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Adjectives for Travel Copy

Top 90 Adjectives for Travel (Negative & Positive Words)

Travel has the power to transform, enlighten, and challenge us. This post dives deep into adjectives that capture the myriad emotions and experiences associated with travel.

Table of Contents

Description of Travel

Travel refers to the movement of people from one place to another, often driven by leisure, business, or exploration.

Words to Describe Travel

Here are over 90 most common words to describe Travel:

  • Exploration
  • Destination
  • Sightseeing
  • Backpacking
  • Globetrotter
  • Hospitality
  • Picturesque
  • Accommodation
  • Spontaneous
  • International
  • Invigorating
  • Archaeological
  • Marketplace
  • Photography
  • Unforgettable

Positive Words to Describe Travel

  • Example: She had an adventurous trip in Asia.
  • Example: The view from the mountain was breathtaking.
  • Example: The safari was exhilarating and unforgettable.
  • Example: They stayed at a luxurious island resort.
  • Example: We took a scenic route through the hills.
  • Example: Their trip was rich in cultural experiences.
  • Example: The beach holiday was completely relaxing.
  • Example: The lecture on local history was enlightening.
  • Example: The festival was vibrant and colorful.
  • Example: His travel stories were truly inspiring.

Negative Words to Describe Travel

  • Example: The long journey was absolutely exhausting.
  • Example: The tourist snacks were severely overpriced.
  • Example: The beach was too touristy and noisy.
  • Example: Some areas were considered quite dangerous.
  • Example: The city visit felt very hectic.
  • Example: The landscape was surprisingly monotonous.
  • Example: Navigating the busy streets was stressful.
  • Example: The hotel room was disappointing.
  • Example: The long bus ride was extremely uncomfortable.
  • Example: The language barrier was quite problematic.

Adjectives for Travel

Adjectives for Travel (Meanings and Example Sentences)

Adventurous.

  • Meaning: Seeking excitement
  • Sentence: Her adventurous spirit took her to Nepal.
  • Meaning: Causing fatigue
  • Sentence: The hike was incredibly tiring .
  • Meaning: Offering great views
  • Sentence: The scenic route was breathtaking.

Overwhelming

  • Meaning: Too intense
  • Sentence: Tokyo’s energy was overwhelming .
  • Meaning: Very comfortable
  • Sentence: The resort was so luxurious .
  • Meaning: Too long or dull
  • Sentence: The layover felt tedious .
  • Meaning: Related to arts
  • Sentence: They had a cultural exchange.
  • Meaning: Reducing stress
  • Sentence: The beach was so relaxing .
  • Meaning: Costing a lot
  • Sentence: Paris can be expensive .
  • Meaning: Calm; Peaceful
  • Sentence: The lake was truly serene .

Other Words to Describe Travel

Words to describe travel experience.

  • Life-changing
  • Rejuvenating
  • Disorienting

Words to Describe Travel Lover

  • Wanderlust-driven
  • Globe-trotter
  • Peripatetic

Words to Describe Travel Adventure

Words to describe travel companion.

  • Independent
  • Resourceful

Words to Describe Space Travel

  • Interstellar
  • Zero-gravity
  • Extraterrestrial
  • Revolutionary
  • Boundary-breaking

Words to Describe Air Travel

  • Constrained

Words to Describe Luxury Travel

  • First-class

Words to Describe a Travel Nurse

  • Compassionate

Words to Describe a Person Who Loves to Travel

How to describe travel in writing.

Describing travel in writing involves evoking senses and emotions, and setting the scene. Highlight the surroundings, the feelings it evokes, the people encountered, and the lessons learned.

Utilize vibrant adjectives to bring destinations to life and help readers visualize the journey.

Remember, travel isn’t just about places; it’s about experiences, and your descriptions should reflect that depth.

Adjectives for Trip

Adjectives for Adventure

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Adjectives for Travel

Last updated on April 24th, 2024 at 04:43 pm

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  • Conjunctions
  • Prepositions

Travel Adjectives: Describing Words with Examples

describe good and bad travel experiences

Traveling is an exhilarating experience that allows us to explore new places, immerse ourselves in different cultures, and create unforgettable memories. But how do we capture the essence of our travel experiences and convey them to others? That’s where adjectives come in. Adjectives are powerful tools that help us paint a vivid picture of our adventures, adding depth and flavor to our travel stories. In this article, I’ll introduce you to a variety of adjectives that will help you describe your travel experiences with precision and flair. From breathtaking landscapes to bustling cities, get ready to enhance your travel vocabulary and bring your adventures to life through the magic of words.

When we think of travel, we often imagine stunning vistas, vibrant markets, and enchanting destinations. But how do we put these experiences into words? That’s where descriptive adjectives come in. They allow us to convey the beauty, excitement, and uniqueness of the places we visit. In this article, I’ll share with you a collection of adjectives that will help you paint a vivid picture of your travel experiences. Whether you’re wandering through ancient ruins, exploring hidden gems, or indulging in local cuisine, these adjectives will help you capture the essence of your journey and transport your readers to the heart of your adventures. So, let’s dive in and discover the world of descriptive words for travel!

Table of Contents

How to Describe travel? – Different Scenarios

When it comes to describing travel experiences, there are numerous scenarios to consider. Each scenario offers a unique opportunity to capture the essence of the adventure and convey it to others. As a seasoned traveler, I have explored various corners of the world and discovered effective ways to describe different travel scenarios. Here are some approaches that you can use to paint a vivid picture of your journeys:

1. Describing Natural Beauty

Whether you find yourself standing in front of majestic mountains, mesmerizing waterfalls, or breathtaking sunsets, describing the natural beauty is essential to bringing the scene to life. To effectively convey these stunning sights, consider using descriptive adjectives that showcase the grandeur and beauty of nature. Here are a few examples:

  • Majestic : The towering mountains stood proudly against the backdrop of the clear blue sky.
  • Enchanting : The waterfall cascaded down gracefully, creating a mesmerizing display of shimmering water.
  • Spectacular : The sunset painted the sky with vibrant hues of orange, pink, and purple, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

2. Exploring Vibrant Markets

One of the most exciting aspects of travel is immersing oneself in vibrant markets filled with local culture and flavors. To capture the bustling atmosphere and unique experiences of these markets, consider using lively adjectives that depict the vibrant scenes. Here are a few examples:

  • Lively : The market was a vibrant hub of activity, with people bargaining, colorful stalls, and fragrant spices filling the air.
  • Exotic : The market was a treasure trove of exotic fruits, aromatic herbs, and intricate handicrafts from around the world.
  • Thrilling : The market was a hive of energy, with street performers captivating the crowd and the aroma of sizzling street food tantalizing the senses.
  • Majestic : The ancient ruins towered above me, a testament to the grandeur of civilizations long gone.
  • Timeless : Walking through the historical site, I could feel the weight of the past, as if time had stood still.
  • Intriguing : The intricate carvings on the walls told

Describing Words for travel in English

When it comes to describing travel experiences, using the right adjectives can make all the difference. They help to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and convey the essence of the adventure. In this section, I’ll share some descriptive words that can be used to bring travel experiences to life.

Natural Beauty

One of the most captivating aspects of travel is the opportunity to witness the beauty of nature. Whether it’s a breathtaking mountain range, a serene beach, or a lush forest, there are a variety of adjectives that can be used to describe these natural wonders. Here are a few examples:

  • Majestic : The towering mountains stood tall, their peaks hidden in clouds.
  • Idyllic : The picturesque beach was adorned with golden sand and crystal-clear waters.
  • Enchanting : The forest was a magical oasis, with sunlight streaming through the lush canopy.

Vibrant Markets

Exploring local markets can be a sensory feast, with colorful displays, bustling crowds, and enticing aromas. To capture the vibrant atmosphere of these markets, here are some adjectives to consider:

  • Lively : The market was a bustling hub of activity, with vendors shouting their prices and customers haggling for the best deal.
  • Exotic : The air was filled with the fragrance of spices from far-off lands, teasing the senses and igniting a sense of adventure.
  • Charming : The market was a treasure trove of handmade crafts, each item telling a story of the local culture and traditions.

Ancient Ruins

Visiting ancient ruins allows us to step back in time and get a glimpse into the past. These historical sites are often steeped in mystery and wonder. Here are some adjectives that can help bring these ancient ruins to life:

  • Majestic : The towering ruins of the ancient temple rose from the ground, a testament to the grandeur of a civilization long gone.
  • Intriguing : The crumbling walls held secrets of a bygone era, inviting visitors to unravel their hidden stories.
  • Timeless : Standing amidst the ancient ruins, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and reverence for the history that unfolded within these walls.

Adjectives for travel

When it comes to describing travel experiences, using the right adjectives can make all the difference. They help to paint a vivid picture and convey the essence of a place. In this section, I’ll share some positive and negative adjectives that can be used to describe travel experiences, along with example sentences to demonstrate their usage. Let’s dive in!

Positive Adjectives for Travel

Traveling can bring a sense of excitement, wonder, and joy. Here are twelve positive adjectives that can capture the essence of a travel experience:

These positive adjectives can help convey the beauty, excitement, and unique characteristics of different travel experiences.

Negative Adjectives for Travel

While travel can be a rewarding and enriching experience, there are also instances where negative adjectives can be used to describe certain aspects. Here are five negative adjectives that can be used:

While these negative adjectives may not be ideal for every travel experience, they can provide a balanced perspective and help manage expectations.

Using the right adjectives is crucial for effectively describing travel experiences. Positive adjectives can capture the beauty, excitement, and uniqueness, while negative adjectives can provide a more balanced view. Remember to choose your words carefully when sharing your travel stories – they have the power to transport your audience to far-off places and bring your adventures to life.

Synonyms and Antonyms with Example Sentences

Synonyms for travel.

When it comes to describing travel experiences, using a variety of adjectives can help paint a vivid picture for your audience. Here are some synonyms that you can use to add depth and richness to your descriptions:

Example sentences:

  • The adventurous hike through the rainforest was filled with hidden treasures.
  • The view from the mountaintop was absolutely exhilarating .
  • The Taj Mahal is a stunning example of architectural grandeur.
  • The dance performance was so captivating that I couldn’t look away.
  • The sunset over the beach was truly mesmerizing .

Antonyms for travel

Adding some contrasting adjectives to your descriptions can help create a well-rounded portrayal of a travel experience. Here are some antonyms for travel that you can use to highlight different aspects:

  • The tour guide’s explanation was so boring that I almost fell asleep.
  • The museum exhibit was rather dull , with no interactive elements.
  • The city was unremarkable , lacking any distinctive landmarks.
  • The long layover made the journey feel tedious and never-ending.
  • The architecture in the neighborhood was quite drab , lacking any vibrant colors or unique designs.

By incorporating a mix of synonyms and antonyms into your travel descriptions, you can provide a well-rounded portrayal of your experiences and engage your audience in a more dynamic way. Remember to choose the right adjectives based on the context and specific characteristics of your travel adventures.

In this blog post, I’ve discussed the significance of using descriptive adjectives to effectively convey travel experiences. By incorporating synonyms and antonyms into our descriptions, we can create a more vibrant and engaging portrayal of our adventures.

Throughout the article, I’ve provided numerous examples of travel adjectives along with example sentences to illustrate their usage. This not only helps us paint a vivid picture for our audience but also allows us to capture the essence of our experiences in a more dynamic way.

By utilizing a mix of synonyms and antonyms, we can create a well-rounded description that showcases both the positive and negative aspects of our travels. This adds depth and authenticity to our storytelling, making it more relatable and compelling for our readers.

Descriptive adjectives are powerful tools that enable us to share our travel experiences in a way that captivates and inspires others. So, the next time you embark on a new adventure, remember to choose your words wisely and let the magic of descriptive adjectives transport your audience to the heart of your journey.

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Describe a Travel Experience You Have Had: IELTS Speaking (2 Cue Cards With Example Answers)

Your examiner might ask you to describe a travel experience you have had in part two of your IELTS Speaking test.

Let’s take a look at the best way to answer this question. Below, you can also read a good example answer ( go straight to the answer here ).

What You Can Talk About

This is one of the easier part-two questions because you just need to remember an experience and tell the story.  

Make sure you choose a travel experience that’s easy to talk about. This might be:

  • A vacation you had recently or a long time ago
  • An amazing vacation you had as a child
  • A work trip you took to another city or country  
  • A longer-term journey you went on (for weeks, months, or years)
  • Some backpacking (cheap budget traveling) you did
  • A school trip you went on when you were younger
  • Any other traveling experience you can remember

You can then describe your trip. Here are some things you could focus on describing:

  • Interesting places you visited
  • Something interesting or exciting you did
  • A festival or traditional holiday you enjoyed
  • Interesting local food you ate
  • The hotel or apartment you stayed in
  • How you traveled there (car, train, plane…)
  • Who you traveled with
  • Who you met on your trip
  • Why you went there
  • How you felt on your trip
  • Something interesting you learned on your trip
  • Something that surprised you on your trip
  • A problem you had on your trip
  • Anything else that comes to mind

Use a Good Word Group

In part two, it’s important to use interesting vocabulary. One easy way to do this is to remember a few word groups .  

A word group is a collection of words and phrases that describe a certain feature of a place you visited, an experience you had, or an activity you did.  

For example, for this travel-related question, maybe you saw a festival in another country, and so you could use a ‘traditional event’ word group to describe that festival.

This ‘traditional event’ word group would include interesting words like: ‘customs, ancient, ancestral traditions, cultural heritage, passed down through the generations…’ and more.  

You could then use these ‘traditional event’ words in many different part-two questions, such as:

  • Describe a festival you like
  • Describe a vacation you went on
  • Describe your favorite country
  • Describe a place you’d like to visit
  • Describe a city you visited
  • Describe a historical event in your country
  • And many more part-two questions

Below, you’ll see an example answer using an ‘exciting activity’ word group. Or you can l earn more about how to use word groups here . 

Use Apps to Memorize Faster

There are some really great apps that can help you prepare for IELTS Speaking.  

One perfect app for memorizing word groups is Anki App . This app uses spaced repetition to make sure you really remember the words and phrases well.

Some other good apps for IELTS Speaking are the Complete IELTS Full Skills app , Elsa app , and Cake app .  

Prepare Your Story Well

You should prepare a good short story for this question.  

It’s great to have a few travel stories prepared for Part 2 of your IELTS Speaking. This is because you can use these stories in your answers to many different kinds of questions.

Also, the more you practice preparing and telling stories, the better you become at using past tenses (primarily past simple, past continuous, and past perfect).

To see a word group and story in use, take a look at this example cue card and answer.

Travel Experience Cue Card

Describe a travel experience you have had.

You should say:

  • Where you had this experience  
  • What the experience was  
  • Who you did it with  

And say how you felt while you were doing it.

I’m going to talk about a really exciting, exhilarating experience I had when I was traveling in Thailand six years ago. I had just graduated from university, and I wanted to travel cheaply for six months. So I spent about three months backpacking around Thailand, which is a really wonderful country. And while I was there, I did a few  extreme sports like zip-lining and bungee jumping . I did these things in Chiang Mai. 

Chiang Mai is a peaceful city in the north of Thailand. It’s filled with beautiful temples and surrounded by mountains and dense jungle. I traveled there with a good friend of mine, and also two other girls we had met in Thailand. One day, we all went to an adventure park in the jungle and I went zip-lining for the first time. I loved the sensation of flying between two huge trees above the jungle. It was a really heart-thumping experience. Totally out of this world .  Adrenaline was pumping through me. I can still remember it really well.  

But the most hair-raising experience for me was bungee jumping. To be honest with you, I was quite terrified. My heart was beating out of my chest when I saw how high I was. But even though I was scared, I still jumped and I’m glad I did because it was a mind-blowing experience . And then I couldn’t wait to try it again .  

That whole day was an action-packed adventure. We also went white-water rafting in the afternoon, which was another rip-roaring adventure . I’ve never been much of a thrill-seeker before, so it was all a new experience for me. By the end of the day,  I was buzzing with excitement . And I’d love to return to Chiang Mai one day and do it all again.  

(Word Group Used: ‘Exciting Activity’)

Thrilling, Exhilarating, Adventure, Mind-blowing, Heart-thumping, Action-packed, Thrill-seeker, A rip-roaring adventure, Hair-raisin, Breathtaking, Out of this world, I couldn’t wait to begin, I didn’t want it to end, I was on the edge of my seat, Gave me a real buzz, I was buzzing with excitement, Adrenaline was pumping through me, I was thrilled to bits, My heart was beating out of my chest, I was bored out of my mind, A big yawn-fest, It was about as exciting as watching paint dry, As dull as dishwater.

See more amazing word groups here.  

Now It’s Your Turn

Prepare to answer this question yourself.

First, think of a travel experience that’s easy to talk about.  

Then, think of a word group you could use to describe it. You can either create your own word group or use one already prepared for you here .  

Next, set a timer for one minute and ask yourself aloud to describe a travel experience you have had.  

Prepare your answer quickly, then start talking. Try to keep speaking for two full minutes (and remember to be careful with your past tenses).  

It’s best to record yourself. This way you can listen to your answer, notice any mistakes, and repeat the process a few times.  

Each time you do this, you’ll become better prepared for part two of your IELTS Speaking test.

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describe good and bad travel experiences

Advanced Adjectives To Describe Travel Experiences

  • Post author: Harry
  • Post last modified: 10/02/2024
  • Post category: English Vocabulary
  • Reading time: 8 mins read

Learn English adjectives to describe travel or travel experience. I will also give you the nouns that collocate with these adjectives.

Learning these adjectives will help you improve your vocabulary in English.

Listen to the podcast Speak Better English with Harry or watch it on YouTube at Learn English with Harry . englishclass101

List of adjective to talk about travel

Adjectives to describe travel experiences.

Harry

In this lesson, I have 10 adjectives for you that will help you describe your travel experience.

And because these adjectives are connected with travel or travel experiences, a lot of them will collocate with very similar words.

But at least they’ll give you a choice of words with which you can use them. I’ll try and give you some of those popular collocations.

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Pink Heart

Meaning: leaves an impression, something lasting in your memory

  • impressive hotel
  • impressive reception area
  • impressive setting
  • impressive entrance

The main architecture is very, very old, but it is really clean and well maintained. The whole look of the hotel is impressive.

When you walk into the reception area, it is impressive. Everything about the entrance, and the setting is very impressive. 

Meaning: something that gives you a lot of information, something that you didn’t know about

  • remarkable gallery
  • remarkable exhibition
  • remarkable museum
  • remarkable information

A remarkable gallery! I really didn’t know anything about him before I visited this gallery.

The information I got was really remarkable. I can use it in my lessons for my students in the history classes.

English adjectives to describe travel experiences. Advanced English lessons on Zoom and Skype. #learnenglish

Meaning: quality, better than average, amazing

  • superb food
  • superb menu
  • superb weather
  • superb facilities

It was superb food every night, there was always the chef’s choice on the menu.

If I wanted one word to describe the holiday, it was superb.

  • astonishing

Meaning: something that shocks us or surprises us in a positive way

  • astonishing experience
  • astonishing details
  • astonishing transformation

Breakfast was excellent. It’s astonishing how much food you can eat when you’re on holiday.

The amount of food I ate was astonishing.

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Meaning: really, really beautiful

  • stunning view
  • stunning hotel
  • stunning museum

When we visited this place for the first time, we were completely taken aback. The views were stunning.

The museum was stunning. Last year it won an award for its architecture.

Meaning: impressive, exciting

  • dramatic view
  • dramatic journey
  • dramatic events

When you look down, it’s quite dramatic. The water falls down several hundred metres, and then the spray comes back up again.

The plane journey turned out to be dramatic. There was a lot of turbulence.

Meaning: unusual and interesting

  • exotic fruit
  • exotic location
  • exotic tree
  • exotic animal

I’m not sure about their honeymoon. I think they picked some exotic location in the Caribbean.

Meaning: unusual or different, something you haven’t done before

  • unique experience
  • unique tradition
  • unique exhibition

For me, going on a cruise ship would be a unique experience because I haven’t done it before.

The tea ceremony in Japan is a unique tradition only known to the Japanese.

English adjectives to describe travel experiences. Advanced English lessons on Zoom and Skype. #learnenglish

  • breathtaking

Meaning: really beautiful, very impressive

  • breathtaking view
  • breathtaking drive
  • breathtaking interior
  • breathtaking scenery

When I got off the cable car at the top of the mountain, the views were breathtaking.

When walking around Niagara Falls, the scenery is simply breathtaking.

Meaning: something that you are going to remember in the future

  • memorable holiday
  • memorable honeymoon
  • memorable dinner
  • memorable occasion

We had a really memorable honeymoon. We spent a lot of money, but it was wonderful, really memorable.

The hiking trip was really memorable. We climbed over a mountain and visited places that we hadn’t expected to see.

Our dinner on Friday night was memorable. It was a clear night, and we could see different places.

Here are the advanced English adjectives to describe travel experiences. Let me give them to you one more time:

I hope, you enjoyed this lesson. Try to use them in your conversational English. If you need help, come back to me and I’ll give you more examples.

You can book advanced English lessons on Zoom or Skype at englishlessonviaskype.com

Thanks for listening. Join me again soon.

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Write a Good Travel Essay. Please.

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Kathleen Boardman

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Editor’s Note: We know that many of you are looking for help writing travel experience essays for school or simply writing about a trip for your friends or family. To inspire you and help you write your next trip essay—whether it’s an essay about a trip with family or simply a way to remember your best trip ever (so far)—we enlisted the help of Professor Kathleen Boardman, whose decades of teaching have helped many college students learn the fine art of autobiography and life writing. Here’s advice on how to turn a simple “my best trip” essay into a story that will inspire others to explore the world.

Welcome home! Now that you’re back from your trip, you’d like to share it with others in a travel essay. You’re a good writer and a good editor of your work, but you’ve never tried travel writing before. As your potential reader, I have some advice and some requests for you as you write your travel experience essay.

Trip Essays: What to Avoid

Please don’t tell me everything about your trip. I don’t want to know your travel schedule or the names of all the castles or restaurants you visited. I don’t care about the plane trip that got you there (unless, of course, that trip is the story).

I have a friend who, when I return from a trip, never asks me, “How was your trip?” She knows that I would give her a long, rambling answer: “… and then … and then … and then.” So instead, she says, “Tell me about one thing that really stood out for you.” That’s what I’d like you to do in this travel essay you’re writing.

The Power of Compelling Scenes

One or two “snapshots” are enough—but make them great. Many good writers jump right into the middle of their account with a vivid written “snapshot” of an important scene. Then, having aroused their readers’ interest or curiosity, they fill in the story or background. I think this technique works great for travel writing; at least, I would rather enjoy a vivid snapshot than read through a day-to-day summary of somebody’s travel journal.

Write About a Trip Using Vivid Descriptions

Take your time. Tell a story. So what if you saw things that were “incredible,” did things that were “amazing,” observed actions that you thought “weird”? These words don’t mean anything to me unless you show me, in a story or a vivid description, the experience that made you want to use those adjectives.

I’d like to see the place, the people, or the journey through your eyes, not someone else’s. Please don’t rewrite someone else’s account of visiting the place. Please don’t try to imitate a travel guide or travelogue or someone’s blog or Facebook entry. You are not writing a real travel essay unless you are describing, as clearly and honestly as possible, yourself in the place you visited. What did you see, hear, taste, say? Don’t worry if your “take” on your experience doesn’t match what everyone else says about it. (I’ve already read what THEY have to say.)

The Importance of Self-Editing Your Trip Essay

Don’t give me your first draft to read. Instead, set it aside and then reread it. Reread it again. Where might I need more explanation? What parts of your account are likely to confuse me? (After all, I wasn’t there.) Where might you be wasting my time by repeating or rambling on about something you’ve already told me?

Make me feel, make me laugh, help me learn something. But don’t overdo it: Please don’t preach to me about broadening my horizons or understanding other cultures. Instead, let me in on your feelings, your change of heart and mind, even your fear and uncertainty, as you confronted something you’d never experienced before. If you can, surprise me with something I didn’t know or couldn’t have suspected.

You Can Do It: Turning Your Trip into a Great Travel Experience Essay

I hope you will take yourself seriously as a traveler and as a writer. Through what—and how—you write about just a small portion of your travel experience, show me that you are an interesting, thoughtful, observant person. I will come back to you, begging for more of your travel essays.

Take Notes in a Cute Journal

describe good and bad travel experiences

Keep track of all the crucial details- and even the ones you might forget, in a durable and refillable journal.

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Writing Great Travel Reviews

Tips for writing a great travel reviews

Travel Reviews Tips for writing great travel reviews

Taking a trip can be very expensive. For most people, going on a vacation is a luxury earned through hard work and saving. We look forward to using up our vacation days from work to head out to somewhere relaxing, exciting, or exotic. Everyone wants to spend their time and money wisely and have the best possible experiences.

Rogue_trippers Tripadvisor

When booking your travel plans, one of the first things you probably do is check the online reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions you are considering using while on vacation. Customer experience travel reviews will assist you with your trip planning, add impact to your travel itinerary, and help you make better choices.

However, the key thing to remember when you look at travel reviews is that they are very subjective, and it is essential to dig deeper. Not all is as it may appear, and not all travel reviews are helpful. It is important to know how to write travel reviews that other travellers can rely on to get value.

Google reviews

Sharing is Caring

So, before you get on Google, TripAdvisor , Hotels.com , Yelp, Trustpilot, or any other review website, here are some tips to improve your review and make it more impactful for future travellers like yourself.

What makes a good travel review?

