Storytime: Embarrassing Travel Moments (Yikes)

Welcome back guys, first and foremost I hope everyone is safe and well.

I was thinking about my previous posts on my travel disasters and decided to do one on my most awkward or embarrassing travel moments. I can still remember how RED my cheeks got during these situations that is how much it has impacted me hahaha. I will link my travel disasters post just in case any of you missed it: Storytime: My travel disasters.

Part 2 is here: Storytime: My travel disasters part 2.

For dramatic effect I am going to countdown…

5. This one is so stereotypical I can’t believe it happened in real life. Picture this, a line of hungry college students in the States. Now picture me at the front of the line ordering an omelette. Add a British accent to the mix. Can you see where this is going? 

The chef was asking me what I wanted in my omelette. As soon as I mentioned ‘Tomato’ the chef looks at me and starts laughing? ‘What?’ he asks. I repeat my order. The chef is looking at me and just standing there. The chef starts roaring with laughter and I had no idea why.I kept repeating my order and he was still laughing. Not like a nasty laugh but a LAUGH. I felt like I was in the queue for hours and hours I could literally feel myself going red. It was causing quite the scene. Luckily, after what felt like a year someone behind me shouts “I think she means *Insert an American saying tomato*”

The chef looks at me and goes ‘ohhhhhhh!’ but I was so mortified I literally ran away. I was like 20 years old at the time I had no idea why I ran away but it made it so much more awkward the fact I left my plate and just ran? What was I thinking? I still cringe when I tell people this story.

4. Knocking on the wrong door at an Air BnB at night.

Yup.

The worst part was I was absolutely sure it was the right door so I kept insisting that I was coming to stay and that we had spoke before through text. The house owner looks at me like I have gone crazy and kept shaking her head. She asked me to show me the email and when I showed her she literally sighed with such disappointment in her voice. I knew at that moment I had got the wrong address. Oh boy.

The worst part was that the house I needed was only a few doors down but the doors had no numbers so I just had to go by what looked most similar to the picture. I had potentially woken up someone who was asleep. The way I avoided going past that door for the whole trip was NOT fun as I had to take a longer route just to exit the building every morning. Want to know what that consisted of?

Going up 8 flights of stairs. Oh the shame.

3. This one throws it back to my solo travels. I was walking around taking photos of everything when I completely miscalculated my step and went FLYING. Before I knew it, I was face down on the floor in a very touristy area in Milan. When I say I was face down I literally mean my face was on the floor and my hands were spread out like an actual starfish. 

The worst part is that I didn’t even try to get up. I wasn’t injured but I just didn’t move for some reason. I think I was probably trying to take in how I was going to face hundreds of people when I eventually stood up. Well, huge groups of people came rushing over, trying to help me up. I have no idea where but I just know someone out there has a photo of this moment because I was probably in the background of a tourist photo.

Sorry for ruining the pic!

2. I was at the train station in the UK with two of my friends who came to visit. We were heading to London when I noticed the train was too quiet to be a London train. I decided to step off to have a look at the board and yup… The train started going.

It turns out we had taken the train before the one we actually needed. This was my worst nightmare because my two friends were not from the UK so they had no idea what to do. I RAN to the customer service desk and asked them to put an announcement telling my friends to get off at the next stop but they told me without knowing more details it was impossible.

 I literally lost a shoe in the process of running and my entire outfit was falling apart. Let me just say, the train was going to some place FAR FAR FAR AWAY. I was so worried about my lack of time.

Common sense kicked in. I called my friends but the first phone I called didn’t get through because it was an American phone. By absolute luck the second number I called managed to get me through to my friends. They told me they were coming back to the train station I was at. THANK GOODNESS I HAVE FRIENDS WITH INITIATIVE.

They eventually made their way back and we got on the right train but imagine if they didn’t get off the train at the next stop or imagine if I didn’t have my phone. 

1. Without a doubt, my most embarrassing travel moment was when I was boarding a plane to Spain. I had with me a mini suitcase and a backpack.

When I say backpack, I mean a bag so big you could probably fit the entire suitcase in there. Wheels and everything. I did not think any problem would arise as I have used this larger bag for all my travels. However, I obviously did not read the new policy update on the bags because as the staff members were checking my passport, they scanned their eyes down to my two bags.

Ok listen – I am not sure if airport staff get paid commission when they make a charge right before boarding but let me tell you, the way the lady happily took out the card machine I just knew she thought she had hit jackpot. She proceeds to tell me I can only have one bag and that the cost would be ……….. wait for it……………you ready? 75 EUROS.

Excuse me? 75 euros for one bag? Obviously I was not going to pay that. However, I didn’t have much time.

The line was moving. I tried to take out everything in the bag and put it in my suitcase but my suitcase had a hard shell so it is near impossible to squish everything inside. There was no way I could fit it in. Then I had an idea… I noticed a few people in front of my with no bags at all, just a folder with passports. One of the girls must have seen me looking at her lack of baggage and literally read my mind when she said ‘Do you want me to take it on for you?’ 

At this point I was desperate! To be honest, if I saw someone in a similar position I would have asked the same question so I knew I had to say yes to the suggestion. The staff member comes back and sees me with just one bag and THE WHOLE GATE STARTED CLAPPING but she doesn’t know why. Then the whole departure lounge joins in for no reason. Can you picture how awkward this is. Urghhhh. 

That wraps up my post! I would love to hear your most awkward moments. If you have a story let me know RIGHT NOW.