I have had my fair share of embarrassing, dysregulating and down right laugh worthy moments while traveling. Life stressors are bound to happen, traveling or not. Sometimes those stressful moments become hilarious stories. Whereas some stressful moments become reminders of what not to do in the future when traveling. In the end, they all become entertaining memories or inside family jokes for years to come. Below is a snapshot of just a few memories made as I navigated different stressors while traveling.
- Apologized for Getting Frisked
- Locked in a Hogan
- “Most Likely to be Mistaken for a Homeless Person” Superlative
- Pills in the Bottom of a Pack n’ play
- 50 Euros Less on the Rome-bound Train
- Unknowingly Booked a Room in a Haunted Hotel
Apologized for Getting Frisked
On my husband’s first deployment I joined a group of military spouses/girlfriends on a NYC weekend trip. I committed to the trip initially without having met anyone. I had just graduated from Boston College with my MSW. On the drive down to FL, I got a phone call asking about my interest in joining a girls’ trip for the deployed spouses and significant others. In the spirit of ‘why not’ I committed to the weekend trip.
Despite our outbound flight cancellation, and random bouts of anxiety, it was a fun trip overall. July in NYC though was hot. Emboldened by my new friend leading the trip, I decided to go braless with my top. I joked that I never do this since it was engrained at a young age by my mother to always wear a bra. As we were going through security at LaGuardia airport the scanner went off. A female TSA agent informed me I must get a full pat down since it is likely that my bra setting is it off. As she began, I whispered I am sorry I am not wearing one. We mutually cringe.
Getting Locked in a Hogan
On a trip to Arizona, my husband and I stayed on the Navajo Reservation at a local Navajo family run Airbnb/ranch. In addition to tents and covered wagons, the hosts also offered accommodations in traditional hogans. We stayed in the female, circular hogan for one night. Outside of the hole in the roof, there was only one entrance/exit through the front door.
My husband decided to get up early and go for a hike. As I was resting, he made sure to lock the Hogan’s door before heading out. Unfortunately for me, he locked the door from the outside. There were no windows, only the hole in the roof. And he was out of cell service range.
I kept calling out “Hello, hello? I HAVE to go to the bathroom!” The restroom facilities were close by to the Hogan, so I can only imagine the looks other guests must have had when hearing me call out. Mind racing, I panicked if he was coming back soon. Everyone would soon be gathering for breakfast and we needed to check out. About 45 minutes later he came back and realized his mistake. Every now and then I like to bring up that story with him. “Do you remember that time you locked me in a Hogan?” Oftentimes followed with a smirk and a knowing look.
“Most Likely to be Mistaken for a Homeless Person” Superlative
One weekend on my study abroad program in college, a group of us ventured to Salzburg, Austria. There was a festival in the city, and everyone was in a celebratory mood. On the walk from the Airbnb to the bar, our travel group became drenched in a sudden downpour. Hoping to lift everyone’s spirit, I tried to amp up the energy for the night. I joked with my group of friends that I have never experienced someone buying me a drink at a bar.
21 and feeling myself, I agreed to my friend’s challenge to get some free drinks. After a quick lesson on the subject, I made my first attempt. The first try was a failure. I ended up buying myself a drink. Needing some liquid courage, I then ordered myself two more drinks. Unfortunately for me, I got much better at that point when I no longer even needed a free drink. The group had to call us a taxi and I was beyond hungover the next day.
I barely made it out of the Airbnb the next morning to catch our train. I felt like I was dying. I pitifully sat head down on the table with my trash bag to throw up in periodically on the train. When we made it to the Munich station, I finally was able to keep some water down.
Exhausted and feeling beyond sick, I sat with a friend on the ground waiting for our next train. I was curled up against my travel backpack with an empty McDonald’s bag in front of me for ‘just in case.’ It was in this state of misery that I was mistaken for a homeless person. A random passerby tossed in a 5 franc coin and gave us the thumbs upside before walking away. That is how I earned the superlative “most likely to be mistaken for a homeless person” on my study abroad program.
