Although there are many people who have been to far more places, I like to think that I’m reasonably well-traveled. I’m not a travel virgin and have a pretty good idea how things work. However, despite traveling with relative frequency since 2011, I’m certainly not immune to making significant travel mistakes or experiencing the inevitable problems that happen. Even though I’ve gotten better at problem solving and knowing what to expect when traveling, I admit that I have also had my share of stupid travel mistakes and negative travel experiences.
While none of these mistakes/experiences were funny at the time, I have learned a lot from my mistakes and experiences, and I believe it has made me a more conscientious traveler since it has helped me think clearly when things go awry.
Here are my 10 worst travel mistakes and experiences:
1) Robbed in Mongolia (2011)
Chinggis Square in Ulaan Baatar
When I took this trip, I had previously been through Southeast Asia. Therefore, my confidence in my ability to handle Mongolia solo was sky high despite what I had read about Mongolia, particularly Ulaan Baatar, being a bit dangerous.
On my first day, I was walking on the main street in Ulaan Baatar in broad daylight. A guy who was approaching me from the opposite direction cut in front of me to go into a shop. At the exact moment he went into the shop, another guy bumped into me rather forcefully. During the confusion, I immediately thought something was wrong, and my hand went to my wallet. My wallet was still with me, but something was missing; my camera.
The thief had stolen a small Canon Elph that was in my pocket. The pickpockets had worked in a team and targeted me. When one guy “innocently” cut me off to go into a shop, his accomplice bumped into me and lifted the camera in the confusion before disappearing into the crowd.
I did go to the police, but it was pointless. The camera was gone. Luckily though, it only had a few pictures on it, and I had a backup with me.
2) 24-Hour Clock Confusion (2012)
Nowadays, all of my clocks are set to the 24-hour clock because it is much easier to read and deal with. However, when this happened, I did not use it, nor did I totally understand it.
I had recently completed a professional course in Wroclaw, Poland and decided to head to the Czech Republic. Getting to Prague from Wroclaw was a very easy bus journey. My plan was to purchase the ticket online and take a bus the next day.
I purchased a ticket that was scheduled to leave Poland the next day at 1:30 and arrive in Prague later in the evening. This seemed perfect. I would have plenty of time to pack, get everything in order, and get to the bus station in Poland.
The next day, I headed over to the bus station about an hour before the departure time. As I was waiting, I did not see any bus, and when the scheduled departure time came and went, I found an attendant who told me in a mix of Polish, broken English, and hand signals that the bus had left hours ago.
I then realized that I very seriously misunderstood the time on the bus schedule. 1:30 did not mean PM. It meant AM. I had missed the bus by about 12 hours. From that moment on, I now use only the 24-hour clock and have had few problems since.
3) Refused Entry to Slovenia (2013)
Ljubjlana, Slovenia (2019)
During a holiday in Croatia, I decided to make a day trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia from Zagreb. The journey was very easy and straightforward. The plan was to take one of the early trains out, spend the day in Ljubljana, and head back later in the evening. The day I decided to head to Slovenia, I got to the train station in Croatia, bought a ticket, boarded, and took the ride with zero problems.
Once the train was at the Croatia/Slovenia border, an announcement came on and said there was a passport check and everyone needed to take out their documents for inspection. The second I heard that, I realized that my passport was still in the hotel safe in Zagreb.
There was no way I was going to get to Ljubljana. The only thing I had was a passport copy. The border guards got on the train, and I gave them the passport copy. As expected, I had to get off the train and sit in the train station in the border town of Dobova, Slovenia. After sitting in the station for about an hour, the guards told me they would send me back to Zagreb.
Thankfully, I was not charged for the ride back, and I got a cabin all to myself.
The next time I would get to Slovenia would be six years later.
4) Ripped Off in Greece (2014)
I am sure I have been ripped off many times by taxi drivers over the years, but the worst time happened in Greece.
I had just arrived in Athens and got a taxi directly at the airport. During the drive, the driver asked some standard questions about whether I had been in Greece before. At the time, it did not occur to me that he was targeting me. The driver took me to the hotel near the Acropolis, and when we got to the hotel, I gave him a 50 euro note.