  • Specifics – the more details, the better.
  • Context – so people can understand how your experience may affect them.
  • Service – share your experiences – the good, the bad, and even the average.
  • Fairness- be honest but fair. Remember, there are real people behind these businesses.
  • Tips – sprinkle a few tips and recommendations to improve other travellers’ experiences.
  • Photos – give people an example of how things look to describe your experiences better

Things to not do in a travel review:

  • Do not use profanity, insults, or bigoted remarks (never do this)
  • Do not be overly critical. Harsh reviews can do real damage to a business.

For more travel advice and tips, check out our Travel Resources 

Tips for writing your travel reviews

Before typing a travel review for a tourism business, check that you’ve got the right company. I have seen many reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, etc., that were not even for the business they were writing about.

• I have written a review for a company that was incorrect. Context: there were two hotels a short distance from each other with the same Brand Name. I selected the incorrect one and wrote a lengthy review for a hotel I never stayed at. Luckily it was a good review. • On the reading reviews side, I almost did not book a specific hotel because when you google it, the headlines for reviews are “bed bug infestation”. The negative reviews were numerous, and each was worse than the last. However, when I left Tripadvisor and checked Google MAPS, I noticed a ‘motel’ with a similar name (based on the neighbourhood) to the ‘Hotel’ that got all these terrible reviews. This situation is very unfortunate for this hotel – but I booked it, anyway – and we loved our stay (no bed bugs found).

I admit – I am a bit old school because I always carry a tiny notebook when I travel. I use this to note where we ate, what we ate, where we stayed, attractions we visited, etc. This way, I have more details for writing my travel reviews before I forget. Typing or taking notes on your smartphone will work just as well.

When to Write Your Travel Reviews

Write your review as soon as possible. This way, your experiences are fresh in your memory, and there is less chance of forgetting what you have experienced. Writing and posting your review as soon as possible will let others who look up reviews see a more current one, not something that happened months or years ago. Many things can happen in 6 months, a year, etc., such as renovations, change of ownership, staff, menus, services offered, etc.

Length of your Travel Reviews

How long your travel review is, is entirely up to you. However, one line is not worth posting. There won’t be enough context to be of use to anyone. Too long, and people may not get through it all due to short attention spans. Use complete sentences with enough detail to describe your travel experiences well.

For the best impact, try using catchy single lines in your title and text that the business can use on their social media as an example of the reviews they received.

Contextualize

When you are writing your travel reviews, offer context and details. Context is so important to help others fully understand the situation. If you provide details about your experience, you can help other customers to identify if this is a one-time occurrence or a pattern. What happened to contribute to your concerns? Was your meal late because the restaurant got slammed due to a significant sporting event on TV? Was your room at the hotel not ready when you went to check in because of staffing shortages?

restaurant reviews Roguetrippers

I always indicate in my travel reviews the particular day (and time, if necessary) that I visited the establishment. Dates are essential for your review’s relevance and timeliness but also provide critical context. I also post images of the receipt for restaurants so they can identify servers, tables, items ordered etc.

We all know prices change, and when booking travel products such as hotels, car rentals, etc., prices can vary greatly depending on when and where you book. However, I believe sharing what you paid, even if generally speaking, can help to give your travel review more value. I typically share prices at restaurants because I feel this is one area people want to know if it is worth going to. The food may be great, delicious, addictive, etc. – but if it is out of someone’s price range, that won’t be very useful. Also, they may want to splurge if the food is really good.

Honesty & objectivity

Write honestly about your experiences. Do not allow emotions to cloud your review. If you had a negative experience, take some time to calm down, take a step back and write about your experience more objectively. This is why taking notes is essential.

Admit fault

Suppose you did something that led to a negative experience – ‘fess up. You, too, have a role in these transactions. For example, did you take a boat cruise or whale watching, arrive late, and then get a terrible seat (or no seat)? Well, this could have been avoided if you were punctual.

Take Photos

Photographs are a great way to provide additional details related to your experience when writing a travel review. My recommendation is to post as real-to-life images as possible. Try not to edit – unless you need to improve lighting or focal points. Photographs you have edited within an inch of their lives can distort the accuracy of what the image intends to portray.

Do not include other people in your photos.

When you write travel reviews, go beyond the basics, and offer more specific details on the overall experiences. Topics like parking, noise, conveniences, amenities, room size, comfort levels, fees, pet policies, etc., are all vital information to include in your review. Let people know specifics that set this place apart (good or bad).

Pet Friendly Hotels

There is nothing worse than choosing a restaurant based on great reviews – only to find it impossible to park nearby. Does the hotel charge a resort fee? Are there Parking fees? Do they offer covered or out-in-the-open parking? Was it easy to make a reservation or get a table at the restaurant? Does the restaurant have a patio for dining? Does the hotel have unique systems in place for differently abled people (ie, flashing lights for when someone knocks on the door)?

Mention pet policies to help others who like to travel with their pets for Pet-Friendly Travels.

Hotel Gaudi Barcelona Exceptional Views

Customer Service

If you experienced exceptional customer service at the establishment, do not be shy about mentioning that person by name. While this may be standard across the business, it may also be very exceptional, and either way, that person deserves acknowledgement. We were once greeted with bubbly on our fantastic patio with a view when we stayed at the Hotel Gaudi in Barcelona.

Words Matter

Your choice of words and phrases in your review can be very impactful. Use great adjectives to describe your experience. Describing your experiences in detail, using terms, comments, and words that mean something – will help paint an excellent image in the reader’s minds. Avoid using harsh or absolute words in the title of your travel review. Whenever I see reviews with words like never, always, or disgusting to describe an experience, I immediately move on. I will only continue to read such a review for the potential ridiculousness that it is likely to contain.

Beware of going to extremes in your travel reviews

Try to avoid writing scathing one-star or ultra-negative travel reviews. In most cases, this says much more about the reviewer than the business they are reviewing. People who write scathing reviews express anger at a situation they may have overreacted to. I am not saying that every experience will be a 5-star or stellar experience, but I have rarely experienced any problem worthy of a 1-star review.

These reviews hurt businesses and can ruin a reputation for something that may have been easily worked on by having actual conversations with the establishment and checking your entitlement at the door.

Some examples of extraordinarily unnecessary and harmful reviews that I have come across when searching businesses:

• “They didn’t update their hours online- after we drove all the way there – they were closed” 1 star. • Hotel in the French Quarter 6 months after Hurricane Katrina: “Hardly any staff, room cleaning not happening every day. and there was a musty smell” 1 star. This travel reviewer is not considering the people displaced during the hurricane, the flooding, etc. • “The Coke machine was on a different floor – 1 Star”. I have seen many reviews like this that also refer to ice machines. • “The beach at the resort (in Cuba) had seaweed washing up on the sand, making it impossible to swim in the ocean”. – 1 star. As if the hotel can control this?

Conversely, an overly optimistic, gushing, glowing five-star travel review may also have the appearance that the reviewer was offered some form of compensation in exchange for a positive review.

Proofread before submitting

Before you submit your travel review to Google or Tripadvisor, be sure to proofread it. Check for spelling and grammatical errors, check for the accuracy of the information, and do not use all caps (portrays anger). It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece;  just a well-written and honest review offers insight, perspective, clarity, and thoughtfulness.

Final thoughts about writing a travel reviews

When you write a review, always remember to be fair and kind. Your goal is to let others know the type of service, quality, amenities, etc., they might expect when they visit. It should not be used as a source to get out anger and frustration – or to destroy a business’s online reputation. Before you write a review – take time to think about what you are going to say. Do not fly off the handle in temporary anger.

describe good and bad travel experiences

Review Bombing:

In recent history, we have seen an uptick in mean-spirited, harmful, and highly negative reviews and social media backlash towards businesses for some reason or another. Some people disagree with political views, have hateful opinions, racism, or for supporting marginalized groups, and use this as an excuse to spew hate. Review bombing and spewing hatred and similar actions are unacceptable behaviour. If you have ever participated in ‘review bombing’ – it doesn’t have the effect you hope it will – it more often backfires and has the opposite effect.

We need to be more accepting and tolerant of others – and BE KIND. 

There are real people behind these businesses. If you have a real issue – deal with it in person, face to face, not by airing grievances and anger that could harm a small business.

Check out our Tips for Supporting Small Businesses

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Adventurer, gastro-tourist, avid road tripper, and butter tart aficionado. Exploring the road less travelled and the adventures that exist for all to see if you open yourself up to new possibilities. Greg and his husband Nick are residents of Guelph, and their greatest joys in life are exploring the world around them. Road trips with no real destination are a favourite past time. Get off the beaten path and discover somewhere they have never been before. Sometimes the best vacations are the ones you don't really plan. Life is about the journey together and not the destination.

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English Phrases for Bad Travel Experiences

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(Remember that in English we say “I missed my flight” and not “I lost my flight”)

Today we’ll learn some phrases you can use to talk about bad travel experiences and problems that can happen on a trip.

You can learn a lot more travel English – phrases for airports, hotels, restaurants, shopping, sightseeing, and more – inside my Everyday English Speaking Course, which contains a section on travel English in Level 1 of the course.

English Phrases for Bad Travel Experiences Espresso English

OK, now let’s get started with our first phrase:

“My flight was overbooked, and I got bumped to a later one.”

A  “flight”  is a trip by airplane. If the flight is  “overbooked,”  it means that the airline sold too many tickets, and there is not enough space on the plane for all the people who have purchased tickets. This means that some people will get  “bumped”  to a later flight – they can’t go on the flight at the original time, and have to wait for a different flight later.

“It took me four days to recover from the jet lag.”

“Jet lag”  is when you travel to a different time zone, and your body’s “clock” is different from the local time. This makes you wake up too early or feel tired in the middle of the day, for example. Depending on the time difference, it can take several days for your body to adjust to the new time zone. We can also use the word as an adjective: “I’m jet-lagged.”

“My hotel was in a really seedy area.”

A  “seedy”  area is a place that looks dirty, disorganized, and possibly dangerous. Another word that can be used to describe this type of neighborhood is  “sketchy.” 

English Phrases for Bad Travel Experiences Espresso English

“I was mugged in broad daylight!”

“I was mugged while walking in the city center – in broad daylight!”

If you were  mugged,  it means that a  robber (or thief) stole valuable things from you, such as your wallet, cell phone, purse or bag, or jewelry – while you were on the street or in another public place.  In broad daylight”  means that the event happened during the daytime and was clearly visible.

Mugging  may be with or without violence. If a weapon was used, we often say  “mugged at knifepoint”  or  “mugged at gunpoint.”  (Alternatively, you can say “robbed at knifepoint” or “robbed at gunpoint.”)  “

“The weather was miserable – the rain didn’t let up for a minute.”

When we describe the weather as  “miserable,”  it means the weather was terrible (very bad) – usually with lots of rain and/or it was cold. When we say the rain didn’t  “let up,”  it means the rain didn’t stop. It rained continuously during the trip.

“We forgot to bring bug spray and got completely bitten up.”

“Bug spray”  (also called “bug repellent” or “insect repellent”) is a chemical product you can apply to your skin to keep insects away. If you got  “bitten up,”  it means you got lots of bites by mosquitoes or other insects.

“I ended up with huge blisters after our walking tour of the city.”

“Blisters”  are pockets under your skin filled with fluid. People often get blisters on their feet after walking, running, or hiking for a long time. You can also get blisters if your shoes don’t fit well. The phrasal verb  “ended up”  is used to describe the final result of something.

“Something I ate didn’t agree with me, and I got the runs.”

If you say that a food “didn’t agree with you,” it means that it made you a little bit sick. Your stomach felt agitated and maybe you threw up (vomited) or got the runs (diarrhea).

“I bought a T-shirt, but it was a total rip-off.”

A  “rip-off”  is something that is extremely overpriced (it costs much more than it should). For example, if a bottle of water costs $2 in the pharmacy, but costs $6 inside the baseball stadium, then we can say it’s a rip-off.

English Phrases for Bad Travel Experiences Espresso English

“That whole city is nothing but a tourist trap!”

Image source:  Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0

“The place was nothing but a tourist trap.”

A  “tourist trap”  is a place that is designed to attract tourists and make them spend lots of money. It is usually a place that has lots of positive publicity, but isn’t very interesting in reality because the main goal is to get the tourists’ money.

“I was hung over on the last day of my trip.”

If you are  “hung over,”  it means that you feel sick (you have a headache, you are tired, and perhaps a stomachache) because you drank too much alcohol the night before. The adjective is “hungover” and the noun is “hangover,” so we can also say “I had a hangover on the last day of my trip.”

“I had to catch the red-eye in order to get back in time for work on Monday morning.”

A  “red-eye”  is a flight that leaves very late at night and arrives early the next morning. It is called a “redeye” because you can’t sleep very well on the plane, so you usually arrive tired, with your eyes red and irritated from lack of sleep!

Learn practical English for your next trip:

English Phrases for Bad Travel Experiences Espresso English

More Espresso English Lessons:

About the author.

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Shayna Oliveira

Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.

describe good and bad travel experiences

My Top 9 WORST Travel Experiences

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Do you ever read about my travel experiences and think, “Blimey, his trips are so smooth and straightforward. How does he do it?”

Let me tell you something: All my trips are FAR from perfect!

And that applies to almost every other travel blogger out there too. We write about how incredibly wonderful our experiences are. And the truth is, yes – they ARE amazing, but as with all great things in life, there is plenty of struggle behind the scenes too.

In all of my personal blog posts documenting my experiences abroad, I try to be honest and write about the shitty stuff that happens as well as the awesome. This is because I want you to understand the reality of traveling from my perspective as a 30-something-year-old deaf guy. It helps to tell my story and makes it unique.

And most importantly, I want you to avoid making the same mistakes that I did, to ensure you make the BEST of your travels.

Planning your trip? Use my favorite resources!

🏨 Accommodation: I recommend Booking.com ✈️ Flights: for the cheapest flights, I use Skyscanner 🚗 Rental Car: I recommend Discover Cars 🛡️ Travel Insurance: for the best deals I rely on SafetyWing

And despite all my bad experiences (including some near-death ones), I wouldn’t change ANYTHING . The good always outweighs the bad, and I have 9+ years worth of the most amazing memories I could ever wish for!

In this post, I have compiled a selection, in no particular order, of some of the worst travel experiences I have ever experienced so far, in just six years of traveling.

Disclaimer: This post in no way criticizes the places these incidents happened. Some of these incidents are common – for example, the bag theft in Vietnam – incidents like these occur all over the world, including in London and New York City. Falling ill in India was my own mistake and could happen in any developing country. And that mosquito bite? I was simply unlucky.

Covering all the bad things that happened to me while traveling over the past decade.

#1. Missing my Flight Home

In 2014 after a visit to Schweinfurt in Germany, I was at Nuremberg Airport, awaiting my flight back home to Birmingham early one morning. However, I was sitting in a cafe and completely lost track of the time.

The boarding gate was making its final call and the staff had called my name out across the tannoy system telling me to make my way to the gate immediately, but unfortunately, that literally fell on deaf ears as I didn’t hear it.

So by the time I got to the gate, it was too late – everyone had already boarded the plane and to my despair, I watched from the gate as the door closed shut on the plane, which meant nobody else could board the plane.

airport

I was shocked and annoyed that I’d missed a flight for the first time. I had to book a new flight, which costed around €200, and it wasn’t scheduled until 24 hours later, so I had to stay in Nuremberg for a night.

At least I took the opportunity to spend a day in the quaint city of Nuremberg. And since this incident, I started making use of Special Assistance for most of my future trips.

I wrote this useful guide on tips and advice for deaf and disabled people thinking about traveling abroad.

#2. Missing my Connecting Flight to India, Twice! (and Lost my Baggage)

I missed another flight in December 2014 when I traveled to India with a stopover at Istanbul Airport. But incredibly, not only did I miss my second leg flight, I was rebooked with a new flight departing 24 hours later only to MISS THAT FLIGHT too!

*Hear me out: unlike my previous missed flight, this one was of no fault of my own.*

Firstly, the flight from Birmingham to Istanbul was delayed by well over an hour due to poor weather, which meant I was almost certainly going to miss the connecting flight in Istanbul. So I informed the staff at Birmingham airport in advance, and they assured me that someone will take care of me as soon as I land in Istanbul, to ensure I get a new flight ticket and be onward with my journey.

So, as predicted, my second flight took off from Istanbul as soon as I landed there, and so I was issued a new ticket. But the next flight wasn’t due until 24 hours later, so they booked me into a hotel for the night. The only problem is, the hotel was quite some distance away, in the city center, so I had to obtain a visa to leave the airport, to get to this hotel.

The following day, the airport bus arrived at my hotel late, and worse still – the traffic was absolutely dreadful. It was total gridlock on the roads, and by the time I arrived at the airport, my flight was about to take off!

I had to explain this ridiculous situation to the staff once again, and nobody could believe what just happened.

So, once again , they issued me with ANOTHER new flight ticket, for a flight taking off – yep, you guessed it – 24 hours later. And so they put me in ANOTHER hotel for the night. BUT, this time, they made sure I was in a hotel right within the airport. So there was no way I was going to miss my flight for the third time.

That wasn’t the end of my troubles though.

mudras

When I finally made it to India – my luggage didn’t appear on the carousel. I spent ages waiting at the luggage area while everyone else collected their bags and there was nothing left on the belt, so I had to report to the staff that I’d lost my luggage.

It turns out, my luggage arrived a day earlier than I did. I had to identify my bags in the enormous lost property room, and you can imagine I was relieved when I was finally reunited with my stuff!

#3. Scooter Crash in Goa

On that same trip to India in December 2014 I was in Goa to see in the New Year. Whilst there, my friends and I hired scooters to travel around.

We were riding about an hour north to Anjuna beach, and were slowing down towards one of the crowded roundabouts on the route.

scooter

As soon as I stopped, another rider came up too fast behind me on his scooter and crashed into the back of my bike. And as the crash took me by surprise, the impact caused me to tumble over on the left side, as the scooter was a bit heavy.

Luckily though, I walked away from this crash with just a graze on my foot, as I was wearing flip flops (*reminder to self: I should probably get a tetanus jab*).

Did you know: there is a spa just for elephants in India! For more crazy and interesting facts about India, click here.

#4. I once got Electrocuted in Mexico

In the summer of 2014 I had a literal, near-death experience whilst staying in a hostel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

I went to take a shower one night and it was dark, so I was touching the wall trying to find the light switch. And all of a sudden, there was a bright flash and I felt a burning pain shoot right up to my elbow from my finger.

After the initial shock, I saw the wall and realized I’d just been electrocuted . The switch panel was hanging loose, and there were exposed cables sticking out everywhere!

I reported this to the receptionist who was very calm and casual when I explained what just happened. He then came down to have a look, and all he did was hastily cover up the loose cables with some black gaffer tape!

Seriously though, I had a lucky escape. I guess it was a good thing Mexico’s electricity grid output is weak, as I doubt I’d live to tell the tale if this happened back home from 240-volt sockets!.

exposed wires switch

Edit: I forgot the name of the hostel, so luckily for them I have saved them the embarrassment of being named and shamed.

Top Advice: Get Travel Insurance

You could say this near-death experience was a wake up call for me to ALWAYS take out travel insurance wherever I travel now.

You might be thinking,  it was just a freak accident what happened to me..

What’s the worst that could happen to you?

Well, you could suffer appendicitis and require emergency surgery. You could easily have your bag or camera stolen (this happened to me). A family relative could fall seriously ill or pass away, and you wouldn’t be able to afford the urgent flight back home.

For my travel cover I always use SafetyWing. They are one of, if not, the BEST insurance providers out there.

SafetyWing Travel insurance: simple & flexible

You can buy and claim online , even after you’ve left home. Travel insurance from SafetyWing is available to people from over 130 countries. It’s designed for adventurous travelers with cover for overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities .

Planning a vacation in the Yucatan? Despite my accident, I had some of the most amazing adventure experiences there. Here’s my 2 Week Yucatan Itinerary Guide.

#5. Delhi Belly In Dehradun

During my second trip to India in January 2015, I came down with the dreaded ‘Delhi Belly’ – an illness that befalls many, but not all, who visit India.

Considering that India is one of the most challenging places a traveler can visit, and, bearing in mind I was living there for six months, a few days in January was the only time I EVER became ill in all my time in India.

It happened after I ate a plate of boiled eggs from a street vendor outside the gym. One evening after a workout with a mate, he suggested we have some chicken broth and eggs to top up on protein. I made the mistake of eating the yolk of five eggs – whereas my mate only ate the egg-whites. Lesson learned.

So that evening at my host’s home, I suddenly began to feel unwell and got hit with a severe case of diarrhea. Yuk!

Luckily, my host’s wife looked after me while I was sick – giving me natural remedies which made me throw up. And two days later, I was feeling much better.

chandni chowk

#6. Robbed by a Biker Thief

In January 2018 my partner and I were traveling in south Vietnam, having just seen in the New Year in Ho Chi Minh City. On our last night in the city, my partner’s bag was snatched by a thief on a motorbike.

These incidents happen everywhere, unfortunately, not only in Vietnam. In fact, there are notorious biker thieves that prowl around central London and rob passers-by as they ride on the sidewalks , in broad daylight.

Hanoi street

Over in Ho Chi Minh City, it was dark when the incident happened, at around 7pm, and it happened very suddenly, right in the middle of the road as we were crossing it.

We were completely taken by surprise and were overcome with dread when we realized what just happened, yet it was too late to do anything as the biker and the thief sped away into the night.

Naturally, my partner was very upset, as the contents of her bag included her iPhone, some cash, and some ID cards, though thankfully, NOT her passport.

We immediately reported the incident to the police who took a statement, but we realized soon enough, that there was absolutely nothing they could do about incidents like this, in a large city of over 9 million people.

Moreover, my partner’s bag was quite thin and light, with loose leather straps which made it vulnerable to rip, and therefore a very easy target. So we learned our lesson that night: if we have to bring our belongings with us, always keep them in secure and strong, tightly-fitting bum bags that can’t be ripped from us.

Security Tip: Since this incident, every time I go traveling I always wear my Zero Grid Travel Security Belt – a hidden money pouch that’s incredibly useful for stashing away my cash so even the smartest pickpockets don’t stand a chance.It comes with an adjustable, non-metal buckle too. Purchase yours from Amazon

security-travel-belt

Safety and Security Gear for your Travels:

Below are some more top security travel gear that I would recommend for traveling anywhere in the world – and would not leave the house without these.

Anti-Theft Travel Purse

If you’re after the ultimate theft-proof purse, I highly recommend the Anti-Theft Travel Purse – it consists of five measures of theft prevention including:

  • Slash-resistant straps: straps with stainless steel wire inside, protects against grab-and-go thieves
  • Slash resistant fabric: the whole bag is made with a slash-resistant mesh barrier inside for extra layers of protection
  • Lockdown straps: the strap lock secures bag to a stationary object, protecting against grab-and-go thieves
  • Locking compartments: locking zipper pulls that prevent pickpockets from getting into your bag
  • RFID blocking pockets: protects against electronic identity theft with RFID blocking card slots and pockets

cross_body_bag

PacSafe Bag Protector

Another great security option for wherever you travel, the PacSafe bag protector will store all your valuables and secure it to a stationary item in your hotel/airbnb.

My Top 9 WORST Travel Experiences 1

Bring a Small Lock

Be sure to bring a small lock for any hostel stays wherever you go, so you can securely store your valuables in the lockers provided.

#7. Missed my Flight (Again!) to Hong Kong

*Why do I keep missing my flights?! To be fair , this incident was also beyond my control. *

In December 2017 I embarked on a flight to Hong Kong via Paris, from Birmingham. The weather at the time was very cold and it was quite icy outside, which had impacted the public travel systems all over the UK and as a result, my train to the airport was delayed and I was pretty late arriving at the airport.

This was the least of my worries though because I soon found that my first-leg flight to Paris was delayed by two hours.

susnet-airport

By the time I arrived in Paris around midnight, my connecting flight to Hong Kong had already left, much to the anger and frustration of my fellow flight passengers.

I have been in this situation before (when I missed flights to India) – so I was quite calm and knew that patience was key.

However, I was rather surprised by how furious the other passengers were. These were grown-ups, literally shouting at airport staff, and scrambling to jump in front of everyone else in the queues for new tickets at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport.

I just stood back and watched them make fools of themselves. It was unbelievable. Sometimes, shit happens. Just be PATIENT and relax! Our flight WILL go ahead. We will be put into a hotel for the night. None of this will cost us an extra penny.

There is really no need to take it out on airport staff who aren’t responsible for the actions of mother nature.

Related post: Top 10 Things To Do in Birmingham, UK (by a Local)

#8. My Arm BLEW UP From a Mosquito Bite

Yeah, so this was a bit of a freak accident that resulted in my earning an arm like Popeye’s.

During my second visit to the Yucatan in Mexico, I received numerous Mosquito bites, but that’s nothing new as I got bitten a million times from my first Mexico trip, and actually – almost every tropical place I’ve been to – whether it’s Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, I’ve been bitten by Mosquitos (I mean, who hasn’t?)

Except during this trip, I had this ONE bite on my elbow, which at first, was no different from the other bites, but it turned from a red swollen lump, into a small white bubble.

When I arrived back in the UK, it was still there – a month later. And then one day, I decided to pop it. The fluid in the sac leaked out, so I casually wiped it, and I never thought anything of it, maybe because I didn’t realize it was an old Mosquito bite.

But then, the area around the mark, on my elbow, started to go red again, and it began to swell. And it swelled really fast. I applied some brandy to the area to try and disinfect it, and it was seeping, so I was squeezing more fluid out.

