Traveling around the world is an experience unlike any other.  There are so many good things about it, and those are the things you usually hear about from people who do it.  The truth is nothing is without some difficulty.  

Although I think we have been fortunate as far as travel problems go, there are obstacles along the way from time to time.  Some are very minor, and some cause a little more stress.  Here’s a few that we’ve run across along with some ways to avoid them when possible.

Transportation Problems

Railway Construction

I’m going to start with the most unexpected problem we’ve come across!

Here’s the story.  We were on a train from Vienna, Austria to Hallstatt, Austria.  There were, of course, stops at many stations in between.  Even though all communications on the speakers were in German we weren’t worried.  We made sure to watch each stop and the time in order to know when to disembark.  (By the way, there are normally announcements in the local language and English.  Not sure why it wasn’t on this train.)

About two-thirds of the way through the journey the train stopped at a station, people got off (again normal), and then a worker came to us (because we were some of the few still seated) and said that everyone needed to get off the train.

Baffled and a little alarmed, we got off.  We were all directed to a line of buses.  The announcements by the buses were again in German, but I found a worker who spoke some English and asked what was going on.  He said that there was construction on the tracks, so we were being taken by bus to the next working station where we could again board a train and continue to our destination.  😮

Who would ever have thought about a problem like that being a possibility??!!

How to Avoid the Problem
I really don’t know of anything that could have been done to anticipate this or to avoid it.  The one thing I would have done differently (and will do in the future) is to ask someone for clarification of announcements being made when they are not in English.  This still would not have avoided the problem, but at least we would have known what was going on as it was happening.

Bus Stop Confusion

We don’t travel by bus much.  We prefer train and underground systems when available.  However, on a recent day trip from Vienna, Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia, we chose to take the bus.  It took the same amount of time as the train and was half the price, so we thought we’d try it.

First problem:  Finding the correct bus platform (B1).  This was a large bus station.  We saw platforms M through about T, and that’s it.  We circled the whole building (and it’s big) and found no others.  After searching for a while we finally asked a random person who works somewhere around there, and he directed us to the other platforms that were much further away and not visible from the main station at all. 😣

Next problem:  Leaving Bratislava was even more difficult.  There was not a large bus station to go to.  There were multiple bus stops within a mile or two of each other.  We walked to three different ones (all with the same name), and none of them were the correct stop. After about an hour and a half we gave up and took a train.

How to Avoid the Problem
For us, the way to avoid this problem is probably going to be to avoid using buses.  We prefer other modes of transportation any way.  For someone who is familiar with bus transportation it might not be a big deal, but I think we’ll just stick with trains.

Closed Underground Station

Occasionally there are underground stations (aka Metro or Subway, depending on the city) that are closed for construction or some other problem.  Many times when looking at the route on the map (like Apple maps or Google maps) it will post an alert saying it is closed and may offer an alternate route.  This is very helpful since, even thought it can be more inconvenient route, you can know to plan differently.  

However, sometimes when a station is closed you may not get any kind of alert.  We’ve been there!  This is very frustrating because there is no way to plan around it.  You just have to quickly come up with another route.  You have to walk to another station or take a different mode of transportation.

How to Avoid the Problem
The only way to avoid a problem like this is to always allow extra time to get where you are going.  Even if you are familiar with the city or the transportation system never assume there will be no obstacles.  Always give yourself extra time to get to your destination.

Validating Transportation Tickets

Sometimes transportation tickets (i.e. bus, train, underground, etc) have to be validated after they are purchased.  You purchase them at the machine or at the counter, and then you have to validate them.  Sometimes they can be validated when you purchase them (if you choose to), sometimes there is separate  machine at the station that must be used, and sometimes you can validate them on a bus.  And sometimes they don’t need to be validated at all.

Many times no one ever checks to see if they are validated, but if they do and you have not validated you could be charged fines.  They don’t care that you didn’t know.

A few that we’ve used that require ticket validation are the trains in Italy and the underground in Vienna.

How to Avoid the Problem
There’s no way to know what needs to be validated and what doesn’t unless you check before arriving in the city.  Look at the city’s transportation page online by searching for “Rome public transportation” for example.

RESTAURANT, STORE, & ATTRACTION PROBLEMS

Early Closure for Stores, Restaurants, Etc

The hours for stores and restaurants differ in each country, so be aware so you are not without something you may need.  For example, stores, including grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing stores, and souvenir stores, close in the early evening in Austria.  Many restaurants close in the afternoon and open back up after 7 or 8pm in countries like Italy and Spain.

How to Avoid the Problem
Google it before leaving home.  Search “store hours in Austria” for example.  You just need to be aware so you can plan appropriately. 