Finding Pills in Bottom of a Pack n play
At 2 months old we decided to take our daughter Melody on her first big vacation. We traveled to Pittsburgh, PA for my cousin’s wedding. As first-time parents we were frantic in packing and trying to get all the must haves in our car for the 6.5-hour car trip. Prior to our departure, I had called to confirm with the hotel that they had a pack n play with the bassinet attachment reserved for our room. We were excited by our first big hotel stay with our baby and thankful for the advertised baby amenities the hotel offered. After noting it when making our reservation online, I had called 1 month prior, 1 week prior and then the morning of our arrival to make sure everything was squared away with the offered baby supplies.
Upon arrival to the hotel, a giant metal crib was in our room. It was on the lowest setting, had no fitted sheet just a top sheet from a queen bed folded on top, and paint chipping on the side bars. As new parents we were freaking out since we left our pack n play at home. Melody was only two months old and still needed support with her head.
Immediately called the front desk to see if we could still get the pack n play with the bassinet and the rest of the baby amenities. We were told it would be setup in the room soon, and we went off to dinner. Came back, still no pack n play. Two calls later someone from housekeeping dropped off a pack n play. As my husband began setting it up, I was absolutely horrified. It was older, dirty, had no fitted sheet, and the frame on one side was broken slumping down. At the bottom, to my horror, two random colored pills rolled around. At this point it was nearly 10, my baby was crying, I was crying.
Another cringe-worthy, hard lesson learned on this trip is that not all hotel mini fridges are dependable to keep breast milk cool. After multiple bags of my pumped breast milk spoiled, we learned to not rely on hotel mini fridges. We now always bring our own baby sleep space, or use a specialty rental service like Babyquip, and bring a breastmilk cooler with additional precautions such as ice/cooler packs for the mini fridge.
50 Euro Less on the Naples bound Train
While studying abroad in college, a group of us from the program visited Rome and tried to tag on Pompei as well for the weekend. Waking up late, we ran to the train station. Having a Eurail pass did not guarantee a seat on the train. A seat reservation was needed and at the time only could be done at the station. The week before there were train strikes throughout Italy. Upon arrival the train station was packed. No kiosk allowed us to just purchase the seat reservation. The wait time for the service desk was so long we would miss our train. We had other friends from the program waiting for us in Naples expecting us to get on this train.
After searching in vain for other options throughout the station, we decided to just go to the train and see if staff there could assist us. An attendant helping with suitcases told us no, that there was nothing we could do except go to the entrance and wait in the line. We all mutually sighed and asked if there were any other options since we had the Eurrail pass already. He then brightened and said “oh I may be able to get you a ticket for the train. It is 50 Euro a piece.” He collected the money and told us to get on the train in the meantime, that he will be right back.
As we get on the train, we hear it getting ready to leave the station. Suddenly that same attendant is running down the platform. In what felt like a movie moment, the train began to leave the station as it dawns on us that we were now 50 euros less without a seat for the train. There were signs posted in the train compartment that anyone caught without a ticket would pay a hefty euro fine.
A train conductor walked through the train car we were in, and we panicked. As we deliberated what to do, I advocated that being upfront and honest was the best policy. With shame and embarrassment, we headed to the train conductor and explained the situation. Oh, was that man mad. He yelled at us for being stupid Americans and to never do that again and just sit down. After 5 minutes of being lectured we did as we were told. Thankfully, no one came through to check our tickets. Still wonder sometimes if that was the best decision. In the end, we made it Naples even if it cost us 50 euros more and we did get to explore Pompei for the day.
Unknowingly Booked a Room in a Haunted Hotel
It was Halloween weekend in Savannah. In honor of staying in the most haunted city in America my husband and I took a ghost tour with friends on Halloween night. Everyone was decked out in costumes and meandering throughout the city with drinks. As we walk along with our tour guide regaling us with ghost stories, we stop at the square our hotel is located on. The guide begins to point at our hotel and asks who is staying there. We shyly raise our hands as my stomach begins to drop.
After chuckles from others in the group the guide shares that this bed and breakfast does not advertise its haunted history like others in the city. Apparently, there were multiple murders there, a mysterious medical practice in the basement (where our room was), and it was also abandoned for a couple decades. The same hotel was also referenced in the famous book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, as the abandoned house.
So here we were in Savannah, on Halloween weekend doing spooky things, unknowingly staying in a haunted hotel. I felt so terrible for my poor dog waiting in our room. I did not sleep well that night. Honestly, I felt creeped out the night before too. The breakfast was at least fantastic.