The driver turned toward his door and acted like he was reaching into seat pocket to get change. He then turned to me, pulled out a 10 euro note, and said “you only gave me 10.” Without thinking, I gave him another 50 euro note. Once I got into the hotel to check my money, I realized that I was missing 100 euros. The driver had ripped me off big time and driven off.
Because I was exhausted from traveling, I was not paying close enough attention and ended up massively overpaying.
5) Eaten Alive by Mosquitoes in Belize (2015)
Depending on where I go, mosquito repellent is usually a constant travel companion. However, when I traveled to Belize in Central America, it did not occur to me to wear it let alone bring any.
On this particular day, I headed to Lamanai, which is a major archaeological site in northern Belize. Lamanai is rather secluded and located in the jungle, and mosquitoes are plentiful and aggressive. On this day, I was not wearing any mosquito repellent since I had not brought any. Throughout the day, I was constantly being bitten by mosquitoes.
When I returned to the US, I had probably over 30 bites on each arm. To be honest, it’s amazing that I did not come down with Malaria or some other disease. Ever since that time, I now always carry a small bottle of mosquito repellent.
6) Scammed by a “Friendly” Local in Tunisia (2016)
Dougga in Tunisia
There is a saying that goes “the bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.” I found this to be true when I was in Tunis, Tunisia in December.
On my first night in Tunis, I decided to leave the hotel walk around the area and check things out without my camera in order to get my bearings. It was not long before a local approached me and asked where I was from. Without thinking, I answered him although I kept the answer quite vague. Sure enough, he started a conversation and asked if I wanted to go to a bar and chat. The second I heard that, alarm bells started going in my head and figuring out what his angle was.
For whatever reason, I agreed to go with him on the condition we stay near the hotel. He was true to his word, and we went to this bar just down the street. We both got beer and chatted for a bit. During this time, I had a strong feeling he was trying to get me drunk and suggestible. I was onto him and was just waiting for him to drop a request for money.
I only had one beer and despite his encouragement to have more, I refused, and we left. Once we were back in front of the hotel, he told me he was unemployed and asked if I could lend him money. My suspicions about him were true. He was trying to get me drunk in order to be more suggestible. I refused and told him that I paid for our drinks and that was enough.
Since we were in a public area, nothing more happened, and we parted ways. Luckily, this scam only cost me $6, but it taught me a very good lesson about never accepting to go to a bar with an unusually friendly stranger. This could been a lot worse, especially since I have read of similar scams that have cost people hundreds of dollars or worse.
7) Scammed in Morocco (2016)
Shops in the Marrakech Medina
This scam actually happened to me during the same trip as Tunisia. On Christmas Day, I was wandering around Marrakech’s enormous Medina. Anyone who has been there knows that place is a veritable maze, and it is extremely easy to lose your sense of direction.
As I was wandering around trying to look like I knew where I was going when I clearly didn’t, a random guy approached me and told me about an a tour of a tannery where they prepare leather. I had little interest and declined his offer and left. A couple minutes later, a teenager showed up and told me would take to this “free” tannery. Despite my protests, he continued to lead me. I had little choice but to follow him since I had no idea where I was.
When we got to the tannery, I was greeted by a “manager” who insisted the tour was “free.” He showed me around the tannery, and I saw other people being led around as well. While the sight of other tourists made me a bit more comfortable, I knew there was going to be a fee of some sort since nothing is ever “free.”
After leaving the tannery, the “manager” took me to a shop that sold leather goods. I didn’t buy anything and nor was I pressured to buy unlike other people. Once I left, the “manager” approached me outside and demanded $20 for the “tour.” I was about to tell him to piss off and walk away, but there were 7 Moroccan guys hanging around staring, and I knew this would not be good if I refused. I grudgingly handed over the money, and a teenager then took over and led me back through the Medina. It was clear he would want money as well. As I followed him, I tried to get my bearings and develop a strategy to lose him. However, I gave up on that idea since the chance of a foreigner losing someone who likely grew up in this area was next to impossible.
Of course, when we were in the heart of the Medina, he demanded $35, and I refused. We got into an argument, and it was getting heated. Eventually, we settled on $20 and parted ways.
8) Sunburn in South Africa (2018)
The Beach in Durban, South Africa
South Africa is a beautiful country, but the African sun is extremely powerful. While I was in Durban, which is on the eastern coast of South Africa, I went outside at the height of an African summer without sunscreen.
