25 Top Travel Bloggers Share Their Travel Mishaps & Advice

“We were living in the USA on a J1 visa and had applied for an extension so we could travel for a little longer before coming home. We received the extension approval less than a week before it was due to expire, but our passports were not returned to us.

Nobody knew where they were. Nor did the immigration officials understand what the problem was. We had our visa extension, why were we so worried? Umm, because you can't leave the country without a passport!!! And if we didn't leave the country by the due date we were going to be considered illegal which would really affect our future travel.

After a couple of stressful days trying to fix it, we ended up going to the Australian Embassy in LA who cancelled our passports as lost and issued us emergency passports valid for six months. 

Our advice is never send your passport in for visa renewals or immigration issues. I am not sure why we did, but it was the wrong decision and wasn't necessary. Also, always turn to your embassy for help. We were so grateful to the embassy and the quick way they handled it and made us feel at ease.”

Caz and Craig from Y Travel Blog

“I've had many travel disasters over the years but probably the funniest (looking back) was when our dhow sank in Kenya.

A dhow is a wooden sail boat and we were just on a short trip off the Swahili island of Lamu from Lamu Town to Shella Beach. Our crew were very young and obviously inexperienced. When we arrived at the beach, they tacked sharply and the boat keeled over. It all happened so fast. Suddenly we were up to our necks in water, then the boat disappeared.

We all grabbed for our bags but of course our cameras were ruined along with our holiday snaps. Then we had to swim to shore! Luckily, we weren't miles out at sea.

We reported the incident to the local police who came to our hotel later to check us out more. It was quite intimidating but we needed a police report for our travel insurance claim.

I am a great one for travel insurance. Not just in case of lost, stolen or submerged (!) belongings but more importantly in case you have a serious accident or illness and need to be repatriated.”

Annabel from Get In The Hot Spot

“We've been lucky that we haven't had any serious situations happen to us over the last 10 years travelling the world, but we have definitely had our fair share of illnesses. We've had broken bones, serious infections, numerous hospital visits and more.

Whenever anything bad like that happened we would usually try to self-diagnose if possible, but in the serious cases we would seek medical advice and go to a hospital if need be.

Our biggest piece of advice is to always look after your health on the road and have travel insurance in case of emergencies. Medical bills can add up quickly in foreign countries, and being covered gives you peace of mind.”

Jarryd & Alesha from Nomadasaurus

“I have been very fortunate over the past decade to encounter only one serious issue.

While traveling in Laos, I contracted a diarrheal illness during a trek to a remote part of the country. After several days, I realised that it was serious and I needed medical attention.

It took an entire day and a half to get to a place with access to medical care. Although I had hoped to contact my insurance for a medical evacuation, cellular facilities were not yet developed in that area and I had to travel out of the mountains and into neighbouring Thailand before I could find help.

My advice is to pack oral rehydration salts. These should be in every single traveller’s medical kit. Hopefully, you will never need them, but in my situation, these bought me enough time to find medical facilities and contact my travel insurance company for help.”

Shannon from A Little Adrift

“In 2009, I travelled to Europe with my mother. Part of our trip saw us fly from London to Rome. We left ourselves plenty of time to catch the train to Heathrow Airport, and arrived a good two hours before our departure. Though, for some reason, our flight was not listed on the departures board.

As it turns out, the flight wasn’t listed because it wasn’t leaving from Heathrow! We were meant to be at Gatwick, and there was no way we were going to get there in time to catch our flight!! Which meant we likely weren't going to get to Rome that night.

We headed straight for the British Airways information desk to explain the situation, and were fortunate enough to transfer our flight without incurring extra fees. We requested to be put on the standby list for the next flight to Rome leaving Heathrow and, by some miracle, two people cancelled, freeing up a couple of seats. 

My advice: First of all, many cities in the world have multiple airports, so make sure you've travelled to the right one! 

Secondly, if you find yourself in a situation like this, find a representative from your airline and see what your options are. It's always incredibly helpful if you keep your cool and are polite to the ground staff. If you're hysterical it's very difficult to work through the issue and they're likely not going to want to help you.”

Megan from Mapping Megan

“We have had several injuries, illness and accidents on our travels.

I ended up in hospital for a week in Thailand with bronchitis. My daughter knocked two teeth out in Canada after a bad fall. We crashed our campervan into a balcony in New Zealand. The list goes on! 

In every instance we've had, we know we have a good travel insurance policy to back us up on our travels. I keep our travel insurance policy details to hand in an easy to find place so we can call quick and make sure we're covered for any accidents.

My advice: You get sick or hurt at home so don't let the fear of it happening on the road put you off travel. Accidents and illness can happen anywhere so you just have to be prepared and always have travel insurance.”

Bethaney from Flashpacker Family

“I'm touching wood as I type this but so far I've been very lucky on my travels and haven't had any horrible problems along the way (touches wood again and does a strange superstitious dance). But that said there was that day in Los Angeles when I couldn't believe I'd dropped a travel ball.

