I woke up and headed to the lobby for a coffee. Unlike many resorts, Sandos Caracol mostly consists of traditional Mayan structures with pyramidal thatched roofs. They stay cool and prevent the resort from using an exorbitant amount of AC, while also doubling that jungle immersion element.

I also like to think they make the property more welcoming to animals. As I headed to the lobby, I saw a male white-tailed deer with a small set of horns nibbling close to the lobby—an animal I’ve seen many times in my own hometown in Missouri.

To my surprise, white-tailed deer live throughout Central America, and even down into the jungles of South America. Sure, it’s not the most exotic of the jungle creatures on this list, but it was still a great sighting!

Spider monkeys

Wild Spider Monkey in Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve on the Yucatan Peninsula near Playa Del Carmen (Getty)

If you see the canopy start to shake and notice shadowy little creatures rushing through the trees, that means one thing: the spider monkeys have arrived. During my time at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, I spotted spider monkeys at the pool and from my balcony.

Just remember not to feed these little guys—and remember not to leave your food unattended. They’re smart, they’re hungry, and this is their jungle.

Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana

Sometimes called ‘squirrels of the jungle’, these lizards are a common sighting. The males have low spines running down their backs, while the females have a smooth spine.

You’ll notice them lounging on rocks and basking in the sun, but don’t be surprised if you notice them scaling trees to reach high-up branches. These little guys like to climb!

You might also notice that the tips of their tails are discolored. That’s because, in the event of a high-speed chase, they can ‘drop’ the end of their tail to dissuade predators from continuing the hunt.

And, yes, I learned all this while on a tour at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. In case it hasn’t become obvious yet, the staff are really passionate about preserving nature and showcasing its coolest jungle creatures.

Yucatan Box Turtle

Terrapin on a rock in a Cenote in Mexico (Getty)

Sure, most of the focus when it comes to turtles is on sea turtles. Riviera Maya is home to multiple species of sea turtles, including loggerheads and leatherbacks.

But inland at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, you’ll notice plenty of cute box turtles lounging on rocks and around the cenotes and other waterways. We noticed a few watching us as we swam through the mangrove cenote.

Sereques or Aguties

Agouti agoutis or Sereque rodent sitting on the grass (Getty)

If you’ve seen nutria, capybara, or muskrats before, then you know what to expect from a sereque. This large rodent lives in or near the water in the undergrowth of forests, which makes the mangroves at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort a little paradise for them.

Though they’re a lot more elusive and shy than, say, coatis, I saw them frequently during my stay, especially near the beach.

Yucatan jay

Bahia Principe Grand Coba, Mexico 2024 (Getty)

We’ve counted down mammals and reptiles—but what about birds? Birds of paradise can be found throughout the Riviera Maya. Though you might need to be a little stealthy if you want to see them, I saw the Yucatan jaw (and the other two species listed below) often during my stay.

The prettiest was the Yucatan jay, which has distinctive bright blue plumage on its back and wings, and bright yellow legs.

Great-tailed grackle

I didn’t see any pigeons at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. Instead, the resident ‘public’ bird is the great-tailed grackle. Though the females are brown in color, the males have a stunningly iridescent coat of blue-black feathers. They’re very vocal, too, inviting you into the jungle with long calls and unique chatter.

Great Kiskadee (Flycatcher)

Tiny, bright yellow, and impossible to miss, one of my favorite animal sightings at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort was the Great Kiskadee flycatcher. They hung out around the beach and in the jungle, offering sweet songs throughout the day.

If you’re interested in spotting one of these gorgeous little flycatchers, kept an eye on the grackles. I noticed them hanging around together a few times.

How to Check a Hotel Room for Hidden Cameras, aka Spycams

The idea of finding a hidden camera in a hotel room has always sounded like an urban myth to me.

When it comes to private rentals, sure. I imagine there are way more hidden cameras involved than we like to think, and I’m sure a significant portion are there for security reasons.

But hotel rooms? How would that work? And what type of employee is setting up such a touchy and discreet system?