But it got worse. The stinging from the brandy was nothing compared to what came next. The swelling became gradually more painful. In fact, it got to the point where it became so painful I could not even sleep at night – I would literally wake up clutching my arm, writhe around on the floor, and clench my teeth so hard to stop myself from screaming in agony.

arm blew up

The small lump had expanded so much that my entire forearm literally BLEW UP, so it looked just like Popeye’s arm!

I sought medical help soon after and was able to clear up the infection on a round of antibiotics. The doctor told me I was VERY lucky the infection wasn’t higher up my arm, as that could’ve been critical. Instead, it spread downwards due to the swinging motion of my arms from walking, hence the weird Popeye look.

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#9. I Once Received the WRONG Visa Stamp

I was due to fly back home from India in the summer of 2014 and as I entered the immigration checkpoint at Delhi airport, something odd happened.

The border guard was looking at my passport visa with suspicion and then asked me what date I arrived in India. I explained that I was only here for a week, but still, he was checking my passport photo and visa, with suspicion.

He then called up another guard who arrived and they were talking about my visa (I couldn’t make out what they were saying or what even was wrong). And then they pointed the stamp in my passport, which I received on arrival in India a week earlier.

I didn’t understand what the problem was. But then I took a closer look at the stamp and I read the small date imprint. It says ‘2013’. Shit.

Why on earth did I receive a visa stamp with 2013 on it, when my visit was in August 2014? I was just as dumbfounded as the Indian border guards were.

Yet surprisingly, they ushered me through immigration without another word.

It turns out, they made a mistake by stamping a year-old old visa stamp in my passport when I first arrived! When I checked the stamp again, they appear to have hastily smudged the date out and written, ‘Arrival confirmed on 15-8-2014’.

Indian visa

I was slightly relieved, and was able to board my flight, except I was due to arrive in Moscow for a transfer flight to London. I was seriously hoping this visa doesn’t draw suspicion by the Russian guards in Moscow, as I was seriously beginning to worry they’d throw me into a gulag .

And yep – you guessed it – the Russian immigration guard not only noticed something dodgy with my passport, he actually whipped out his monocular and proceeded to scrutinize my visa for quite a LONG time!

Several moments passed, my heart was racing and sweat began to drip down my face. And I could feel the stare of people behind me in the queue, which made matters worse.

And, AT LONG LAST, I was handed back my passport without a word said. Thank goodness!

So, those are my worst travel experiences so far! I hope this post doesn’t put you off traveling! Have you had any bad experiences abroad?

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Billy Read is the owner and author of BRB Gone Somewhere Epic, a travel blog that helps travelers discover unique destinations and travel experiences on a budget. With more than 10 years of global travel filled with accidents, Billy aims to help readers avoid making the same mistakes as he did, and make the most of their epic trips.

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Life-changing travel experience stories

Get inspiration from travelers’ tales. Submerge into these life-changing travel experience stories, beautiful tales of how a trip can alter the trajectory of your life – Experiencing the Globe #LifeChanching #TravelExperiences #Wanderlust #WhyTravel #IndependentTravel #SoloFemaleTravel #BucketList #Adventures #SustainableTravel #SustainableTourism

There’s nothing like other travelers’ tales to get inspiration . When you are home longing to be on the road, or when you are on a journey wondering why you left the comfort of your house, submerge into these life-changing travel experience stories, beautiful tales of how a trip can alter the trajectory of your life .

I’m sure my regular readers are used to me talking about travel experiences . But for those who are discovering this little window to my soul called Experiencing the Globe , you can see that it all started with a bucket list of all the –surprise, surprise– travel experiences I want to have around the world.

The list is my goal in life, so I’m spending as much time as I can on the road. But when I’m home in between trips I seek inspiration in other travelers’ tales. I’ve read as many books about exciting journeys as I could put my hands on. And recently I got a hold of Lonely Planet’s Travel Goals: Inspiring Experiences to Transform Your Life .

It got me thinking of my own life-changing travel experiences . Like my transformation into a sustainable traveler after fully grasping what that meant for the planet and all the life in it. I have a trip to the Caribbean to thank for that. The first trip I took alone, when I was starting to test my boundaries, empowered me as a solo female traveler, and opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities! I’m so thankful I chose Italy , an amazing destination to explore on your own! I reaffirmed my faith in human kindness after spending a month in Iran , meeting the loveliest people I’ve ever encountered.  And the most literal life-changing travel experience, moving to Croatia after meeting the love of my life in this beautiful country that now I call home.

Roatán, Honduras

The book also encouraged me to ask other travelers if they had a story in their own travels that changed their lives in one way or another. I was overwhelmed with the beautiful tales… some of the best life-changing stories that’ll inspire you to travel!

Life-changing travel experience stories that’ll inspire you to travel

Collecting memories, not counting countries.

I want to start this series of tales with my own. As I told you, many aspects of my life have changed over the years due to a travel experience, but the one I want to elaborate on is the one that defined what my life would be. Traveling hasn’t changed me, it has made me. It’s who I am. Several trips to the south of Chile showed me where I was going. This is the story of how I became the person I am today:

My parents took me camping to the Chilean Lake District every summer while growing up. This was in the dark age, before the internet. Back then we had to rely on maps and guidebooks. So through the endless hours of our road trips, I kept myself entertained glancing at a map, reading about the small towns we passed, and convincing my folks to take a detour to visit some place that caught my attention.

During one trip I told them that I have decided I wanted to go everywhere in the world. After a few laughs, my dad told me about the Travelers’ Century Club (TCC), a group for people who have visited 100 or more of the world’s countries and territories. My eyes sparkled with the thought of being a member, and I made it my goal.

Obviously, I started asking to go to another country instead of the same National Park we always visited. They laughed again –conscious of the monster they have created– and offered a compromise: they’d take me to our neighbor Argentina, my first trip abroad, but I had to see more of my own country before I embarked on my adventure of visiting another hundred. I happily accepted.

See, what I immediately realized is that –as much as I wanted to be part of the TCC– the main reasons to travel should revolve around what I’ll get out of a trip –whether that’s meeting locals, tasting the typical cuisine, exploring nature, or adventuring into an activity– it shouldn’t be just to count countries . I know the “why you should travel” is super personal, but ticking countries off a list only because you put your feet there feels meaningless to me.

Why do people travel? Well, there are as many reasons as people traveling, but even if it is to get a tan while you’re permanently sipping from a cocktail, that trip will always be part of your story, so you should make the most of it.

After visiting every region in Chile, I started to go abroad. Nowadays, getting closer to 100 countries and territories of the TCC list properly visited, what I knew instinctively, transformed into lessons I learnt during my travels … What inspires me the most to hit the road is experiences, because they feed my adventurous soul –the TCC list (and my own bucket list) became the means to guide my journey, not an end themselves.

Lake Calafquen Villarrica Volcano Chile

Spreading the word about the truth of traveling

Claudia’s life story is remarkably similar to my own. Being avid travelers changed the way we perceive a destination, and the story that should be told about it. We both left behind an academic career and repurposed our research abilities towards travel writing. Now we both blog from a distinct point of view. This is the story of how in a visit to Cuba she found her true calling:

“Cuba changed my life because it was nothing like I had expected it to be –quite the opposite, in fact. You see, being the avid traveler that I am, before my trip to Cuba I spent months reading just about anything I could put my hands on. If it talked about Cuba, I had to read it. Everything made it sound like traveling to Cuba would be easy, and locals would be generous and welcoming.

My time in Cuba was less than fabulous. Don’t get me wrong, it is a gorgeous country and now, a few years later, with much more traveling experience and understanding, I am ready to go again. But back then, it was awful. My 23 days there were a constant challenge to avoid scams –a challenge that a few times saw me succeed but that other times saw me fail miserably. It was frustrating. I felt I could not trust anybody. Where were the lovely Cubans everyone talked about in their blogs?

Cuba taught me that people lie, even (or especially) online. Because nobody really wants to say they have had a bad experience, and nobody is really interested in reading about others’ bad experiences –but is that really the case?

I decided there and then to be different. I decided that I had to warn others, tell them the truth, let them know what they should expect and what they should do to avoid scams. That’s why I opened my blog. It was just a pastime at the beginning.

Fast-forward 2 years and I realized that I did want to make an effort to make it work out. After all, what did I have to lose? My contract as a research fellow at the university had expired and I had no real prospect if not a series of menial short-term teaching jobs I was less than interested in. So, I gave blogging my heart and soul. And it worked. I’m a much happier person now. I love what I am doing. I wake up in the morning to face a long list of to-do things and I read it with a smile on my face, which is priceless.

Cuba changed my life. And despite all the frustration I felt back when I was there, it changed it for the best.”

Havana, Cuba

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Encountering wildlife to find yourself

Camilla was looking for something, but she wasn’t sure what it was. Her heart lead her to India , and after that trip her life would never be the same. Animals can have different impacts in our life, but for this former vegan chef, one particular big cat meant more than anything. This is her story:

“January 2017. That’s the date I first arrived in India. By that time, I used to work as a freelance vegan chef in the hustling city of Paris. Having attended a 4-weeks course on yoga and Ayurveda, I had planned to spend the following month exploring this amazing country.

Little did I know that a special encounter would change my life forever.

Always an animal lover, over the years I had developed a passion for the most majestic of big cats: the tiger. The striped animal had somehow summoned me. To what reason and to convey what message I do not know, but to such a call one can hardly resist.

India is home to more than 60% of the world’s remaining wild tigers. The critically endangered species is highly protected, and the country has given to many of its national parks the status of Tiger Reserve.

It was time for me to see my first one in the wild.

With zero safari experience and many hours of research, I booked 4 drives in Ranthambhore, one of India’s most famous Tiger Reserves .

I will always remember the excitement before that first drive in the jungle, and I will never forget the distress of realizing that finding the elusive cat is no easy task. 

But all of a sudden, there it was. Glorious in its fierce black striped orange coat, a killer look and an attitude to die for. My first wild tiger.

That fleeting moment was enough to make me want more. Today, I have moved to Central India, prime tiger landscape of the world, and I have seen 103 different individuals. But every time I see those eyes, I feel the same excitement that I felt as a total beginner that day in Ranthambhore.”

Ranthambhore - Tigers in the Wild

Finding love in an unexpected place

Traveling is full of surprises. A spontaneous detour can change your life forever. Don’t I know it! A quick, unplanned stop in Split after exploring Dubrovnik ended up seeing me move continents for love. A simple recommendation of a town in The Philippines had the same in store for Alya. This is the tale of the trip that lead her to her husband:

“Meeting my future husband was definitely one of the most life-changing travel experiences I’ve ever had. We met 6 years ago in the Philippines. I was traveling alone around Southeast Asia for a couple of months. After completing my dive course in Gili Air Island in Indonesia and didn’t know where to go next. I was looking for a good place to learn to surf. My dive instructor told me about a small town on Luzon Island in the Philippines. It sounded like the perfect place for me. I bought a plane ticket immediately and two days later arrived in San Fernando.

The hostel I stayed at had a big dormitory with many beds. I met many travelers including Campbell. In fact, we had neighboring beds in the dormitory. He traveled alone as well and we liked each other, so we started going together to the beach, surfing and going out at night. By chance we had very similar travel plans and decided to continue our trip together.

We both like doing the same things, like surfing, diving and hiking. We left San Fernando and traveled around the Philippines together for 2 months. From there we went to Singapore. Unfortunately, I had to go back home, my 4-month holiday was over. We arranged to meet up again two months later in Nepal since we both had trekking to Everest Base Camp on our bucket list. So we did, it was our first multi-day trek together.

We met up a couple of times on the road again in different countries. After 6 months of on and off I decided to quit my job and join Campbell on his around the world adventure. Three years later we got married and decided to start a travel blog . In the last 6 years we’ve done hundreds of hikes, spent a year hitchhiking through Latin America, drove thousands of kilometers across Africa and walked seven Camino de Santiago routes.

Now I can’t imagine how my life would look like if I hadn’t gone to that place in the Philippines and had never met my husband.”

Luzon, Philippines

Giving is better than having

A trip to South East Asia gave Corritta’s life a whole new meaning. Possessions are overrated, true happiness comes from giving. She and her family left a comfortable life in the United States behind to fill their souls while making the world a better place. This is the tale of their journey:

“My life changing experience prompted me to sell our house, car and possessions to take off on a journey to see the world. That may seem a little extreme but let me explain. My first international trip was to Bangkok in 2018. I thought this trip would be a great way to get away from the stress in my life. It turned out to be a life altering experience that made me realize I was existing, not living. 

While in Bangkok we took a day trip to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand and it changed my life. We learned how cruel animal tourism is and how we, as tourists, are unwitting accomplices. We support illegal pouching and animal cruelty by taking part in animal tourism. This includes taking pictures with large cats or monkeys and riding elephants. When we do these things, we are not only hurting the animals, we are ensuring things will never get better. I must admit I was never an animal lover but being up close and personal with elephants changed something within me. It made me want to give back.  

So, two years later, with my partner and our one-year old baby boy, decided to take off for a  family gap year .  We sold everything and left San Diego to live a life of service. We will use this time to give back to those less fortunate. 

When I left Thailand my definition of happiness changed. It was no longer associated with material possessions, but by the quality of life I wanted to live. I realized what truly matters is the love of your family. The Thai people with their families were happier than most Americans. So I decided to take back one of the most invaluable things in the world, time. Never forget, all the money in the world can’t buy you more time.” 

Nam Fon, Thai Elephant Refuge

Small changes can make the world a better place

A trip to Australia developed plastic-issue awareness in Simona. Seeing how the tides brought tons of plastic to the shores made her change her approach to traveling. From carrying her own grocery bags and water bottle, little adjustments made her a much more responsible traveler. This is how her journey towards sustainability started:

“The first time ever I realized that plastic was a serious matter for our planet was during a road trip in Western Australia, almost 12 years ago.

We stopped at a supermarket along the Coral Bay coast to buy some groceries and the lady at the counter told us they didn’t sell any shopping bags to prevent plastic in the ocean and to help preserving the endangered turtles living in that area. After a first reaction of surprise, we gathered all our shopping in our arms and left, reflecting on what we had been told.

This was just one of the many experiences I’ve lived that made me more conscious about my impact and pushed me to adopt various habits to live and travel more sustainably. For example, after that trip, I am always carrying a cotton bag when I go shopping.

Our eco-honeymoon to Borneo was another life-changing experience that has strengthened my resolution to turn to a zero-waste lifestyle. I selected three ecotourism projects to visit. In Asia finding safe drinkable water is always a challenge, but we traveled with our water bottle, and we chose the right service providers engaged in sustainable travel so, with a little effort, we managed to avoid almost entirely the use of plastic during our trip.

However, we were seriously struck by our stay on Libaran Island, where a sustainable and turtle conservation project was launched 10 years ago. Despite the big efforts carried out by the project and the community in cleaning up the beaches and creatively re-use plastic, the shore is washed daily with tons of plastic coming from the tides. Walking on a carpet of plastic that almost prevented us from seeing the beach underneath was quite shocking.

Facing this global issue in person, raised in me a contrasting feeling of sadness and anger that soon turned into determination: to do as much as possible to reduce plastic in our life. Sometimes we may feel helpless in front of big problems, but we should be aware that small changes can actually make a difference!”

Western Australia - Travel Off

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Discovering happiness in simplicity

When her career and personal relations were failing, Soujanya decided to retreat to the mountains. The Himalayas were the perfect setting to get away from everything and regain perspective. In a small village she discovered that technology is overrated, and that what counts are real connections. This is how a trip to India changed her take on life:

“Back in mid-2019 I wasn’t in a good place in life. I was getting out of a serious relationship, I was burn out at my job, I had problems within my family, and the ever-increasing sense of loneliness had thrown me into a pit of depression. During that time, I turned to the only positive thing I had going on for myself, which was travel and blogging.

After some contemplation, I decided to quit my job to travel. I had saved up enough money that would last me 8-10 months so I didn’t give it much thought because I knew it was the only thing that would keep me from tipping over the edge.

The first thing I did after leaving my job was to head to the Himalayas in India. I spent a month in the Kinnaur and Spiti valleys in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The Kinnaur district was a breath of fresh air. The snow-clad mountain range in the distance, the lush green vegetation all around, the sparse population and the friendly people spoke to my soul.

There was one village called Chitkul , which lies on the Indo-Tibet border and has no cell connectivity, that helped heal me the most. A remote village with a population of less than a thousand people and only a handful of tourists, with nothing around it for many miles.

I spent my days sitting by the river, hiking to the nearby hills and walking through meadows. Just being there surrounded by the Himalayas, without any social media due to lack of connectivity, and making real connections with other travelers and the villagers had some sort of magical effect on me. Not only I have the best travel experience of my life, but the place also healed my mind. I came back happier than ever, with a renewed spirit, ready to enjoy everything that life had to offer.”

Chitkul Village - The Spicy Journey

Uncovering a braver version of yourself

We all have that one thing we’d love to do but we’re too scared to try. A trip to Thailand taught Allison that life is what we made of it. Pushing her boundaries not only allowed her to have a ton of fun, but also gave her a new path, one in which she gets to do what she loves. This is her story, an encouragement for you to get out of you comfort zone too:

“Shortly after I graduated from college, I moved to a new state to start a full-time job. One day at work, I found myself wanting to go traveling. As I didn’t have any friends there, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to go on my first ever solo trip. So I quickly started doing research on where I’d like to go.

I had never traveled alone before, especially overseas, so I decided to sign up for a guided group that was going rock climbing in Thailand . This gave me a sense of security, being new to solo traveling. It felt like a great way to dip my toes into being alone and meeting strangers, but also doing something that sounded really fun and engaging for 2 weeks.

The entire Thailand trip forced me out of so many comfort zones that ended up being one of the big turning points of my life. The time I spent in Thailand navigating airports and taxis alone, meeting a group of complete strangers, and spending 2 weeks climbing with them in often remote parts of the country, ended up being one of the greatest experiences of my life. Up until this point I had always considered myself a ‘shy’ and ‘cautious’ kind of person, but this travel experience lit me up to become different. It showed me a brave, strong, and self-sufficient side of myself that went on to influence my life in dramatic ways when I returned home.

When I got back, I pretty much dedicated my life to spending as much time as possible outdoors whether that be climbing, hiking, or backpacking… essentially doing things that I once thought I wasn’t ‘capable of’ or was ‘too scared of’. Today, roughly 6 years later, I’m an outdoor empowerment coach and backpacking educator.

My trip to Thailand was the spark that I needed to make that change. It showed me what was possible. I don’t know if it was the people I met, the experiences I had, or the beauty of traveling in Thailand – likely a bit of all of it– but whatever it was, it changed the trajectory of my life, and I’ll forever hold Thailand (and all the people I met) in a special place in my heart.”

Thailand - She Dreams of Alpine

A leap of faith towards a new life

Getting to visit a new place after a business trip is nothing out of the ordinary. For most people. For Derek and Mike it was literally life-changing. After a quick trip to Copenhagen , they packed up and started a new chapter of their lives as expats in a different continent. This is the tale of their journey:

“In November 2016 we had a life-changing travel experience in Copenhagen, Denmark. My partner Mike was asked to make an unexpected business trip to the city to help with a project. His company had recently acquired another company in Denmark, and he was asked to help with the integration. He flew there from our hometown, Philadelphia, with only a few days’ notice, and on his first day in the office they asked if he would stay a few weeks longer. He agreed but asked for time off during the American Thanksgiving so that I could fly to Denmark and take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a cheap trip to Europe with no-cost lodging and some meals expensed.

We loved getting to check out a city that we didn’t have on our travel bucket list before this opportunity came about. We did a few tours, visited the Christmas markets and dined out. At one restaurant we got to try the Christmas traditional Danish meal . I enjoyed Copenhagen for 5 days and Mike remained there for work until the end of November.

On his last night in Denmark, he had dinner at his boss’ home. They shared a meal with a lot of wine and then Mike called me when he got back to his hotel. I could hear the excitement in his voice. He asked if I liked Copenhagen, which seemed odd because he knew I enjoyed myself when I was there. Then he asked if I liked it enough to move there, because on that final night, his boss asked if we would take an expat assignment in Denmark.

We didn’t hesitate to accept and our life abroad began almost right away. That trip to Copenhagen was certainly life-changing!”

Copenhagen - Robe Trotting

Learning to fully appreciate what’s in front you

No matter how much you have traveled, there are places that will bring up the best of you. No matter how much there is still to see, some places will take your breath away and will forever stay in your heart. A trip to Antarctica transformed Wendy into a student. She acquired as much information as she could to fully absorb the beauty that she was about to witness. And now she is longing to go back. This is her story:

“Before my cruise from Ushuaia to Antarctica , I was already quite well-traveled. I had visited about 75 countries and seen plenty of natural beauty before. But all of that paled in comparison to the White Continent. The Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina had mesmerized me just days earlier, but now I was seeing dozens, even hundreds, of sparkling white glaciers practically everywhere I looked. These landscapes were so different from anything I’d ever seen that it felt like I’d traveled to another planet.

On the times when the weather was bad, and on the long days of crossing the Drake Passage between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica, I soaked up every bit of knowledge that I could about this snow-and-ice-covered land. Our ship, the MV Ushuaia, was manned by a full staff of scientists and lecturers who were experts in a number of relevant topics, from geology to ornithology. When we were out on the high seas with nothing to do, these experts held lectures on the flora, fauna, history and geology of Antarctica, and I attended every single one.

When we stopped at the British base at Port Lockroy on Goudier Island, I grilled the staff there with questions about how I too could go live and work on the island. And while that dream never materialized, my memories of Antarctica are still sharp in my mind 11 years later, and I still dream of returning one day.

Such an expensive voyage would normally be the trip of a lifetime, not a return destination. But if you’re willing to try your luck, sharply discounted last-minute deals can be found at the port in Ushuaia a day or two before departure. In recent years, these huge discounts have become few and far between, as most ships fill up months in advance. But still I’m thinking of a return trip to Antarctica for some more adventure!”

Adelie Penguins in Antarctica - The Nomadic Vegan

No matter where you go, every single place in the world has the potential to change your life! Tell me in the comments if you’ve had any life-changing travel experiences!

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Get inspiration from travelers’ tales. Submerge into these life-changing travel experience stories, beautiful tales of how a trip can alter the trajectory of your life – Experiencing the Globe #LifeChanching #TravelExperiences #Wanderlust #WhyTravel #IndependentTravel #SoloFemaleTravel #BucketList #Adventures #SustainableTravel #SustainableTourism

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16 thoughts on “Life-changing travel experience stories”

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Wow this is really amazing,I pray that I will be opportuned to travel around the world one day

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Sometimes we think it’s a far away dream because it’s dangerous, or expensive, or because we can’t take time from work. I’m aware that for some people it’s actually quite impossible due to their passport or the political situation in their country. For others, their responsibilities are far too great to leave behind. But for most of us, it’s just a matter of priorities. Don’t wait until you have all the money you think you need, or all the time you’d like to spend on the road. Just go! Even if it’s a weekend trip to your neighboring city, or to the countryside close to your place. You got to start somewhere, and every trip has the potential to be life-changing! Let me know how it goes! 🙂

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I was looking for inspiration, and inspiration I found. I can’t travel at the moment, but I’m already thinking of how to be more sustainable on my next trip. Thank you all for sharing!

That’s amazing to hear, Dani! Welcome to the sustainable traveler’s team! 🌱

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I googled inspiring travel stories to see if my day could be picked up, and I’m so glad this popped up! Lovely stories, super inspiring! I can’t wait for the pandemic to be over to create some travel stories of my own ❤️

Awww! I’m so happy to read your comment, Monty! Hopefully the pandemic will be under control soon and you’ll get to have some travel stories too. Make sure you tell me about them!

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Beautiful tales! I can’t wait to start traveling again. Travel already has changed my life, but I’d be happy living through any of the wonderful experiences described here!

When you get to travel again, keep an open mind and an open heart… amazing experiences will happen! ❤️

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Very inspiring stories! Thank you for sharing them!

It was a blast to write this, and collect other wonderful tales!

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Love all these stories! Love how travel has shaped everyone!

In one way or another, every trip makes us a bit different. It was great to get these wonderful travelers to share their stories -now I’m sure it’s not only me who is deeply changed by travel!

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These are all such inspiring stories! Really goes to show you how much travel can impact your life. Thanks for sharing!

It’s crazy how much travel can change us, and how much we can learn from it, no matter where we go!

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I loved reading this! All of the stories are such an inspiration! I can’t wait to get back on the road 😍

In times of armchair travel, nothing like beautiful stories to keep the wanderlust up, right? ❤️

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describe good and bad travel experiences

How to describe your traveling experience?

