We always see the glamorous and good sides of traveling, but there are plenty of bad things that happen too. Now, I don't want this to discourage you from traveling, because let's face it- bad things can happen to you every day, whether you're traveling or not. But I just thought it would be nice to see a different side of traveling- the "not-so-glamorous" side. At the time these incidents weren't so funny, but now I can kick back and laugh about them. Hope you enjoy!

1. Airport curfew

When I was coming back from Myanmar to go back to my home in Chongqing, China, I had a 12 hour layover at Dehong Mangshi Airport (a tiny airport right on the border of China & Myanmar). The layover was overnight and my flight back to Chongqing was at 6am, so I figured I'd just sleep in the airport. That way I don't have to pay for taxi's to and from the airport or pay for a hotel, and I can just wake up early and already be here. So I fell asleep around 7pm.

Right at midnight, someone taps me and shows me a translated message on their phone: "The airport is closed, you need to leave." I looked around and literally I was the only person in the airport. I tried to explain my flight was in 6 hours and I have nowhere to go. But it didn't matter, they kicked me out. So me being me, I wasn't about to spend money getting a taxi to the city and paying for a hotel when I'd have to be back in less than 5 hours. So I thought, I'll just sleep outside on the sidewalk.

This airport was in the middle of nowhere though- you look out all around it and just see pitch black "nothingness." About an hour after being on the sidewalk, a group of 5 or 6 men came to the airport parking lot. They were literally just sitting in the parking lot and looking at me, so I was super sketched out. So I decided to call my dad just to find comfort and distract myself from what could potentially happen.

Then, out of nowhere another random man comes up to me and starts yelling at me in Chinese. I kept saying "Ting bu dong, wo shi Meiguo ren." (I don't understand, I'm American) But I could tell he was motioning to his car, trying to get me to go in the car with him. I kept saying no, and pointing to my phone to let him know that someone knows I'm here and is listening to what's happening. And thank goodness, he just ran away.

I talked on the phone with my dad the entire 5 hours I was waiting after that, because I was way too sketched out to sit alone in my thoughts. Once the airport opened back up, I hopped back on my flight to Chongqing and got home safe. It might've just been me being paranoid from seeing all these men speaking a language I didn't understand, and being alone on the sidewalk. But better to be safe, than sorry!

LESSON LEARNED: I had never heard of "airport curfew" before, I always assumed all airports stayed open 24/7. But now every time I plan on sleeping in an airport, that's the first thing I google to make sure I'm not kicked out in the middle of the night and put in that same situation again!

2. Getting trapped in a tannery

When my friend Cassie & I arrived in Marakech, Morocco we were so hungry. The first thing we wanted to do was find Jaama el Fna- the main outdoor market in the city that we had read so much about. So we dropped off our bags at the hostel, and went looking for it. (Let me also say that Cassie & I are both over 5'10", blonde-ish hair, and green eyes- so we stick out like a sore thumb)

We thought the market was right next to our hostel, so we were confused why we couldn't find it. (Come to find out we had passed by where the market was a hundred times, but it just didn't open until later in the day). So we popped into a little store and asked someone if they knew were Jaama el Fna was. BIG MISTAKE.

They said it's right down the street- in fact, one of their friends is going now so we could follow him. RED FLAG. Well, should've been a red flag. (In retrospect, this was one of my first trips so I was very trusting and hadn't really been exposed to any bad sides of traveling yet). So we didn't walk with him or talk to him at all, but we did follow him a couple yards behind.

Then we see him turn into this place with a double-wooden-door entrance, so we were thinking awesome we're here! WRONG. He had brought us to a tannery. For those of you who don't know what a tannery is- it's where they bring all kinds of animals and skin them to sell their pelts. So the smell was horrendous, and there were pools of blood, buckets of animal body parts, and a lot of other gruesome sights.

Right away we felt something wasn't right, so we tried to say thank you and leave- but, they shut the double-wooden-doors and locked us in. We're thinking- well, this isn't good. So we tried to be polite and say thank you so much for showing us this, but we're supposed to be meeting some friends. And the guy refused to let us leave without us paying him some absurd amount of money (which we didn't have, but wouldn't pay even if we had it). We kept arguing with him, but in this country they don't respect women's opinions at all, so we knew he wasn't going to care what we said.

Thank god, a random Irish man was walking by and saw us through the wooden planks in the doors and thought we were in trouble (which we were). He came in and said "you guys! I thought we were supposed to meet for lunch, let's go!" So he gave the guy a couple coins (maybe $4 USD), and said thanks for your troubles and put his arms around us to leave. The man didn't argue with him at all; we just left peacefully. I think about this story often because I was so naive, and something bad could've happened to us. It honestly was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me when traveling. But I'm super grateful for that Irish man who saved the day.

