Travel Fears, Scary Stories and Safety Tips from Travel Bloggers

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?
What is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?
What is your best travel tip to avoid problems while travelling?

This post came about when a community of travel bloggers started talking about Travel Fears and Scares. Curious about what that topic might elicit from others, I decided to ask fellow bloggers to share their stories and advice.

Read on for everyone’s thoughts!

Claire at Tales of a Backpacker

Claire Jumping
Claire jumping for joy in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

My scariest travel experience was coming back to my hostel after lunch to find that my locker had been broken into, and my laptop, passport, credit card, and phone had been stolen.  I still remember that stomach lurch and shaking when I realised what had happened.  Actually, I was more angry than scared, but also glad I wasn’t there at the time!  If I hadn’t been out at lunch, the thief might have done something to me – he pretended to be another guest and was due to spend the night in the dorm with just the two of us.  This was in Ecuador, and now Ecuador will always have bad memories for me.

What is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?

My biggest travel fear is that something happens to me when I’m travelling & that my parents would have to deal with the aftermath.  Whether that is being attacked or killed in a road accident or something.  They always worry about me, so it would be terrible to think that their fear would be realised.

What is your best travel tip to avoid problems while travelling?

I now know that losing your passport isn’t the end of the world.  Annoying, definitely, but it is replaceable.  You, however, are not.  So my top travel safetytip is to remember that no material possession is more important than you are, so treat yourself as a priority in any risky situation.

James at Portugalist

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James house sitting in France

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

A few years ago, I was house sitting in rural France when the police came to the door. They wanted to know who I was, why I was living in a stranger’s house, where I had been the previous Saturday, and to confirm my French cellphone number. They then wanted to search my laptop and internet history.

Eventually, they explained what they were after. A girl had gone missing in France, during a search for her biological father, and the only lead they had was a cellphone number posted on a forum – my number.

Aside from having walked the dog the previous Saturday, I hadn’t really left the house. I didn’t have an alibi, and the fact that I was a stranger in someone else’s house was obviously very suspicious to the police. None of this made any sense to me, and I assumed it was a typo, but the police were adamant about following up this lead. I was told to come in that afternoon for questioning, which was obviously scary.

I didn’t know this at the time, but cellphone companies recycle numbers: when someone lets a number expire, they give it to someone else. Usually this takes a few months, but in this case it happened very quickly. Unfortunately, it had been given to me just as its previous owner went missing.

Long story short: I arrived at the police station later that day for questioning, and the police officer said that the girl had shown up, and it was all okay.

He thought it was all very funny – me: not so much.

What is your best travel tip to avoid problems while travelling?

I don’t know if it’s possible to avoid problems of any kind, but I usually find most travel problems stem from a lack of planning and research. The more I have planned and researched a trip, the less likely I am to run into problems.

Juleen at Juleen Meets World

Juleen
Juleen outside the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

I was studying abroad in Budapest for a semester when I temporarily lost my purse during one of my trips.

For our spring break, my roommate and I travelled to Paris and Amsterdam together then I went to Bordeaux and Brussels before returning to Budapest. On the way to our hostel in Amsterdam, I lost my purse with all my cash and cards as well as some identifications (but not all). After retracing our steps and not finding the purse, we decided to go to our hostel and try to figure out things there and cancel my cards.

The person at reception was very helpful. He called the transportation company which told him that at the end of each day, items found on buses were brought to a central location and posted online the next day. Fortunately, since I was travelling with a friend, she was able to pay for my expenses and the next day when I checked the website, my purse had been found. I was able to go to the company’s office to pick up my purse with all my cash and cards inside.

However, since I had cancelled all my cards, they were now useless. Luckily, I was also visiting a friend in Bordeaux so when I ran out of cash I was able to borrow cash from him for my time in Brussels.

It was a very stressful experience and I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I was not travelling with/visiting friends.

Going forward, I think I would try to have a backup card and extra cash in a separate bag in case my purse gets lost or stolen. My bank also mailed my new cards to me in Budapest so I recommend checking if your bank does that.