The next couple days that followed consisted of me not only looking like a tomato but experiencing the absolutely worst itching of my life on my arms and face. Nothing could alleviate the itching. Hot water made it painful, taking cold showers and wrapping my arms in wet towels did nothing. I even tried sitting on my hands to force myself to stop scratching. This was the epitome of torture, and it got to the point that I thought I would have to go to a hospital since I had never felt anything like this before.
I never did go to a hospital, but I went to a pharmacy and got some cream. While it did help a little, I can honestly say that I was miserable and spent most of my time in the hotel room trying to avoid sunlight like a vampire.
In addition to my arms, by the time I was ready to leave for Mauritius, my face was starting to peel terribly. I will never forget sitting on the plane and seeing people stare at me. I looked like someone suffering from leprosy. I was literally shedding skin during the flight, and my seat was covered with skin flakes.
Needless to say, sunscreen is now a regular item in my suitcase whenever I travel.
9) The Wrong Airport in Panama (2018)
Panama City Skyline
Panama City, Panama is often called the “Dubai of Latin America,” and I truly believe it. The number of skyscrapers in that city is amazing.
With a city like that, it also experiences a lot of traffic problems, and it can take a long time to get from the city to the airport. I had just finished my trip to Panama and was scheduled for a morning flight to Costa Rica. The night before, I made sure to set up an early-morning pickup to the airport.
On the day of departure, my driver and I left the hotel at around 4am. The drive through the empty streets was fine with no problem. When we got to the airport, the sun was coming up, and traffic was getting heavier. I paid the driver and went inside the airport.
As I wandered around the check-in desks, I noticed there was no check-in for Costa Rica for my flight. After walking up and down the rows a couple times and not seeing the flight I was supposed to be on, I got a sneaking suspicion that something was very wrong. My suspicion was right.
The flight itinerary was scheduled for Air Panama at Albrook “Marcos A. Gelabert” International Airport. I was at Tocumen International Airport, which mainly services Copa Airlines.
I went to the wrong airport, and it was about an hour and half before departure time.
As I tried to figure out a plan, I remembered the employee at the hotel asking me if I was going to Tocumen, and without thinking or checking my itinerary, I had said “yes.”
I asked a worker how long it would take to get from Tocumen International Airport to Albrook International Airport. It was located on the complete opposite end of the city, and rush hour had started. If I tried to get a taxi, it would likely take over an hour to get there, and then I would have less than an hour to check in, go through security, immigration, and get on the flight…assuming traffic was reasonable.
Knowing what I had to do, I calmly went and stood in line at a Copa Airlines ticket counter and asked if there were any flights to San Jose, Costa Rica that day. Thankfully, there was one flight, scheduled for around 9am.
Even though I had to pay for a new ticket and lost money on the old flight, I did get to Costa Rica as scheduled albeit a couple hours later than planned.
The big lesson I learned from this travel mistake was that I should have looked at my flight itinerary more carefully. This was a very costly error and could have easily been avoided.
10) The Wrong Train in Finland (2019)
Turku Cathedral
I’m no stranger to using trains when in Europe. They are easy, efficient, and a wonderful way to see the country.
During my trip to Finland, I decided to take a day trip from Helsinki to Turku. Getting to Turku was extremely easy with no problems. The problem started after I finished my excursion.
Before I left Turku, I decided to get an early dinner at a Chinese restaurant close to the train station. I was not on a tight deadline, so I casually made my way over to the station after dinner. I went to the ticket machine and purchased a ticket on the next available train to Helsinki. I did not notice though that the next train was scheduled to leave in 2 minutes.
I quickly paid, grabbed the ticket, and rushed out to the trains. I got on the train, got my seat, and waited for the departure. As I looked around, I saw that no one else was in the cabin. However, after about 5 minutes of sitting there, the train still had not moved. In fact, I had seen no one else even get on.
When I looked at my ticket, I saw the platform number, and it dawned on me. In my rush to board, I neglected to check the platform number. I had gotten on the wrong train. This train was not scheduled to go anywhere. Hence the reason why it was completely empty.
Needless to say, I was not pleased. I disembarked, went back into the station, bought a whole new ticket, and proceeded to wait for an hour until the next train was ready to depart. Despite being annoyed at myself for making this mistake, it taught me an important lesson to always check details before rushing.
What are some of your travel mistakes? How did you deal with it?