LESSON LEARNED: You have to follow your gut. The whole thing felt sketchy to us, but we just went with it because we thought it was the culture there and we didn't want to be rude tourists. But we should've followed our guts and just went back to the hostel to ask someone we trusted to help us.

3. Motorbike accident

So when Nick & I were in Laos, we rented a motorbike everyday to go explore. We've rented motorbikes everywhere- Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines- you name it! So we feel very comfortable driving them. However, we went to Laos during the wet/rainy season, so we were NOT prepared for the muddy roads.

We knew it was going to be difficult to get to this Blue Lagoon in Vang Vieng, because everyone online said the road was horrible. But we still thought- we can handle it! And we did. The road there was really challenging, but Nick drove it like a champ.

We enjoyed the Blue Lagoon and all its beauty- it was a great afternoon. But the way back was a completely different story. Because of all the mud and sliding around, our tires were super compacted and didn't have any grip. So we went to cross over this metal bridge that literally had a plank of wood on it (barely as wide as the tire) that you were supposed to drive on. Somehow the tire lost grip and the bike slid from underneath us. Luckily I was thrown off the bike and away from the accident and had no injuries, but Nick was crushed between the metal siding of the bridge and the bike.

The cuts and burns were so deep we had to immediately go find a medical clinic so they wouldn't get infected. And the internal bruising on his foot was so extreme he couldn't walk normally for 2-3 weeks. It was a super scary incident, but we are grateful because it could've been a lot worse.

STORY FROM A FRIEND: I told a girl I met in Indonesia about this story, and she told me about her friend who got in a motorbike accident. She had a huge, deep gash on her shin- so without thinking she used tap water to try and clean it. (For those who don't know, it is not safe to drink any tap water in any country in SE Asia) So I guess from the tap water entering her system, she ended up getting a very serious flesh-eating bacteria. The hospital in Bangkok told her she either gets her leg amputated or she dies. So she had to get her leg amputated in Bangkok. This is the ultimate horror story about a motorbike that I've ever heard.

LESSON LEARNED: From our accident we definitely learned to never attempt to drive on muddy roads again. If it's muddy, we'll pay a tuk tuk driver or take a tour instead. And from the story we heard, we were reminded of how dangerous the water is! So even though your initial reaction is to clean a wound so it doesn't get infected, make sure you wait until you have bottled water.

4. Getting pulled over

When Nick & I went to Mexico, we decided to rent a car so we could easily drive ourselves to different cities without having to pay for a tour bus.

One afternoon when we were driving from Chichen Itza back to Cancun, we got caught in a "tourist trap." So basically the speed limit had been the same the entire drive, and then there was a sharp turn (so you can't see ahead) and the speed limit was completely lowered. Then we saw about 20 cops just standing there with radar guns and pulling over pretty much every tourist. So lame.

He came up to my window and told me I was speeding, and he'd need to confiscate my license and I'll have to go to court to get it back and pay a fine. (But I had already read online about these types of things, and how the cops are only looking for bribes) So of course, he asked me for about $200 USD so I wouldn't have to go through that process, but I said no. (In my head I'm thinking- ok take my drivers license, I'll get another one for $35 when I get home) He walked away to go talk to another cop, and so I emptied out my entire wallet into my bag except for a $20 bill.

When he came back, I just pretended to beg and say "please this is all I have." And of course he took it. And we were on our way. Not much of a story, but if I hadn't read about it online I probably would've been scared and thought that they'd throw me in jail or something.

LESSON LEARNED: In all honesty the lesson I learned here was to not rent a car in Mexico. I mean, I'm sure it's fine because it's random, so you never know if this will happen to you. But I just wouldn't want to put myself in that situation again, because you might get a cop who isn't as nice or wants something other than money. Always make sure you read about renting cars, cop situations, and other things about that specific country before you actually decide to rent the car!

5. Not having access to money

Now this isn't a scary or dramatic story, but a couple days into my solo Myanmar trip I had run out of cash. Simple right- go to the ATM. No problem. Except it was.

I had 2 debit cards on me- my Union Pay card from my Chinese bank and my Visa card from Wells Fargo back home. I walked to about 12 different ATM's and NONE would accept my Union Pay card from China. So then I'd try my Wells Fargo card, and it would always say error.

