I know that on travel blogs, we come home from trips with these lovely photos and beautiful locations under our belts, but truthfully, travel is a whole lot less glamorous than it’s made out to be. Things go wrong, you get somewhere and don’t like it, you get sick or hurt, etc. And all these things have happened to me numerous times, so today I thought we’d explore some funny (looking back now) stories of things that have happened to me on some of my trips and the stories behind some photos that honestly have been less than happy moments at times!
On our trip to Iceland in November 2012, I got really sick right before we left with a really bad cold. Needless to say, I was that person on the plane you really don’t want to be sitting next to, red eyes that wouldn’t stop watering, blowing my nose every minute, and so stuffed up that I could barely sit for 20 minutes at a time. It was a miserable flight truthfully and our whole first day in Iceland I was miserable. This photo was taken about an hour after we had arrived in Reykjavik and though you can’t really see, my eyes were just raw from them watering and the cold weather didn’t help at all! At least by day 2 I was feeling better and we went on with our trip, one of our best!
We went to New Orleans last Christmas and while our photos turned out lovely of the city, we just didn’t click with it at all. I was expecting to love it, with the French culture, but it wasn’t a place that worked for me, and to top it off, the weather was so hot and humid, that while I’m in a scarf and jacket and boots, by the end of this day, I was dying of heat. Sometimes you meet places that just aren’t your favorite and you have to just finish the trip, and make the most of it.
Some trips you’re fitting into a small time frame, like our August visit to New York City. Because we hadn’t fit it into our original year trip schedule, we squeezed it in for just a weekend, leaving Friday evening on the red eye and coming home Sunday night. While we were really excited to be back in New York, we also were exhausted upon arrival. I had slept about 4 hours at this point on the plane, then landed at JFK at 7am and changed and freshened up as best as I could as we couldn’t check into our hotel until 3. Sometimes you just have to do what you can with what you have while traveling,
and being tired is usually one of the things you’re battling.
Many times while we’re traveling, to get the fantastic shots that he does, I spend a lot of time waiting while Nick is shooting. This was one of those times, that I spent about 2 hours on a rock on the Atlantic Ocean in Rhode Island, with a freezing cold wind constantly blowing off the water. And while I’m happy to do it, knowing the beautiful photos that we’ll come home with, there are many times that the perks of traveling, like amazing photos, take center stage to comfort.
This photo, while I look fine, was taken about 10 minutes after I ran into a huge ancient stone in Verona, literally 5 minutes after arriving in the city. Needless to say, I had a huge lump on my knee for weeks and walking around the rest of the day was not comfortable. In traveling though, many times things happen, you hurt yourself, you get blisters from walking so much, and you just have to power through to make the most of your time in whatever place you happen to be in.
The majority of time its only minor things that go wrong, but sometimes you can be unlucky enough to suffer something more serious such as a severe illness or injury and its times like that when you may have to consider your legal rights to recovering the costs associated with your ruined holiday.
The lesson of this story is that while I come home from travels with beautiful photos by Nick and stories and memories that will last a lifetime, we also come home with hilarious (later) stories and moments when everything seemed to go wrong. But in the end, that’s what travel is all about, it’s the good mixed with the bad, and the memories of all of it.
Jenn @ A Country Girl's World says
I so agree with this. In Costa Rica our trip was amazing, but our flight was delayed in Dulles forcing us to spend 6 hours in an airport in El Salvador (4 terminals, not fun) because we missed our connection. We got to CR so late and it was storming and we couldn’t get over the mountain so we spent 4 hours in a hostel only to have the crappiest bumpiest ride from San Jose to Las Cruces. Then when we got home one of our cars tires was flat and when the other car was coming back to get a second load of people, they got into an accident. Looking back now it’s hilarious but we didn’t think so then. It’s all about what you make of situations. 🙂
Casey Martin says
You’re so right… stuff is always going to wrong at some point or another but it’s how you handle it that makes the most of traveling. But then again, that’s life and life often gets in the way of travel but you just have to power through and experience it the best you can!
