As traveling alone has become a common practice, it can come with different experiences. Tell us about your worst experience, and maybe we could learn something from it.
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I was kidnapped by Canadian missionaries in Kenya. I spent 4 days with them until, in a town called Narok, I spotted a Barclays bank logo. 'Excuse me', I said. I walked into an air-conditioned adobe hut and said 'I have an account with you in England and I need cash.' Without much hope.
'Who are staying with?' My heart sank, of course the teller needed an address.
'I've been kidnapped by Canadian missionaries. I'm supposed to be staying with my cousin but I got into the wrong minibus and I've no idea where he lives or where I am now. His name is John Strangways-Dixon.' (Real name.)
About 3 tellers down a beautifully suited black Kenyan piped up: 'Strangways-Dixon? He taught me English. How much cash do you want?'
How I escaped is a whole other story but that was the start.
Weirdly, myw orst traveling solo experience was *in* Canada. Hmm. What's the rest of the story for you? Sounds like it'd be a great film! :-)
Expect from being alone out at night as a 5.4 female it was eating at a specific restaurant. I made reservation weeks in advance. When I arrived I told the grumpy-looking waiter that I reserved a table. He looked at his list and told me there was no reservation. I proceeded to show him my confirmation email. Turns out they canceled my reservation because they thought it was a fake one because who eats out alone... I wanted to! I got the worst table outside close to the street next to the tram rails and bike lane. The waiter ignored me, took forever to get my drinks and food out, and was overall very rude. The food was great but I wouldn't go to that restaurant anymore considering how they treat solo travelers!
To make something clear, this was in a somewhat underdeveloped country. That was my first time travelling alone. I was 8 or 9 at the time, on a train to see my grandparents. It really did start fine, with me having the upper bunk the way I liked it and liking the trip overall. But then I woke up one night and the announcer apparently was saying that the train will be arriving at my destination in an hour. I obviously started packing up really quickly, and I remember it was like 3 or 4 at night. Thus, when the train stopped, I got out and did not recognize the place but thought that was simply because of the dark. So I walked around for a bit, thinking it a bit weird my grandparents weren't there to meet me. Then I sort of bumped into a sign that did not, in fact, have my station's name on it. So I was like Oh No, I Got Off At The Wrong Station, which was obviously true since it was not the right station in any case. The train had left by this time, so I frantically called my grandparents (in the middle of the night), who then drove there remarkably quickly for 5 in the morning. Anyways, thought you should know the conductor actually made a mistake in announcing the wrong station and that's why I got off about 5 stations early. But all's well that ends well, and that ended alright I guess.
I honestly can't pick a "worst". There's a worst-on-plane, worst-on-train, worst-on-bus, and worst-on-foot. If forced to pick a worst, it'd be stuck on a train trapped by a blizzard in Nwohere, North America (IIRC, we had about 100km to a town behind us, and another 60 or so ahead of us, and in miles, that's still too far to walk). Over 20 hours on a train that wasn't moving, surrounded by angry, cold, hungry people. Being alone on that trip was suddenly a real hazard, not just a hypothetical one.
I'm a big solo traveler as I travel for work and pleasure. The single worst experience I ever had was at a resort in the Virgin Islands. I stayed in a beautiful villa-style room -it was really the swankiest place I'd ever stayed. But it was on a very steep hill and travelling around was so difficult. So I stuck around the resort itself mostly.
There was a group of people there who kept making fun of me. I'm overweight but not, like 'my 600lb life' overweight. I have a Lizzo body, not that it matters or what they did was justified at any weight. I ignored them for the most part but they were clearly making jokes at me or talking about me when we were in the same areas.
One day I was ordering dinner to go, just standing minding my own business while I waited. They walked in and they were making derogatory pig noises toward me. It was so ridiculous- these were adults. I got my food and on the way out I finally asked one of the guys what their f**king problem was and they were like, "I don't like looking at fat b***hes." The girl he was with just started laughing into her hand. I was like "I guess you're out of luck, a**hole," and left but I felt like I had to avoid them the entire week they were there just to avoid confrontation on my freaking vacation. I don't understand that much hatred. Live your life, enjoy your Ken and Barbie life and I hope your twiggy, bobbleheaded girlfriend doesn’t gain weight when she inevitably gets pregnant. Enjoy your boring life and your likely divorce but leave other people alone.
I've also had issues at hotels. First off, hotels- in the US at least- are doing a thing now where you can't check in until 3pm but you have to be out by 11am or 12pm so you're paying for an entire day but you're there for less than 12 hours. I'm in my 40s and I just don't want to deal with hostels and airbnbs when I've had so many issues with them in the past, so i try to stick to mid-level hotels. And if there's an issue with the room, by the time you check in and actually get in sometimes it's too late to get maintenance or to change rooms.
And lastly, if you travel solo, it's important to really schedule things where you're going to be. Finding yourself alone in a strange place can make you feel lonely where you didn't before. And it's because you aren't sure where to go or what to do and it can be awkward if you're the only solo traveler in a group. Especially as a woman - being a woman makes you a target so going out at night or leaving the hotel property can be dangerous. You don't want to end up staying in your hotel room all the time so really plan it before you go. You can always change your mind.