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Traveling means giving yourself and your mind a break from the monotonous pattern of life, each one of us live day in and out. When you travel, you look forward to an iconic experience that makes your trip worthwhile and memorable. Everyone has one of those moments in the course of their trip that holds a special part in their entire travel experience. It could be the journey to the destination, the picturesque sightseeing, or the friendly people you meet on your way. However, what if the highlight of your travel was the train journey. So, when your friends ask you to describe your travelling experience by train, how would you answer it in fluent English ?

places to travel

Conversational Example of describing your train journey:

Jacob- Hey Janice! How was your trip? You had been to Goa lately, hadn't you? Janice- Yes. I must say I had a ball. Goa was amazing; however, it was the train journey that actually made my trip all the more special. Jacob- Oh! You took the train; don't you usually go by flight? Janice- Yes, I do. But I have just realized how much I missed every time I traveled to Goa by flight. You have no clue how much fun the entire twelve-hour journey was. Jacob- What was so great about your journey? Janice- Well, we entered the train and found that almost half of our bogie was filled with youngsters heading towards Goa. All in big groups, singing and making merry! That was the first time I've ever experienced something as lively as that. On a serious note, it felt like the partying had begun from the train itself.

beautiful place

About eAgeTutor:

eAgeTutor.com is the premier online tutoring provider. eAge's world-class faculty and ace communication experts from around the globe help you to improve English in an all round manner. Assignments and tasks based on a well-researched content developed by subject matter and industry experts can certainly fetch the most desired results for improving spoken English skills. Overcoming limitations is just a click of mouse away in this age of effective and advance communication technology. For further information on online English speaking course or to experience the wonders of virtual classroom fix a demonstration session with our tutor. Please visit www.eagetutor.com. Contact us today to know more about our spoken English program and experience the exciting world of e-learning. - By Chander Madan Related Topics- 1. How to describe school you attended in the past? 2. How to describe your favourite movie? 3. How to Describe Your City? 4. How to Describe Your Country? 5. How to Describe a Restaurant to Your Friend?

describe good and bad travel experiences

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  • • Tips to express your appreciation
  • • How to read a newspaper article to improve your English?
  • • How to request for permission from examiner?
  • • How to ask for a favor?
  • • How to buy a phone card for international calling in a foreign country?
  • • How to respond to a “THANK YOU”?
  • • An easy guide to learn figures of speech – Part I
  • • At, by – Difference & usage with examples
  • • How to ask help from the security guard at the ATM?
  • • Study of etymology: How it can help to improve your English?
  • • Fun English tongue twisters!
  • • How to clarify billing questions with a utility company?
  • • How to file a police complaint for a loss of car, purse, and passport?
  • • How to speak to Immigration officers?
  • • How to travel in a public transport in a foreign country?
  • • How to talk to your neighbors explaining them about India and Indian culture?
  • • How to write a letter to your landlord about various issues at the house?
  • • How to invite people for a Christmas party?
  • • How to send New Year wishes to your clients?
  • • Tips for an extempore speech in English
  • • How to ask a girl for a coffee date?
  • • How to improve your English writing skills through blogging?
  • • Enhance your spoken English with proverbs
  • • How to conduct an ideal interview conversation?
  • • How to give a farewell speech?
  • • The work of ‘tenses’ in English grammar
  • • How to describe a painting?
  • • How to break a bad news?
  • • How to invite people for a function you’re hosting?
  • • How to express likes and dislikes?
  • • How to apologize for your rude behavior?
  • • Vocabulary for motivational speeches
  • • How to apologize in a business environment?
  • • How to create an activity plan for your class?
  • • How to talk/write with finesse in a big company?
  • • How to motivate students to perform better?
  • • What exactly does your job consist of?
  • • How to deal with an emergency situation in School?
  • • 5 Things to avoid doing at an interview
  • • The Perfect body language at an interview
  • • How to raise a concern to parents regarding deteriorating performance of a child?
  • • Commonly used English Vocabulary for nurses
  • • List of the most common phrases that you can use in a business letter
  • • Active and Passive Voice- Learn the right usage
  • • How to describe an interesting neighbor?
  • • How to describe an interview to your friend?
  • • Common sentences used to make a sale
  • • How to respond while arriving late in a meeting?
  • • Learning English tenses with examples
  • • List of longest words in English
  • • How to ask a girl for a dance?
  • • How to close a conversation?
  • • Grammar for improving your spoken English skills
  • • The use of noun and verb phrases
  • • How to host a social event at school?
  • • The right use of this, that, these, those
  • • Understand the concept of definite and indefinite articles
  • • How to describe the store layout of your outlet?
  • • English for Web Designers
  • • How to improve English with the help of comic strips and books?
  • • How to apologize when you forget important dates?
  • • How to praise a good performing child in front of the class?
  • • How would you ask for "volunteers" to organize a college farewell?
  • • How to introduce your colleagues and boss to a newly acquired client?
  • • Everything about conjunctions
  • • Conversation tips for support executives
  • • How to state opinions on various subjects?
  • • How to describe your traveling experience by flight?
  • • Importance of English for IT professionals
  • • How to describe your traveling experience?
  • • How to talk about your future plans, aims and aspirations?
  • • How to ask for contributions from parents for a social event in school?
  • • Parts of Speech: Learn the basics
  • • Comparative and Superlative Adjectives- Do you know enough?
  • • Prepositions and its use in the English language
  • • Introduction to and appropriate use of adverbs
  • • Tips to become an advanced English speaker
  • • Importance of effective communication skills in accounting
  • • Countable v/s uncountable nouns
  • • How to communicate cost cutting measures to employees?
  • • Question tags: All you need to know about it!
  • • How to request for an elaboration?
  • • Learn English slang to improve your spoken fluency
  • • The art of using ‘verbs’ in the right manner
  • • Introduction and appropriate use of adjectives
  • • How to explain a billing query?
  • • How to describe your gym/ training classes?
  • • How to describe the project you are handling or have handled?
  • • What is direct and indirect speech?
  • • Punctuate the sentence
  • • How to explain product features to a customer?
  • • How to attend a customer call as support executive?
  • • How to build a rapport with your patient?
  • • How to explain product features on the phone?
  • • How to deal with an adolescent in school?
  • • How to remind parents to inculcate good habits in their children?
  • • 5 Tips to practice vocabulary
  • • How to be a good wedding host?
  • • How to diplomatically report a problematic child behaviour to Principal and parents ?
  • • How to explain to a customer some confusion in the bill?
  • • How to upsell a product over the phone?
  • • How to convince a customer to try out a product?
  • • How to ask about patient history?
  • • Common Phrases for business letters
  • • 5 Supplier negotiation tips
  • • How to describe your role model?
  • • How to ask for help from other school teachers?
  • • How to politely refuse an advance or loan request from an employee?
  • • How to describe your best Christmas experience?
  • • How to describe your best New Year party
  • • How to describe your favourite movie?
  • • How to talk to people at the grocery store?
  • • Use of could, should, would?
  • • When to use the articles - a, an, the?
  • • Common ‘Singular-Plural’ Mistakes – Part I
  • • How to ask for directions and find your way in a foreign country?
  • • Talking about life events - Summer vacations
  • • How to express your happiness while receiving a certificate?
  • • How to describe school you attended in the past?
  • • Top 10 tips for an effective meeting
  • • 10 common mistakes in English
  • • How to explain charges to a guest?
  • • How to handle a guest with young children and elderly people?
  • • How to talk about a teacher you like very much?
  • • Tips to make a first good impression on foreign coworkers
  • • How to fill up an immigration form?
  • • How to place an order in a fast food restaurant?
  • • How to navigate and buy essentials in a supermarket in a foreign country?
  • • How to politely accept or decline an appointment request?
  • • How to improve your grammar and comprehension for Entrance exams?
  • • How to improve your vocabulary for entrance exams?
  • • How to take orders in a restaurant?
  • • How to converse at the front desk?
  • • How to explain the project plan to a group of senior management members?
  • • How to grab an internship opportunity?
  • • Etiquettes for an international call center
  • • How to deal with a nasty employee?
  • • How to conduct group discussions for interviews?
  • • How to conduct an exit interview?
  • • How to communicate with your subordinates to get the maximum output?
  • • How to build relationship with a customer for enhancing sales?
  • • How to alert your boss about a worrying financial trend like increase in expense?
  • • Etiquettes for effective telephone calls
  • • How to show around during sightseeing?
  • • How to upsell in a restaurant and a bar?
  • • How to write a warning letter?
  • • Salary negotiation essentials for HR personnel
  • • Tips for communication for hotel Industry
  • • How to resolve conflict with employees?
  • • How to take care of specially abled guests?
  • • How to deal with layoffs in your company?
  • • How to write an effective financial performance summary?
  • • How to welcome and see off your guests?
  • • How to talk about local customs and folklore?
  • • How to raise a query to the technical team in fluent English?
  • • How to make a browsing customer comfortable and convert?
  • • How to conduct an HR interview effectively?
  • • How to write a termination letter?
  • • How to politely respond to unreasonable demands of the customer?
  • • How to explain your job profile, technologies you have worked and skill set?
  • • How to communicate effectively with foreign or remote clients?
  • • Dos and Don’ts of effective sales communication
  • • How to speak professionally? – Conversation examples
  • • How to create a job description?
  • • How to explain issues in a project functionalities?
  • • How to request for change in delivery schedule?
  • • How to write a loan application for your own business?
  • • How to explain local rules and precautions?
  • • How to respond to salary queries of employees?
  • • How to take reservations by phone?
  • • How to effectively make a presentation?
  • • How to explain a new technology to a non-techie person?
  • • How to explain your strengths, weakness, attitude, and skill sets?
  • • How to deal with complaints in the Hotel Industry?
  • • How to write a reminder for a delayed payment to a customer?
  • • How to write an offer letter?
  • • How to take care of inbound calls?
  • • How to convert a window-shopper to a real customer?
  • • How to motivate a disinterested customer to buy?
  • • How to upsell and cross sell?
  • • How to make requests for special meals on a flight?
  • • The art of handling unhappy customers on a call
  • • 5 Negotiation tips and tricks
  • • 5 Email marketing etiquette
  • • 10 Mistakes to avoid as a retail sales representative
  • • How to make an effective sales call?
  • • How to ask for a leave from your child’s teacher?
  • • How to describe your medical symptoms to the doctor?
  • • 5 useful tips to prepare for a call center job
  • • How to ask for directions to a coffee shop?
  • • How to ask an air hostess about cabin luggage compartment?
  • • How to start a cold call?
  • • How to make a sales pitch?
  • • How to negotiate a higher starting salary?
  • • How to deposit or withdraw money in a bank?
  • • How to give medicine instructions to a patient?
  • • Why is correct ‘Speed’ important in Spoken English?
  • • How to give details of a disease to a patient?
  • • How to describe your vehicle?
  • • How to open a bank account?
  • • How to improve your English for a call center job?
  • • 5 Benefits of learning English for a Tour Guide
  • • How to ask your child’s teacher for notes?
  • • How did you decide on a subject for higher studies?
  • • How to start a conversation on phone?
  • • How to ask your boss for a promotion in fluent English?
  • • How to buy a ticket for a movie?
  • • How to buy a shirt with the help of a salesperson?
  • • How to buy a dress with the help of a salesperson?
  • • How to Write a Formal Letter Regarding Leave?
  • • How to Describe your Home?
  • • How to Ask a Waiter for his Recommendations?
  • • Why is Daily Practice Important to Learn a New Language?
  • • How to Describe Your Family?
  • • How to Describe your Phone and its Features?
  • • How to Get the Speed of the Words Right while Speaking?
  • • How to Talk About a Particular Problem you are Facing?
  • • How to Talk About a Book you’ve Read Recently?
  • • How to Introduce your Boss to your Team?
  • • How to Complain to the School’s Principal About your Child’s Class?
  • • How did you Choose the College you Studied In?
  • • How to Talk at a Parent Teacher Meeting?
  • • How to Describe an Attire?
  • • How to Talk to Other Patients While Waiting at The Doctor’s Clinic?
  • • How to Give Directions to Reach your Doctor’s Clinic?
  • • How to Talk to a Teacher About the Issue of Bullying?
  • • How to Ask your Boss for Help in your Work?
  • • The Critical Role of Vocabulary to Learn Fluent English
  • • How to Greet your Boss/ People in Office?
  • • How to Describe an Experience?
  • • How to Talk About Your Opinions?
  • • How to Talk about Your College Life?
  • • Conversation with a Fellow English Learner
  • • How to Talk About Your Child’s School?
  • • How to Describe a Television Show you Saw?
  • • How to Ask for the Bill in a Restaurant?
  • • How to Talk to Your Boss to Change Your Department?
  • • How to Seek Appointment with your Doctor’s Receptionist?
  • • How to Describe a Meal You Relished to Your Friend?
  • • How to Give Directions to Your Friend to Reach a Restaurant?
  • • How to Ask for Directions?
  • • Why Online Tutoring is Easy and Beneficial?
  • • Why English is Considered an International Language?
  • • How to Write a Formal Email Regarding a Leave/ Off?
  • • How to Tell Your Boss that You are Quitting?
  • • How to Talk About Food you Like/ Dislike?
  • • How to Talk of an Error in Your Bill to the Manager?
  • • Why do We Need to Learn English?
  • • How to Describe a Restaurant to Your Friend?
  • • How to Stress on Words While Speaking English?
  • • How to Describe Your Country?
  • • How to Describe Your City?
  • • Test your English Skills
  • • Learning English through Music - Go the Lyrical Way!
  • • How to Make English Learning a Fun Process?
  • • How to Maintain Your Social Image?
  • • How to Best Describe a Place?
  • • How to Learn English Real Fast?
  • • A Fun Way to Learn English
  • • How Should I Improve My Vocabulary for IELTS?
  • • Practice English Speaking While Waiting for an Interview
  • • How to use Punctuation Correctly? Part - II
  • • Tips for Improving Pronunciation II
  • • The Sounds of Syllables
  • • How to Improve Communication Skills?
  • • How to Use Punctuation Correctly? Part - I
  • • The Fun World of Idioms - III
  • • Gear up! It’s Test Time
  • • Conversation at the Airport Check-in
  • • IELTS Preparation – Things to Know
  • • How to Structure English Sentences?
  • • A Guide on How to Use a Dictionary Effectively
  • • The Fun World of Idioms - I
  • • How to Carry a Conversation at a Party?
  • • How to Overcome the Anxiety of Making Mistakes when Speaking English?
  • • Dos and Don'ts of Public Speaking
  • • Conversations while Ordering Food
  • • Use the Power of Phrases to Improve Your Spoken English Fluency
  • • Understanding the Tenses in English – II
  • • Start small - The Key to Fluent English Speaking
  • • Understanding the Tenses in English
  • • How to Face an Interview with Confidence?
  • • English Exercises for Beginners
  • • How to Improve Your English Writing Skills – II
  • • How to Improve Your English Writing Skills
  • • Memory Techniques for Learning English - II
  • • How to Avoid Common Grammar Mistakes - I?
  • • Complete Guide to Comprehensive Reading-II
  • • Want to Improve Your Listening Skills? Know the Eight Principles - Part II
  • • How to Greet? Learn the Basics
  • • A Guide to Comprehensive Reading
  • • Want to Improve Your Listening Skills? Know the Eight Principles - Part I
  • • Business Communication - Your Key to Success
  • • First Timer’s Guide to Improve Spoken English
  • • The Pillars of English Speaking
  • • Who or Whom: Learn the Right Usage with Examples
  • • Memory Techniques for Learning English
  • • Tips for Making Small Talk and Breaking the Ice
  • • A Beginner’s Guide to Learning English
  • • Golden Rules for Improving Spoken English
  • • The Tricky World of Homophones
  • • English Grammar Made Easy
  • • Homophones Decoded
  • • How to Avoid Common Grammatical Mistakes
  • • How to Respond to a Job Offer Letter?
  • • How to Write a Resignation Letter?
  • • Question Tag
  • • Active and Passive Voice
  • • How to Speak Clearly and Fluently?
  • • How to Improve my Accent-Call Center Employee?
  • • How to Communicate with New Friends?
  • • How to attend a meeting?
  • • How to Write Various Greeting Messages?
  • • How to Prepare for an Interview?
  • • How to Communicate on Social Media Platforms?
  • • How to Communicate as a Customer Care Executive?
  • • How to Anchor a Program?
  • • How to write compelling emails in English?
  • • How to Talk to Strangers?
  • • How to Improve Pronunciation?
  • • How to communicate as a telephone operator?
  • • How to Communicate as a Receptionist?
  • • How to Answer Phone Calls Smartly in English?
  • • How to write an application for a loan?
  • • How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job?
  • • How to make a presentation in front of audience?
  • • How to Express Effectively?
  • • How to Communicate well in Hospitality Industry?
  • • What are Some Etiquettes Used While Eating?
  • • What are some phrases for conversation?
  • • How to write an application for a leave?
  • • How to Raise Concern in Parent Teacher Meeting As a Parent?
  • • How to book an airline ticket with travel agent?
  • • What are some important email etiquette
  • • How to improve English Pronunciation and English Speaking?
  • • How To Invite Somebody For a Birthday Party ?
  • • How to Write a Resume for a Job?
  • • How to learn English through listening?
  • • How to improve your Spoken English Skills?
  • • How to learn English Online?
  • • What are words with similar meaning /opposite meaning to another word known as?
  • • What are some common mistakes in preposition?
  • • How to chat online with friends?
  • • What are vowels and Consonants ?
  • • What are some important table manners?
  • • Do you know what is the study of speech sound known as?
  • • How to impress the interviewer and answer effectively in an interview?
  • • Learn Root Words
  • • Do you know about the important parts of your body?
  • • Do you know what are words with similar pronunciation but with different meaning/spelling known as?
  • • What are some Do’s and Don’ts at the Interview?
  • • How do you define a word that cannot be figured out by looking up in the dictionary?
  • • How to participate in a Group Discussion
  • • What are words that confuse you known as?
  • • Origin of Species
  • • Coevolution
  • • Modern Synthesis of Evolution
  • • TYPES OF MATRICES
  • • SYMMETRIC AND SKEW SYMMETRIC MATRICES
  • • Solution of system of linear equations using matrix method
  • • PROPERTIES OF DETERMINANTS
  • • MULTIPLICATION OF MATRICES
  • • MORE ABOUT MATRICES
  • • INTRODUCTION TO MATRICES
  • • INVERTIBLE MATRICES
  • • EQUALITY OF TWO MATRICES
  • • DETERMINANTS
  • • ADJOINT AND INVERSE OF A MATRIX
  • • ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION OF MATRICES
  • • Shortest Distance between two lines
  • • Reducing Cartesian Form of a line to Vector Form and vice-versa
  • • Modulus and the Conjugate of a Complex Number
  • • Argand Plane and Polar Representation of a Complex Number
  • • ALGEBRA OF COMPLEX NUMBERS
  • • VOLUME OF A SOLID WITH KNOWN CROSS SECTION
  • • TAYLOR SERIES
  • • TANGENTS AND NORMALS
  • • RIEMANN SUM AND TRAPEZOIDAL RULE
  • • RATIO TEST
  • • RATE OF CHANGE OF QUANTITIES
  • • NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS USING EULER’S METHOD
  • • Mean Value Theorem
  • • MAXIMA AND MINIMA (2nd DERIVATIVE TEST)
  • • MAXIMA AND MINIMA (1ST DERIVATIVE TEST)
  • • LOCAL LINEAR APPROXIMATION
  • • L’HOSPITAL’S RULE
  • • INTRODUCTION TO INTEGRATION
  • • INTERMEDIATE VALUE THEOREM
  • • INSTANTANEOUS RATE OF CHANGE AS A LIMIT OF AVERAGE RATE OF CHANGE
  • • INDEFINITE INTEGRALS – II
  • • INDEFINITE INTEGRALS – I
  • • INCREASING AND DECREASING FUNCTIONS
  • • GRAPHICAL AND ANALYTICAL REPRESENTATION OF DERIVATIVE
  • • FUNDAMENTAL THEOREM OF CALCULUS
  • • DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY A PARTICLE ALONG A LINE
  • • DIFFERENTIATION - II
  • • DIFFERENTIATION
  • • DIFFERENTIATION - I
  • • Differentials, Errors and Approximations
  • • DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
  • • DERIVATIVES OF POLAR AND VECTOR FUNCTION
  • • DEFINITE INTEGRALS
  • • Continuity
  • • COMPARISON TEST
  • • AVERAGE VALUE OF A FUNCTION
  • • ASYMPTOTIC AND UNBOUNDED BEHAVIOUR
  • • AREA OF BOUNDED REGIONS
  • • ALTERNATE SERIES TEST
  • • LAWS OF SINE, COSINE AND TANGENT
  • • Operations on Sets
  • • Complement of a Set
  • • Ionic Equilibrium in Solutions
  • • Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Equilibria
  • • Factors Affecting Equilibria
  • • Equilibria in Physical Processes
  • • Equilibrium in Chemical Processes – Dynamic Equilibrium
  • • Buffer Solutions
  • • Use of Trigonometric Function to Model Periodic Phenomena
  • • UNIT CIRCLE
  • • TRIGONOMETRIC RATIOS
  • • TRIGONOMETRIC RATIOS OF SOME SPECIFIC ANGLES
  • • TRIGONOMETRIC RATIOS OF COMPLEMENTARY ANGLES
  • • TRIGONOMETRIC IDENTITIES
  • • TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS OF SUM AND DIFFERENCE OF TWO ANGLES
  • • TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS OF MULTIPLE AND SUBMULTIPLE ANGLES
  • • SIGNS AND GRAPHS OF TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS
  • • INVERSE TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS
  • • APPLICATIONS OF TRIGONOMETRY
  • • Angle between two planes
  • • Vector and Cartesian Equations of a Line
  • • Various forms of a Plane
  • • Direction Cosines and Direction Ratios of a Line
  • • METHODS OF FINDING SQUARE ROOT
  • • SQUARE ROOT
  • • CUBE ROOT (PRIME FACTORIZATION)
  • • USE OF EXPONENTS
  • • Laws of Exponents
  • • CONIC SECTIONS
  • • HYPERBOLA
  • • ROTATIONAL SYMMETRY
  • • TYPES OF ANGLES
  • • Potentiometer
  • • Thermocouple
  • • Parallel Plate Capacitor
  • • Sources of Current
  • • Resistivity and Conductivity
  • • Resistance
  • • Kirchhoff’s law
  • • Emfs and Internal resistance
  • • Safety measures in handling electrical circuits
  • • Electricity
  • • Magnetic field due to a solenoid
  • • Magnetic field
  • • Electromagnetic Induction
  • • Electric motor
  • • Electric Bell
  • • Electric Potential
  • • Earthing an electric appliance
  • • Electric Dipole
  • • Rules to determine the direction of a magnetic field
  • • Electric Current
  • • Equipartition of Energy
  • • Degree of freedom
  • • Kinetic Theory of Gases
  • • Combination of Capacitor
  • • Thermodynamics
  • • Thermal conductivity
  • • Stefan’s law
  • • Volumetric Expansion
  • • Thermal Expansion
  • • Newton’s law of cooling
  • • AC and DC current
  • • Heat and Temperature
  • • Linear Expansion
  • • Gas Equation
  • • Heat transfer
  • • Charle’s law and Boyle’s law
  • • Heat engines
  • • Specific Heat
  • • Enthalpy and Entropy
  • • Thomson effect
  • • Isothermal Process
  • • Carnot engines
  • • Isochoric processes
  • • Thermoelectricity
  • • Isobaric Process
  • • Adiabatic Processes
  • • Seebeck effect
  • • Wind Energy
  • • Solar Energy
  • • Nuclear Energy
  • • Geothermal Energy
  • • Fossil Fuels
  • • Peltier Effect
  • • Voltage and Current
  • • Young’s Double Slit Experiment
  • • Dielectrics
  • • Types of Diffraction
  • • Total Internal Reflection
  • • Faraday’s law of Electrolysis
  • • Spherical Mirror
  • • Electrolysis
  • • Snell’s Law
  • • Scattering
  • • Refractive Index
  • • Refraction
  • • Reflection
  • • Real and Virtual images
  • • Polarization
  • • Interference of Light
  • • Focal Length of Mirrors
  • • Dispersion
  • • Diffraction of Light
  • • Diffraction Grating
  • • Parallelism
  • • Degrees of Comparison
  • • Subject Verb Agreement
  • • Punctuation
  • • Run-on and Fragments
  • • Comparison of Adjective
  • • Infinitive
  • • Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
  • • Interjection
  • • Conjunctions
  • • Parts of Speech
  • • Sentences
  • • Comma Splice
  • • Non-Random Mating
  • • Genetic Drift
  • • Modes of Speciation
  • • Bottlenecks and Founder Effects
  • • Causes of Mutations and Gene Flow
  • • Artificial Selection
  • • Recombination
  • • Hardy-Weinberg Principle
  • • Sex and Genetic Shuffling
  • • Adaptation & Fitness
  • • Sexual Selection
  • • Patterns of Evolution
  • • Reproduction Isolation
  • • Origin of Life
  • • Speciation
  • • Big Bang Theory
  • • Dinosaurs
  • • Natural Selection
  • • Introduction of Microorganism
  • • Intracellular Components
  • • Cell Membranes
  • • Cell Difference
  • • The Citric Acid Cycle
  • • Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
  • • Oxidative Phosphorylation and Electron Transport
  • • Introduction to Cell Respiration
  • • Glycolysis
  • • What is Mitosis?
  • • What is Meiosis?
  • • Fermentation
  • • Cell Reproduction
  • • Mutualism
  • • Solving Fractions
  • • Microevolution
  • • Fractions - An Introduction
  • • Macroevolution
  • • Evolution and Darwin
  • • Evolution and Lamarck
  • • Solving Decimals
  • • Evolution and Heredity
  • • What is Evolution?
  • • Gene Cloning Application in Medicine
  • • Introduction to Decimals
  • • Human Genome Project
  • • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • • Nucleosomes
  • • Introduction to Lines and Angles
  • • Structure and Synthesis of RNA
  • • Overview of RNA
  • • Solution of a Linear Equation
  • • Introduction to Linear Equations
  • • DNA and Technology
  • • Graphical Method of Solution of a Pair of Linear Equations
  • • DNA Biological Functions
  • • History of DNA Research
  • • Graph of a Linear Equation in Two variables
  • • DNA Interactions with Proteins
  • • Algebraic Methods of Solving a Pair of Linear Equations
  • • Central Dogma of Biology
  • • DNA Modifying Enzymes
  • • DNA Genetic Recombination
  • • General characteristics of DNA
  • • Properties of DNA
  • • What is DNA?
  • • Solving Integers
  • • Properties of Integers
  • • DNA Translation
  • • Genetic Code
  • • Comparing and Ordering of Integers
  • • Introduction to Exponents
  • • Stages in Nitrogen Cycle
  • • Introduction to cubes and cube roots
  • • Slope (Gradient) of a line
  • • Relation to the Environment
  • • Section formulae
  • • Point of intersection and concurrency of lines
  • • Biological -Interactions
  • • Distance form of a line
  • • Distance between two points
  • • Important Microbes in Ecosystem
  • • Different forms of the equation of a straight line
  • • Co-ordinate axes and co-ordinate planes
  • • Area of a Triangle
  • • Human Vs Natural Food Chains
  • • Replication of DNA
  • • Post transcriptional RNA Processing
  • • DNA Transcription
  • • Structure of Nucleic Acids - RNA
  • • Structure of Nucleic Acids – DNA
  • • Adaptations of the Organism
  • • Factors Affecting Population Size
  • • Evolution of Predation
  • • Eutrophication
  • • Energy Flows and Material Cycling
  • • Energy Flow through the Ecosystem
  • • Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity Crisis
  • • Ecosystem Productivity
  • • A Seral Community
  • • Ecological Role
  • • Ecological Pyramids
  • • The Ecological Niche
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Unique Travel Stories: The 19 Best and Worst Flight Experiences Ever

Dec 12, 2017

By Beth Hinckley

Unique Travel Stories: The 19 Best and Worst Flight Experiences Ever - HappyLuxe

For those of us who travel frequently, the details of each and every trip can become a blur. The day of departure is normally just like every other - you wake up, you’ve already got your bags packed, you look in your check-on bag to make sure you have your travel sleep mask and blanket, you head to the airport, you hop on a plane, and some amount of time later, you reach your destination. If you’ve traveled by air more than a few times, it can become difficult to discern one flight experience from another- Not exactly the most unique travel stories. 