I called Wells Fargo and apparently they had cancelled my card due to "inactivity." Awesome. Thank God I was able to look up "which banks in Myanmar accept Union Pay" and only 1 popped up. So I rented a motorbike (asked them if I could pay when I return) and drove about 20 minutes to it, and it did work. Problem solved.

However, before I found wifi to google that and find a solution I was so upset. I was alone. I didn't have phone service. I was hungry, but had no money to eat. I legitimately didn't know what I was going to do. I ended up finding a random bench on this dirt road, cried for about 20 minutes, then meditated for another 30. Then, I finally decided to get up and make something happen. And it worked out fine, I just needed my breakdown moment.

LESSON LEARNED: When you're going to underdeveloped countries, make sure you bring more cash than you think you need. I know it's scary to travel carrying lots of cash, but put it in your money belt and wear it under all your clothes- literally never take it off. In lots of underdeveloped countries the ATMs are highly unreliable. So do your research before you go. After this incident I had to use my Master Card from my credit union back home (no more Wells Fargo), but it still didn't work in Laos, Sri Lanka, Philippines or Cambodia. Thankfully Nick's card worked or else we would've been out of luck!

6. Getting scammed by locals

This happens A LOT. Whenever a local sees a foreigner, all they see are dollar signs $$$. Here are a couple short stories of me getting scammed:

When I first moved to Barcelona I went to the grocery store and tried to pay with my credit card. They told me the receipt machine wasn't working, so would it be okay if I didn't get a receipt. I thought that's totally fine, and went on my way. Later, I checked my bank statement and saw they charged me 3x the amount of my groceries. But I had no receipt or any proof to go back and try to dispute it.

When Nick & I were in Sri Lanka, we called our hostel owner and he said to grab a tuktuk and it should only cost about $2 USD. We told our driver and he agreed, and then when we got there he said it was $13 USD. We kept saying no, it shouldn't be that much. But he wouldn't take no for an answer. So we had to pay him. Total rip off. (You might be thinking, it's just $13. But in Sri Lanka you could eat for about 4 days with $13)

Multiple times when we were in Malaysia & the Philippines they would randomly charge us a 'foreigner tax.' Sometimes when we took a boat to an island or signed up for a tour, they would just say "ok you owe us this for a foreigner tax." It's one of those completely obvious scams, but there's not much you can do about it.

LESSON LEARNED: Whenever you sign up for a tour, take a taxi/tuk tuk ride, or acquire any service from a local person- make sure you agree upon the price beforehand. Say it multiple times and get only that amount of cash into your hand, so they don't think they can try and scam you for more. Sometimes it'll happen, you can't help it. You've just got to pay and move on.

7. Missing scheduled transportation

Missing a flight can be one of the most upsetting things to happen to you because usually you can't get your money back and it obviously ruins your travel schedule. Thankfully I haven't missed a flight, but I have definitely missed my fair share of trains and buses.

Nick & I had booked an overnight sleeper train to Zhangjiajie (Avatar Mountains), and we got to the train station about 5 minutes before it was scheduled to leave. However, in China the ticket office is about a 5-6 minute walk away from the actual train station, then you have to go through security and find your gate. So naturally, they said we were too late and wouldn't give us a ticket. They said we could switch to a normal seat on the next train that left in an hour, but there were no more beds available.

We were both thinking 11 hours overnight sitting down is going to be rough. But it's either this or we don't get to go. So we did. And it was horrible. There are little pods of 4 chairs- 2 and 2 facing one another. Nick and I sat next to each other and were facing 2 old Chinese men. They put their dirty, bare feet up on the table in our faces, and were snoring and hocking loogies all night- it was a terrible 11 hours to say the least.

LESSON LEARNED: I mean, I already knew this lesson, but it was just reiterated to me- show up EARLY. It's way better to be at the airport or train station and waiting with peace of mind, rather than stressing about getting there and possibly missing it.

8. Forgetting to get a visa

Now this can be a BIG one. Obviously if you need a visa to get into a country and you don't have one, they won't even let you on the plane to get to that country. Luckily my story isn't too dramatic.

When I was going from Melbourne to Queenstown, I had an early flight so I decided to just sleep in the airport for the night. I woke up around 4am, & was waiting to check in to my flight. I was feeling good. I was excited to finally see New Zealand. But when I went to check in they asked to see my visa. Uh-oh.

I had specifically looked it up a couple days before to make sure I didn't need one as an American and it said I didn't. I was so confused. Apparently they had just implemented a new law THAT MONTH, that Americans need to file online with the New Zealand government to confirm that they don't need a visa. HUH? Yeah, you read that correctly. You basically need to apply for a visa that says you don't need a visa.