Sorry for the long post, lol.
I can't believe how rude some people are. Why can we, as a society, just overall stop commenting about peoples bodys? It's not that hard to just shut up. I'm sorry you had to experience this!
Not sure this counts but I remember a while back I travelled with my dad. Just the two of us. For the first time. I thought it would be fine and all that, but troubles were waiting at the top of the hill. First off we were going to Montana for winter break. We had two flights. Now here’s the point. Of course me and my dad were opposite gender so whenever he had to use the restroom most of the time there were no family restrooms nearby. Which was HORRIBLE because he would always ditch 10 yr old me in the gate with a total pack of strangers to use the men’s. (I still wish to this day the they had more family restrooms!!) okay, we are getting to it now, my dad has a really bad temper, and I remember our connecting flight was delayed twice and and he bathroom-ditched me again and I waited a while and all of a sudden I hear my dad’s voice say “cancelled!?”. Confused, I turned around at that small tv with flight info and sure enough, our flight got cancelled. I remember my dad calling my mom around 2,000 miles away asking for a flight. My mom was in her office scrambling for one. While in Denver airport, we are stranded in the cold outside waiting for our bus to go to a hotel. My dad is cursing up a storm and I’m crying in the background. I need emotional support sometimes. But unfortunately, my dad needs it too. He’s literally the parent with me!!! He should have been comforting me instead of causing more stress by yelling on the phone! When we got to our hotel, he was on hold for 2 hours and eventually went to sleep after me. Yes we are fine now, and yes we did get to go on our vacation and stayed at our friends ranch and feed the animals they had their. It was suuuuper cold and snowy.. but I got to go skiing and tbh it’s actually a nice memory now. Thanks for reading my first story on bp
I went to a sleepaway summer camp once in the Florida Keys. At a certain fort island that you can only reach via boat, the camp counselors neglected to ask if I needed help putting sunscreen on my back. Long story short, that's how I found out that second-degree sunburns exist.
I should also mention that this camp was specifically for kids with special needs, and I was not the only one to get sunburned.
Nothing horrible like what happened in the rest of the posts. I have no sense of directions and don't recognize my environment. I could go the same route ten times and get lost. I don't recognize my house either and we've been there over 20 years. When the children were home and I'd go shopping, I would lose my car in the parking lot, and once I found it, I didn't know which way to go, so I'd go back inside (circa bef cells), call one of my kids, they'd jump on their bicycle and find me inside because I wasn't looking again for that car. Load the bicycle, drive back home. When they left, they bought me a GPS and I never go on the road without it. It's also a good thing it could use GCS because Google doesn't have my house at the correct place. Most of the time, my husband drives me places; it's easier.
Coming home from an Air Force base in Italy. Landed in the states and had to take a bus to another airport. I jumped on the bus and lucky for me (not) the first seat was empty! It was empty because there was water dripping on it from above. The bus was now full, and I couldn't move.
I got my flight which was mostly empty. A guy comes and sits next to me and starts smoking. (It was a long time ago, obviously!) I get out of that situation, get to the next airport where it was snowing so hard the pane had to be deiced, then deiced again because it froze again while they were deicing.
Finally got into Detroit 12 hours late, and there was a terrible snowstorm. We had a 2 hour drive north to get home. Along the unplowed country roads at a night, in a snowstorm with 10 foot ditches on each side of the road. We had to guide ourselves by staying in between the telephone poles on each side of the road.
Longest trip ever.
I was 10 flying from Taiwan to Phoenix by myself in the 80s. Flew from Taipei to Seoul to LAX. My plane was late arriving into LAX and I had to wait 6 hours for the next flight to Phoenix. I was scared, with $10 in my pocket for the whole trip. The flight to Phoenix, which has a Las Vegas layover sandwiched me between two very drunk guys. They're lucky I made it to Phoenix.
i was almost sa'd on my way back from a restaurant. if i had one extra thing to drink, i think it would've been much worse. luckily i wasn't completely drunk and was able to punch them where the sun doesn't shine.
i don't really want to go into detail. but i will say that ladies, make sure you bring a friend with you who won't drink so they can watch you.
18 yo, first time traveling all alone, and to China no less, for a highschool program. Landed at Beijing airport, was supposed to call my host family's father so he could pick me up. Had specifically gotten a cellphone card that works abroad. Call the number he had given me - all I hear is a recording telling me that my phone does not work in China. So I'm stuck at Beijing airport, barely speak a word of Mandarin, and have to face immigration control.
The solution to my story was refreshingly unspectacular: After panicking for a bit I did the obvious thing. I went to one of the airport officials, handed them the number and had them call my host father for me. After that my trip to China would turn out to be one of the most exciting and formative experiences of my life.
I travel alone quite frequently and I have been fortunate that I have not had any really bad experiences other than 1 minor flight delay and inevitably getting frisked in the security line at the airport.
I think the worst part of it for me is actually being alone. Being in my head too much and feeling lonely. Wishing I had someone to share the experience with. But I am in my 40's now and I don't want to not have experiences just because there's no one to go with me.
Snakes. Encountered one while relaxing be the creek.
I have encountered a beer while Trekking to Gosaikunda lake by the way grate trek and the lake was worth the trip