Frequent flyers know something that occasional travelers don’t know; amazing, awesome, wild and crazy things can happen at 25,000 feet in the air. While the act of boarding and traveling on a plane may seem like a fixed experience, it certainly isn’t. There are many variables, and every flight has a different set, creating a wide variety of airline travel stories. Some flights have incredible accommodations, while some don’t even offer basic comfort items. Sometimes you’ll experience an awesome flight staff, and other times, flight attendants may seem downright rude. Sometimes, every passenger on the plane is perfectly at peace, while another time, one loud snoring individual may annoy and irritate every other passenger on the plane. Sometimes, you make it out the door and into your Uber a half hour early, and other times, you miraculously misplace your cell phone and find yourself running stressfully late.

Variables exist, and when it comes to flying, if there is one thing that can be expected, it is that nothing can really be expected. Although these variables may sometimes lead to frustration, they also produce GREAT travel stories. We asked travel bloggers and frequent flyers to share their best short travel stories, and here is what they said!

Travel Stories

Charles Dugan , Owner of American Image

I flew from Tampa/St. Pete to Seattle about 2 years ago. On the way back, one of the passengers seated near the back of the plane collapsed in their seat about 30 minutes after take-off. After some mysterious scurrying back and forth by the attendants, the pilot announced that one of the passengers needed emergency medical attention, and that we were diverting to an emergency landing. He also asked if there was a doctor on board. A young lady that was 2 seats in front of me immediately got up and ran to the back of the plane. Until then, she'd been engaged in an excited chat with her friend, and while she looked to be only about 25-30 yrs old - turns out, she was an experienced EMT.

She administered CPR and got the guy breathing while the pilots did a very deep dive and made an emergency landing at an airfield in Alabama. We were met there by an ambulance crew on the airfield. The EMT team carried the large man up front and off of the plane. We waited about an hour for the plane to be inspected - turns out the pilot didn't take time to dump fuel, and had landed with the plane that was heavier than the recommended landing weight. We topped off the fuel, and continued on to Seattle. Upon landing, the pilot announced that the gentleman had made it to the hospital alive and that the prognosis was hopeful.

Funny Travel Stories

Tristan Pollock at Storefront

My now wife was flying on a plane with me from Helsinki back to the US and we encountered one of the strangest experiences we've ever had with another passenger. An elderly grandmother was sitting behind us. My wife is 6’2” and often needs a bit of space, so she put her chair back to rest. The grandmother began shaking my wife’s seat violently, causing a major scene. It immediately woke my wife up out of her sleep. The flight attendant came by and was totally confused at the situation. This same thing happened two more times, and on the third time, the attendant accidentally spilled red wine on the elderly lady. The whole situation was crazy, and all of this happened within the first hour of a 13-hour flight!

Travel Stories

Mykee Saunders , Owner & Founder of Traveling with Monkeys

My husband and I were traveling, yet again, on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. After debarking the plane and getting our luggage we headed to rent our car. At the car counter, we realized that my husband's wallet must have fallen out of his pocket during the flight. He went into the airport and filed some paperwork with the unlikely possibility of getting it back sometime within the next thirty days. After leaving the airport and all hope of seeing his wallet again, we made our way to our hotel about 30 minutes away.

While searching for the phone numbers to our credit card companies, my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize. I hesitantly answered; usually I don't. The person on the other line was a Delta flight attendant. She had found my husband's wallet and somehow was able to track down my number through Facebook. They had returned to Salt Lake City and were about to make a second trip to LAX. She was done for the day after that flight, and being based in the LA area she was willing to meet us to drop off his wallet. We couldn't believe it. Not only did she have to put forth the effort to hunt down a phone number, but she went out of her way to personally make sure that we got his wallet back. A couple hours later, we met up at a Whole Foods in Burbank where she happily returned my husband's wallet and left on her way.

Story About Trip

Ernest Shahbazian , Founder and Owner of Trip Astute .

We experienced a memorable flight travel story not long ago while flying with Air Canada. We missed a flight from Montreal to Los Angeles because of long US customs lines. When we arrived at the gate, we found ourselves at the end of a long line of passengers who were all angry, and venting their anger on one of Air Canada’s airline representatives. While we were frustrated with the situation, we knew it wasn't the fault of the airline or even the airline representative. When it was our turn, we told the representative that we were sorry that the other passengers were taking out their anger and frustration on her. She was very appreciative and empathetic of our situation, and ended up finding us seats for a flight a few hours later. She also gave us three vouchers for breakfast at the airport restaurant. It was a such a nice gesture, and it completely changed the way we felt about the situation.

World Travel Story

Emily Jenks , Owner and Writer of Henry and Andrew’s Guide

We recently traveled to Iceland on WOW Air with our 2 boys (one newborn, one 2.5 years old). Since it was a midnight flight, we knew for sure that our 2.5 year old would sleep through the duration of the flight. Little did we know, WOW Air’s flight attendants are so amazingly beautiful and friendly that my 2.5 year old could not keep his eyes off of them! They were so sweet to him that he was too excited to fall asleep! During the flight, they played with him, walked around the plane with him, and even carried him around. We didn't get any sleep on that flight, but at least we were adjusted to Iceland time when we arrived.

Travel Story

Elizabeth Aldrich , Digital Nomad and Founder of Temporary Provisions

A few years ago, I traveled to Hong Kong for work. I decided to stay an extra few days and take a quick side trip to Thailand for pleasure. I made it through 5 days of basically living off street food (it's just so good there!) with absolutely no issues. Unfortunately before my flight back to Hong Kong, I made the grave mistake of ordering shrimp dumplings at the airport. About an hour into the 5 hour flight, it happened.

Let's just say, I spent most of the flight in the bathroom and barely made it back to my seat for landing. The worst part was that I had to wait 12 hours, overnight, for my flight from Hong Kong back to the U.S. I ended up sleeping in the Hong Kong International Airport, right next to a bathroom. This was during an Avian Bird Flu scare, and they kept making announcements about quarantining people who showed symptoms. They made me go to the health clinic in the airport to get checked! Luckily, they determined it was just food poisoning and let me board my flight the next morning.

Short Travel Stories

Andre Arriaza - travel blogger and co-founder of Barcelona Eat Local Food Tours

I was once on an American Airlines flight between Port au Prince (Haiti) and Miami (USA). After taking off, a strange smell was protruding from the seat of the passenger who was seated directly behind me. The flight attendants became extremely nervous and they began questioning and interrogating the surprised passenger. One even suggested that he may have an explosive device and started stripping his belongings from the boot! The poor man was noticeably shocked.

At some point, another passenger suggested that the smell was coming from the man’s shoeless feet. I moved my nose into close proximity of his feet and confirmed the fact, which made everyone laugh, including the man in question and the staff members. The flight attendants promptly apologized, asked him to put his shoes back on, and brought us some drinks.  

Short Travel Story

Rebecca Mace of The Solid Bar Company

I once travelled with tea tree essential oil that leaked in my hand luggage. It seemed to get into the air system quickly and gave the whole plane a medicinal menthol smell. There were tears in people's eyes and some had tissues over their mouths. I felt really bad but didn't own up. Instead, I decided to take my bag to the restroom. As I tried to squeeze past the person asleep at the end of the aisle, I somehow managed to kick him in the face…

Altogether, it was a nightmare flight. Now, I make sure that I only carry natural and solid products that are non-liquid, so thankfully, this situation is unlikely to ever happen to me again!

Travel Accessory Story

Patty Blue Hayes , Author and Owner of PattyBlueHayes.com

I’d escaped the reality of my looming divorce by volunteering in Romania for 3 weeks, but it was time to start the long journey back to the US on a flight out of Budapest. It was Christmas Eve. Only one other passenger and I shared an otherwise empty Airbus320 – we had all 26 rows to ourselves.

The flight attendants treated us to the champagne normally reserved for first and business class passengers.  Shortly before our scheduled 9 pm arrival, one of the flight crew members spoke to the other passenger in Hungarian, which I don’t speak. They looked at me.

Uh oh . I thought something was wrong.

But my flight mate said the pilot invited one of us to sit in the cockpit for the landing and she offered it to me; she’d seen her share of cockpits.

A cockpit invitation is unheard of post 9-11 and I jumped at the chance. My eyes were as wide as a kid on a magical Disney ride. The lights from within the cockpit and the approaching runway mesmerized me. Five hundred , the automated altitude called out. Four hundred – it was bumpy, I couldn’t hold my camera phone steady. Before I knew it we were on the ground but my spirit was soaring.

Those good feelings approaching the runway gave me hope that I’d have the strength to get through the end of my marriage.

Funny Travel Stories

Jessica Norah , Travel Blogger at Independent Travel Cats

My partner and I were flying on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Seoul, South Korea and we were assigned to a seat next to a door. It was unusually cold in this particular spot on the plane and we were freezing, covering up with sweaters and blankets. The flight attendants noticed our discomfort and went out of their way, without being asked, to make the flight more comfortable. They brought us extra blankets, a Business Class amenities kit (even though we were flying Economy), and even heated up a large bottle of water to help keep us warm and comfortable! The flight attendants were very friendly and did more than they needed to help us - definitely one of my best service experiences on a flight.

Funny Travel Story

Clemens Sehi , Creative Director at Travellers Archive

I was on a flight from Istanbul to Ordu, a city on the northeastern outskirts of Turkey, when an old Turkish man sat next to me and told me his remarkable story during the flight. His experience was that he went to Germany back in the Sixties as a guest worker and never returned – until this very day. During the flight, he had told me everything about his place of origin - what it looked like, how it smelled, how special and warm-hearted the people were. It was quite unique to learn about a place from a man who hadn’t been there in over 50 years. The most interesting thing? It seemed to me that nothing had changed about the place, at all. His descriptions of his homeland were still perfectly relevant. Through this experience, I felt extremely connected to his story and the Turkish region, before I ever stepped foot there.

Travel Horror Stories

Laurence Norah , Travel Blogger at Finding the Universe

My wife and I recently traveled last minute from Japan to the UK, and due to a confusion with our booking, we ended up being seated in different sections of the plane. Despite us asking at numerous desks, noone was able to help us with reseating prior to getting on the flight, instead giving us glances of confusion.

We discovered the reason for this on boarding - my wife had been allocated a far nicer seat than me - I was in a middle row seat between two strangers for 13 hours, whilst she had all the "frills" of an economy plus. It was an overnight flight and it was absolutely jam packed. Add to that a kid kicking the back of my seat for most of the experience and suffice to say, not the greatest flight experience of my life!

Best Travel Stories

Suzanne Brown , Author and Owner of Mompowerment

As someone who visited 40 countries before turning 40, I have had loads of experience on a variety of airlines. However, a specific flight on Aer Lingus was particularly special.

It wasn’t our first international trip, but it was our first TransAtlantic flight with our then 16-month and 4 years olds. Our 16-month old didn't want to have anything to do with my husband and he was exhausted; so I stood up, doing the mom rock for about 3 hours with him in my arms as he slept. The Aer Lingus flight attendant didn't go into the galley with his colleagues. Instead, he stayed outside and chatted with me that whole time, giving me advice on the area in Ireland where we were headed. It was our first experience with Aer Lingus and it won’t be our last. All the flight attendants were so sweet to our young boys and went out of their way to make them feel special. It’s a rare experience on an international flight these days.

Worst Travel Stories

Allison Constantino of A.M. Productions, Inc

I was 16, and in Hawaii for the first time. I couldn’t wait to learn how to surf, but I knew with my blonde hair and fair skin, I probably couldn’t spend the amount of time in the water learning what I needed to learn without my skin being scorched! However, I did actually get to spend 6 hours on a surfboard – and you guessed it, I ended up with almost 3 rd degree burns on my shoulders. The blisters were so bad, I couldn’t stand to have anything touch them.

Of course, we were scheduled to head back to the mainland USA the next day, so I bravely put on a sundress and off we went to the airport. I was so uncomfortable in the seat. Everything seemed to “stick” to my blisters so I had to actually lean forward in my seat. To say the least, I was NOT looking forward to the 8 hour trip! As soon as we were in the air, the flight attendant came around with a tray of 24 small glasses of papaya juice, and suddenly while she was standing right next to me – you guessed it – we hit some air turbulence and ALL 24 glasses of juice went on top of my blistered shoulders.

It was such a sticky mess! I got up in total disbelief, went to the bathroom and couldn’t even bear to touch my blisters – so I just went back to my seat and spent the rest of the flight in complete misery!

Unique Travel Stories

Krista Canfield McNish , Travel Blogger at FoodWaterShoes

I was waiting for a redeye JetBlue flight from California to NYC on August 14, 2011. It was delayed for almost two hours because of bad weather. I shrugged, figuring a delay was par for the course, until a fellow passenger used our delay as on opportunity to watch a movie... at full volume with no headphones.

I took to Twitter and someone at JetBlue replied by saying snacks and drinks were coming. Our airport "angel" even asked if it might help if they had a gate attendant offer the offending passenger headphones. Once the grub came, everyone's least favorite flyer put his movie player away and we were all able to rest our ears.

Unique Travel Story

John Doherty , Founder of Credo

My recent fiancée and I were moving from New York City to San Francisco over the holidays in 2013, which also happened to be the first holiday we were spending with each other’s families. We boarded our flight and I got upgraded upon check-in. She did not.

I chose to give up my first class seat so I could sit back with my fiancée. The woman behind us tapped her husband on the shoulder and said “Did you see that? That’s so romantic.”

He leaned forward, tapped me on the shoulder, and said “You’ll understand in 20 years.”

Story About Trip

Sheryl Hill from DepartSmart.org

My sixteen year old son, Tyler, died a preventable death on a People to People trip to Japan. He was in a coma when we took an emergency Delta flight to Tokyo with high hopes. The pilots and crew knew our story.  They bumped us up to business class. They brought us teletype updates of our son’s condition every couple of hours during the longest 14 hour flight of our lives. On arrival, they held back other passengers so we could disembark, and escorted us through customs to our waiting escort.

On our return flight we were also bumped to first class. Tyler passed away and we were to bring his casket home. Onboard, I was informed that it didn’t make clearance and would come in a few days. I screamed like a bloody banshee to get off the plane. I wanted to stay with him. This huge purser physically held me into my seat asking my husband if we had other children and whether he had a picture of them. My husband handed her his cell phone with our youngest son’s picture exposed. She said, “You look at this one. This one needs you, his mama. Get home to him and I give you my word that I will bring your other boy to you.” She then alerted the plane to what was happening and asked a volunteer to offer a PM pain reliever. I made the flight.

A year later, our grief counselor advised us to fly back to Japan and follow Tyler’s footsteps to experience the Japan he loved, to meet his host family, and to push the dark PTSD memories down. So we did, as a family of three.

What are the odds that when we boarded there was that big bold attendant facing me. I stopped in my tracks.  She hooked up to me with her arms wide open and said, “Welcome back. I’m so proud of you.  I’m bumping you to business class again with that beautiful young boy you’re with.”

Traveller Stories

Odini Gogo , co-founder of Res Ipsa

While we were getting ready to make an early morning flight from Istanbul to Atlanta, the tempered glass shower door shattered and cut my hand. We thought we were going to have to go to the emergency room instead of the airport, but we managed to stop the bleeding. Once we were in the air, the reduced cabin pressure made the wound start to bleed again. When I asked the flight attendant for assistance, she went into a full blown panic.

Before we knew it, there were three flight attendants huddled in the aisle, whispering to each other and watching my hand bleed. Before they would lift a finger to help they made me sign a waiver stating that the injury did not happen on the plane. Once they got their paperwork signed, I got my Band-Aid.

Travel Stories

Matt Collins , Bad Credit Personal Loan Consultant and Owner of Loans Now

I recently took a flight to DC, and it was a total disaster! I had purchased a last minute ticket upgrade to Economy Plus for a regional express jet. I was using my phone to access my airline ticket and when I went to board, I was bumped to economy without my consent or knowledge. I held the line up for some time, waiting for a response and wondering if I was going to receive a refund for the upgrade. The staff member at the gate seemed surprised that I even wanted the extra $100 refunded!

I let it go and while I was waiting to board, I was asked to gate check my bag - which I did. I got on the plane and sat next to a young man holding his 2-year old daughter. He didn’t seem too happy that someone would be sitting next to him and he insisted several times that I move. We sat on the runway for 20 minutes before the Captain came on to announce that there were problems with the plane and we would have to evacuate the plane while maintenance was performed. When we finally boarded, luckily, two passengers had given up and left; leaving me with two open seats right behind the man and his daughter.

We were then informed that there was a problem with the overpressurization system so we would be cruising at 11,000 feet - which would make our flight time even longer. As soon as we took off, the smell of a soiled diaper filled the air. The two-year old in front of me definitely needed changing! But did the young man change her diaper? No, not for the entire time. As a result, the cabin was filled with a pungent odor for the entirety of the flight.

I got off the plane in DC and waited on the tarmac for my gate-checked bag. It never came. The captain of the flight was now leaving and tried to assist me in finding my luggage. We didn’t find it, it was gone. Since I had plans that evening and needed my clothing, I called the airline. I was told that I would have to wait 24 hrs, but that I could purchase clothes as long as my purchases were of reasonable expense.

Although the airline provided accommodations for my clothing, the whole day was a total nightmare!

Do You Have A Fantastic Flight Story?

If you fly enough, at some point, you’ll definitely run into situations that are similar to those from these stories. The only good thing about a bad flight experience? The crazy travel story you get to tell afterwards!  While unfortunately not every flying situation can be totally controlled, you can control how you handle it.  Make sure you're prepared for any travel story with our luxury travel sets , sleep masks , and travel wraps .  Cold on the plane? Warm yourself up with a travel wrap!  Your seatmate leaving their light on the entire transatlantic flight? Sleep in total darkness under a soft sleeping mask. HappyLuxe has you covered in style and comfort.

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19 Inspiring Travel Experience Stories About Life-Changing Trips

Love inspiring travel experience stories ?

Then you’re in the right place!

Grab a snack and your favorite beverage and get ready to settle in, as you’re about to read some truly inspiring travel stories about life-changing trips.

In this roundup, some of my favorite bloggers share their best travel stories.

You’ll hear about travelers embarking on sacred pilgrimages, growing after a first solo female travel trip, deeply connecting with locals on the road, and getting out of their comfort zones in ways that completely alter the course of their life.

And if you’re looking for a unique travel experience, you’ll likely find it in the short stories about travel below.

Table of Contents

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But first…

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Enter your name + email below to subscribe and snag access to my FREE Ultimate Travel Planning Resource Library, full of trip planners, cheat sheets, packing lists, Google Map itineraries + more! //  Privacy Policy . 

Woohoo! You’re officially a member of the Jessie on a Journey community. 

Make sure to also connect with me  on Instagram ,  on YouTube , and  on Facebook  to start traveling #BeyondTheGuidebook.

I regularly share about solo female travel, New York City, lesser-known destinations, unique experiences, active adventures, and how to turn your passion for exploring the world into a profitable business through travel blogging.

Click here to head back to the travel blog .

.

There is so much included!

Plus, I’m constantly adding new resources, guides, and personality quizzes to help you travel beyond the guidebook!

On that note, let’s dive into the inspiring travel stories .

1. Travel Experience Stories In South America

My travel story takes place in South America, back when I used to travel solo for months at a time.

I was in my mid-20s, and even though I’d backpacked Europe, Southeast Asia, and China and had studied abroad in Australia, the mix of intense excitement and nerves I had leading up to my South America backpacking trip was different.

And despite family and friends warning me that South America wasn’t a place for a solo female traveler , it ended up being my best trip ever.

There are so many interesting short travel stories and unforgettable travel experiences woven into this trip, like:

  • Getting invited to have dinner with my Brazilian plane seatmate and her grandma
  • Having a group of complete strangers on Couchsurfing take me out for dinner and dancing on my birthday in Mendoza
  • Attending a small house party in Argentina and learning about the tradition of mate
  • Getting stuck on a broken-down bus and having an impromptu language exchange with an elderly woman in Peru
  • Having a love interest back home break up with me via text, and then experiencing the kindness of strangers as a woman in my hostel who I barely knew treated me to ice cream to cheer me up
  • Having a romance with a hostel mate in Ecuador and then traveling through the country together
  • Living in a giant treehouse with a group of strangers during a solo trip in Brazil and spending our days exploring hiking trails and swimming and our nights drinking and exchanging stories about traveling
  • Taking a 4×4 from Chile to Bolivia across the Siloli Desert to see otherwordly sites like rainbow lagoons and train graveyards in the middle of nowhere
  • Experiencing some of the world’s most incredible natural wonders, like Iguazu Falls, Torres del Paine, the Amazon River, Uyuni Salt Flats, and Perito Moreno Glacier

At times the trip was also challenging, from dealing with long bus rides and car sickness to flipping over my bicycle handlebars in Peru and getting my body (and ego) badly bruised.

But, I was okay.

In fact, I was more than okay, as the trip showed me how independent I could be and what I was truly capable of. It also showed me the beauty of immersing yourself in cultures different than your own and connecting with locals who want to share them with you.

Years later, when people ask what my best travel experience has been this is the trip that comes to mind.

-Jessie from Jessie on a Journey

A travel experience story about Brunei

2. Traveling With An Open Mind

Many people think of travel as an experience and rightly so. Sometimes, however, you cannot choose the places you travel to.

This happened to me in 2019.

My husband found himself posted in Brunei for work.

Three months pregnant meant that I had a choice:

Either stay with him in Brunei for three months before returning back to India or remain in India, alone.

I chose the former. Not because of my love for the country but because I wanted to be close to him.

Brunei had never held any appeal to me. Whatever research that I pulled off the Internet showed me nothing other than one beautiful mosque.

The flights in and out of the country were expensive so traveling frequently out was not an option either.

I was engulfed by a sense of being trapped in a remote place.

Needless to say, I reached Brunei in a pretty foul mood. I think one of the things that struck me the most even in the midst of that bad mood was the large swaths of greenery that surrounded us.

Mind you, we were not staying in the big city but as far away on the outskirts as you could imagine. I’m not a city girl by any stretch and the greenery eventually soothed my nerves.

It took a week, but I soon found myself interacting with people around me. Fellow expats and locals all went out of their way to make me feel comfortable.

The more comfortable I felt, the more we explored. We trekked (yes, while pregnant!), we joined the board game community, and we enjoyed the local cuisine.

Three months later when it was time to leave, I found myself reluctant to say goodbye to the warmth of the country I had called home for a short while.

I think that my time in Brunei taught me a valuable lesson:

Don’t judge a place by what others say or a lack of information.

Sure, you may not always like what you see, but there will always be something that you will like. You just need to look hard enough to find it!

-Penny from GlobeTrove

A slow travel experience across the Portuguese Camino de Santiago

3. From Half-Day Hiker To Walking Holiday Enthusiast

I’ve always enjoyed walking but never in a million years did I imagine I’d end up walking over 200 kilometers (~124 miles) in 10 days, become a fan of walking holidays, and end up developing self-guided hiking routes in Portugal with a local tour operator as part of my business.

The shift from being someone who was content with an easy three-hour walk to an experienced multi-day hiker began with a brief taste of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrim trail through Portugal to Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain.

Back in 2013 I did a guided one-day hike along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Camino, north of Ponte de Lima. It’s also one of the most challenging sections so it was hard work, but the views from the top of Labruja Mountain made the climb worthwhile.

My guides were so enthusiastic about the thrill of arriving at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral after the challenges of day after day on the Camino that I began to think I might want to give it a go, despite not being religious.

Fast forward a few years and I set off from Barcelos with a friend of mine to follow the Portuguese Camino de Santiago.

