My Worst Journey moments of 2024

You’ll be able to’t have the nice with out the dangerous — and I’ve all the time made an effort to speak concerning the dangerous instances that occur whereas touring! The highest factor that folks inform me is “You’re so sincere,” and I be certain to inform the reality.

As a result of sure — journey is enjoyable and transformative and life-affirming. But it surely will also be uncomfortable, disturbing, smelly, and costly.

It’s good to keep in mind that, and it helps you respect the nice moments extra. (And it’s a variety of enjoyable to giggle about it after the actual fact!)

Let’s check out my worst journey moments of 2024!

The Horrible Sickness of February

I’ll admit that I’m nonetheless pissed off about this, months later. I attended a convention in February. A colleague confirmed up on the convention coughing everywhere, insisting that their sickness wasn’t something anybody needed to fear about.

Spoiler alert: it was.

A couple of days after the convention, on my last day in Paris, I observed that my ham and brie sandwich didn’t style…proper. Two days after that, I turned so sick with a hacking chilly that I went a complete evening with out sleeping a wink. I examined myself for COVID a number of instances and it all the time got here again damaging, however the coughing obtained so dangerous, I virtually couldn’t cease.

That is the sickest that I’ve ever been — far worse than my bout with COVID in 2022.

I went to see my physician, who recognized me with bronchitis, and it took weeks to lastly dissipate.

And you recognize what? My cough sounded EXACTLY like my colleague’s on the convention — the cough that apparently no person needed to fear about.

My colleague ought to have skipped the convention — however since they insisted on attending, they need to have worn a masks. And you recognize what I did? I masked on the solely different convention I attended in 2024, as a result of there was no manner I used to be going to get that sick from somebody once more. I used to be certainly one of two folks masking.

Please, folks — I perceive that you just’re not going to masks on a regular basis. I ask that you just please masks in the event you’re sick, even when it isn’t COVID, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE masks in the event you’re feeling a bit beneath the climate however you need to attend an occasion the place you’re spending a lot of time face-to-face with different folks.

A Disastrous Layover in Zürich

I all the time give myself copious layover time when touring. I’m endlessly paranoid about lacking flights and connections, and can gladly select a couple of additional hours hanging in an airport lounge slightly than worrying like mad I’m going to overlook my flight.

Nicely. I made a decision to reside a bit of and seize a less expensive flight from Boston to Prague with a 90-minute layover in Zürich. And WOULDN’T YOU KNOW, my flight from Boston ended up delayed an hour.

Did Swiss Airways mechanically e-book me on a brand new flight? No. They instructed me I might make it. So I leaped up and ran via the airport, begging folks to let me minimize them within the immigration line, racing via a number of terminals.

And at one level, I tripped. My bag’s zipper opened. And my digital camera, which was in my backpack however not an extra protecting case, fell on its lens, sticking it out from a nasty angle.

I made the flight with about 30 seconds to spare, so pink and sweaty that folks on the airport bus truly stood as much as let me sit. My baggage didn’t make it, however it obtained on the subsequent flight and I had it by round midnight.

Fixing the lens price about $200. And it was SO NOT WORTH touring with a good connection. An costly lesson, and one I hope that I’ve discovered. (I’m additionally a lot better about defending my digital camera lately.)

Getting Meals Poisoning in Bhutan

I awoke my second morning in Bhutan with an uncomfortable but acquainted cramping in my abdomen. This couldn’t be one other spherical of meals poisoning, might it? And I promptly vomited, took some charcoal capsules (man, I want Pepto-Bismol was offered in Europe), then vomited a second time in all black.

The hardest factor about meals poisoning is just not figuring out the place it got here from. It might have been the filmy milk within the espresso, the marginally strange-tasting hen. I’ll by no means know.

I texted my information, Sonam, and he insisted on taking me to the hospital. Although I initially protested, I gave in an hour later. I obtained to expertise Bhutanese healthcare (free!) and after taking some cipro, I felt a lot better.

Sadly, it put a damper on the remainder of my journey — I just about ate as blandly as I might, typically having simply rice for a meal. I struggled via a meal at my homestay, throughout which the grandmother chided me for consuming too little, as I prayed that the air-dried pork and uncooked milk wouldn’t ship me down one other dangerous path.

