Epic Travel Fails

Travelling is one of the best things and a great way to have amazing new experiences. However sometimes being in a foreign country, having a carefree attitude or just simply not being aware of your surroundings can lead to some epic travel fails! The following are just three fails or accidents I've had when travelling!!!

Number one: Just call me Nipple Knees!

As you may know from my last post I absolutely adore Hawaii! If you are not aware of my love, check out my previous post, you'll get the idea. Anyway, we were staying in a hotel overlooking the amazing view of Wakiki beach and the hotel was absolutely lovely. After two or three days in Hawaii I was settling in nicely to the routine of short shorts, summer dresses and loving the freedom that comes with being in paradise. As I woke to greet a new day, still with about six days left in Hawaii, I noticed that my knees were a bit itchy. I didn't think much of it and got in the shower in my natural daze, which I have every morning as I am not a morning person. I got dressed and ready for breakfast and as I was sitting on the bed I realised that my knees were still super itchy, so I finally looked down and noticed two red swollen lumps on my knees about the size of an Australian fifty cent coin which looked remarkably like mosquito bites or as my sister put it ..... NIPPLES! Well needless to say I was mortified! Hawaii is the kind of destination where any outfit is acceptable but nipples on your knees are not! However after a fully fledged freak out I decided to embrace it, I took the standard 'knees together which looked like boobs' photos and had all my photos for the rest of the holiday taken from the thigh up. Looking back on it now I think it was probably an allergic reaction to carpet cleaner and thankfully there was no permanent scaring but oh my god I did worry that I would forever be known as nipple knees! Luckily this travel fail was not permanent and now it just makes for a fun travel story! 

Number two: Idiots abroad!

A couple of years ago my friend Anni and I went on a girls trip to Bali! We were super excited as we planned, saved and dreamed of this holiday for months. Arriving in Bali we were staying in the middle of Legian and we were super excited to go out drink, dance and enjoy being young and single. However it turns out the holiday gods had different ideas in store for us! On about the third night in Bali Anni and I decided we would go to a foam party. Not having been to one before I was super excited and looking forward to dancing and throwing foam. After a few drinks at another bar down the road we made our way to the foam party. We were in the foam pit for one minute, I mean literally we just got this photo taken and all of a sudden Anni is tackled to the ground by some random guy (absolute idiot). Unbeknownst to him Anni has very bad knees and all I hear is an absolute wail from below the foam. Uncovering Anni from under the foam she informed me what had happened and how she wasn't able to walk. Partly carrying Anni and her hopping we made it down the stairs and made the 300 metre trek home (I say trek because omg I swear it felt like climbing Everest at the time) me yelling expletives to drunkards who would stand in the way as I carried a distraught Anni ..... we made it home! But for the rest of the trip Anni was in excruciating  pain and had to wear the brace she lucky had brought with her. However the story does not stop there, oh no! Not to be outdone, two nights before we went home Anni and I walked/ hobbled to the restaurant across the way. Not thinking anything of it I ordered satay chicken (this is in the days before I knew I was coeliac) that night after dinner I had a bit of a dodgy stomach and didn't feel amazing. The next day, our last full day in Bali, we went to Potato Head for cocktails at the amazing beach club! Anni limping and me running to the bathroom every five minutes made for a slightly dampened view on Potato Head that was an absolutely incredible day bar! That night, still vomiting and in incredible discomfort I ended up fainting and having a fit. Anni, hysterical, was amazing and called for a doctor. Diagnosed with Bali belly I was given an assortment of drugs and left to sleep it off. As we made our way to the airport, Anni in agony and me still vomiting uncontrollably, we made it on to the flight (with some brief questions about whether or not I really should be flying and me saying "I'm fiiiine"). Unbelievably throughout both flights I was able to control my stomach and was not ill and made it back to Melbourne. However in the hours after arriving home I was admitted to hospital for a type of campylobacter poisoning, which is very similar to salmonella poisoning. All and all though it was a good trip, but it definitely goes down as one of the worst girls trips ever haha!

Number three: Never put sunscreen on third degree burns! 

