Travel Problems That Nobody Talks About

Of course, travel is the best teacher! Isn’t everybody’s Facebook timeline a constant reminder of that? One single solo trip to another country, another city, a restaurant, a movie hall, or a library holds the potential to change your whole life from then on. And finally you have booked the tickets to your favourite travel destination – Goa/Bangkok. Yay! Or, no. You have already been spending the last three new year eves at Goa. Now you need something less party like, and more peaceful. More traveler like.

So now the traveler in you has woken up. A trip to Kasol/Manala/Sri Lanka has been planned. You have booked the cheapest flight/train/bus tickets, packed your backpack wisely, kept a tent, rented a bike in the new place. Nothing can go wrong from here. Nothing should. But still, there are some not so nice things that most definitely will happen if you’re out for a long term travel, and there’s very little that you could do about it.

• Bike Problems
  Bikes are my favourite mode of transportation. To me, it is synonymous to freedom, and adventure. Along with that, they take you to places which are otherwise hard to get to.
  If you have taken a bike for yourself to travel for days, it is a certainty that the bike will break down at some point. You should know some basic things like how to handle a flat Tyre, how to tighten brakes and how to tune your bike.
  Tip: Get to know your vehicle, read the manual. Keeping a foot pump and some tools and spares will also give you some secure feeling.
  When your bike gets punctured in the middle of nowhere, pump some air into the tyre with the help of the foot pump. The tire shall be now fit enough to take you some kilometers. Keep repeating the exercise until you reach a place to get the puncture fixed.
  
  
  
  Bikes help you widen your horizon. But keep your spares with you, else you’ll have to do the entire journey this way. Source
  
  
• Rain Problems
  Please! Rains are never a problem! I love rains. Where on the one hand, rain makes me want to dance like crazy, while on the other, I can just sit and listen to the sound of rain. It’s a special feeling to feel the rain from your camp in the mountains or a river.
  But travelers know how much it hampers their mobility when it’s time to make a move. It not only slows traffic down, reduces visibility, but also wets your equipment, clothes and luggage, managing which is already a problem.
  Tip: Keep rainproof jackets and some plastic sheets with you.
  
  
  
  Keep your hands free. Handling an umbrella could be too much of a hassle. Source
  
• Falling Sick
  Already motion sickness was trying to corner you, on top of that you get wet and fall sick! Not only you have fever, but a bad body ache also. The traveler friends you made on your way will now either stay put because of you, or will have to move on. Both the situations are going to make you feel bad.
  Now you’ll not only be stuck, but also if you’re staying at some hotel/resort or rented camps then you’re going to waste more money staying there for one more day. And hopefully just one.
  As you’ll be bed ridden and will have nothing to do, you will probably have all the haunting questions about your life and existence too. This is also the time when you’ll be missing your home the most.
  Tip: Keep some trusted medicines for fever and body ache. Follow tips from point number 2.
  Have fruits, and then the medicines and then go for a good sleep.
  In the evening, explore the nearby area, interact with the locals.
  
  
• Delhi Belly
  Oh the movie has made the term famous worldwide. The other worldwide known name for it is ‘traveler’s diarrhea’.
  It is caused from drinking not clean water, and not being able to adjust to the local food.
  Also if you’ve going up the mountains at a considerable speed from the plains, your stomach will feel the pressure because of the altitude. And you decide to not stop and keep moving. Having to control your poop for long hours while traveling also leads to a bad stomach.
  Tip: Invest in water filter straws. They are portable, and with them you can make any water drinkable.
  
  
  
  Another reason for upset stomach is dehydration. Keep taking sips of water regularly, and keep packs of ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) with you. They cost barely a rupee, and are available easily at any chemist.
  Don’t drink untreated water, and avoid food of questionable quality.
  
  
• Midnight Cravings
  Don’t we all have that? Even sitting in front of our laptops at home at night we crave food. We crave a pizza at the oddest of ours. And then its a fight with ourselves. We do everything to make ourselves understand that we’re on a diet, and it is insane to turn every single day into a cheat meal day.
  But when in the mountains if you crave crazy food, the feeling you feel is called helplessness.
  Tip: Well. Wipe your tears. Drink water.
  There is not much that you can do to fulfill your cravings here.
  But for times like these, you should keep peanuts with you. They are not only a good source of protein and energy, but also fill your stomach in very little. It will help you cut down on your craving. Moreover, it will go well with your booze.
  
  
  
  Apples, honey and lemon are other things that are handy and help to replenish.
  
  
• Stinky Clothes
  You are going to sweat like a pig no matter how you travel during the day. All your clothes will be super dirty within 2-3 days of traveling, and your stink will declare your arrival to people even before you physically arrive.
  Tip: Find opportunities to wash your t shirts and socks every evening, even if with just water.
  Keep a deodorant.
  Take the t shirt out that you will be wearing the next morning, and keep it under your mattress/sleeping bag or any luggage with a clean and flat bottom. It won’t look crushed like you took it out of a pot in the morning.
  
  
• Losing Things
  Agh! I hate losing things. I have lost count of the things I have lost while traveling in the last one year. From big burly cameras to the best of phones, keys, money. There are many interesting stories also related to the way I have lost some of those stuff. But it has only given me experience and stories to tell, for instance – Things Lost And Found. However the fact will remain that if you are a traveler, you will lose or break things, or have them stolen or robbed, no matter how careful you are.
  Tip: Don’t keep an expensive phone with you. Traveling is an outdoor activity. And most expensive phones are usually the most fragile.
  Keep harness keychains, wallets and water bottles. If you can’t find them in stores or online, then DIY.
  Keep track of your expenditure. Count your money before you sleep and before you leave the next morning.
  
  
  Blah! Now I’m sad thinking of all the memories I lost in my phone and camera.But if you think that you are ready to tackle these problems, then go out and travel today! And let us know here if you faced similar or some other kind of problems. Hope you don’t though. All the best, I’ll seeyouontheflipsyde :)