For what it’s value, the expats I frolicked with one evening in Thimphu instructed me that they get meals poisoning a couple of instances a 12 months in Bhutan (!). Should you go, eat fastidiously and cease consuming if one thing appears bizarre (like I ought to have performed with the milk and the hen).

A Scary Incident on an Airport Bus

After I was leaving London after the TravMedia Awards, I organized to take the airport bus to Luton Airport. As traditional, I scheduled my departure for a bit of sooner than I wanted it to be, simply in case — and it seems that was a clever choice.

Abruptly, there was a commotion on the bus, and I noticed that an older man had fainted. The bus pulled over. The person regained consciousness however he was weak, and neither he nor his spouse spoke English, solely Polish.

We sprang into motion. The motive force referred to as an ambulance. A lady gave the person a bottle of water. I pulled up Google Translate on my telephone and began speaking together with his spouse, working communication between her and the paramedics on the telephone. She instructed me he had issues together with his coronary heart.

Finally the paramedics arrived and satisfied the couple that it could be harmful for him to fly, that they each wanted to go to the hospital. And so they finally referred to as up their very own language line to run the communication. The couple finally agreed to go to the hospital. Our bus was stopped for about half an hour — no downside for me, however some fellow passengers had been working late for his or her flights.

It is a reminder that it’s a good suggestion to have Google Translate in your telephone, on a regular basis. You by no means know while you would possibly run into an emergency with a non-English speaker.

I’ve been considering of the couple ever since. I hope they’re doing okay.

A Weird Tour on Ventotene

The island of Ventotene was undoubtedly one of many extra random spots Charlie and I visited this 12 months — after studying about it whereas in Ischia, we couldn’t get it out of our minds! And so we headed to the tiny, blink-and-you-miss-it island between Ischia and Ponza.

There isn’t a lot to do on Ventotene — two seashores, zero swimming swimming pools, and in the event you don’t seize a seaside chair early, you’ll roast to dying on the black sand. It was too scorching to face on the sand in sneakers!

So we selected to take a tour to the even tinier island of Santo Stefano, previously house to a jail. Certain, the tour can be in Italian, however we communicate a little bit of Italian and will fill within the gaps with Google Translate.

We sailed to the island, climbed up a giant hill, marveled on the exterior of the jail, which is designed like a theater within the spherical, and listened to our information whereas utilizing Google Translate. Then it was time to move inside! We placed on our exhausting hats and obtained excited to discover the jail cells.

And…they led us into seats within the courtyard. The place we sat. And so they lectured us for the subsequent 90 minutes. Would we be exploring the jail? No, after all not! The exhausting hat was only for strolling via the doorway. Oh, and right here there was no telephone sign, so no translation.

It was simply weird that we got here all this manner simply to sit down in a seat and listen to a protracted historical past lesson, unable to really tour the constructing.

Scorching Air Ballooning Canceled in Scottsdale

I used to be so trying ahead to scorching air ballooning in Scottsdale, despite the fact that I knew at the back of my thoughts that it’s a particularly weather-sensitive exercise and irrespective of the place it’s happening, it may be canceled on the drop of a hat.

Scorching air ballooning is often an early morning exercise. So early that we needed to be prepared at 3:00 AM, and I by no means obtained to sleep that evening. Beth and I obtained dressed, headed downstairs, giggled on the dolled-up girls within the foyer getting back from their evening out as we ready to start out our day.

We obtained into our pickup van, and instantly the motive force obtained a textual content and groaned: scorching air ballooning was canceled on account of adversarial climate. Oh nicely. We piled out of the automotive, went again upstairs, and it took me about one other two hours to go to sleep after that adrenaline spike.

(Nonetheless, it wasn’t as dangerous as my final canceled scorching air balloon journey, in South Africa, the place we didn’t discover out till we had been an hour into our drive there! And certainly one of my fellow vacationers had consumed a number of middle-of-the-night espressos in preparation…)

A Lengthy Drive With out A/C

Our little street journey to South Moravia coincided with the most popular week of the 12 months, in late August and early September. As traditional, Charlie and I picked out some podcasts to take pleasure in on the drive.