As someone who prides themselves on their punctuality and always buffers in plenty of time for possible traffic problems when she goes to an airport I had never missed a flight before and started to think I never would. Then it happened.

Perhaps it was post-Coachella fuzzy brain after too much fun in the sun. Perhaps it was the travel gods having a little laugh because I dared to think I might have a perfect 'Never Missed a Flight' record. But when my friend asked what time I had to leave to head to the airport I told him 1.30pm and so we had a long lazy brunch and chilled out.

Then when I was doing a final pack of my bag I glanced at my ticket and saw the 1.30pm time was indeed there, but that was when I was supposed to be landing in Seattle, not leaving Los Angeles.

My flight was leaving in an hour and, considering my friend was in the shower and we were Downtown LA, I knew my goose was cooked, but we still attempted a mad dash to the airport. Not surprisingly, we missed my flight.

On the upside my flight was only LAX to Seattle and so I soon had a spot on a flight a couple of hours later. I can't imagine if I'd made the same mistake on an international flight and could be waiting a day or more to play catch up.

These days I have the TripCase app which sends me reminders to let me know it's time to get ready for my flight. Of course having already checked the date, time and terminal I'm flying from three times in the lead up to it I just nod to the app and say thanks, I'm all over it. And don't worry, I'll be getting to the airport early!”

Amanda from Adventures All Around

“As a frequent traveller, there have been a few times when I've run into trouble overseas.

One time was when my husband and I showed up in Ukraine during the political unrest in late 2013. We had no idea whether it was safe for us to stay in Kiev or whether we should change our travel plans. We ended up going anyway. Kiev was wonderful and we both loved our stay in Ukraine, but the political unrest was intense and it definitely had us both on edge during our stay!

We did some internet research to gauge the situation a few days before we arrived. At the time, it was a peaceful protest, but we kept our eye on the news and were ready to leave if anything turned violent. We had travel insurance and we were prepared to use it to make a quick getaway if the need arose.

Luckily, we left the country before anything nasty happened, but it definitely could have turned out differently.

Travel is generally a safe activity, but sometimes unpredictable things can happen. Make sure that you're prepared in every way possible, and that you have backup funds to get yourself somewhere safe at short notice.

If you find yourself in a place where you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, don't be afraid to change your plans!”

Ashlea from A Globe Well Travelled

“I was in Nepal hiking to Everest Base Camp, just myself, my guide and a porter. I was running marathons pre-hike so I’m pretty fit, but the altitude really knocked me around.

The night before our final hike to reach Base Camp was so bitterly cold the water bucket beside the toilet had frozen over. I succumbed to a cold (still unaware I had altitude sickness too) and went to bed with every single piece of clothing I could pull on. Even with four pairs of socks I was still cold.

The next day I dragged my sorry butt up the remainder of the mountain where we celebrated with obligatory photos of Base Camp. All I wanted to do was crawl into a warm bed but I managed to hike back to the lodge and await the medivac helicopter which my guide had organised through my travel insurer.

I spent two days in a hospital in Kathmandu, warmed up, recovered from altitude sickness and was able to continue my travels. The whole situation was covered by travel insurance and I was only out of pocket $100 which was the excess on claims.

Had I not had travel insurance I would have had no choice but to hike back down the mountain, which could have been catastrophic. I didn’t feel so ill that it seemed an impossible task, but I appreciate that people die from altitude sickness and the action my guide took was the best option.

My tip is to always have reliable, reputable travel insurance! And carry lots of tissue packs and baby wipes which substitute for showers and toilet paper in undeveloped countries.”

Fiona from Travel Boating Lifestyle

“I thought we knew all about keeping our things safe and that we would never run into any trouble until we had a bag stolen on a train in Naples.

To be honest we still have no idea how the person got the bag that was on a high-backed chair right in front of Mark with me next to him and the girls sitting in the seats right across from him. It was no more than 20cm from his body, it wasn't small, and none of us where more than a meter from it. What also amazed us is that no one else even saw someone go past us... that is how good they can be!

Right after it happened we thought we might have left it at a cafe so Mark ran back to check, but it was not there either.

I found the conductor on the platform and told him that I thought our bag had been stolen. He got on the train with us as it was nearly ready to leave the station. He told us to give him our details and we gave him ours. He reported it to the police in Naples but they told us to go straight to the Police Station in Rome the next day to report it stolen. The conductor was so good to us, and as I said he gave us his details so if there were problems at the Police Station so he could verify our story.

Due to the time difference, we were able to call our insurance people in Australia and confirm what we needed from them which was a Police Statement and a list of what was in the bag, but it would need to be lodged when we returned home.

For me this was heart-breaking and I had so many emotions about it that I was not expecting. I felt like I had been a target and that everyone was out to get me. I suddenly wanted to go home immediately and found it hard to get out the next day. It took a good talking to from Mark that we would be alright and that we were all fine... no one was hurt, we were only missing photos. 

