Backpacking Mishaps

A trip for backpackers is not always a splendor vacation it is more like quest. From my past experiences of backpacking I came across situations that always seemed to arise more than twice. It may have been just my luck, since I am a very unluckily person, but after a while I heard that these occurrences happened to most backpackers.

Missing a train

Running after a train, with a heavy backpack is a common occurrence; well at least for most backpackers. I remember a time while I was backpacking in Lisbon, Portugal and I wanted to make my way over to Morocco by train. I was a little late, but I knew I would make it on the train. Well after I purchased my train ticket I went to get my backpack out from the train station locker. However, the lock broke and my bag was stuck in this locker, with only 3 more minutes until the train’s departure. At this moment I was not very pleased, I started shaking the lockers to see if it would move. With only about a minute left, my bag finally came flying out of the locker. I grabbed my bag and started sprinting for the train. Trust me, it was very difficult to have over a 100 pounds on my back and running after a train! I literally through my bag on the train and jumped for the railing in order to get on the train with out missing it. Now, this always seemed to happened to me, it may have been due to my lack of time management, but I believe it just happened cause I always wanted to see more in all the cities.

Sightseeing to much

Rushing around, getting stressed out, and exhausted in order to get all the sight seeing in; is just not a great idea. Trying to squeeze more countries in your agenda is not a smart move, however it is a common mistake.  When backpackingEurope it is a very frequent thing to do, since all the countries are so close to each other. There is much to see in Europe but before stressing yourself or others out, grab a hand full of countries, and know what sites you want to see first and starting planning from there. Over all you want to take your time enjoyable since backpacking to most individuals not a everyday routine.

Hostels

Sometimes I booked a hostel in advance and often I would just show up and wing it. If I booked a hostel, it often happened that my name was misspelled or the hostel was over booked in the first place. So I would reach my destination and from there I would go straight to the hostel, finding out that there was no room left for me, even if I booked my hostel. If I winged it, it often happened that I would jump from hostel to hostel until I found one that was not fully booked. Now this really only occurred during the peak times of traveling, however it was very exhausting. So I recommend to all backpackers, if you are traveling during peak season and especially in Europe BOOK your hostels in advance!!!

These three experiences happened to me quite often as a backpacking within Europe. Not so much in China and South America. Yet, as I traveled more I heard these mishaps didn’t just happen to me but also to many other backpackers.