All of us who have a travel luggage have experienced at least one awkward moment or felt some kind of discomfort. It is completely normal to encounter such situations when faced with new scenarios, different countries, unfamiliar people and cultures. During my travels in Albania and 33 other countries, I have selected five of the most difficult experiences I have had. Maybe to your surprise, none of them happened in Albania. I feel at home in all of Albania and I haven’t experienced anything that has put me in a difficult spot or made me feel bad, as much as the moments I’m going to share with you now. However, each event has prepared me more for the next journey, practically and emotionally.
1. Ohrid, North Macedonia, Summer 2000
My first trips outside Albania were with my parents. One time we went to Ohrid for the summer holidays. I was about 8 years old and this was considered an adventure for us, as we had never spent so much time near a lake, let alone swimming in freshwater. Being from Durrës, for me the beach was synonymous with salty water. In those years, GPS, Google Maps, Uber, and other modern services did not exist. We only had cell phones, but no smartphones, and there weren’t roaming options like today.
We were staying in a resort outside the city. One evening we took a taxi to go to town for dinner. When we decided to go back, we walked towards the hotel, but there was no taxi in sight. We kept walking and, at one point, we lost our way. I was with my sister and parents and streets were deserted. Getting lost scared me a lot. My parents were doing everything they could to find a solution, but nothing was up to us anymore. We just had to wait for a taxi. Although it seemed like an eternity to my concept of time, at one point a taxi drove by and we were saved.
2. Moscow, Russia, Summer 2007
Many years later, when I was in eighth grade, I traveled with my family again, and this time to Russia. We stayed in Moscow for a full nine days and one day in St. Petersburg. Moscow seemed like a new world to me. The city was magnificent and had the largest subway system I have ever seen, with multiple floors underground. In some areas, there was also a lack of oxygen due to depth, and people rushed to leave. However, this was not the most difficult moment.
One afternoon, walking down a wide street with shops, something similar to Oxford Street in London, we lost sight of dad. I was with my mother and sister. Dad, apparently, had slipped into a store without letting us know. We realized his absence after walking a bit and decided to stop moving and wait in one place. We usually had a rule that, if we lost, we would set a meeting point, but this time we hadn’t. After a long wait and without any results, we started looking for him along the road. After almost an hour of searching, he called us from the other side of the street and we were reunited. However, for me this was a moment of panic and separation that I won’t forget, as we still lived in a time without the uninterrupted access to today’s internet.
Brussels was my first trip abroad, alone, without family and without school. Of course, there would be a difficult moment. In this case, I had access to Google Maps, but as a student from Albania in 2013, I didn’t have a debit card, let alone a credit. I had all the money in cash.
On the last day, I spent all the money on chocolates and beer for family and friends back home. Afterwards I learned that the train to the airport wasn’t included in the metro card and was about 7 euros. I only had 2 euros left. The friends who were with me in the hotel were not helping. Having no other choice, I decided to go back to the last store I had shopped at. Thankfully, the gentleman at the store agreed to return so
4. Vienna, Austria, October 2013
After Brussels, I visited Vienna and stayed for a week in a hostel. One night, while walking by the MuseumsQuartier, I heard electronic music and saw a crowd dancing. The music was coming from a platform that was pulled very slowly by a van. The big PAs were placed there with the DJ on the side. Soon more people gathered and danced, slowly following the van. Being almost Halloween, the atmosphere was festive and I joined them.
Everything seemed fine until I saw some people doing “graffiti” on the buildings. Soon after, a group of policemen started pushing the crowd to clear the road. This was a spontaneous celebration and apparently without permission from the authorities. As I tried to leave, the situation worsened and the police started using force to disperse the crowd. I managed to dodge in time and got off at the nearest metro station to leave the area.
5. Los Angeles, USA, October 2018
Los Angeles was the first city I visited in USA. One evening we went to Santa Monica and had dinner at a Bubba Gump restaurant, the brand that was inspired by Forrest Gump. Chatting and enjoying the walk, we arrived at Venice Beach after 45 minutes. Even though we had been walking all day, we were enjoying the conversation and decided to walk back to the Santa Monica Pier. There we got an Uber to go back home. I was tired and fell asleep.
Since our house was about an hour away, we used Uber Pool to save some money. The Uber driver, unfortunately, took a few more requests along the way. When suddenly I wake up after an hour and a half, we were back at the Santa Monica Pier. I have never felt so exhausted. At that time I was overweight and didn’t do any physical activity. The lack of sleep and the intensity of the journey were unbearable for me. This experience taught me how important it is to be physically fit to travel well.
Each of these experiences has a special character and happened at moments that helped me understand and learn something about travel and about myself.
How about you, what was an embarrassing experience that you won’t forget?