Then after about 10 minutes, we realized that the automotive wasn’t getting any cooler. Yep, the air con was not working and wouldn’t work for our three-hour drive in searing warmth!

So we did what anybody would do. Cranked down the home windows and cranked up the podcast quantity. WAY up.

The COVID Lodge Follies

In the course of July, Charlie was feeling sick, took a COVID take a look at, and it got here again optimistic. I examined and it was damaging. We instantly placed on masks and went into planning mode.

The timing was not ideally suited — my birthday journey to Croatia was slightly below two weeks away. The journey for which seven of my associates had been flying in from 4 totally different international locations.

Charlie would most likely be totally recovered by then, but when I obtained COVID from him, I wouldn’t be. I couldn’t miss my very own fortieth birthday!! Particularly since my thirtieth birthday was so terrible. I’d do the whole lot I might to keep away from COVID.

I rapidly discovered an condo proper by the church of St. Peter of Pořiči, not too removed from our place — however then I discovered the exhausting manner that the bell of that church tolls EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES ALL NIGHT LONG. Not good! And guess what…I had booked a nonrefundable three-night keep. Sensible!! (Not less than I obtained to benefit from the cardamom-y butter hen on the Indian restaurant throughout the road.)

Three nights later, Charlie was nonetheless testing optimistic. I then used my annual $300 journey credit score from my CapitalOne Enterprise X card (which I extremely advocate!) to e-book a number of nights at a resort in my neighborhood, removed from any tolling bells.

Throughout these days, I lived like a hermit and masked anytime I needed to go wherever. I couldn’t threat COVID from anybody. Charlie and I nonetheless had our meal supply service, which we ate on park benches 15 ft aside. And it paid off. Charlie was quickly testing damaging once more loads of days earlier than our departure to Croatia, and I by no means examined optimistic.

I really feel so fortunate that I prevented COVID so near a significant occasion.

The Florence Backyard Exit Catastrophe

When doing analysis for my submit concerning the finest views in Florence, I visited the Boboli Gardens and its lesser-known sibling, the Bardini Gardens. Instantly after, I had an appointment to climb the Arnolfo Tower on the Palazzo Vecchio.

The Bardini Gardens are structured on a heavy slope downward. There was an exit on the backside of the slope, and there was an indication studying in Italian that the exit can be closed till March 15. “Excellent,” I assumed, as a result of it was March 19.

I climbed all the way in which all the way down to the underside exit, intending to depart, and the door was shut and there was no worker there. There have been, nonetheless, a couple of males hanging out in a patio that adjoined to the backyard.

“Why is no person there?” I requested the lads. They insisted that there was an worker there. There wasn’t, I instructed them. There was, they insisted. Then one got here with me to show it, and shock — I used to be proper, and no person was there. There may be a lot informal misogyny in Italy, and this simply irritated me — why not consider me?

At this level, I used to be going to be late for my tower appointment, so I requested the lads if I might please go away via their condo. I might actually see the door in entrance of me. They checked out me…and stated no. Actually? Actually??

Anyway, I needed to climb the steep hill all the way in which again to the Bardini Gardens’ high entrance (at which I briefly ranted in Italian on the worker that at the moment is March 19, why does the signal say March 15 whether it is nonetheless closed?). I ran all the way in which down the steep hill once more, crossed the Ponte Vecchio, ran over to Piazza Signoria, made it with one minute to spare…

…and discovered that I had booked the mistaken form of ticket. I booked the museum, not the tower climb! It’s very straightforward to get the mistaken form of ticket, and I am going into the way to e-book it accurately in my Florence information and the finest views in Florence submit.

I needed to drown my sorrows in gelato.

General, none of these items was that dangerous.

I acknowledge that each one of these items was small potatoes within the grand scheme of issues. Far, far worse issues can occur while you journey. A part of that’s as a result of I’m cautious, and a part of that’s as a result of I’m fortunate. I always remember that.

And I’m endlessly grateful that I’m wholesome and blissful and persevering with to do that for a residing.

I’d love to listen to about YOUR worst journey moments of 2024!