When Wanderlust Turns Into Woe: Unbelievable Travel Nightmares
A dream vacation is often a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for some travelers but can be a nightmare when things go south quickly. Even when you plan all your trip details, unexpected occurrences can be more stressful than when things go wrong at home.
You’re supposed to be enjoying your vacation, after all! You’ve worked hard and want some peace. Unfortunately, stuff happens at the worst possible times. Stuff can especially happen on holidays, turning trips into complete nightmares.
From spending your honeymoon hospitalized to leaving your money behind in a hotel room or a volcanic eruption, these travelers show how dream vacations can turn into nightmares.
A Destination with Complications
A friend had the following travel headache. When we were living together, we visited different countries on our breaks. My friend decided to visit another friend in Nepal.
Everyone had to go to the tarmac to board the plane after her layover. Although there were two planes, everyone went to one, making my friend think it was the correct aircraft.
My friend handed over her ticket to the boarding agent and sat down. She arrived in what she assumed was Nepal and took her place in the immigration line.
Noticing other foreigners in the line, my friend commented that she thought Nepal would be greener, receiving incredulous looks. Her fellow travelers informed her she was in Tibet, not Nepal.
The lady taking the tickets needed to pay more attention! After an extra six hours, my friend arrived in Nepal.
We Need Air, and We Need It Now
Imagine a bus filled with twelve and thirteen-year-olds. We were on an outdoor camping trip, and it had rained all weekend. I got out a can of fart spray, spraying it five times with our van having a single working window.
My dad threw up out the window from the smell. We ended up with a flat tire only a few minutes later. I still marvel that I’m alive to tell this story!
Hold Your Wallet
My girlfriend and I cut our yearly spending to pay for an Italian dream trip. We unknowingly ended up at a tourist trap that charged an outrageous 380€ for a seafood dish.
I was stunned, and my girlfriend was so stressed that she cried. A Carabinieri, or Italian cop, asked what was wrong. I told him what had happened, after which he took the bill inside, spoke with someone, and told us we had a free meal.
Our trip to this restaurant was a good experience overall. However, the restaurant’s price-gouging was not acceptable.
Just…Disgusting
I was on my way back from an extended assignment in Baluchistan. The first leg of my journey was a flight from Karachi to Kuwait.
This flight was on Air Parkistan during the Hajj. Because the flight was so full, I had to sit in the back, near the toilet.
This flight had many men who had never flown before on board. Passengers all over the plane were praying, yelling in fear, or going up and down the aisles to explore everything.
Eventually, these passengers had to start using the bathroom. Because so many had no idea how to flush, the waste started flowing into the aisles.
I managed to get a shower in the BA Club after reaching Kuwait. On my first-class flight to London, I got sick with a fever, chills, and cough.
I ended up quarantined for the night upon reaching London. On my flight back to the US, I spend the entire flight feeling sick.
When I got home, I slept for two days and then visited the doctor. The respiratory viruses and intestinal parasites died off after a lot of medication.