darcisays says
I love this post! In 2012 I backpacked through Europe for three weeks and was injured in almost every city; got a nice egg on my head in Paris, plantar fasciitis came back in Venice, killed my tailbone on a bike tour of Berlin, and developed a bruised Achilles in Copenhagen. And let’s not even talk about the cold in Germany and Denmark, or all the overnight train rides and travel issues, lol. But it’s still the best trip I’ve ever been on in my life! 🙂
Casey Martin says
Totally! I love though that you have those stories, while not funny in the moment, they definitely add to the story of your travels!
andrea says
I got really sick on a trip to Chile and Easter Island which was a real bummer because, let’s face it, that is a once in a life trip. I ended up at the hospital in Easter Island and after a shot and some meds I was good to go!
Casey Martin says
Oh no! That’s too bad but at least they fixed you up! 🙂
Rachel Murphree says
At least those unfortunate circumstances lead to good stories, right? I found that I was allergic to something in Dublin and had to run into a pharmacy because I could not stop sneezing. Like, non stop sneezing so that I felt like I couldn’t keep walking or I’d fall over!
Casey Martin says
Oh my gosh! That’s terrible!
Aryn Hill says
I think my worst was a random allergy attack while traveling China. My eyes and nose were basically faucets. Luckily the city was cool enough that I still had a good time.
Casey Martin says
Wow! At least you still could make the most of it!
Chelsea @ Lost in Travels says
ok we really need to travel together. because often times i’m the one sitting around while jeremy is hopping all over the place taking pictures. like you said, it’s a great sacrifice to make since i love the pictures but it’s not exactly the highlight of my trip : ) actually one of the pictures from cambodia, of me sitting in the doorway was taken by him while i was waiting around for him haha, turned out to be one of my favorites of me so i guess it all paid off!
Casey Martin says
Totally!!! I seriously told Nick this last night! But you’re right, some of my favorite shots are those that I was waiting for him on so it all makes it worth it in the end!
Shannon at Beginnings in Bayern says
Sometimes I feel like travel is more fun in retrospect than in the moment. When it’s raining ice or when you get food poisoning in the middle of a trip or a flight gets cancelled, it can seem so un glamorous. But then you’re home a few days later reminiscing about the awesome food, amazing photos, and the unforgettable experience. Travel, why can’t I quit you? 😉
Casey Martin says
Yes, totally. I look back on even some of our worst trips and though, I may not want to go back to those places, I still love the memories we made there and the things we saw!
livinitupashayup says
Love this! I got sick in Chiacago a few years ago and it puts a damper and such a well planned trip.
Casey Martin says
I know! Don’t you just hate that! I think I’ll do a post sometime soon on how to stay healthy while traveling because you brought up a great point… when you put all the time into planning a trip and then you never want to be sick!
Kayla C says
So true! This past weekend, I was stuck at LAX for 9+ hours with my puppy in tow…what an adventure! We ended up getting home around 3:30 this morning and I’ve gotten only an hour of sleep before work this morning! Whoa. But that trip was still a good one, and all of the delays seemed to be tied to the crazy weather (tornadoes and storms in the Midwest) Which can’t be helped..So all in all being stuck in a warm airport with places to eat and relax…how much should I really be allowed to complain about? We made it home safe and sound, just a little later than expected 🙂
Casey Martin says
Wow! And yes, we’ve all been there, stranded in some airport somewhere but you’re right, at least you were safe, warm and had food there… very good lesson to remember!
Ashley S says
I totally agree about the exhaustion from travel…I had a similar experience when I visited Paris and could barely keep my eyes open at the Eiffel Tower..I felt terrible being so sleepy in one of the best cities in the world.
Casey says
Yes totally, sometimes it’s too bad and we miss things because we’re tired, but that is all part of traveling!
EvaS says
I love to travel, but you are right, there’s always things like this going on, especially the getting sick one. Or that anticipated sight that’s supposed to be amazing and to you it’s a joke. In my case, when I go back to Europe to see my family, I don’t relax! I spend so much time catching up with people that when I come back home, I need a vacation from the vacation.
Casey says
Totally, I’ve done trips like that too when you don’t get to just relax and see a place!