Julianna of The Discoveries Of

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Julianna in Scotland

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

There aren’t many things that have happened to really scare me while I was travelling but there’s one thing that really springs to mind. I was travelling across Bolivia by car with a friend and we were stopped by the police on the outskirts of a city in the east of the country and held up at gunpoint while they tried to extract a large fine from us. We had supposedly driven through a red light (I’m fairly sure that we hadn’t). I was pretty panicked but stayed silent apart from a few interjections, while my companion talked it through (luckily he was fluent in Spanish, something I can’t quite claim myself).

At the beginning the policeman was demanding over £500 but after several minutes of unhurried negotiation, he reduced it to £20. Bargaining with a policeman whilst having a gun pointed at your face definitely counts as one of the more memorable things that have happened to me while I’ve been on the road.

Still, what I did learn was to keep calm and not panic when things go wrong when you’re travelling.

Kacie at The Rare Welsh Bit

Varanasi
Taken during Kacie’s boat ride along the River Ganges, at Varanasi

What is the scariest experience you’ve had whilst travelling?

Whilst travelling solo in India last year, I spent 24 hours in Varanasi.

I was due to catch a sunrise boat tour along the River Ganges with some other travellers from  my hostel at 5am, but I was exhausted and ended up sleeping in until 7am. With just two hours to spare before my airport transfer would be arriving, I was determined to experience a boat tour along the River Ganges; even if it meant doing it alone.

I walked down to the River Ganges, where I haggled with a few boat operators until I found one that gave me a reasonable price. I sailed out into the middle of the River Ganges with the boat operator (who also served as a tour guide) and I was admiring the views, as he told me all about Varanasi and the sights we could see. It all seemed perfectly normal.

He began rubbing my back, which I found very odd, but he told me he was just showing me what an Indian massage was like. Alarm bells were ringing. He then groped my breast and told me that my dress was a beautiful colour, and asked if I’d bought it locally.

With that, my natural instinct was to push him as hard as I could away from me, sending him almost flying off the end of the boat. I pointed to the video camera that was clipped to my chest filming the whole thing, advised him that my friends were waiting on the river banks for me, and made a fake phone call to my ‘friends’.

Luckily, he couldn’t wait to get me back to shore. He still had the cheek to charge me for the boat ride, but I just paid it and dashed off – I couldn’t wait to get away from him!

Kate at Her Travel Therapy

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Kate in front of a Kyoto temple

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

My knee dislocated twice while I was travelling alone in Bali. The second time, it didn’t pop back into the joint by itself, and so I had to scream at the top of my lungs until the guesthouse owner heard me. My phone laid on the opposite side of the room and I couldn’t move my body at all to retrieve it. I spent five minutes alone, convinced that no one could hear me or was going to come to my aid. My knee cap was completely pushed out of the socket and my muscles were completely paralysed from shock.

Eventually, the owner came running in and brought a local healer who could relocate my kneecap. The healer spent ten minutes massaging my highly swollen and extremely painful joint, promising me that it would prevent it from ever happening again. Suffice to say it didn’t, but I appreciated the thought.

From that point on, I have always made sure that I have my phone on me, in case of an emergency. I love to travel alone, but it can be truly terrifying when you have a medical emergency by yourself.

(Me) Kavey at Kavey Eats

AcrossMara KaveyEats
On safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya

What is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?

Like most people, I have a small level of fear about the many horrible things that could happen – being mugged, robbed, or otherwise assaulted; being in an accident; losing my passport… But Pete and I are fairly safety conscious travellers, we don’t take unnecessary risks and the chances of those things happening to us are no higher than in our hometown of London.

The main thing I worry about while travelling is illness. I once got a mosquito bite that turned into a huge abscess that had to be operated on (I still have the scar, decades later); my dear old Pop (who is at least as much of a travel addict as I am, if not more) got a particularly virulent strain of malaria and was hospitalised for days; and I’ve had my fair share of cases of severe food poisoning (one of which resulted in a hospital stay).

As well as the usual precautions (taking reasonable care about what we eat and drink, using mosquito repellent, taking anti-malarials), we travel with a medical kit which we make sure is updated before every trip. As well as drugs to treat food poisoning, and take away the itchiness of bites (that may get infected if scratched), we also take regular stuff like painkillers, throat lozenges, indigestion tabs, decongestants, rehydration sachets, sticking plasters, support bandages and a bunch of other stuff besides.

