Best and worst travel memories? (page 4 of 4)

Hi there,

While reading some stories on the site, I realized we live in a world of goofballs.

The worst: altercations with locals. The tone escalating, threatening gestures, the lingering anxiety afterward of having antagonized dangerous people. Especially in countries where you don’t blend in and the risk of mob violence is real. A few hikes too: getting lost, the scares in the middle of nature or in the mountains... The "administrative" nightmares at airports too... Especially at Roissy CDG!

The best: there are so many! Sunrises, new places, arriving after a long exhausting journey... Seeing the coast of Africa for the first time from southern Spain after 2,500 km of hitchhiking will always be one of the greatest moments of my early travels!! Probably because I was so young and got there with no money... The encounters too!

Edit: there are some amazing stories in this thread!!!

The worst: altercations with locals. The rising tension, threatening gestures, the anxiety afterward of having made enemies with dangerous people.

Which country did this happen in, and in what situation? Thanks for specifying!

I don’t know if it’s my worst memory, but it’s definitely one that left a deep mark on me. Early 2000s, I went to the Dominican Republic with my girlfriend (and future wife) and my parents. A travel agency sold us an excursion "you have to do at least once in your life" to Haiti. In a village (slum) near the Dominican border, I saw a tourist from our group give a lollipop to a woman. A few seconds later, she broke it into 3 small pieces with a rock to share with her 3 young children. We all ended the bus ride back in tears, seeing that level of poverty just a few kilometers from Dominican resorts... As for my best memory, it’s hard to choose since there have been so many, but I’d say flying over the Grand Canyon in a small twin-engine plane. What a breathtaking sight—nature’s wonder really hit me!

The worst: altercations with locals. The rising tension, threatening gestures, the anxiety afterward of having made enemies with dangerous people.

Which country did this happen in, and in what situation? Thanks for specifying.

Insignificant anecdotes, it was mostly my own paranoia, but in the moment it can feel oppressive: an altercation with two thugs in Penang (a long time ago...) and with a group of neo-Nazis in Hungary...

evening everyone, neo-Nazi gatherings are the worst thing ever. It was actually in Budapest where I saw a lot of them during the national holiday and on my first trip to Hungary a long time ago. Mostly young guys with shaved heads who seem completely out of control. And literally by the dozens... Personally, I was fine, but if you're "racialized"—basically of non-European origin—and traveling in Central Europe, steer clear as fast as you can when you see these groups.

Good evening, neo-Nazi gatherings are the worst thing. It was actually in Budapest where I saw a lot of them during the national holiday and on my first trip to Hungary a long time ago. Mostly young skinheads who seem uncontrollable. And literally by the dozens... Personally, it went okay for me, but if you're "racialized"—in other words, of non-European origin—and traveling in Central Europe, steer clear as quickly as possible when you see these groups.

Yeah, T-shirts with Hitler’s face, etc. Not the best surprise this country has to offer!! For us, it was limited to a bottle being thrown and a Nazi salute... We quickly got back in the truck. It was in a tiny town not far from the former Yugoslavia... Since they had cars, we feared a chase for a good while...