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While traveling is one of the greatest parts of the human experience, it isn’t always fun and games. Many a traveler has run into an unfortunate experience or two while on the road or in the air, and sometimes one bad day can ruin a whole vacation. The Atlantic has even compiled a collection of their readers’ worst travel experiences, ranging from getting questioned by the FBI to a mugging in Ecuador. Although these are examples of worst-case scenarios, it’s always best to prepare for the unexpected. Here are a few downsides to travel that you should keep an eye out for, and how to prepare for them.
Food Poisoning
Traveling to an exotic locale means getting to sample some new and exciting local cuisine, but being gastronomically adventurous doesn’t always end well. While you can also end up with food poisoning in your hometown, the fact of the matter is that your stomach might not be used to new ingredients or ways of cooking. That can lead to some unfortunate situations while traveling, and no one wants to spend their vacation days hunched over a toilet. Smarter Travel has put together a list of tips on what to avoid in food and drink while traveling, which could prove a helpful read for those planning trips to a foreign country.
Long Haul Flights
The world is a pretty big place, and sometimes a long-haul flight can be unavoidable, making it one of the big downsides to travel. When Australian airline Qantas Airways revealed plans for a 20-hour flight from Sydney to New York, Aviation JobNet collected reactions from passengers and flight crews about potentially taking the new route. Passengers had mixed reactions, with some concerned about the physical downsides of staying seated in a plane for so long. If you really must take a long-haul flight, try to wrangle for a seat upgrade, or at the very least bring along things like travel pillows or earplugs that’ll make the experience more comfortable. You will also need some tips to survive the jetlag.
Unruly Passengers
A lot of travel nowadays involves air travel, which is basically you being stuck in a flying room with hundreds of strangers for hours on end. Not all passengers will have the same standards for behavior that you will, and that might be to your detriment. A study conducted by Expedia found that passengers considered seat bumping/grabbing annoyed them most on flights, followed by passengers with unfortunate body odor. If you have the misfortune of encountering this on your flight, try asking your flight attendant if you can switch seats, or, failing that, sleep off the whole flight and pray that it ends quickly.
Getting Scammed While Traveling
Traveling will bring you into contact with several different types of people, and statistically you may come across a few unscrupulous individuals. Getting scammed while traveling might be one of the worst things that can happen to you, especially if you end up losing money or important documents, so it’s important to always be aware of your surroundings and context. The Travel Channel has put together a list of 11 common travel scams, such as the “What time is it?” scam and “helpful” taxi drivers who take you to completely different attractions where you’ll be pressured to spend money. Luckily, the article also includes tips on how you can avoid them, so make sure to read up and prepare yourself for any eventuality.
So, these are some of the downsides to travel. But of course, most of us will suffer through all of it for the much larger list of benefits of travel. After all, it’s pretty easy to forget about that long haul flight when you’re lying on the beach with a cocktail in hand and the knowledge that you’ve got nothing left to do but relax and explore.