Even when it’s something less severe, who wants to waste precious travel time finding local pharmacists and trying to explain just what it is you need? Not to mention the added stress when you also need a doctor’s prescription!

Kemkem at Next Bite of Life

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Kemkem floating in the Maldives

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

Lizards and geckos! I am terrified of them. My scariest experience was booking a romantic week at a resort in the Maldives. The room had one of those open air bathrooms. It wasn’t too bad during the day, but the first night, l had to pee. As soon as l opened the door, I saw 4 or 5 geckos just hanging about and screamed like a banshee! Woke my husband and the other guests in the nearby bungalows. He had to stand guard as l peed. I made sure not to drink too much liquid close to bedtime the rest of the week.

What is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?

My biggest travel fear: Drowning. A lot of vacations involve beach time as my husband loves swimming. Growing up, swimming was not encouraged in my family. You know, my mother knew someone who knew someone whose younger cousin’s in-law had drowned, so yeah, we were forbidden to swim. I finally got into sea water not too long ago and can now float. I make sure to stay at the shallow area when l can stand up with no problem. I still find it scary, but it’s more manageable. I also won’t get in unless my husband is close by. I’m still that scared. The embarrassing  part is that we had private pools in our past houses for over 11 years and nope! Still can’t swim!

Laura at Savored Sips

cuba-beach
The beautiful Cuba beach where Laura broke her ankle

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

I’ve never really felt like travel was scary, or at least no more scary than being at home. I guess I feel like the same awful things that could happen while traveling can also happen to you at home. I’m a careful traveler, always trying to be vigilant and safe. But, you can’t always prevent travel mishaps.

While we were traveling in Cuba a few years ago, I didn’t notice a loose board in a bridge and stepped into it, causing my ankle to twist and break.

We were in a remote beach area where it wasn’t easy to get any help and we didn’t know enough Spanish even to ask for ice to ease the swelling. Needless to say, I was pretty scared about how I was going to get back to our hotel, much less get a broken ankle fixed in Cuba. I’d never really imagined a medical issue like this happening while traveling.

Luckily, we had travel insurance. I’m lucky that we got through it fairly easily, but it did give me a wake up call to be prepared for injury or accident while traveling and to know what to do when something happens. Read and understand your policy in advance!

Lindsay at Where Is Your Toothbrush?

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A suitcase turned into a planter at Lindsay’s grandma’s place in Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia

What is your best travel tip to avoid problems (of any kind) while travelling?

Mental preparation. Long-term travel entails a drastic life change, so preparing myself mentally for such a life-altering event is key. First, I check my expectations. I do best to remember that not every moment on the road will be mind-blowing, existential bliss. Yes, traveling can be extraordinary, but it’s also just like life, filled with both positive and negative experiences.

Next, I plan an itinerary that has me stay in every location for a longer period of time, typically weeks. It’s much easier for me to handle problems knowing I may live in an apartment and cook my own meals for a while rather than eat out all the time, for example.

Portable routines help me feel acquainted with every new place. I bring with me a daily routine that provides some familiarity as well as ensures I work productively on my travel writing. Seeing my travel life as not too different from my normal life (minus the job) helps me feel comfortable with the crazy new traveling life.

Finally, much of mental preparation involves overcoming fears about travel. What am I to expect in strange places and cultures, and how do I deal with the differences? I do a lot of research, not only on specific countries and regions and what to see and do there, but also on other traveler’s experiences as documented on their blogs.

Marion aka Red Nomad at RedzAustralia

Red Nomad OZ on Red Sand Dune Outback Queensland Australia
Marion marvelling at the red dunes near Windorah, in Outback Queensland, Australia

What is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?

I’m not alone in my biggest travel fear! Hundreds and thousands (maybe more!) of people from all around the world are also totally terrified by Australia’s awesome array of poisonous pests, venomous vermin and other deadly dangerous wildlife.

No, I’m not talking about killer kangaroos or koalas!

Us Aussies are ‘lucky’ enough to have 21 of the 25 most venomous snakes in the world, closely followed by 5 of the 10 most venomous spiders. And if that’s not enough we also have toxic jellyfish, virulent octopus, stinging ants, poisonous ticks, plague mice, stone fish, sandflies, mosquitoes, wasps and leeches. And even stinging trees!