The airline attendant told me to hurry up and apply since my flight didn't leave for 3 more hours. I applied and was just sitting and waiting. 1 hour passed. Started to freak out a little. 2 hours passed. Now I'm crying. 2.5 hours passed. I finally went back up to the airline attendant and told him I hadn't been approved yet, am i still going to be allowed to get on the flight?

Thank goodness he was nice and called the New Zealand government number that deals with these visas and they agreed to let me on the plane since I had already submitted for approval. It ended up working out, but that was one stressful morning.

STORY OF A FRIEND: When we were going to Vietnam, we were supposed to meet up with another friend when we arrived. We told him he needed to get a visa (like we had already done), but he said that he read he could get it upon arrival. He ended up having a 10 hour layover in Guangzhou, China... sat through the entire layover and then tried to board his flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. They asked for his visa and since he didn't have one they didn't let him on the plane. No exceptions. He lost all his money he already spent on his flight and hostels.

LESSON LEARNED: An awesome tool I recently discovered to help you avoid this problem is a website called: iVisa. You can type in your nationality and where you're going, and it will tell you exactly what visa you need to get (if you need to get one). But don't buy the visa directly from this website because they add on their own fee, so you can easily just look up what visa you need and then apply on the country's government website directly to get the cheapest rate.

9. Getting sick

Getting sick is one of most people's fear when traveling abroad because obviously you don't want to waste your precious vacation time dealing with overcoming a sickness. I've gotten sick several times (nothing too serious) from bad water or food poisoning, but the worst time was when I was on a 4 day boat tour in Indonesia.

It was the very last day of the boat tour, and we woke up at 4:30 am to do a sunrise hike. When we got to the top I immediately felt like I needed to use the restroom (but obviously couldn't). The feeling kind of faded, and we went to another island to see the Komodo dragons. As we were walking around, I just kept thinking something is not right. But Komodo dragons are extremely dangerous. Their saliva has multiple strains of bacteria that cause blood poisoning and kills you pretty quickly! So I couldn't just walk away from the group tour and wander aimlessly on a Komodo-dragon filled island by myself to find a toilet.

Finally we got back to the boat for lunch, and I just ran to the bathroom. I was throwing up for a good 3-4 hours in this tiny "bathroom" on the boat. Everyone else was enjoying the "end of the trip" party on some private island, and I'm laying on the deck of our boat literally feeling like the life was draining out of me. I might have been dramatic and texted my boyfriend asking him to look up signs of malaria (since I had about 40 mosquito bites), because that's how badly I was feeling.

After we got off the boat, I had to walk 1.5 miles to my hostel- taking many breaks to throw up- and finally got there. I showered and slept for like 20 hours. I honestly can't tell you if it was food poisoning, an average bug or flu from someone, or even something else. But I will say it's one of the worst pains I ever felt and I didn't know how to go to the doctor or get medicine. I'm really grateful it went away on it's own.

LESSON LEARNED: After this experience and not being aware of any medical facilities in the area, I always make sure to google where the nearest medical clinic is to my hostel just in case. I went to Bali the day after I was sick (rough flight I know), so when I arrived I even walked to a couple medical clinics to make sure I knew where they were.

10. Missing Luggage

Now this typically isn't a problem for me, because I always only travel with a carry-on backpack. BUT both times we checked in luggage (when we moved to China and again, when we moved to Prague) they lost both mine & Nick's luggage.

When we arrived in China and didn't have any bags it was rough because we had work the very next day. So we had to run to a store and buy clothes to meet all our new co-workers for the first time. Thankfully our company communicated with the airport for us and had our bags delivered to the hotel about 4 days later. Honestly, it was a long 4 days to not have any stuff.

When we were moving to Prague, we actually booked our flight to Frankfurt, Germany and then had a 9-hour bus to get to Prague (it was cheaper that way). So after we discovered our luggage didn't arrive (surprise, surprise) we had to hurry and go claim everything at the lost luggage counter, and then sprint to make sure we caught our bus to Prague. It ended up working out completely fine, they delivered our luggage to our hotel in Prague the very next day.

LESSON LEARNED: Always have at least 1-2 outfits in your carry-on with toiletries and under garments in case this happens to you. Typically it takes a couple days for them to find your bags and deliver them to you, so it should help you get by. Otherwise, do what I normally do and just travel only with carry-ons to avoid this problem.

Overall

There have been tons of bad times- getting lost, delayed flights, sleeping in airports, running out of money, getting scammed, bad weather, and everything in between. Travel definitely isn't all glamorous and amazing 100% of the time- but it definitely is worth it!

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