Restaurants Taking Credit Cards

We like to use only our travel credits cards when we travel for several reasons.  The main reason is that we earn travel points with them.  Also, credit cards are quicker and easier to use, you don’t have to worry about running out of cash and having to find an atm with low or no fees, and you don’t have to worry about fees and conversion rates associated with atm’s.

How to Avoid the Problem
You need to make sure you always ask upfront if they restaurant accepts credit cards.  You don’t want to be surprised at the end of the meal with a bill that uses all of your cash.

Using Audio Guides

If you are visiting attractions like museums, churches, etc you will likely want to use or purchase audio guides that go with the tours.  Sometimes they give you a device to use, and sometimes you can download a guide to your smartphone.  

If you use their device you will either have to hold it your ear like a phone, or use their headphones (which are not comfortable), or plug in your own headphones.  If you download to your own phone you can use any kind of headphone set.

How to Avoid the Problem
Always bring wired headphones with you.  Wireless earbuds won’t work unless you are using your own phone since the bluetooth can’t sync with their device.

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ACCOMMODATIONS & PACKING PROBLEMS

Check-In Procedures

Check-in procedures can be sometimes be a pain, and especially if you are checking in late, it can be very stressful.  It is not fun to be stuck outside your room or apartment late at night after a long day of travel and sightseeing. 

Many hotels have a reception desk that are open 24 hours a day, so those are the least difficult.  Other hotels and most apartments do not have any kind of reception desk, so the check-in can be a little more complicated.

There is a number of problems that could occur.  You might not find the lock box, the key or code may not work, the machine that gives you a key may not work, or the instructions might have fallen off and blown away.  These have all happened to us!

How to Avoid the Problem
Always check the procedures in advance.  If you can get the complete instructions before leaving home that is best.  Save them in your phone so you can get to them quickly.

Always have at least one (preferably two) emergency phone numbers in case of any problems.

Send an email a day or two before arrival verifying the instructions.

If they don’t send the check-in instructions before you leave home at least try to get them a day or two before your arrival.  This can be a little hard because you will be constantly moving during your trip, but you definitely don’t want to wait until the last minute.

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Pillow Problems

You never know what the pillows and beds will be like in a hotel or apartment.  Even very nice hotels may have really fat pillows or thin pillows or feather pillows that you are not used to. 

Because I have neck problems I always worry about what the pillow will be like.  We once stayed in a nice hotel in Paris that had extra fat pillows.  I was in pain after the first night and was hurting so much during the second day that I had to stop and get a massage.

How to Avoid the Problem
This is a hard one.  I am still trying to find the best solution.  If you have a small pillow that is comfortable for you try to find a way to bring it if it is that important. 

I recently bought a small pillow that is similar to the one I use at home.  I pack it flat in a roll-up vacuum bag.  I haven’t actually had to use it yet because the pillows we’ve had recently have been fine.  I’ll update this when I use it or if I come up with something better.

Medications

Even if you don’t take regular medications or aren’t someone who gets sick often, somehow unexpected things seem to happen when you travel.  Maybe it’s the change in routine or the change in location or weather conditions, but things can happen.

One of my sons who has never had problems with allergies has allergy problems every time we go to Europe in the Spring.  We’ve also had colds, ear aches, back and neck problems, and even bronchitis (bronchitis in Hawaii!! 😩)

How to Avoid the Problem
Take a mini pharmacy with you.  We take a travel medicine case with medications for colds, pain, digestive problems, road and air sickness, allergies, etc.

I like to use a 7-day medicine case and put one medication in each section.  I use my label maker to label each one, I put the expiration date on the bottom of each one, and I take pictures of the boxes of each one with the instructions and save them in my phone.  I put any medications that come in a foil pack in a plastic zipper bag.

Also, always have an online doctor that you can use when you are away.  When I had bronchitis in Hawaii I had a video chat with a doctor online on my phone.  He called in medications and an inhaler to a nearby pharmacy, so I was able to take prescription medications and keep going.  We use MD Live.  We have also used Doctor on Demand in the past, but check with your insurance company.  Many of them have online doctors available at no charge.

If you are traveling outside your own country you will need to search for an online doctor in the country you are visiting.  We had to do that once in London.  I just searched on Google for “online doctor London”.  We saw the doctor on video chat, and he called in medications to a nearby pharmacy.

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Bottom Line

A post about travel problems isn’t one that excites anyone about going places, but these are things to be aware of to make sure your trip goes as smoothly as possible. 

There will always be little hiccups along the way with any journey, but the benefits of travel more than outweigh any problems that could arise.  You just need to be prepared.  Research dates, times, and maps for each place, and always give yourself more than enough time for everything.  Now go plan a trip!