Apart from suffering from chronic back pain, I thought I was quite fit but nothing had prepared me for how utterly exhausted I would feel at the end of each walking day.

This was truly a slow travel experience, as we were averaging about 20 kilometers (~12 miles) per day and by the time we reached our hotel, I would barely have enough energy to get cleaned up and find food before collapsing. I had envisioned plenty of sightseeing but that ended up being minimal.

Quickly, I realized the moral of this unique travel experience:

The Camino was all about making the most of the journey rather than the destination.

For me, that was quite a shift in thinking as I am usually all about getting to where I want to be as soon as possible so that I can start exploring. It was, perhaps, also my first step on the path towards mindfulness.

I will never forget the sense of achievement and progress at the end of each walking day, and the relief and pride I felt when we finally made it to Santiago de Compostela.

We met people who had walked the Camino several times and I can totally understand how it can become addictive. 

-Julie from Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal

A story about traveling the Banda Islands

4. A Story About Traveling & Its Ripple Effect

Tucked away in far eastern Indonesia is a tiny archipelago of islands called the Banda Islands.

Apart from world-class snorkeling and some crumbling colonial buildings, the Banda Islands are mostly forgotten and would be described as a backwater by all accounts.

However, the Banda Islands are possibly the main reason that I am who I am today. 

Well, the Bandas are the original Spice Islands.

Nutmeg used to grow on this tiny group of islands alone and nowhere else. The Dutch colonized Indonesia and promptly became the owners of islands where money grew on trees.

The only problem was that Indonesia was so far away that they needed a halfway stop to and from Indonesia.

That’s where my travel experience story comes in.

The same Dutch East India Company that traded in spice set up a halfway station at the foot of Table Mountain to break up their long journey. As a result, my Dutch ancestors arrived in the southernmost point in Africa , and generations later we are still there.

When I visited the Banda Islands, it dawned on me how something happening on the other side of the world can ripple out and affect people on the other side of the planet.

And I’m not the only one!

The spice trade was so important to the Dutch that they even traded a tiny island in the Banda archipelago for a much bigger island…Manhattan.

Yes. That Manhattan.

Before visiting the Banda Islands I never really knew about this part of my history.

Along with the spice that the ships carried back to Amsterdam, it also carried slaves. These slaves, more often than not, ended up in Cape Town.

Just like my European ancestors, they too became a part of Africa and added another shade to our beautiful Rainbow Nation.

It was in the Banda Islands that I realized how much of my culture, food, stories and even words in my mother tongue, Afrikaans, actually originated in Indonesia.

Because of these tiny islands, I am a true mix of Europe, Africa, and Asia. While I always thought I knew how all things in life are somehow connected, I didn’t really grasp it until my visit to Indonesia.

This could have been a resort travel experience story, as I went to Indonesia to swim and snorkel and relax on the world’s best beaches. And while I did get to do that, I also learned a lot about who I am as a person, my people, and my country…on another continent. 

My visit to the Bandas has sparked a fascination with Indonesia, which I have visited seven times since. I’m already planning another trip to this spectacular country!

-De Wet from Museum of Wander

The best trip ever in Costa Rica

5. Awakening My Spirit In A Costa Rican Cloud Forest

In February 2017, I was just coming out of a decade of mysterious chronic illness that had shrunk my world.

And one of the things that finally helped me to resurface during the previous year was an online Qi Gong course I stumbled upon: 

Flowing Zen .

To the casual observer, Qi Gong looks a lot like its better-known cousin, Tai Chi — the ancient art of moving meditation — but it’s actually energy medicine for healing.

In fact, it’s commonly used in Chinese hospitals.

My daily practice that year made such a difference for me that I dangled a reward for myself:

If I stuck with it all year, then I’d head to Sifu Anthony’s annual retreat in a cloud forest in Costa Rica the following February.

And I did! It was my first trip out of the country for more than a decade.

Just like that, I booked a solo trip — something I hadn’t done since I was an exchange student to Europe 30 years earlier — to San Jose where I met up with a dozen strangers and Sifu Anthony, our Qi Gong master.

We boarded a tiny bus and rode up, up, up around carsick-inducing curvy mountain roads into a magical cloud forest jungle where we finally arrived at The Blue Mountain (“La Montana Azul”) for a weeklong Qi Gong retreat. 

There were no Internet or distractions here — just delicious organic vegetarian meals made with love and shared with the community under a gorgeous open-air palapa.

There were also colorful tropical birds singing in the jungle, as well as the largest arachnid I’ve ever seen in my gorgeous (but also roofless) room for a little extra adventure.

I’d felt a little energy movement during my year of online practice, but during that week on The Blue Mountain, my body began to really buzz with Qi — life force energy — as I Lifted the Sky, stood in Wuji Stance, and practiced Shooting Arrows.

I felt electrified and joyful. 

And that was when everything changed for me.

At home, I had a successful career as a freelance writer, but I decided during my week in the cloud forest that I wanted more from life.

I wanted to explore the beauty, diversity, nature, and culture in every corner of the world.

And I wanted to share this intoxicating joyful feeling of life-giving freedom and adventure with anyone who wanted to come along for the ride.

Shortly after that, at age 53, I launched my travel blog.

Dreams really do come true. They are just waiting for you to claim them.

-Chris from Explore Now or Never

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6. From Rome With Love

This wasn’t the way I wanted to see Rome. 

Sure, I was happy to spend Christmas in Rome and stand in awe of the city’s many iconic attractions. But, life wasn’t meant to turn out like this.

I was supposed to go to Rome with my mom back in 2012; however, life had different plans, because a week before our trip, I got a double kidney infection. A condition that required a week of hospitalization.

Although I was annoyed I had missed my trip, it wasn’t the end of the world since I was fine and everything seemed okay…until my mom developed a cough.

A cough that later became a heartbreaking diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer. 

My mom spent the final months of her life in chemo, desperately trying to fight a horrific disease so that she wouldn’t let her family down.

And she didn’t.

Instead, she showed us how to never give up on life, even if it was a losing battle. 

So, when she eventually passed away, I booked a trip to Rome. 

Sure, it wasn’t the trip I had hoped for. But, I knew that as her daughter, it was my job to live enough for the both of us. 

And that’s exactly what I did.

Was I an anxious, sad, angry mess of a person?

Absolutely. I was still getting used to a world that my mother wasn’t a part of. 

And honestly, you never get used to that world. You just deal with it because you don’t really have a choice.

But I also knew that I wanted my mom to live on through me and that I didn’t want to live a life where the haunting phrases “should of,” “could of,” and “would have” swirled through my head and ate away at my happiness.

So, I went. I packed a boatload of tissues, sobbed my heart out, and attended Christmas mass at the Vatican. 

I also threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, walked through the Colosseum, chowed down on gelato, and spent two weeks doing all the things my mom and I had wanted to do. 

And that’s when it hit me. I had never gone to Rome alone because my mom had always been there with me. Maybe she wasn’t physically there, but I thought of her and felt her presence every minute of every day. 

Her presence also reminded me that life isn’t about the things we buy or the money that we have.

It’s about making memories with the people we love; people that never really leave us since they are constantly influencing our lives in countless ways.

And after my trip to Rome, I finally knew that my mom would always be there because she had forever changed my life in the best possible way. 

-Kelly from Girl with the Passport

inspiring travel stories in Finland

7. Studying In Finland

One of my major life-turning points happened during my exchange studies in Finland.

Until then, I was studying at a university in Prague, had a part-time job at a renowned management-consulting firm, and thought I was on the right path in life.

At the University of Economics where I studied it was notoriously difficult to get on an Erasmus exchange trip abroad since the demand was huge. Everyone wanted to go!

Regardless, I decided to sign up early for my last semester, just to see what the process was like to be better prepared for applying again in a year.

I did make it through all the three rounds and surprisingly got a spot at a University in Turku, Finland! I was ecstatic. The success brought its own challenges, but once you set your eyes on the goal, nothing can stop you.

And I had the time of my life in Finland.

I met the most amazing people, traveled a ton, partied a lot, and bonded with friends from all over the world.

Given I was one of the few people there who really needed to pass all her courses and additionally write her thesis, I managed to run on an impossible sleep schedule of four hours per night. But I made it!

My studies in Finland opened up my horizons, too.

The summer after, I wrapped up my life in Prague and went on to study in Germany and China . The whole time I traveled as much as possible, often going on solo adventures. It was only a matter of time when I’d start my own travel blog.

My Finland adventure led me to a life of freedom made up of remote work, travel blogging , and plenty of traveling. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. And it gave me one of my favorite true adventure stories that I can now share with others.

-Veronika from Travel Geekery

Travel experience stories in Cuba

8. How Cuba Changed My Life

One of my favorite inspiring stories about travel takes place in Cuba.

I visited Cuba in February 2013 and it changed my life — and I like to think it did so for the better.

Interestingly, I expected a completely different country and was compelled to write about it when I got back home.

But let me tell you more.

I read copious amounts of blogs and travel diaries to prepare myself for the trip to Cuba so I thought I’d go in with a fairly good idea of what to expect. Each and every post I read spoke of marvelous landscapes, pristine beaches, crumbling but charming cities, and welcoming locals.

All of it was true, in my experience — except for the locals.

I didn’t find them so welcoming. At least, not genuinely so. They only seemed to welcome me as far as they could get something in exchange: money, clothes, pens, soap, you name it. 

Each and every day in Cuba was a challenge to avoid the scams, to avoid being ripped off, to fight off each and every attempt of people trying to take advantage of me. I usually managed, but it was exhausting and it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Once I got back home I felt the urge to write about my experience — not for other sites or papers as I’d often do. This time I was afraid I’d be censored.

So I opened my own blog. With zero tech knowledge, zero understanding of online content creation and SEO, I started writing and telling people what they should really expect during a trip to Cuba.

I’d put up the occasional post, but continued with my usual job.

At the end of the year, my contract as a researcher in international human rights law at the local university ended, and I decided to stop pursuing that career for a while.

I packed my bags and left for a long-term trip to Central and South America . I started writing on the blog more consistently and learning, and eventually took my blog full-time , turning it into a career.

As of today, I have never looked back and have no regrets.

The one thing I’ll do, as soon as I can, is travel to Cuba to say thank you — because it changed my life in a way nothing else has ever done. 

-Claudia from Strictly Sardinia

inspiring travel stories in Patagonia

9. A Short Travel Story About Finding Inner Peace In Patagonia

Life in London is hard.

Life in London as a gay single brown refugee is harder.

Juggling between work, my passion for traveling, and the prejudices that I dealt with on a daily basis eventually took their toll on me and I reached a breaking point.

The fact that I couldn’t return home to see my family and being away for them for almost nine years was enough to hammer in the final nail in the coffin.

I almost had a nervous breakdown and in that moment of desperation, which I knew would define the rest of my life, I took a month off and headed to Patagonia.

It was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. The 36 hours it took me to get to El Chalten from London were tiring but Patagonia blew me away.

On my first day there I did a 28-kilometer (17-mile) hike which included a steep mountain climb. It was incredible how moving through the forest helped me clear my mind. And as I stood in front of Laguna de Los Tres, the rain and clouds gave way to sunshine and a rainbow.

I felt at peace.

The countless hikes, great food, and the warmth of locals in Chile and Argentina helped me get back in my skin and find the peace I was missing in my heart.

Nature is indeed the best medicine when it comes to stress relief and I won’t be coy about hugging trees to speed up the process (it did).

Patagonia was life-changing for me.

The beauty of nature struck me at each point and every time I thought it wasn’t possible to beat the view, the next one did just that.

I came back a changed, resilient, and most importantly, a happy person.

-Ucman from BrownBoyTravels

A unique travel experience in Colorado

10. Looking Inwards & Making Connections With Strangers

It was decades before I traveled solo for the first time in my life.

This trip — a six-day escape to Colorado — was the first trip that was not for business or family reasons but just to travel and discover.

As I prepared for it, I had a strange feeling of excitement and nerves at the same time. I had all sorts of thoughts and doubts:

Would it be fun?

Would I be bored?

Would I stay in bed all day or would I bounce with excitement to do the next thing?

I wasn’t sure. Little did I know that it was going to be a memorable journey of self-discovery. 

As a good wife and mom, for me travel is always about the family; always thinking of who would enjoy what. It’s about family time and bonding. It’s about creating memories and travel stories together. It’s all so wonderful.

But on a solo trip who would I connect with? What would I say?

Well, I found that I got to do anything I wanted!

Usually when I travel with my family, if I feel like going on a drive that’s not on the itinerary or getting a snack no one else is interested in, we simply don’t do that.

So it was weird to just go do it. Really, that’s a thing?

As for making connections, it was so easy to meet locals while traveling and also to connect with other travelers. Honestly, I had conversations everywhere — on planes, while hiking, in restaurants, in the hotel lobby.

It was quite an eye-opening experience to meet a mom of 18 kids and hundreds of foster kids, a cookie baker, a professional photographer, a family of Fourteener hikers, and an internationally ranked marathon runner.

The inspiring stories I discovered were amazing and nothing like my wonderful safe life at home. 

In terms of travel safety , I got to go rock climbing, solo hiking, driving up a Fourteener, eating alone.

And it was all fine. Actually, it felt surprisingly normal.

It was was just me, my SUV, and my backpack for a week. Most of all, it was a breath of fresh air that I didn’t know existed. 

It’s wonderful to be back home and know that possibilities are endless and there is so much more out there to explore and be wowed by!

-Jyoti from Story At Every Corner

life-changing travel experience stories in Colombia

11. A Solo Hike To Find Connection

I have traveled solo many times, but I admit I was a bit uneasy booking my trip to Colombia . In part, due to the country’s dark past. But also because I desperately wanted to do the Cocora Valley hike, and if I’m honest, I was terrified.

This hike is located in the Coffee Triangle, an area recognized for its beauty as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features both rainforest and a stunning green valley speckled with cartoonishly-tall wax palms rising 200 feet or more.

It’s incredibly beautiful.

It’s also a long hike and quite challenging — it generally takes between six and eight hours and there is a steep area with over 3,000 feet of elevation within a quarter of a mile.

I wasn’t in hiking shape, so I was a little concerned. But, worst of all for me were the seven dodgy-looking suspension bridges. 

I’m terrified of heights.

And, I’d be going alone.

I decided to go anyway and I met an incredible woman on the bus to Salento, the town near Cocora. She was also traveling solo and we agreed to hike together.

The town is a backpacker enclave and we met up with a small group of people all traveling solo. As the days passed, our group got larger and it was such a magical experience.

As much as I love city travel, this small town won my heart.

My new friend and I set off on the hike and met two other women who were nervous to do the hike. We all went together.

When we got to the first suspension bridge, I paused. I was embarrassed to admit my fear, but the bridge swayed widely and there was nowhere to hold onto.

When they realized how out of my comfort zone I was and how scared I felt, everything changed. Instead of me dealing with it alone, they were all there to encourage me.

One crossed the bridge to encourage me from the other side and they stayed off of it to limit the sway. Crazy enough, I not only crossed the seven suspension bridges, but I also crossed one an extra time when we went the wrong way on the trail.

I did it! 

I was prepared to be blown away by Cocora Valley’s beauty, but what I wasn’t expecting was what a life-changing travel experience my time there would be.

 -Sam from My Flying Leap

short stories on travel and sustainability

12. How A Pet Sitting Travel Experience Led To A Passionate Career

We wanted to go to the Caribbean but didn’t know much about the islands or how we were going to afford it.

By chance, a friend of ours in Australia mentioned “pet sitting” and that it is something you can do all over the world.

We quickly created an account on a pet sitting website and began searching for options. There were only a couple of sits available in that part of the world, but we tried our luck, sent a request, and to our surprise landed a three-month gig in a beautiful house in the US Virgin Islands — with an infinity pool overlooking the British Virgin Islands.

A month into our sit, we had explored the destination pretty well and so had a lot of time on our hands. We managed to secure another sit in Grenada, so our year was going to be taken up with Caribbean pet sits.

Inspired by a Canadian couple that had previously stayed at our Grenada housesit, we decided to start our own travel blog. We began by writing about The Virgin Islands, highlighting the beautiful beaches and funky bars.

But for every photo of a beautiful beach there were 10 photos of trash.     

It was hard to ignore the plastic pollution issue, especially on such pristine and remote beaches.  So, we began to share photos of the trash we saw and how much we could pick up on our daily dog walks.

The more we looked into plastic pollution, the more we realized the severity of the global plastic pandemic. From that point, we used our platform to create awareness and highlight ways to say no to plastic and travel plastic-free .

We changed our daily routines, our way of living, and even our diets to accommodate more organic foods and little to no plastic packaging.

It’s been over three years now and we continue to do what we can. This journey has led us to some amazing places, working with great conscious brands and even organizing a country-wide beach clean-up campaign in Grenada.

Our aim now is to keep on going.

We love connecting with like-minded people and love the shift over the last few years that brands have made towards creating more sustainable products and services.

It’s been an amazing few years that was sparked by a conversation about pet sitting. Who would have guessed?

-Aaron & Vivien from The Dharma Trails

travel for experience in Uganda

13. Learning To Slow Down The Hard Way

On Christmas of 2017, I was born again.

We like to spend our Christmas holidays somewhere warm abroad, and that year we chose Uganda.

Nature, wildlife, and sunny days were a blessing when it was so cold and dark in Europe. Life was beautiful, and we had a rental car and a busy schedule ahead to explore the country.

This is where this short travel story turns into one of my more scary travel experiences :

At Murchinson Falls National Park, we had a car accident.

I lost control of the car, and it rolled over, destroying windows, chassis, and engine.

But we were alive! My right arm was severely injured, but we managed to walk to our lodge, not far inside the park.

In the lodge, I was happy to learn that there was a pretty decent American hospital in Masindi that was just a one-hour drive from the lodge. Moreover, one of the lodge’s guests was a nurse who cleaned the wound while we were waiting for the taxi from/to Masindi.

The hospital took care of us, and after a couple of injections and stitches, I was ready to head to our new hotel in Masindi; however, my wound required daily dressing and more injections, so we were asked to stay in town for a few days.   

Masindi is the kind of place where you may want to stop to buy some food or water, but that’s it.

The town’s highlights were the market and our daily visit to the hospital, so we ended up looking for the small things, chatting with the medical staff, the hotel staff, the people in the market, and learning more about their customs.

We learned to slow down the hard way.

When we were allowed to leave, we took a road trip south through the country to see something else. We did not care about our travel bucket list anymore — we were alive, and we wanted to enjoy Uganda’s unique nature and its people. 

In the end, our Uganda trip was not about the places that we saw, but the people that we met. It was travel for experience vs sightseeing.

I hope to revisit Uganda one day, with a stop at Masindi for some food, water, and maybe something else.

-Elisa from World in Paris

short travel stories about cycling

14. A Cycling Trip To Remember

During the summer of 2019, I cycled solo from London to Istanbul. This huge bicycle tour took me 89 days and through 11 countries.

As you might expect, it was a challenging yet incredible journey, which saw me pedal along some of Europe’s greatest rivers, pass through some of its best cities, and witness some of its most beautiful scenery.

It’s becoming more and more important for us to think about the impact that travel can have on our environment. This was the inspiration for my bicycle tour; I wanted to find more responsible ways to explore the world and avoid flights where possible.

I discovered that bicycle touring is one of the most eco-friendly ways to travel, as using nothing but a bicycle and your own pedal power you can carry everything you need while covering surprising distances each day.

The simplicity of life and the sheer amount of time I spent cycling alone gave me a lot of time to just think . This really helped me to come to terms with some personal problems rooted in my past and, as a result, I arrived solo in Istanbul with newly found confidence, independence, and liberation. 

Cycling across the entire European continent may seem like an impossibly daunting task, but I assure you, it will make you feel like a new person, just like it did for me.

-Lauren from The Planet Edit

Best travel experience in Jamaica

15. How The Caribbean Shaped Me Into A Fully Sustainable Traveler

One of my first international trips as an adult was traveling around the Caribbean .

I checked into my hotel in Jamaica and asked for a recommendation for a local place to eat. The receptionist told me that under no circumstances should I should go into the town because it was really dangerous, but that — to my luck — the hotel’s restaurant offered wonderful Caribbean food.

I pondered my options:

Did I really want to spend all my time on the beach without getting to know a single local?

I was a very inexperienced traveler and very young, but there was only one answer to my question:

Absolutely not. I was not going to be visiting a new place and staying hostage in a hotel chain. So out I went.

The poverty hit me in the face. After only seeing fancy resorts, the reality was hard to swallow.

A few locals approached me and were super curious as to what I was doing there alone, since most tourists didn’t go there.

I told them I was interested in meeting them and experiencing their culture. And just like that, I was embraced.

We met more people, had some food, and then we danced the night away. They had so little, yet they wanted to share it with me. They wanted to make me feel welcome.

And they undeniably did.

The next morning all I could think about was how all the money most tourists spend goes to big corporations. The locals have to be thankful if they get a job that pays minimum wage, while foreign businesses earn millions.

I have always been environmentally conscious, but this trip made it clear that sustainability goes well beyond nature and wildlife.

It’s also about communities.

From then on I always look for locally owned accommodation, eateries, guides, and souvenirs.

Sustainability, with everything it entails, became a motto for me and changed the very essence of the way I travel.

-Coni from  Experiencing the Globe

Short stories about travel in Peru

16. Lessons From My Students In Peru

One of the most life-changing trips I’ve ever been on was a volunteering experience in the stunning city of Cuzco in Peru.

I spent a month there teaching English and Italian to a group of local adults. And even though my time there was short, the travel experience was so humbling that it changed my outlook on life.

My lessons took the form of active conversations, which essentially turned into a massive multilingual cultural exchange between me and my students. Hearing my students talk about their lives — and realizing just how different they were from mine — made me look at my own life with a fresh new perspective.

One person spoke about the three years he spent living in a jungle with his dad, where they fed off of animals they hunted in order to survive.

Another student told me about her ultimate dream of mastering English so that she could become a tour guide and have a more stable future.

For me, these stories were a reminder of just how small I am in this world and how much we can get consumed by the small bubbles we live in. 

Most of all, my students showed a passion and appreciation for life that I’d never witnessed before.

This is true for the locals I met in Cuzco in general. The quality of life in Cuzco is very modest; hot water is scarce and you learn to live with little.

But the locals there do way more than just that — they spontaneously parade the streets with trumpets and drums just because they’re feeling happy, and their energy for the simple things in life is incredibly contagious.

It was impossible to not feel inspired in Cuzco because my students always had the biggest smiles on their faces, and the locals showed me again and again that simply being alive is a blessing.

I went to Peru to teach, but ended up learning more from my students and the locals there than they did from me.

Ever since I got back from that trip, I made it a goal to slow down and not take the simple things in life for granted.

Every time I get upset about something, I think about the Peruvians in Cuzco parading their streets in song and pure joy, and I tell myself to stop complaining.

-Jiayi from  The Diary of a Nomad

inspiring traveling stories about overcoming obstacles

17. Braving Travel With Chronic Pain

Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful city with a prominent cathedral positioned centrally within the city.

While the historical cathedral attracts numerous visitors, even more well-known is the route to Santiago de Compostela, Camino de Santiago –- the world-famous pilgrimage route that has a plethora of trailheads and ends in Santiago. 

Home to locals, students, English teachers, and those on a spiritual pilgrimage, personal conquest, or a great outdoor hiking excursion, Santiago is a magical city.

My introduction to Santiago de Compostela doesn’t begin on the pilgrimage route, yet ends with a spiritual awakening analogous with those other unique pilgrimage stories.

It was my first solo trip abroad teaching English in Spain, a country that’s always been on my travel bucket list. A small town outside of Santiago was selected as the school I’d be teaching at for the year.

Unknowingly, this teach abroad program chose the perfect city for me to live in. 

A year prior, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that left me unable to function normally and complete average tasks. Migraines, headaches, and dizziness became my body’s normal temperament, a hidden disability invisible to the naked eye. 

Braving travel with chronic pain was the first lesson I learned during the trip.

The vast green outdoors and fresh dew from the morning rain enlivened me daily and reminded me about the importance of slowing down so I could enjoy traveling with my hidden disability. 

I also learned to stop often for daily tea breaks and to embrace the long lunch hour,  siestas , with good food, company, and a nap to rest.

Meeting locals , indulging in local food, and learning Spanish allowed me to connect deeply with the beautiful culture of Santiago. After all, my dream was to travel to Spain, and I more than accomplished that dream.

Difficult or not, I learned to own my dream and I was more than surprised with the results.

Who knew that a year after my injury I’d be traveling the world with chronic pain, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

-Ciara from Wellness Travel Diaries

travel experience stories in China

18. A Blessing In Disguise

2020 has been a wild year for all of us and foreign students in China are no exception. As soon as the malevolent virus began to make its rounds in China, our university sent us home for “two weeks.”

However, within a short time, countries began to shut their borders and these “two weeks” turned into months, a full year even.

Crushed by the burden of online lectures and virtual labs, my boyfriend and I packed our bags and caught one of the first flights to his home country of Pakistan.

I had always been an over-ambitious traveler. I believed numbers were everything — the number of countries I visited, the number of hours I spent on a plane, the number of international trips I took in a year. These numbers were what defined me.

My feet were constantly itching and I never liked to spend more than a few days in a place before heading to the next country. Revisiting a place felt superfluous to me.

That’s why I was hoping to spend a month or two in Pakistan and then continue to check new countries off the list — after all, my online classes finally granted me the freedom to “work on my numbers.”

But as is usually the case in 2020, things turned out quite different from what I had expected. Borders remained closed and worldwide infections stayed rampant. At this point, I have already spent nearly half a year in Pakistan.

