How to stay safe as a self-employed woman working with male clients

I wanted to ask the community about how you personally keep yourselves safe whilst working ok client sites or in a job where you may have to travel with the client etc.

For context, I used to work in a number of large art galleries selling art but I have recently started working for myself. The awkward thing about working in art is that there are a lot of times where you might have to get in a car with a (more often than not male) client to art fairs and artist studios etc. I don’t really feel comfortable if I haven’t gotten to know them yet and there is usually a huge age difference between me and the collectors.

One such *new* client is based in a city that I am not so familiar with, and there is an art fair there which I am planning to attend for research. I met him through a friend who has invested in a business with him - and knowing that I am a visitor, he keeps insisting on getting me special rates to an expensive hotel there, offering me transport etc. My friend says he is married with kids and I have a bf but I am worried he might be being over friendly which (as I fear) could become creepy.

I decided to book another hotel so he does not know my room number etc. I also said I will meet him directly at the art fair, but I feel like he is being persistent and not listening. Entertaining the client (going out for a formal dinner) etc is normal in the art world but I don’t really want to be alone with this person without emphasising the ‘this is strictly a professional relationship’ motto to them. He has previously tried to offer me free dinners at his businesses but whenever I went I always paid so he cannot feel like I ‘owe’ him something. The brief is to help him find artwork for the office, I am almost tempted to avoid going to the office itself and relying on photos of the walls and asking for measurements (or… and this sounds extreme… hiring a bodyguard and pretend they’re my assistant 😂 even if it costs me).

Sidenote: like many women I experienced sexual harassment and worse when I was young/at university so generally trusting men is incredibly difficult for me.