Then there’s the crocodiles …

Yes, sometimes I even scare myself senseless with talk of the terrors down under! But it IS possible to travel Australia safely – even in areas where these pests hang out. Millions of us Aussies survive the dangers every year, and even grow to adulthood.

So can YOU!

My top 3 tips for surviving your Australian Travels:

  • Be aware of the dangers and where they’re most likely to occur.  You’d want to know if you were entering a danger zone, wouldn’t you?
  • Follow all warning signs and danger alerts. They’re there for a reason even if they might seem inconvenient.
  • Know where to find help; and where to go or what to do in an emergency.

Mario at Rest and Recuperation

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Mario in Kep National Park, Cambodia

What is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?

My biggest travel fear is to be denied a visa for some random reasons. A difficult entry into Israel probably triggered it. Now I try to be well prepared on all potential documents needed.

What is your best travel tip to avoid problems while travelling?

When travelling in Africa, keep a copy of your yellow fever vaccination on your phone, because if you forget/lose it, you might not be able to enter many African countries.

Paula at Contented Traveller

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Paula trying to overcome her fear

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

Some of the scariest experiences I’ve had while travelling has involved animals. That is probably why National Geographic will never ask me to write for them. I have a morbid fear of snakes, which sucks when you live in Australia, because these critters are everywhere, especially when we go bush walking, and they like to sun themselves on the walking tracks. We were in Bali exploring a temple, and one walked across my foot, causing an instant panic attack.

Another time we stopped by the side of the road in Australia for me to relieve myself, and as I was mid stream, a red belly black decided to investigate. When in Sri Lanka, once again I had to go. The only place was in the jungle, where 20 something leeches decided to attach themselves to me. Now leeches aren’t snakes, but they are close enough, and this was too up close and personal for me. In Vanuatu, my travel advice is, don’t hang over the boat to relieve yourself, or you will see a sea snake headed straight at you. My best travel tip to avoid problems with snakes? Relieve yourself before you go anywhere in the wild.

At Jamala Lodge in Canberra, they bought this big snake out and insisted that I confront my fears. Does it look like I did from this photo?

Sally at Our 3 Kids v The World

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Sally’s children at Ocean Park, Hong Kong

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

We have been pretty lucky travelling with our kids as much as we do and haven’t had too many scary experiences. One does and will forever stick in my mind as a frightening moment. We were in Ocean Park theme park in Hong Kong and my daughter was walking on the garden bed edge when a local man picked her up. I thought he was an employee and that walking on the garden bed edge was not allowed. I thought he would put her down instead he ran off with her.

I had that one second panic, what do I do, my husband and other kids were up in front and didn’t hear me when I screamed. Do I try and get their attention in case he runs so far that I can’t keep up or do I just take off after her. I took off after them and he ran about 80 metres and stopped at a mainland Chinese tour group. They started taking photos of her and handing her around. When I realised that they were only taking photos I was relieved but at the same time annoyed. Not nearly as annoyed as my husband when he realised what had happened.

Tanvi at Tanderlust

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Tanvi was on her way to shop here when she was robbed

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling, what is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?

Being a solo traveler there are plenty of fears that I go through before I set out on a journey. But the biggest fear that takes away a large part of my peace is the fear of being robbed.

Although I was aware that there are robbers almost everywhere, but I never thought that it would happen with me on my first trip abroad. Everything was so sudden that it literally took me a while to understand that this was robbery.

While travelling in Egypt in a taxi, the driver robbed 100 Egyptian Pounds while I was paying him for his services and drove off instantly. It’s impossible to run behind taxis (unlike in movies) and hence I tried to note down the number of the taxi, but failed because the numbers were all in Arabic. Being a budget traveler, 100 Egyptian Pounds means a lot. Cursing the driver and at the same time cursing myself for not being extra careful, it took me a while to calm down.

I have become extra cautious with my things since that incident. Here are some of the following ways in which I ensure that this kind of incident doesn’t happen again:

  1. 1) I divide all the money and keep it at separate places where it is impossible for anyone to remove it.
  2. 2) I ensure that I have the number & address of my embassy, hostel with me, and I write it on a paper as well as in my phone.
  3. 3) I make sure to blend with the place where I am by adopting their dressing style as much as possible, in this way I don’t attract attention towards myself.
  4. 4) Also, I make sure to be aware of the scams that exists in the particular city by reading about the experiences of other travelers before hand.

