My 4 Worst Travel Mistakes (and What I’ve Learned)

Are you planning a trip soon? Hopefully, you can learn from my travel mistakes to help your trip go more smoothly!

Thankfully, I’ve been pretty lucky while traveling and haven’t experienced anything too disastrous, but I’ve definitely made my fair share of mistakes. This post lists a few of the “bumps in the road” I’ve had and what I learned from these experiences.

1) I got robbed in Vietnam

The scene:

I was walking alone in Ho Chi Minh City, minding my own business. A man came speeding by on a motorcycle and ripped my purse off of my arm! Thankfully, I only lost some cash, replaceable ID cards, and some stuff of sentimental value. I was a bit concerned about how to get home since my map had also been in my purse, but I managed to remember the way and made it back safely.

What I learned:

Getting robbed is not fun, and even if you don’t end up losing anything too important, it still feels very violating. However, it happens, and all you can do is be thankful it wasn’t worse and try to prevent it next time.

This instance taught me that those dorky-looking money pouches that you wear under your clothes really are a good idea. I also try not to keep all my important stuff in one bag – I usually keep cash in a couple of different places and keep a backup credit card back at my hostel just in case.

2) I missed a Ryan Air flight out of Barcelona

The scene:

​I had packed everything up early, gotten a taxi, and arrived at the airport with time to spare. I was proud of myself for being so prepared… until I looked at the departure listings and couldn’t find my flight. Turns out that my Ryan Air flight was flying out of a different airport in Barcelona, and even my early arrival didn’t leave enough time for me to get there before my flight left. Sadly, I had to buy a new flight. 

What I learned:

This was like 10 years ago on my first solo trip, so I’m not sure if this was easy to mess up or if I was just very clueless. But always double-check the airport you are flying out of – not just the city! Budget airlines are especially likely to fly out of smaller airports.

3) I got turned away at the border to Panama

The scene:

I had gone back and forth across the Panama/Costa Rica border several times in the past week. All of the other times, I had a continuing flight booked, but the border agents didn’t ask me for it, so this last time, I didn’t bother to book one. Of course, this was the time I was asked about it. I was not allowed to cross the border unless I booked a flight, so I had to run around frantically looking for wifi and then book a flight on probably a very not-secure network (though I still have my identity, as far as I know).

What I learned:

Border crossings are not the time to cut corners. If you need an outgoing flight, just get it, even if it’s a pain. Remember, if booked at least seven days before the scheduled departure date, any flights to or from the US can be canceled for a full refund within 24 hours of booking. It might feel silly to book a flight that you’re going to cancel in a few hours, but it’s best not to take any chances when it comes to border security.

4) I dragged a massive duffel bag all over Europe

The scene:

I was traveling on my own in Europe for the first time. I had a huge duffel bag full of souvenirs and miscellaneous heavy things. Any time I had to walk around with my luggage, I was stressed, aching, and sweating profusely.

What I learned:

I cannot stress this enough: PACK LIGHT.

I now probably under-pack almost to a fault because of how little I want to repeat this experience. Especially if you are a budget traveler, you’re going to be doing a lot of walking, and even if your stuff spends most of the time at the hostel, you have to move it some time.

I had a home base for most of this particular trip, so it was way too easy to just keep collecting souvenirs on top of what I already had. However, I fully regretted all those souvenirs when I had to carry everything around for my last few destinations! So pack light, and do your best to have some self-control when it comes to buying cool little knickknacks on your travels.

This experience also taught me how amazingly comfortable and convenient my hiking backpack is in comparison, and now I hardly ever travel with any other kind of luggage.

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So there you have it: four travel mistakes that I made so you can now (hopefully) avoid making them yourself! I hope that my mistakes help keep your future travels running more smoothly.

For more info on how to avoid common travel pitfalls, check out this post on staying safe as a backpacker or digital nomad. And, of course, don’t forget travel insurance to make sure that you’re covered if the unexpected happens!

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