During this peculiar time, however, an amazing thing happened:

My mindset about travel started to change and I began to look at my long stay in Pakistan as perhaps my most valuable travel experience ever.

I may not have visited dozens of countries like in previous years but my experiences were deeper than ever before.

From trekking to one of the world’s tallest mountains to sharing tea with heavily armed officers at nearly 5,000 meters altitude to exploring hidden beaches in the most secluded regions to spontaneously being invited to village homes, my adventures in Pakistan couldn’t have been more incredible. They opened my eyes to the sheer diversity of many countries and completely transformed my idea about traveling. 

It took me nearly a full year of heavy restrictions on international travel and a few months in one of the world’s most fascinating countries to give up on my superficial ideals and become a more mature traveler.

This time will always have a special place in my heart.

-Arabela from The Spicy Travel Girl

short travel stories about life-changing trips

19. What The River Taught Me

My travel story takes place in the summer of 2017 — the final summer before I graduated university — as it continues to play a significant role in the person I’ve become.

When I say that, people ask me if it was the portion of the summer I spent solo backpacking in Europe . And to their surprise, it wasn’t. It was actually the latter portion of the summer where I stayed closer to home.

For July and August I worked as a canoe guide leading whitewater canoe trips on remote rivers in Canada. It was here that I got to canoe the powerful and iconic Missinaibi River, a river that continues to influence me all these years later.

The Missinaibi River flows from the powerful Lake Superior to the even more powerful salty waters of James Bay. Here, I led a group of eight teenagers through dozens of whitewater rapids over 500 kilometers (~311 miles).

With no cell service for 25 days, we were forced to disconnect from anything other than the river.

During this trip I learned two important lessons:

First, I learned to be confident in my own abilities as a leader and problem solver.

There were a few rapids where my campers’ boats flipped and I had to rescue the campers and the canoes. One rescue saw two boats flip on a mile-long rapid. It took six hours to make it down the rapid, and during this time I managed stuck canoes and crying campers.

And while this was one of the most difficult rescues I’ve done, I was amazed at how calm I was throughout it. I gave clear directions, prioritized effectively, and kept my campers safe throughout the entire experience. Following the rescue, I had a newfound sense of confidence in my abilities.

The second lesson I learned on the Missinaibi was the power of disconnecting from society and connecting with the people around you.

A wild river commands all of your attention. Each day, you and your group must take down camp, load canoes, paddle up to eight hours while navigating both rapids and portages, get to a new campsite, set up camp, cook dinner, and go to bed.

And without the distraction of technology, your attention has nowhere else to be. You focus on the river and your teammates.

As someone who had wrestled with anxiety and depression prior to this summer, I felt at total ease on the trip. Now I seek societal disconnection and human connection as much as I can. 

Sometimes the most profound, life-altering trips are the least expected trips closer to home.

-Mikaela of  Voyageur Tripper

More Short Travel Experience Stories

25 Crazy Travel Stories You Need To Read To Believe

23 Inspiring Travel Stories Sharing The Kindness Of Strangers

17 True Short Adventure Travel Stories To Inspire Your Next Trip

38 Inspiring Travel Love Stories From The Road

16 Short Funny Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh

20 Embarrassing Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh & Blush

21 Travel Horror Stories About Scary Travel Experiences

Do you have any inspiring travel experience stories about life-changing trips to share?

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These stories are so much fun to read! Thanks so much for putting a post like this together. It’s great to be able to check out other people’s blogs and read about other people’s experiences!

Always great to read about travel experiences of others. Some great stories to read over coffee. I’ve Pinned your post for future reference and to share with others. Will check out each story author’s blog as well. Great Job! 🙂

Amazing story for new traveler like me thanks for your contribution

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LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

Talking about travel experiences.

describe good and bad travel experiences

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2-B1)

Type of English: General English

Tags: travel and leisure town and country transport people and places plans and arrangements people and places 13-15 years old 16-18 years old 18+ years old Vocabulary lesson Speaking

Publication date: 03/11/2024

In this lesson, students develop their conversational skills by talking about travel experiences. The lesson starts with a speaking task about general preferences for travelling. The students then look at two stories and make predictions about the events and identify positive and negative factors that can influence a travel experience. The students then play a word game to identify and categorise a set of adjectives and complete a follow-up practice task. They then listen to two people describing a recent travel experience and complete gist and detailed questions. The students finish the lesson by consolidating and personalising the language in a student-centred interview about a previous trip.

by Victoria Aitken

describe good and bad travel experiences

travel_experience_be.mp3

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Student worksheet

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In this lesson, students develop their conversational skills by talking about travel experiences. The lesson starts with a speaking task about general preferences for traveling. The students then look at two stories and make predictions about the events and identify positive and negative factors that can influence a travel experience. The students then play a word game to identify and categorize a set of adjectives and complete a follow-up practice task. They then listen to two people describing a recent travel experience and complete gist and detailed questions. The students finish the lesson by consolidating and personalizing the language in a student-centered interview about a previous trip.

travel_experience_ae.mp3

COURSE PLANS

This comprehensive course plan covers the full range of language needs – listening, role play, vocabulary development.

Worksheets in Speak English course plan

describe good and bad travel experiences

Type of English: General English Level: Pre-intermediate (A2-B1)

describe good and bad travel experiences

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Pocket Passport

TRAVEL: MY TIME IN INDONESIA

In this intermediate-level ESL lesson, you will learn grammar, vocabulary, and phrases to talk about everyday English topics: an English conversation lesson to talk about past good and bad travel experiences.

This ESL lesson also comes with a downloadable PDF you can access when you are a member of Pocket Passport. Sign up as a student or teacher below.

This ESL video lesson for daily English will help ESL students learn vocabulary, grammar, improve listening and be confident English speakers.

Practical English for everyday situations.e

My Time In Indonesia

ESL Discussion Questions

If you quit your job, what would you do?

If you could take a one-month holiday starting tomorrow, where would you go?

Do you like prefer to relax or adventure when you travel?

Are you willing to try ‘any’ local dishes when you travel? What are your limitations if any?

What kinds of activities do you like to do when you travel?

What are your best and worst travel memories (domestic or international)?

Watch, Read or Listen

ESL Video on Travel Experiences

Watch the following ESL YouTube video lesson to talk about travel experiences.

ESL Listening Practice

Watch the YouTube video and answer the following questions on Travel Experiences.

describe good and bad travel experiences

What did he decide one year ago?

What is the blog post about?

What was he surrounded by when he arrived?

What did he eat on the second day?

How was the bar that he went to?

How was his night?

Where did he enjoy the sun on the final day?

What was one of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen?

ESL Speaking Activity

Use the illustrations to talk about the passage and travel experiences.

Talk About Travel Experiences

ESL Vocabulary to talk about travel experiences

Amazing | amount | awful | deal with | disappointed especially | improve | intensity | local | popular stressful | surprising | surrounded | thankfully unfortunately | waste of time.

Match the words on the left with the meanings on the right .

Food Cart

ESL Discussion

Discuss the following quotes about travel and life experiences .

Aeroplane

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” Anonymous
“It feels good to be lost in the right direction.” Unknown
“Life is a journey, not a destination.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” Anthony Bourdain

Discuss the following questions about travel and life experiences .

Passport for Travelling

  • What are the best and worst ways to travel? (Plane, train, car, hitchhiking, etc.)
  • Do you take time to enjoy the sunrise and sunset when you travel? How about in everyday life?
  • Do you tend to eat a lot when you travel? Do you like street food?
  • Do you go to bars or nightclubs when you travel? Why or why not?
  • Have you ever had extremely memorable service (either good or bad)?

In Your Own Words

Explain what the word or phrase in bold means and give an example. Example: She was exhausted because she worked until midnight. Meaning: very tired - I’m exhausted because I stayed up and studied all night.

Arriving at the airport to be surrounded by taxi drivers was a little stressful .

I wasn’t interested in dealing with this kind of intensity .

It was so good that I had seconds .

Unfortunately, the whole night was a waste of time .

The music was awful .

Missing Words

Watch the video again and complete the sentences.

Taxi

One year ago, I decided to ___________________ 1 and travel the world.

This week’s blog post is about my time in Indonesia.

Day 1: Arriving at the airport to be surrounded by taxi drivers was a little _____________ 2 . I was tired from my flight, and I wasn’t interested in dealing with this kind of ________________ 3 . Thankfully, things improved when I arrived at my hotel. The staff was friendly, and the hotel was _________________ 4 . The food especially was amazing!

Day 2: I walked around the _______________ 5 area in the morning and enjoyed looking in the interesting local stores. I ate some of the _______________ 6 street food that I’d heard about. It was so good that I had ____________________ 7 .

Day 3: I spent the evening at a bar that was popular with tourists, but I was ___________________ 8 . It was too expensive, and the music was awful. Later, I went to a club to dance, but the music was terrible. Unfortunately, the whole night was a ____________________ 9 .

Day 4: It was a much better day. We went out on a fishing boat with some local people and _________________________ 10 enjoying the sun, enjoying some good company, and catching a surprising amount of fish! Later, I saw the sun set over the ocean, which was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!

describe good and bad travel experiences

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TravelAwaits

Our mission is to serve the 50+ traveler who's ready to cross a few items off their bucket list.

My 7 Most Unforgettable Travel Experiences

describe good and bad travel experiences

Heather Markel

  • Activities and Interests
  • Destinations
  • Food and Drink
  • History and Culture
  • Sightseeing

I’ve just started my fourth year of nomadic life. In the past three years, I’ve been to 25 countries (if not for the pandemic, it would have been at least 10 more!) and had some of the most wonderful experiences of my entire life. Here are a few of my favorite experiences in some of the countries I’ve had the privilege to visit:

A wild leopard in South Africa.

1. Seeing My First Leopard In South Africa

I was deeply moved by the visceral connection I felt with the land and the people while in South Africa. However, I didn’t expect to become obsessed with seeing a leopard before I left. I went out on several safaris, including Chobe and Etosha national parks, where I missed out on seeing a leopard the first time and was robbed of seeing leopards the second time. Thus began my obsession.

It wasn’t until I got to Kruger National Park that I finally saw one. In fact, I saw five. The first was a mother and cub, but it was dark so impossible to take good photos. The next day, we stopped for one by the side of the road, stalking an impala. Its perfect, sinewy muscles quivered in anticipation, and I felt like I saw the most beautiful animal I had ever encountered. Lean, the perfect killing machine, and yet also stunningly beautiful. Eventually, she walked with a swift, confident gait, and disappeared into the tall, dry grass. I will never forget that leopard.

Yerba mate tea in Argentina.

2. Drinking Yerba Mate And Malbec In Argentina

Last year was my first in Argentina, and it became one of my favorite places in the world. Drinking yerba mate was an experience of sharing culture, intellectual conversation, and making new friends. In Bariloche, I took a class and learned the proper way to prepare it, and that there are many different brands and flavors. I shared many cups with strangers and learned about their lives, and even developed lasting friendships. In my opinion, you cannot truly understand the culture of Argentina without trying at least one cup of this drink, which boosts many healing properties as well!

Before heading to Argentina, I was an avid fan of malbec wine. But there’s no comparison to drinking it in Mendoza. I went to the Uco Valley, famed for the best malbec wines in the world, and they were all excellent. The experience is divine — you can take a bus, a local train, or a bike, depending which vineyards (called bodegas) you plan to visit. I had a glass most days of the four months I spent in Argentina.

The writer's manicure from Vietnam.

3. Nail Art, Massages, And Learning Motorcycle Culture In Vietnam

Vietnam was a combination of sights, sounds, and smells. Prices were so cheap I simply couldn’t comprehend how I could make it through an entire day spending so little.

One day, a friend treated me to a manicure and pedicure with nail art. I pulled up complex nail art photos on Instagram I liked, thinking they would make a modified version. Instead, my manicurist made a perfect, highly detailed copy of the designs I showed her. In fact, they looked better on my nails than they did on Instagram. The whole process took her two hours, and cost $20 USD. It remains the most incredible manicure and pedicure I’ve ever had.

When I look back at my time in Vietnam, I still can’t believe I managed to cross a street, ever. And yet, somehow, I found the rhythm of the motorbikes and survived. Looking at my photos, I’m amazed that entire families rode their motorbikes together. The motorbike seemed to be a mode of transportation as well as a way families spent time together. One of my favorite photos is of a woman kissing her son as she drives along.

Who doesn’t love a massage? How about a really excellent, hour-long massage for less than $10? I got a few massages a week, they were so good and affordable. My favorite massage parlor was in Hanoi.

Maori art in New Zealand.

4. Eating Honey And Red Kiwifruit, Seeking Greenstone, And Learning About Maori Culture In New Zealand

Now marooned in New Zealand for almost a year, I’ve had a lot of time to get familiar with the culture. I’ve had a few surprising lessons on the food front. Firstly, being raised in America, I thought kiwifruit only existed in green. As it turns out, it comes in gold and red as well. The red is the sweetest, and perhaps one of the best, fruits I’ve ever tasted. It is only available during March and April, so you have to time your visit to New Zealand just right! The other surprise for me was honey. When I’ve gotten it at home, it crystallizes long before I finish a jar. In New Zealand, I’ve learned to use honey almost every day. Whether that be in my tea, on toast, plain, or as a skin remedy, I’ve gone through many jars.

When I first arrived, I noticed all the stores sold jewelry made out of a green stone. I learned it’s called pounamu and is found on the South Island. While, at first, it seemed like a tourist souvenir, it now seems like a rite of passage. I had no idea the greenstone came in so many shapes, colors, hues, and varieties. I’ve already bought two pieces because they represent a deeper connection to the country for me, and my time here, which I will never forget.

I didn’t realize the movie  Moana  was based on this area of the world. Locals I’ve spoken with believe the fictional Polynesian island of Motunui is based on New Zealand, since the story is partly based on Maori legends. Looking at the landscapes, I can certainly believe a demigod pulled mountains out of the sea!

The indigenous people came here via the sea, as Moana’s community did in the film, and their history and culture are fascinating. This is the first country I’ve been to where tattoos signify family and tradition and are specific to the tribe each person descended from. In fact, the Maori tattoo artists have to study the designs of over 100 tribes to do their job properly.

A Highland cow in Scotland.

5. Playing With Highland Cows And Getting Heathergems In Scotland

If you’ve read any of my other articles, you may know that I love cows! I have to admit that the Highland cow stole my heart. With a crop of hair over their eyes leaving one to wonder how they see past it, and babies that look like giant blobs of fur, it’s impossible not to fall in love with them.

Scotland is also known for my namesake growing on hills. I’ve seen the Heather plant, but what’s wonderful in Scotland is that a company found a technique to color the roots of the Heather plants and make beautiful jewelry. Heathergems is located in Pitlochry, Scotland, where you can visit the factory store, but their jewelry is available throughout the country. I still treasure the pieces I bought there.

The Moai on Easter Island.

6. Seeing The Moai On Easter Island

Easter Island struck me as one of those places most people see photos of but don’t actually go. It’s a tiny island, a four-hour flight from Santiago, Chile, and seems so remote and impossible to get to from the U.S. that I’m sure I wouldn’t have gone if I didn’t quit my job. On my way to Santiago, I found a round-trip flight on a Dreamliner for less than $300 USD. I snapped it up and had an incredible experience.

The island is expensive and touristy, but no matter, there are layers of intrigue to it. Most people stay only a few days, but I stayed almost a week, giving me more time to see the stone statues, called Moai, and learn about the island’s history and people. Seeing the Moai in person, you really understand how huge they are — and that they weigh a lot. Therein lies the intrigue. They were built long before we had the modern technology to move them (and it’s still not easy, proven by the tsunami that knocked many down in the 1960s). All the statues were built in the one quarry on the island and then moved to their current resting places. But at the time they were built, there were warring tribes inhabiting the island. So not only did the statues get moved, they got transported safely. The mystery will make you believe in aliens.

Monks in Cambodia.

7. Learning Monks Aren’t That Different Than The Rest Of Us In Cambodia

While in Asia, especially in Cambodia, I developed a minor obsession with the monks. I loved the orange color of the robes most of them wear, and the energy they carry with them as they walk. Even the young boys with shaved heads seem somehow dignified and full of purpose. Their robes provide a beautiful contrast to the aging stone of the temples they live in.

For me, it was the contrast of holy and normal life blending together that really fascinated me. Seeing a monk shop for groceries like any non-holy person was humbling. For a moment, we had something in common. I had some silly idea that monks still led more sequestered lives, so seeing them smoke cigarettes and use smartphones was a real surprise! I enjoyed their presence everywhere I went.

There are so many beautiful experiences to be had in every country. I feel lucky and blessed to have had these, and know many more await me!

Inspired? Here are the destinations mentioned in this article:

  • South Africa
  • New Zealand
  • Easter Island

Image of Heather Markel

Heather is a full-time travel coach who is passionate about helping professionals seeking more freedom and flexibility to ditch their desk and discover their destiny through full-time travel. She provides her clients with the path to the mindset, money, and mastery to make a full-time travel lifestyle possible. Since quitting, she's become an international best-selling author and is about to do her first TEDx talk! Learn more about Heather's travel adventures on her website, Heather Begins.

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Talking about BAD Travel Experience – Vocabulary & Phrases

In this free English speaking lesson, you will learn different ways of speaking about a bad travel experience you may have had. Often, we use words like ‘bad’, ‘terrible’ and ‘horrible’ to describe our travel experience. Now, let’s look at some English phrases we could use to talk about the bad travel experience.

“MY FLIGHT WAS OVERBOOKED, AND I GOT BUMPED TO A LATER ONE.”

A “flight” is a trip by aeroplane. If the flight is “overbooked,” it means that the airline sold too many tickets, and there is not enough space on the plane for all the people who have purchased tickets. This means that some people will get “bumped” to a later flight – they can’t go on the flight at the original time and have to wait for a different flight later.

RECOVER FROM THE JET LAG.”

“Jet lag” is when you travel to a different time zone, and your body’s “clock” is different from the local time. This makes you wake up too early or feel tired in the middle of the day, for example. Depending on the time difference, it can take several days for your body to adjust to the new time zone. We can also use the word as an adjective: “I’m jet-lagged.”

“MY HOTEL WAS IN A REALLY SEEDY AREA.”

A “seedy” area is a place that looks dirty, disorganized, and possibly dangerous.

“I WAS MUGGED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!”

If you were mugged, it means that a robber (or thief) stole valuable things from you, such as your wallet, cell phone, purse or bag, or jewelry while you were on the street or in another public place. In broad daylight” means that the event happened during the daytime and was clearly visible.

Mugging may be with or without violence. If a weapon was used, we often say “mugged at knifepoint” or “mugged at gunpoint.” (Alternatively, you can say “robbed at knifepoint” or “robbed at gunpoint.”)

“WE FORGOT TO BRING BUG SPRAY AND GOT COMPLETELY BITTEN UP.”

“Bug spray” (also called “bug repellent” or “insect repellent”) is a chemical product you can apply to your skin to keep insects away. If you got “bitten up,” it means you got lots of bites by mosquitoes or other insects.

“I ENDED UP WITH HUGE BLISTERS AFTER WALKING.”

“Blisters” are pockets under your skin filled with fluid. People often get blisters on their feet after walking, running, or hiking for a long time. You can also get blisters if your shoes don’t fit well. The phrasal verb “ended up” is used to describe the final result of something.

“SOMETHING I ATE DIDN’T AGREE WITH ME, AND I GOT THE RUNS.”

If you say that a food “didn’t agree with you,” it means that it made you a little bit sick. Your stomach felt agitated and maybe you threw up (vomited) or got the runs (diarrhea).

“I HAD TO CATCH THE RED-EYE TO GET BACK TO WORK ON MONDAY MORNING.”

A “red-eye” is a flight that leaves very late at night and arrives early the next morning. It is called a “redeye” because you can’t sleep very well on the plane, so you usually arrive tired, with your eyes red and irritated from lack of sleep!

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The Lows Behind My Top 5 Travel Experiences

October 26, 2015 by Silvia 45 Comments

5 Ways Travel Will Change Your Life

Why Every Woman Should Travel Solo At Least Once

Buy A Plane Ticket and Begin Your Life

I could go on with this list, but I think you get the point. They’re the articles that pop up in our newsfeed and have us sighing with wanderlust, the articles that give us the drive and courage to take the plunge into travel, and the articles that we repost to show our friends and family that, see, we’re not crazy, we will be fine, and our lives are awesome!

But they’re also the articles that can make us doubt ourselves during those times when travel  isn’t so fun, life changing, or exciting. The low times. When we wonder… are we doing it wrong?

Yesterday I received the 753rd (or maybe just the third) email from a person telling me that reading blogs like mine inspired them to travel, but now that they’re on their big adventure they’re feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, and then guilty for those feelings because it means they’re not making the most of their travel time.

You know who else feels guilty? Me, for ever suggesting that travel is only ups without any downs.

While I do sometimes write about bad travel experiences , I usually try to remain positive about my experiences because the last thing I want to do is discourage someone from traveling. But the truth is, there are always lows, and I think that’s perfectly fine.

Especially when traveling long-term, it’s normal to go through periods where you’re not as excited or energetic, or just aren’t enjoying a place as much as usual, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not getting anything out of your travels.

But what’s more, I experienced low points even during my all-time best travel experiences. These are things that I quickly forgot in retrospect because overall my time was so amazing, but maybe it’s good to sometimes be reminded of the bad because chances are, if you’re going to have a truly life changing experience, something about it is going to be difficult.

Anyone who’s ever read my blog is probably sick of me going on about Iran – I just can’t shut up about how much I loved my time there! Funny then how I’ve had no problem shutting up about the fact that smack dab in the middle of my Best Trip Ever I canceled my plans to go to Yazd and instead booked a night in a hotel room in Tehran to unwind.

I was sad to miss out on Yazd, but I knew that two straight weeks of Couchsurfing and socializing would be too much for this introvert . I needed 24 hours by myself to gather my thoughts and recharge, even if that meant “wasting” a precious day of my visa.

Central Asia

Another trip that I annoyingly bring up again and again, Central Asia quickly became my favorite region in the world to travel through. I tell everyone that they need to go (especially to Kyrygzstan and Tajikistan !), and it’s number one on my list of places I want to return.

I seem to have forgotten that while on this amazing backpacking trip I fought with the two girls I was traveling with nearly every day. Three can be a tough number to travel in and as the only Russian speaker in our group, I felt constantly overwhelmed by having to do all the communication. I think either Danielle or I cried just about every day we were in Tajikistan – a country that I now list among my top three places I’ve ever visited.

I remember responding with skepticism when Sasha told me that we would probably forget all the fighting when looking back on our time in Central Asia, but it turns out she was right!

Lake Baikal

It’s difficult to describe the feeling of standing on the frozen surface of the deepest lake in the world. The water was crystal clear, meaning I could see deep into the lake – something that had my legs wobbling just a bit (a lot).

Visiting Lake Baikal was definitely one of my top travel experiences, but I wasn’t sure I could include it here because there weren’t any lows. I asked Dan and he agreed that nothing bad happened there, “Well, except for the fact that you couldn’t breathe.”

Oh right, I was deathly ill at Lake Baikal! In fact, I left with a cough that would plague me for the rest of my month in Russia, yet now when I look back on that trip all I remember is that Russia was amazing.

Shaky from the view or because I’m about to faint?

It’s no secret that I adore the Balkans, and Albania might just be my favorite place there. But in between lying on the beach and swimming in the Albanian Riviera’s gorgeous turquoise waters there’s a chance you would have found me sobbing into my  burek .

The truth is, I was freaking out over Dan and my five month backpacking trip coming to an end. I was nervous about trying to start a “normal” life in Norway , worried that Dan wouldn’t even like Norway, and, well, just plain scared. They say travel changes you, but change can be scary! Backpacking felt familiar and safe, so even though I knew it was time for something new, a huge part of me was dreading the change.

The Norwegian Mountains

Every time you hear me go on about an amazing trip into the Norwegian mountains – which is going to be often, because I do love the mountains here – you can be sure that what I’m not mentioning is that I was also horribly carsick. I don’t do well with winding mountain roads, and for some reason Norway’s seem to be the worst for me. But it’s a pain I’ll go through for those views!

Basically what I’m trying to say is, sometimes travel sucks or I just have to indulge and be super lazy for a day or two, but that doesn’t mean I should have stayed home!

How do you deal with low points during your travels?

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October 26, 2015 at 3:31 pm

i never ever got carsick in my entire life until i moved to norway. i couldnt go anywhere in the west without a bit of carsickness. oslo area was fine, but the west had such notoriously windy and small roads and i always had to sit up front and roll the window down or id get ill!

i totally feel you on the iran bit. i can only couchsurf for one night or two max before needing a hostel/hotel/somewhere else just to get away from it all. there have been so many times ive even been in a hostel and people invite me out and i say i have some work to finish in a cafe or somewhere just to be by myself. im the worst social traveler sometimes. and other times im the best. it is really strange but im glad you can sympathize <3

hope all is well in norge!

Silvia says

October 30, 2015 at 4:14 pm

Seriously, Norwegian roads destroy me every time! And I have definitely used that same excuse to avoid hanging out with people, haha. Sometimes I just need some time alone!

October 26, 2015 at 3:33 pm

Sometimes you just got to take the lows with the highs. Its never going to be none stop amazing! What I’ve found is that no matter how bad the travel experience is you will never regret doing it! No-one ever regrets travelling, and sometimes its the worst experiences that make for the best stories.

October 30, 2015 at 4:15 pm

It’s so true! I think travel lows can be really disconcerting if you haven’t traveled much before, but you soon come to learn that there are always going to be low points.