Tom at Travel Tom Tom

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Tom in the Negev Desert, Israel

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

I arrived in the middle of the night in Cuszo, Peru and hopped in a taxi with an old man. He had never heard of the hostel I was staying at, but assured me he would find it and started making phone calls. With my broken Spanish I couldn’t follow the conversation and had no clue what he was talking about but he seemed sketchy. At some point he pulled into a one way lane that just fit our car. He drove into the dark and stopped at the end. It is here he said, you can get out! When I got out of the car I suddenly saw two men walking towards me screaming something. There was no way out in this dead alley so I jumped back into the taxi closed all doors and started screaming at the driver: you set me up! He looked shocked and didn’t understand what was going on until he saw the two men in his mirror. He jumped out of the car and started running towards them. I could not believe me eyes! Was this old man chasing those guys away? Within no time he got back into the car and straight away assured me. I might have driven into the wrong street my friend, but you are in safe hands. I served in the Peruvian army for more than 40 years I am not afraid of any drunken scum! I was relieved and gave the old man a hug…

What is your best travel tip to avoid problems (of any kind) while travelling?

Be organised and be early to prevent all sorts of problems.

Verushka at Spice Goddess

Verushka
Verushka in Kerala

What is the scariest experience you’ve had while travelling?

My scariest experience was when my passport was stolen in Zurich.At that point in time I was on a work visa in London.The only way I could leave Zurich was on an Emergency Passport which generally is an exit and a direct flight to your country of origin.Considering it was the weekend made it even more scary considering I needed to be back at work on that Monday and I might be back home.

What is your biggest travel fear, and what do you do to try and ensure it doesn’t happen?

I have two big fears the first is losing my passport after my last experience.I now have emailed myself copies of my passport and have photocopies of my passport and other important documents.

The second one is missing my flight.I learnt a very expensive lesson and since then I always try and get to the airport atleast 3 hours in advance.If I have an early morning flight I barely sleep the night before my flight for fear of getting up late and missing my flight.

 

 

Thank you to my blogging friends for contributing their scary stories, fears and tips. All photos copyright of the respective bloggers and published with permission. 

Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!
69 Comments to "Travel Fears, Scary Stories and Safety Tips from Travel Bloggers"

  1. kaveyeats

    I know what you mean but luckily everyone is still travelling and enjoying it!

    Reply
  2. Laura Lynch

    It’s a wonder that we aren’t all just holed up at home, when you read some of these stories. I haven’t ever had my passport stolen or lost, thankfully. What an ordeal to go through. It is, however, nice to see that no matter what, we all came through these ordeals just fine.

    Reply
    Kavey

    I know, right?! But at least everyone is safe and sound and still an eager traveller, which is the positive message!!

    Reply
  3. Kemkem

    Yikes! Some of these are truly scary! I can’t imagine losing my passport and credit cards while traveling. It always pays to be prepared. Sometimes l want to skimp on travel insurance, but it’s not worth it! Great post :-).

    Reply
    Kavey

    I know, I’m very lucky that I’ve not experiences some of the more serious incidents some people have been through!

    Reply
  4. Claire

    Yup it can be a scary world out there!! But it’s a scary place at home too so you might as well get out and enjoy it! Interesting stories, and great tips for fellow travellers!

    Reply
    Kavey Favelle

    Agreed, and those of who live in a big city are kind of used to that a little more anyway. My home city has suffered some recent terrorist incidents, and some violent knife crimes, but the odds of being involved in either of these are still extremely slim.

    Reply
  5. Paige Taylor

    Getting sick is my biggest concern. You can only do so much to prevent it and never know when food poisoning might strike, even if you’re very careful about what you eat. Then you end up with food poisoning late at night, at a foreign airport, 30 minutes before you’re supposed to board. :O And anything happening to my munchkin.

    As for my scariest travel moment, I haven’t had anything too bad happen. Hub almost stepped on a deadly snake in Namibia. That was pretty scary after the fact. Being pulled out of the way of an oncoming tram in Vienna and hearing, “ACHTUNG!!” as a stranger threw me aside sorta got my attention. 🙂 43 countries and I’ve gotten sick, but not too sick, never been robbed, never lost my wallet, etc.