I honestly think because we thought it would not happen to us we let out guard down a little bit and thought we would be ok on the train.

I am very cautious with our things now to a point where I really get stuck into Mark about where things are.

My BIGGEST piece of advice is that if you truly believe that there is no way you could have protected your belongings any better than you did and your insurance company denies your claim, FIGHT IT. It took us four months to get anywhere with our insurance company with mistake after mistake and constant reviews. I honestly think they just want you to go away and are not ready for you to argue with their decisions or chase them up when they are not upholding their end of the deal.”

Bec from Wyld Family Travel

“I've been sick and injured many times overseas. The interesting thing is we often think that medical help overseas is going to be sub-par, but I've been in clinics and hospitals from Philippines to China to Thailand to Ecuador and it's always been pretty excellent. Thai hospitals look like space stations, seriously!

It's always just been a minor inconvenience and hasn't interrupted my travels for more than a few days.

Of course, it helps to have travel insurance and knowing you can get assistance no matter what the cost. Seeing a specialist in China cost around $700, but insurance gladly picked that up. However, many times things only cost me around $50-$100 so I didn't even bother lodging a claim.

One time when I did need insurance was when my grandmother unexpectedly passed, and my insurance agreed to fly me home for the funeral. That was really appreciated.”

Bren from Bren On The Road

“We have had trouble in our travels a few times: injuries, illness, family emergencies back home. If you travel enough these things happen eventually.

One of our more serious incidents was in Italy where I severely injured my knee. I wasn't doing anything exciting, just climbing onto the train with a suitcase! So there is no great adventure story to tell. However, I was injured to the point I could not walk, I could not bear weight on my knee.

I finished the train ride, but when I got off two hours later in Bologna I needed medical assistance. Our hotel was most helpful and sent us off to the local Orthopaedic Hospital which had an emergency room. I saw an orthopaedic doctor who could properly evaluate the injury.

The next three weeks traveling around Europe and the UK I was on crutches and in a leg brace. When I got back home to Australia I had to attend physical therapy for another six to eight weeks. Luckily it did not require surgery and my knee has fully recovered today.

Your hotel can be very helpful in the case of an accident or illness. They often have doctors on call who speak English and will come to the hotel (unfortunately this was too serious for that solution) and they know the local area and can assist.

Our hotel made several phone calls before they sent us to the hospital to make sure I would be looked after properly. They also assisted us to find crutches and the knee brace (these were not supplied at the hospital in Italy). The hotel even had a wheelchair I could use to get around for the first few days when my knee was too sore for crutches.

If you are not staying in a hotel, a large hotel can still assist you and most are happy to help in an emergency, just ask.

There were no charges for the medical care at the hospital, but we did have to change our travel plans as some of our accommodation did not have elevators and I could no longer climb the stairs.  The airlines were great, you just need to let them know (usually online) ahead of time you will require assistance at the airport.”

Elizabeth from Compass and Fork

“I am queen of the mishaps and misadventures. I got stitches in Vietnam in by no means an exciting story. In fact, it’s almost the most boring thing that could have happened. Or maybe lame is the term? All I know is that it sucked.

Jack and I went for a night out in Hoi An, Vietnam, and when we came back to our room at 2am we realised it was HOT. Like 115F degrees hot. So, like the needy princess that I am, I lay in bed fanning myself and I asked Jack to turn on the air conditioning.

When Jack turned the AC on, the air coming out was so powerful it blew the AC plastic cover out onto my face, right in between the eyes.

So, there I was, bleeding everywhere in a hotel bed. We got some band-aids and some alcohol wipes to stop the bleeding and just dealt with it the next morning.

After telling the concierge lady what had happened she took me to the nearest hospital, and by hospital, I mean she brought me to a woman’s house who happened to have stitching equipment.

I got stitched and bandaged up and sent home. I had to buy scarring ointments, alcohol wipes, disinfectants, band-aids and all that fun stuff. I went to a few hospitals in Da Lat later on to get the stitching out.

I had bought travel insurance, so after our backpacking trip I saved all receipts for any medications and ointments and sent them all back. Even though stitches in Vietnam only cost $10, travel insurance ensured I got all my money back (and then some) from this ordeal.

Our advice? First off, try not to sleep in a bed directly under an AC unit. Second of all, if you are in a small town, go to the nearest international hospital that has proper equipment to help you with any wounds. Although we didn’t at the time, it would have been way safer to go to a legitimate hospital with proper needles and stitching equipment. For all I know, the lady (who yes, did do a great job) could have used unsterilised needles and could have given me an infection, or worse!

Third, get travel insurance. I am so thankful I got it because not only did this happen, but I got food poisoning, had my phone stolen, attacked by sand flies… you get the point. But because I got travel insurance, I was reimbursed for all of this.”

Jenn and Jack from Who Needs Maps?