As it happens, my outlook might be a little naïve. Hidden cameras, aka spycams, have been found in places far beyond hotels and private rentals. I’m talking cruise ships and airplane bathrooms, just to paint a (slightly horrifying) picture.

Want to see how easy it is? You can get spycams hidden in fully branded household items like scent dispensers. Talk about hiding in plain sight.

Because these spycams can be used for legitimate purposes, like keeping an eye on the nanny, for example, they’re also legal to buy and install. At least, on your own private property.

Obviously, it’s just as easy for someone to purchase a spycam and install it… well, anywhere.

And, just to clarify: it is not legal for hosts to use hidden cameras in their private rentals. Airbnb and similar companies have stringent guidelines on when and how cameras can be used, and it’s never in the rental’s interior.

So, yes, spycams are real, and they’re getting increasingly subtle and advanced. So, if you’re heading out on vacation and want to make sure no one is peeping from the inside of a toothbrush, a scent dispenser, or some other tiny product, here’s how to check a hotel room for hidden cameras.

How to check for hidden cameras 101

You might be a little disappointed to realize there are established companies raking in the dough by selling spycams. But keep in mind that they’re legitimate companies serving people with added security concerns, from double-checking that the nanny is doing a good job to making sure the teens aren’t throwing weekend ragers while Mom and Dad are out of town.

Most importantly, the same companies that sell legitimate spycams usually also sell the tools you need to locate illegal hidden cameras.

Before we explore how to find hidden cameras in hotel rooms and rentals, know that you can shop around for high-tech solutions online from stores like Omg Solutions and even apps like Fing, which take a closer look at Wi-Fi networks in search of suspicious devices.

Now, let’s dig into the details on how you can check a hotel room for hidden cameras. Or even a private rental, if you’re really dedicated to the cause. Some travelers, for example, do a thorough sweep of the bathroom just to be sure, then call it a day.

How to check a hotel room for hidden cameras

Option 1: Do a run-through with the naked eye

Unfortunately, there are a wide range of places where you’re likely to find hidden cameras, from toys and books to electrical outlets and USB ports. But there are a few pieces of advice that you can follow when searching with the naked eye.

First and foremost, look for an object that feels out of place in terms of theme, décor, and even size. If it’s standing out to you, it’s the most obvious place to start.

Maybe it’s a child’s toy in the living room, a set of visibly fake books, or a weird lamp with an exposed lightbulb.

Beyond the scope of the obvious, check any alarm clocks, smoke detectors, and mirrors. Plus, any tiny holes, whether in the walls or around electrical outlets.

Use your phone’s flashlight setting to check—if you see a flash of reflection, it could mean that the flashlight is reflecting off a hidden camera. You can also turn off the lights and look for tiny LEDs. These could also indicate a spycam is present.

Lastly, do the mirror test. If you’re worried that a mirror might be a fake, use the fingernail test. Place your fingernail against the mirror—if there’s a gap between your fingernail and its reflection, it’s a real mirror. If there’s no gap and it looks like your fingernail is touching itself, it could be a false mirror.

Option 2: Invest in a high-tech solution

If doing a quick run-through with the naked eye isn’t thorough enough, invest in a high-tech solution. Remember: the vast majority of hidden cameras today run on the local Wi-Fi network.

One of the most popular tools to detect a spycam is an RF detector, aka a radio frequency detector. To use an RF detector, unplug all electronics. Then you’ll use the detector around the room, waiting for it to alert you to any hidden devices (that haven’t been turned off).

Another option is to run a Wi-Fi network scanner on your smartphone. Download a Wi-Fi scanning app for your device (or a few, if you want to be thorough), then run the app to see if there are any spycams running on Wi-Fi.

But keep in mind that some might run on SD cards. Fing, the company mentioned above, offers network scanning services that can help you identify any anomalies in the Wi-Fi.

Similarly, you can also download apps designed specifically to detect spycams. These use tools like infrared and Bluetooth technology, but might not work depending on what type of smartphone you have. Always read the reviews and app description before downloading and paying for a plan.