    Reply
  6. Heidi Roberts

    It is really valuable hearing other peoples stories – sometime you don’t think about something but reading other’s experiences makes you more travel savvy!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, most things I think about in advance but certainly a few here that surprised and educated me!

    Reply
  7. Talin

    Wow, crazy stories! It’s really important to read these. For non-travelers, it may push them even further away from what they already don’t part take in. But for travelers, we tend to something let go of fears, which is a good thing, but it’s also important to know that these things do happen and it’s important to have a smart reaction when they do.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I hope it will show people that even when such scare stories happen, all of these contributors are still travelling and still enjoying it! And that there are some strategies to avoid such incidents in many cases.

    Reply
  8. Red Nomad OZ (Marion Halliday)

    I thought the Aussie wildlife was scary – but now I see I’ve got a whole lot more things to be worried about, haha! Actually, it’s great to learn I’m not the only one with fears – and while you won’t find me wrestling crocodiles any time soon, dealing with your fears is the best way to overcome them!! Thanx for the opportunity to contribute!

    PS I forgot to mention the sharks!!!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Ha, yes I know, there are some scary stories here I didn’t even think about until now!

    Reply
  9. Melissa @ All Around Oz

    I’m with Marion…we certainly have some dangerous critters here in Australia. Aside from them my biggest fear would be breaking down out in the middle of no where and running out of water. So I always make sure I take some extra water and food with us if we are going somewhere remote. And if this does happen to you please stay with your vehicle!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I think my main fear for Australia is the spiders, even though people insist I’m not likely to encounter them! I’m still scared. I think driving in the outback is something I’d probably not do unless in a convoy of two or more vehicles!

    Reply
  10. Paroma Chakravarty

    As hair raising as these stories were, I was still so amazed to see how brave these ladies were to travel and conquer their fears! Loved this post, inspires us to never give up despite our fears. I lol-ed at the “us Australians are lucky to have these poisonous snakes”:-)

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Not only ladies, some gents here too, but yes it’s great to see that people conquered their fears and survived the scares!

    Reply
  11. Abby

    Poor James. Some of these stories are really scary. Almost stop you from travelling. But Juliana’s 500 to 20 pounds is actually quite funny. I don’t think I’d bargain with a gun pointed at me!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, some of these are definitely more scary than others, for sure! I’m not sure I’d have kept my composure for that bargaining down of the bribe either!

    Reply
  12. Lena Ameri

    Travel is most definitely not sunshine and roses all the time and your post portrays that! So many scary stories! I agree with the blogger who said that a lot of bad situations can be prevented by planning and research; I’ve definitely seen this. But of course there are some situations you just can’t control!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Exactly so, there are several scary things you can avoid, or reduce the risk of happening dramatically via research, planning and being sensible. But some stories here, you wouldn’t even expect, let alone be able to ward off! Glad everyone came through these all ok!!

    Reply
  13. Roxanne Reid

    Interesting focus, given that most blogs highlight the joys of travel. Just as well we don’t let these fears keep us at home! Nice to see my fellow countrywoman Verushka featured too.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, and I must admit, I’m usually one to focus on the joys, especially as I’ve experienced very few truly negative or scary things. But when fellow travel bloggers Angie and Emma posted this month’s theme, I was inspired to gather stories and see what came through!

    Reply
  14. Megan

    Oh my gosh I LOVE the story about the peruvian taxi driver in the dark alley! I hear so many horror stories about taxis in Peru, its nice to hear one with a happy ending.

    Reply
  15. Danielle

    These are great stories! I mean great in that it’s a good learning experience. I tend to always think people will do the right thing, but that is not always the case. Good to be careful and keep your eyes open.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, sadly, there are those who would not do the right thing, so it’s good to be aware of the kinds of things that can happen!