Kaelene @ Unlocking Kiki says

October 26, 2015 at 4:32 pm

It really is so true, you only ever hear the positive stories of travel and when it doesn’t go that way on your trip you feel like you are doing something wrong. And being sick when traveling, it really is just no fun, but something I always forget about when reminiscing later on.

October 30, 2015 at 4:26 pm

Right? My friend and I were reminiscing about how fun it was to stay in a yurt in Mongolia and about five minutes into our conversation we remember that, oh hey, we were actually soooo sick the entire time we were there! Haha it’s funny how we forget things like that.

Isabel says

October 26, 2015 at 5:23 pm

Oh wow, thank you for your honesty! Yesterday I was actually thinking that sometimes our best of times come with our worst of times too. Looking back, I wouldn’t change them for a thing. Because now I realized that I became happier, and stronger too. Really, I love this!

October 30, 2015 at 4:27 pm

I think that’s really true – you can’t have a truly amazing experience without something about it being hard.

Charlie Beatty says

October 26, 2015 at 8:13 pm

I totally forgot all the bad things that happened on my backpacking trip! At the time, it always seems like the worst, but it’s true that those memories fade when you think of the overall picture. Also, your header pic is gorgeous!

October 30, 2015 at 4:16 pm

Right? It’s funny how we forget the bad parts, but I guess it just means that those low points really don’t matter!

Danielle says

October 26, 2015 at 9:17 pm

This is so true! The things we blog about and post on Facebook are always the highlights, but traveling is just like the rest of life: there are going to be lows along with the highs. For me that’s true of my “Eurotrip” last year with my sister. The trip was amazing, but in Amsterdam I was in pain on and off, and by the time we were even halfway through our four week trip I missed my boyfriend like crazy!

Reading about all the places you’ve been makes me really want to break out of my comfortable European travel environment. I’ve traveled quite a bit but it’s always been in developed countries in western Europe, and that really needs to change. I would love to go to Russia and Central Asia, and also to Australia. Some day…

October 30, 2015 at 4:17 pm

I always want to encourage people to travel so I shy away from writing about low points, but I realized that sometimes it’s good to hear that that’s normal. You should definitely go to Russia and Central Asia – two of my favorite places ever! I mean, Australis is cool too, haha.

Diana Maria says

October 27, 2015 at 4:27 pm

I’m so glad you wrote this post! I couldn’t agree more. It’s very easy to look back at a trip and remember the best memories and to downplay the difficult times but I’ve experienced this too! While backpacking Europe this past summer I experienced my first burnout in Italy after four weeks of travel. I felt so guilty for not wanting to see any more but also knew that I could come back and truly enjoy Italy on a different scale. Lovely post!

Diana xo | http://mylovelierdays.com

October 30, 2015 at 4:18 pm

I think it’s very telling that we forget our travel lows, as it shows that it really doesn’t matter at all if you have some difficult times, but at the same time it’s good to remember them sometimes so you don’t feel that guilt when it happens again!

Jennifer says

October 27, 2015 at 4:55 pm

It’s funny, I started long term travelling in early 2000’s (eek, I’m old!) Back then ‘blogs’ weren’t really a thing and there wasn’t nearly as much information as there is now. I had no idea what to expect, or perhaps more accurately, I expected travel to be challenging. There were amazing and difficult times and they were all part of the package.

Things are so different now – not just with travel, but with everything in life. Blogs (and the Internet in general) have definitely raised everyone’s expectations. It’s great that you’re sharing this side of things because it’s normal and part of the whole ‘change your life’ thing that comes with travelling. It’s the tears and the challenges that teach and enrich your life.

Thanks for sharing!

October 30, 2015 at 4:19 pm

It is something that makes me a little wary of being so involved in blogging and social media – those mediums really do paint an unrealistic view of life, and I hate to think that someone would feel bad about their travels because it doesn’t seem as exciting or glamorous as it does on blogs.

October 28, 2015 at 5:08 am

Sooo well written! And it sums up all the feelings I’ve had myself – and also have had lately when we’ve faced to many problems that needed to be solved before we could move on in our travels.

October 30, 2015 at 4:20 pm

Travel can be really hard! But worth it, for sure 🙂

Meghan says

October 29, 2015 at 2:38 am

This is such a wonderful post. Thank you for your honesty – not only with regards to your omissions – but on the topic of not feeling enthusiastic about a place or about traveling in general at certain times. I have on a number of occasions completely sidestepped the fact that I didn’t really enjoy or even like the place or that I wasn’t feeling well or I was going through a tired period etc. because I didn’t want to be negative. I also didn’t want to sound ungrateful because of the amazing opportunity I have to live my dream. But each time I felt slightly dishonest so really, thank you for this amazing post, and thank you for making me feel less guilty about the not-so-awesome parts.

October 30, 2015 at 4:21 pm

It is a tough line to walk – we want to remember the highlights and be grateful for our opportunities, but at the same time you don’t want to pretend that travel is easier and more glamorous than it is. It’s a touch thing about blogging, I guess.

Van (@snowintromso) says

October 29, 2015 at 8:58 pm

Travel can definitely turn into a nightmare, especially when you get sick abroad or things you paid a whole lot of money for just don’t turn out as expected. These are the things we can’t plan or foresee so I guess that’s why travel can also be scary sometimes. But you should always remember to appreciate the good days because they always make up for the bad ones!

October 30, 2015 at 4:24 pm

It’s so true – the good days always seem to make all those bad things worth it in the end 🙂 At least hopefully, ha.

Hanne Hellvik says

October 30, 2015 at 12:04 pm

Great article! I love when others also admit that there are two sides of travel, and also point out the not so great ones. I have experience many of them as well. And getting sick is the worst! I am from Norway, and I can understand you got carsick! I remember ones I got really sick in Nigeria. We had no toliet, and everytime I had to go to it, like every five min, I had to first to out and get water and carry it in to spill down. It was a nightmare with fever and everything. But still I am happy I went trough it – I am so happy to have toilet and running water now. And when I am sick when out travel it is never as bad anymore thinking about that experience.

October 30, 2015 at 4:25 pm

It’s true – dealing with tough situations abroad definitely makes you appreciate the comforts of home! And it makes for a more unique experience.

Lauren Lalicon says

November 2, 2015 at 6:17 pm

Wow, it’s great to hear the other side of traveling! You summed up my feelings about my own trip abroad so well! I studied abroad in Taiwan for five months, and while in retrospect, I miss the country so very much, I had a hard time getting used to the culture, so I was constantly in a state of guilt and anxiety, which made me angry, which made me feel like I couldn’t appreciate my time there as much. I agree, there’s an influx of articles on the internet that practically inject wanderlust into your bloodstream. It’s great to see an article that gives a more realistic approach to traveling!

November 5, 2015 at 9:04 pm

That sounds so much like my time in Japan! I felt very guilty and anxious, and sometimes sooo angry, haha.

Mary B says

November 2, 2015 at 7:58 pm

Life has ups and downs, boring days and exciting ones – and that doesn’t go away when you’re traveling. The highs are higher, and sometimes the lows are lower, and some days you start crying in the post office in Tbilisi because something that should be so simple is made ridiculously hard by cultural/language barriers.

Thanks for sharing about the lows, but in a non-negative way! It’s easy in the moment to write an angry post about how much you hate a place and no one should ever go there because this taxi driver ripped you off or a hostel owner was a creep. This retrospective is a great way to acknowledge that the traveling life is no more perfect than the real one – but also that the good memories outweigh the bad and make it worth the effort!

November 5, 2015 at 9:13 pm

I have cried in SO many public places while on my travels, ha. But you’re right – at least the highs are higher too!

Audrey says

November 4, 2015 at 12:24 pm

Thanks for your honestly with this post! When I am having a bad time traveling, I think about what I would rather being doing. And, well, the answer is using traveling! It helps me relativize a bad moment, day, week and accept that regardless of where we are, there will be ups and downs.

November 5, 2015 at 9:43 pm

That’s so true – even on the worst days I would rather be traveling, haha.

Victoria@ The British Berliner says

November 6, 2015 at 7:28 am

‘Love your post Silvia! It’s perfectly normal to feel jaded, sad, down or plain old fed up! Why not? It just shows that we’re human!

Whenever I do a long term travel journey, I pretty much fall sick. Every single time! When I went to Vietnam, I picked up a cold on the Areoflot Russian plane (air-conditioning) and I could never shake it off! I was in Vietnam for 30 days and I floated between fever, shivering, coughing, sore throats and feeling like hell. I was on a travel-around-Vietnam-and then-off-to-Bangkok jaunt and I certaintly didn’t want to go to a hospital there so I had aspirin for breakfast, lunch and dinner! When I returned to Berlin, I went to my own doctor who described me as “a silly girl” for not going to a doctor sooner and was on bedrest for a week!

I still had a great time though!

November 12, 2015 at 8:33 pm

It sounds like you need to take better care of yourself on the road – stop all you’re partying, Victoria! lol

November 13, 2015 at 6:48 am

YOLO! Life is too short LOL!

November 15, 2015 at 3:16 pm

Patricia says

November 6, 2015 at 10:47 pm

It’s so easy to forget all the bad things, however bad they were. I have this problem (or is it a good thing?) too. This summer in Greenland, I’ve been constantly cold, skin on my fingers was peeling off because my skin is not adapted to cold, I constantly had a running nose, I hate cold wind, but would I go back next summer? Sure, because I mostly remember the beautiful landscape, arctic foxes and all the other good things 🙂

November 8, 2015 at 1:15 pm

Thank you so much for writing such a sincere post. I am studying abroad right now in Paris, and the only thing I ever see on the internet and on pinterst is only positives about traveling. I was having a rough past two weeks with (yes it actually does happen) culture shock. Before I studied abroad people would talk about culture shock and how I might experience that, and I just brushed it off thinking “of course! I’m in a different country but I’ll totally be alright, I can handle it”. And turns out it was much harder than I thought, but that doesn’t mean I would ever regret studying abroad. Thank you so much for your post.

Richelle says

December 13, 2015 at 2:54 pm

I totally get this! One of my all-time favorite travel days was in Koh Rong, Cambodia where we hiked across the island to Long Beach that had white sand so soft and fine it crunched like snow! The water was absolutely beautiful, and we watched one of the most stunning sunsets of my life, and then hopped on a boat to swim with sparkling plankton! However, that was also the day I stepped on a sea urchin which led to me getting minor surgery and blood poisoning!!! In that case, I wrote a post about the sea urchin situation, and then when I wrote about Koh Rong and how much I loved that day, I made sure to mention the sea urchin situation and link to it. Sometimes your best days and your best trips also have major downsides, but in your mind you forget about it.

December 14, 2015 at 7:19 pm

Whoa, that sounds like a nightmare – it says a lot about the joys of travel that it still managed to be one of your favorite travel days! But that is how it seems to go 🙂

Zascha says

February 12, 2016 at 10:12 am

You are so right. Travel isn’t always rainbows and unicorns. There are bad times as well and I definitely think it’s important to focus on the bad sides occasionally. As long as we remember the awesome moments the best! 😀

February 17, 2016 at 11:16 am

Exactly! At least it’s worth it in the end 🙂

May 6, 2016 at 12:34 pm

I’m late to the party, but this post was really fun to read! As a speaker of terrible-but-useful-in-an-emergency level Russian, I did alright in Central Asia (LOVED Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). But I cannot imagine traveling in that region with other people relying on me to plan and communicate everything. In fact I would have killed my travel companions by the end of it under those circumstances. I think it’s totally fair to leave that stuff out of your posts because it feels like personal drama at the time of writing, but I really like hearing about the kinds of relationship dynamics backpackers go through.

Lake Baikal has been on my bucket list forever and ever– Amazing photo!

FeetDoTravel says

May 11, 2016 at 4:00 pm

It’s true – it’s so easy to blog about the good parts because you don’t want to sound negative or put anyone off travelling but the fact is, there are always some lows – it’s just how you deal with it and how you rise from it. When I re-read my journal from my first couple of months backpacking through Africa when I was young, I wonder why I ever travelled again and I recall thinking at the time that I wouldn’t! Thankfully the wanderlust gene in me is too strong and I took what I could from the bad to make me a stronger traveller. Embrace the bad, laugh it off (later though, it took me years to do that when I was robbed in Thailand!) but at the end of the day, ALL travelling experiences will grow you as a person 🙂 Thanks for this post, I will endeavour to always add the not-so-good on my blogs in the future to try and give a more “rounded” account of my time 🙂

Myrissa says

January 11, 2017 at 6:46 pm

This comment is a little late to the party, as I just found your blog, but I am so glad you wrote this. As someone who travels a bit I’ve definately had those days where I just need to catch up with myself or is just freezing cold or I miss speaking to other people in my own language and I sort of give up and “waste” a day in a hotel or reading or watching videos. No one likes to talk about the difficult side of travel life because most of it is so terrifuc. But it’s nice to know that I’m not alone when the bad days hit.

November 24, 2017 at 11:28 am

great post with amazing prrof of lowest budget travel. i think if you travelled nepal that may be listed in this rank 😉 . thank for sharing!

Melissa says

May 2, 2020 at 3:01 pm

“How do you deal with low points during your travels?”

What i’d say to anybody on this is ‘don’t try too hard’. Some of my strongest and best travel memories have been of just hanging out and soaking up the atmosphere. Sit on a sunny step, have a drink under a tree at an outdoor cafe, watch the flames in a log fire, loiter at hot springs…. Just be there and be open to other people too because conversations make great memories. You don’t need to try too hard with this either. Just do things like make eye contact, smile, comment about something, move a little so people can sit next to you or whatever seems right at the time. As regards tourist attractions, only go to ones that you feel interested in and if there are a lot of those choose one per day. Doing a long list of things you “should” do will not make great travel memories and your list and video coverage of these things will bore your friends and family to death if they dutifully put up with watching them. I do say though, get off your hostel bed and switch off your phone, get out of the internet cafe, and go just about anyplace else and your travel experience will already become more worthwhile.

If you lighten up there will be fewer travel lows but there will be some. I think of them as part of the experience. Every silver lining has a cloud.

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Once a full-time nomad, I'm now trying to find a balance between continuing to explore off the beaten path places around the world while also building a home in Norway. Want to know more? Head to my About page !

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"I Had 10 Minutes Until My Flight, Only To Discover..." 19 Unfortunate And Avoidable Travel Mishaps That Actually Happened To People

"It was one of the first purchases I made on Priceline back when you’d buy the airfare online, and they’d send paper tickets in the mail..."

Hannah Loewentheil

BuzzFeed Staff

1. Travel is many things — eye-opening, magical, exhilarating, and, at times, stressful. For example, there's nothing quite like the anxiety-inducing feeling of racing through security just as your flight gate is about to close. Well, Redditor u/yankeevandal asked , "Everyone has a travel blunder; what's yours?" Here are the stories people shared.

2. "put my keys back through the airbnb letterbox, as requested. a few minutes later i realized i needed the keys to access the garage where my rental car was parked. it took an hour and a half for someone to come and let me in. i got to the airport just in time to see my plane take off.".

Hand holding keys in front of a door, one key ready to unlock it. Keychain attached

— u/RedundantSwine

3. "My dad once made reservations for a very nice hotel in Spain in a central location. He couldn't believe how cheap the rooms were and what a good deal it was. He and my mother went to check in, and the hotel said they didn't have any record of the booking. My dad pulled up the confirmation email to show them and realized he had somehow booked a hotel with the exact same name...but in Chile."

— u/gentlybeepingheart

4. "When I was in my early 20s, I went to a nightclub in Istanbul with my girlfriend. Throughout the night, I stupidly ordered several of these half-bottles of champagne that were on the menu with no price listed. Of course, when the bill came, it turned out they had brought me the most expensive bottles, and I could not afford to pay for them. After a long standoff, the club eventually believed I couldn't afford my tab or just gave up and settled the bill for some reasonable amount that I had on me. Obviously, they were trying to take advantage of me, but it was also very stupid that I didn't ask for the price upfront."

Champagne bottles in ice bucket on bar counter with glasses and bottles in background

— u/Orange_Kid

5. "The plane I was on hit turbulence, and I dislocated both hip replacements. I had to lay in the center aisle for 45 minutes while passing out in pain until we could make an emergency landing."

— u/JonnyP3283

6. "I needed to take a train to the airport in Rome to catch my flight home. So I got on the track where the train to Roma Fiumicino was announced. The train was fast, but it took way longer than I thought it should, and I started to worry a bit about being late for my flight. Then we arrived at the next train station....which was Florence! Somehow I had taken the wrong train (for which I did not have a ticket), and I also missed my flight. I explained the situation to the conductor, who kindly let me stay on until the next stop, Milan, without paying for a new ticket. By the time we reached Milan I had already booked a hotel room and a new flight home the next day. I had never been to Milan, and I had a good time there, so in the end, it worked out."

Milan Cathedral with tourists in the foreground at Piazza del Duomo

— u/sumpuran

7. "I made hotel reservations for the wrong weekend. I had to find a new hotel 30 minutes away. The original reservation was for a hotel where I could walk out of my room and directly onto the beach."

— u/mook1178

8. "Booked a train ticket from Rome to Venice and drank way too much the night before. I rolled into the train station with about 10 minutes to spare — only to find out that it was daylight savings time, and I was actually 50 minutes late."

Departure board displaying various Italian destinations like Brescia, Venezia, and Milano with times ranging from 08:25 to 09:05

— u/Snazzypants11

9. "I missed my flight home from Ghana to California on a layover in Rome. I told everyone I fell asleep and missed the flight, but in reality, I was sitting at the wrong gate reading a book and didn’t hear my name being called (apparently, the airline was calling my name forever and then left me behind). In my defense, it was a really good book, and I was exhausted from a long travel day."

— u/zeebette

10. "I booked a holiday to Ibiza from the UK while out at a rave. The next day, I discovered that instead of flying from Southampton to Ibiza, I was actually flying Southampton to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Madrid, and Madrid to Ibiza. What should have been a two-hour flight took most of the day. Whoops."

DJ mixing music at a deck during a live event

— u/Ok-Topic-6971

11. "I once read the flight arrival time as the departure time. My girlfriend had to be home for a class by the next morning, so the only option was to make the six-hour drive. She wasn’t stoked with me."

— u/twankyfive

12. "I booked a flight to Manchester, NH, when I was supposed to go to Manchester, UK. I was proud of myself at first for finding a great deal. In my defense, this was years ago, in the early days of the internet. It was one of the first purchases I made on Priceline when you’d buy the airfare online, and they’d send paper tickets in the mail."

Church steeple rises behind autumn trees along a quiet street

— u/HeatherAnne1975

13. "In Portuguese, gasolina means gas, and gasoleo means diesel. Despite the confusingly similar names, these two things are still not interchangeable. I learned this the hard way."

— u/c322617

14. "I missed a flight because I was eating a Big Mac. And my buddy just got on the plane without me."

McDonald&#x27;s meal with fries and a Big Mac burger in open packaging

— u/Gigahurt77

15. "I mixed up AM and PM for my flight time and showed up at the airport 12 hours late. Had to book a new one."

— u/dude341387

16. "I booked a flight to Santiago, Spain. Months later, when checking into my flight, I realized I had booked for Santiago, Chile. I repacked my bag and went to Chile six hours later with zero itinerary or reservations. I ended up in Patagonia and had an awesome trip."

Sunset over a mountainous landscape with a lake in the foreground

— u/AccidentalTourista

17. "My husband passed a kidney stone on the first night of our honeymoon."

— u/TinyBunny88

18. "Turns out SJC is NOT the airport code for San Jose, Costa Rica. Rather, it's San Jose, California. I figured this one out too late."

An airplane taking off at dusk with lights along the runway

— u/Frodosear

19. "A hotel I was staying at gave me the key to someone else's room. When I opened the door, there was some random guy lying on the bed without a shirt on. We both sort of jumped. I slammed the door shut and walked away. I got a free (and vacant) room after that incident."

— u/DJAlaskaAndrew

20. "I traveled for over ten hours for a sold-out festival in Vegas. All major hotels were sold out because of it, and I realized I booked the hotel for 2024 instead of 2023."

Aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip at night, showcasing illuminated hotels and a replica Eiffel Tower

— u/smolperson

So, what's a travel mishap you'll never forget and never live down? Tell us your story in the comments or drop it into the Google form.

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  7. What Is Your Best or Worst Travel Experience?

    Either way, things happen that you can never predict. Whether it's a place that captivated you, a person who changed the way you think, or just the worst flight of your life, we'd like to hear ...

  8. Writing Great Travel Reviews

    Service - share your experiences - the good, the bad, and even the average. Fairness- be honest but fair. Remember, there are real people behind these businesses. Tips - sprinkle a few tips and recommendations to improve other travellers' experiences. Photos - give people an example of how things look to describe your experiences better

  9. My 15 Favorite Travel Experiences Everyone Should Try Once

    13. Swim In Infinity Pool With A View. Everyone loves an infinity pool. My most memorable is the pool at Africa Bush Camps, Bumi Hills, Zimbabwe, which hovers on the edge of a cliff, looking out over the vast and shimmering waters of Lake Kariba, the world's largest man-made lake, below.

  10. English Phrases for Bad Travel Experiences

    A "flight" is a trip by airplane. If the flight is "overbooked," it means that the airline sold too many tickets, and there is not enough space on the plane for all the people who have purchased tickets. This means that some people will get "bumped" to a later flight - they can't go on the flight at the original time, and have ...

  11. My Top 9 WORST Travel Experiences

    My Top 9 WORST Travel Experiences. Covering all the bad things that happened to me while traveling over the past decade. #1. Missing my Flight Home. In 2014 after a visit to Schweinfurt in Germany, I was at Nuremberg Airport, awaiting my flight back home to Birmingham early one morning. However, I was sitting in a cafe and completely lost track ...

  12. Life-changing travel experience stories

    For most people. For Derek and Mike it was literally life-changing. After a quick trip to Copenhagen, they packed up and started a new chapter of their lives as expats in a different continent. This is the tale of their journey: "In November 2016 we had a life-changing travel experience in Copenhagen, Denmark.

  13. How to describe your traveling experience?

    Traveling means giving yourself and your mind a break from the monotonous pattern of life, each one of us live day in and out. When you travel, you look forward to an iconic experience that makes your trip worthwhile and memorable. Everyone has one of those moments in the course of their trip that holds a special part in their entire travel ...

  14. Describe a holiday or vacation you have been on

    on time - to happen at the expected time. incredible - amazing or hard to believe. overwhelmed - to feel a sudden strong emotion. a blast - a good time. skydiving - jumping from an airplane and landing with a parachute. unique - one of a kind. breezy - a little windy. spectacular - very exciting or interesting.

  15. Unique Travel Stories: The 19 Best and Worst Flight Experiences Ever

    Tristan Pollock at Storefront My now wife was flying on a plane with me from Helsinki back to the US and we encountered one of the strangest experiences we've ever had with another passenger. An elderly grandmother was sitting behind us. My wife is 6'2" and often needs a bit of space, so she put her chair back to rest.

  16. 19 Inspiring Travel Experience Stories About Life-Changing Trips

    8. How Cuba Changed My Life. One of my favorite inspiring stories about travel takes place in Cuba. I visited Cuba in February 2013 and it changed my life — and I like to think it did so for the better. Interestingly, I expected a completely different country and was compelled to write about it when I got back home.

  17. Talking about travel experiences: ESL/EFL Lesson Plan and Worksheet

    Publication date: 03/11/2024. In this lesson, students develop their conversational skills by talking about travel experiences. The lesson starts with a speaking task about general preferences for travelling. The students then look at two stories and make predictions about the events and identify positive and negative factors that can influence ...

  18. Good & Bad Travel Experiences

    ESL Discussion. Discuss the following quotes about travel and life experiences. "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.". "It feels good to be lost in the right direction.". "Life is a journey, not a destination.". "Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.". "Travel isn't ...

  19. My 7 Most Unforgettable Travel Experiences

    The experience is divine — you can take a bus, a local train, or a bike, depending which vineyards (called bodegas) you plan to visit. I had a glass most days of the four months I spent in Argentina. Heather Markel. 3. Nail Art, Massages, And Learning Motorcycle Culture In Vietnam.

  20. Bad Travel Experience

    Talking about BAD Travel Experience - Vocabulary & Phrases. In this free English speaking lesson, you will learn different ways of speaking about a bad travel experience you may have had. Often, we use words like 'bad', 'terrible' and 'horrible' to describe our travel experience. Now, let's look at some English phrases we could ...

  21. Describe good and bad travel experiences

    Bad experiences Bad experiences Bad experiences A: Tell me about a vacation you had. B: Well, I went to Miami last week. A: Really? How was it? B: It was great! I met a lot of interesting people. A: Did you go to the beach? B: Yes. The beaches were beautiful. The water was so

  22. The Lows Behind My Top 5 Travel Experiences

    Lake Baikal. It's difficult to describe the feeling of standing on the frozen surface of the deepest lake in the world. The water was crystal clear, meaning I could see deep into the lake - something that had my legs wobbling just a bit (a lot). Visiting Lake Baikal was definitely one of my top travel experiences, but I wasn't sure I ...

  23. 83 Words To Describe Experience

    Words to describe experience are most typically action verbs that describe what you did and indicate what you achieved. These tend to be more meaningful in describing personal, profession or school experience than flowery adjectives. The following vocabulary of action verbs can be used to describe and characterize your experience.

  24. Travelers Share Unforgettable Blunders That Haunt Them

    Travel is many things — eye-opening, magical, exhilarating, and, at times, stressful. For example, there's nothing quite like the anxiety-inducing feeling of racing through security just as your ...