Taking a year off after year twelve was an incredible experience and developed my independence and confidence in myself and continued to develop my love of travel. After time as a camp counselor in the States I made my way to the UK where I had amazing experiences. A month or so later I caught up with a friend from home and started a 25 day Contiki adventure around Europe. A fantastic  experience with amazing people, sites and cultural experiences it was the perfect way to get a taste of Europe! However this trip has lead to probably my most life threatening and painful travel mishap. Only two or three days into the 25 day tour, we were staying on the outskirts of Barcelona. After a long day of sightseeing and the torrential rain that was occurring the crew and I decided the 20 mins or so into town in the pouring rain was not our idea of fun. A decision was made that we would go back on the bus and have more drinks at the hotel/hostel (I was 18 and can't remember whether this was a hostel or a hotel- from memory it was a hostel but not sure). Back at the hostel we made friends with a whole bunch of travellers from across Europe. As the night wore on we got tipsy .... ok sorry mum we were drunk, one of the German guys brought out his shisha/hookah pipe and some of his mates started using the pipe. Then all of a sudden a very drunk German girl (the one at the party, who although we were all drunk, was next level) came barging up to the shisha pulled the long cord mouth piece and pulled the hot coal right into my lap...... as soon as the coal hit my leg I flicked it with my hand off my lap and stood in absolute agony! As I gave my friend the 'help me eyes' not wanting to make a scene and also in shock I hurried to the bathroom. Followed by my friend and the new friends I had just made I was put in the shower and helped out of my leggings which were partly melted to my flesh (sorry that is so gross even for me to reread!). Then all of a sudden one of the girls started squirting me with sunscreen claiming "it stops sunburn, it'll stop the heat" I lay hysterical in the shower of the room (as a germaphobe this shows how much pain I was in as I didn't care). Now if this wasn't bad enough I decided to make the phone call that all parents dread, the 'I am in a foreign country but I need my mummy!'. A phone call sober I would be more hesitant to make but after talking to my mum and her telling me to either go to the tour guide or try to go to bed as she couldn't see it or determine how bad it was I decided the latter. So with a cool compress on my leg and my hand in a bucket of water I went to sleep numbed by the alcohol. Awaking the next morning we were off to Nice with a long bus ride ahead I had to suck it up or get left behind, however as the ride went on I was increasingly more disorientated and confused and found myself not being completely coherent. Being sent to hospital as soon as I got there and being told I had third degree burns which were infected I was luckily fixed up by the amazing nurses and doctors and able to continue my trip but still with the scar as a constant reminder this is probably my biggest fail and mishap when travelling!

Honorable mention: Sorry Mum!

Just recently when in Hawaii with my family we were doing the amazing sunset cruise, which is highly recommended in my Hawaii blog post.  As per usual I took advantage of the open bar with many beverages and I mean I had a lot .... definitely was going fast and loose, whoops! As the cruise came to a close after a beautiful sunset we made our way to the back of the catamaran to jump straight on to the beach to disembark. Being a 'good daughter' I was giving my mum a 'hand'  when a wave came up quick and fast and I, trying to get my drunken balance stumbled back, pulling my mum to her knees so she was absolutely drenched! Being the absolute legend she is she got up soaked from head to toe and decided she was too wet to sit through dinner, so she went home to get changed, something in my drunken state I took offence to ... as I was "only trying to help". After more drinks at Bar 35 (definitely a mistake!) we went to dinner at P.F Changs during which time I stood up half way through the meal and announced "I am going home now!" ... which I did. Drunkenly stumbling down the Waikiki strip and to my room I passed out, only having to relive my horror in the morning. Now I must preface this ... although I love the sunset cruise I don't recommend going on it after a day at the beach and not eating since breakfast! As a twenty six year old, at the time, I should and do know better and lets just say I don't think I've ever been so sheepish and apologised so much for horrible behaviour and saturating my gorgeous and loving mother! Sorry mum!!!

Epic fails and trip disasters can be the absolute worst at the time! But they also lead to life changing experiences, understanding yourself better (ok not the one where I pulled my mum into the sea, but some do) and infamous stories that live on as family or friend legend. Unless you make it a positive, an epic fail can completely change your perspective on an amazing holiday destination!

Happy and safe travels,

Georgia
The Coeliac Adventurer

So now that I've told you some of my epic fails, it would be amazing for you to share one of yours! Share your epic fail or trip mishap in the comments below! Also if you liked reading this post and you want another post about more of my travel fails... trust me this is just a few, also let me know in the comments below :)