    Reply
  16. Jo

    Wow you can negotiate a policeman down from 500 to 20 pounds? thats insane. Wow amazing stories , I have my own share of travel fails in fact, I call myself the queen of travel fails haha. In case you are curious, here’s why. So much happens when u r on the road..solo.. u cant control it all, but I try to take it all in my stride and as a learning 🙂

    Reply
  17. Karla

    Nice to see posts like this to show people that its not only all fun and games while moving around. There is also danger— but its up to you how you react to it.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, some travellers seem to behave like the rest of the world is a theme park and then get surprised when something negative happens…

    Reply
  18. Brooke

    Wow, reading all these travel experiences makes me feel quite fortunate. I always remind myself to trust my gut and don’t worry about feeling stupid or coming off as distrustful/unfriendly. Better safe than sorry!

    Reply
  19. kaveyeats

    Thanks Emma, yes lots more contributions offered than I had imagined, wonderful to read everyone’s stories!

    Reply
  20. Victoria

    Wow!!! All of these stories are just terrible!!! I would hate to have all my valuable stuff stolen on the road! Everything about that situation just sucks!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I know, some really awful things! But everyone’s ok and still enjoying travelling!

    Reply
  21. Janice

    Good to hear the other side of traveling. It would not always be a happy story, I guess.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Indeed, though everyone here is still travelling so it didn’t put anyone off!

    Reply
  22. Mimi & Mitch

    Love Kacie’s experience in Varanasi as it was completely different to ours and it’s nice to see another version! – How terrible about the injury of Laura in Cuba too! Great stories!

    Reply
  23. Louise

    I have only recently started to expand my blog with travelling and fortunately haven’t had any bad experiences so far. I have however learned, that being a travel blogger is very different than just “on a holiday”. It is hard work – but also something I really love to do! Thanks for all the shares!
    X Louise

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, even though I’m writing for the pleasure of it, absolutely there’s an extra challenge in gathering and keeping information to inform the post, and of course the photography. I love it though!

    Reply
  24. sherianne

    I could relate to a lot of this and it’s reassuring to know these fears are not the end of the world should they happen

    Reply
  25. Paige W

    What a great intro to lots of different travel bloggers! It’s great to see that others have had scary experiences and lived to tell the tale. Nothing is worth stopping traveling.

    Reply
  26. Melody Pittman

    This is such a cool idea for a post! I think people are afraid to ask questions like this, and I love that you did. If nothing else it makes us all aware that things can, and do, happen. It definitely makes me want to be even more prepared when I travel!

    Reply
  27. Wanderlust Wayfarer

    It’s so important to understand the risks when you travel and know how to react when something less than ideal happens to you. Thanks for sharing such an informative post.

    Reply
  28. Jennifer Melroy

    My scariest travel story involves a car crash in Iceland. I spun out on black ice and managed to hit the one guard rail in the country. These remind me that travel isn’t just an adventure, one needs to be aware of their surroundings and things just happen.

    Reply
  29. Trisha Velarmino

    These are great stories! It shows the other side of the beautiful photos that are shared on social media. Some experiences may scare the hell out of us, but there’s always a lesson behind it. This collection of stories is really a great idea, Kavita!

    Reply
  30. Brian Cagle

    Thank you for sharing this beautiful pictures with us. traveling has always been the most beautiful and sometimes scary as you have listed above. While we travel, the thing we are most worried about is our luggage. We focus more on our luggage than on traveling. The first thing that comes to mind while planning of a trip is we will do lots o shopping, then comes we will bring gifts/presents for someone, then comes where would we store them safely. While I travel, the first thing I do is I search for Hotels near by the station or the main market area. Not only I look for Hotels, I look for hotels having in Hotel Room Safes that would provide security to the valuable things I have brought will myself.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I’m quite obsessive with packing and we’re careful with our luggage but it’s never been a primary or constant fear for us.

    Reply
  31. Sandy N Vyjay

    Nice idea for a collab post. Also so heartening to note that as a community we travelers more or less share the same fears. From getting mugged to missing flights and of course losing passports, we are all one of a kind,

    Reply
  32. Govind Singh

    Travellers always have to follow these rules on their travel journey. I am a travel blogger and create some quality and informative content for awaring travellers. Can you please take a look at my travel blog site and suggest me the good advice.

    Reply
  33. Will MacLurcan

    Thankful i never had experienced these things mostly encountering the dangerous and poisonous wildlife in Australia. Good thing i saw your post and see these stories. I’ll definitely take note of all these.

    Reply

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