My Unlucky European Adventure: A Series of Mishaps
During my 1.5-month trip across Europe from June to August, the most memorable experiences were, unfortunately, the string of unlucky events that befell me. It seems that my signature misadventures are far from over!
On the third day in Europe, I was staying at a friend’s place, in a room located in the attic of a traditional Dutch house. After packing up to move to another city, I started descending the steep, narrow stairs with my suitcase in hand. As I was going down, I missed a step and… WHAM! I tumbled down from a height of 1.5 meters, landing on my backside with the suitcase on top of me! Ouch! Initially, it was just a normal pain, but as time passed, walking became difficult. Worried, I went to see a doctor. Thankfully, there were no broken bones, just some internal bruising. Just bruising? It took me over ten days to walk properly again, and my body reeked of that spicy balm!
Later, on a bus ride from Croatia to Montenegro, I started feeling queasy with a headache. Upon reaching my accommodation in Kotor (yes, that’s the name of the town), I ended up with severe diarrhea and vomiting that night! For three days, I stayed locked in my room, too weak to go out. I only ventured out once to buy groceries and medicine from the pharmacy (which was a struggle to explain since the staff didn’t speak English). What bad luck, especially since my accommodation was perfectly located right inside the old town walls.
In Albania, I was feeling fine until the fourth day when I visited Butrint, an expansive archaeological site from the Roman era. Since the site is remote, located deep in the forest, public buses run only once an hour. I got so engrossed in exploring that I realized I only had 10 minutes left to catch the bus. Not wanting to wait another hour, I decided to sprint to the bus stop. FYI, my shoes had given out (another stroke of bad luck!) since Croatia, so I was only wearing sandals. From a distance, I saw the bus engine already running, ready to leave. I sped up, and… WHAM! I tripped on the sidewalk! My knees were scraped and bleeding! Ouch! Luckily, the bus waited for me!
These mishaps were likely due to my own carelessness, but they kept happening, almost as if by some strange fate! I thought maybe it was because I was traveling alone with no one to remind me to be careful. Yet, strangely enough, even when I traveled with others, the bad luck continued!
For example, in Sardinia, I was traveling with my cousin Ezra, my aunt M (my mother’s sister), and Tara. We went to the beach every day. Out of thousands of people on the beach, and out of all my travel companions, a stray inflatable ring came flying… and hit me square in the face! Yes, only me! Or, while we were enjoying a soak in the sea, a large beach umbrella suddenly took off and, once again, hit me! Note: it hit only me, not my companions or anyone else nearby! Makes no sense, right?
In Dubrovnik, I was with Aunt M, taking a public bus. The system requires you to validate your bus card at the driver’s machine before boarding. Aunt M went in first, no problem. Right behind her, I stepped up… and suddenly the validation machine broke down! The whole bus grumbled as the driver took forever to fix it. Why did it have to happen when it was my turn? Or when we were at the airport, taking turns to use the restroom. Aunt M finished without a hitch, but when it was my turn, the restroom suddenly closed! Seriously, while I was in there!
In Ksamil, a friend and I were having dinner at an alfresco restaurant, which was quite expensive. Out of nowhere, it started pouring rain, drenching all the guests! Then, shortly after… BAM! The power went out! Power outages in Europe are very rare, so they weren’t prepared with generators, flashlights, or even candles! We ended up seeking shelter in the kitchen, waiting for the rain to stop, and then walked back to the hotel in complete darkness. The power outage lasted the entire night, and I slept in a pool of sweat!
In Rome, I was traveling with Sri and her family, who are known for their luxurious trips. We rented an amazing, spacious apartment, yet bad luck still found me. On the second night, all the air conditioning in the apartment failed! Only the AC, though; the electricity was fine. In Europe, you can’t get a repairman to come at night, so we spent the night sweating profusely again. The next day, to escape the heat, we went to Castel Gandolfo, 30 km from Rome, for a swim in the beautiful Lake Albano. On the way back, the train went on strike (due to a protest)! No taxis were willing to take us because it was too far. After trying various methods for hours, we finally got a ride at 10:30 PM, thanks to a friend in Rome who arranged a taxi for us at double the fare. Damn!
Oh, my goodness… can’t my travels just go smoothly? What I’ve shared above is only half of my unlucky experiences. Whether I’m traveling alone or with friends, on a budget or in luxury, the bad luck follows me!
Tara, who went home earlier, remarked, “Why are your IG Stories always so intense?” Well, I don’t know the answer because that’s just how it is: I get sick, I fall, the power goes out, and so on. Ezra and Aunt M, who have traveled with me often, understand this. Ezra says I always attract tantrum-throwing kids and filthy restrooms, but he’s now realized that my bad luck goes beyond that. According to Aunt M, I’ve always been accident-prone. No wonder my late mother often forbade me from entering stores with fragile items when I was a child.
I used to think this was the curse of a travel writer—that a travel writer’s journey is never smooth because mishaps provide material for writing. But I finished series in 2019! I’m no longer writing for magazines, which closed during the pandemic.
Every day in Europe, I would chant the mantra, “I’m not a travel writer anymore. My journey will be smooth!” because they say it brings positive energy. I also prayed daily for a smooth trip. Yet, it didn’t work! Huhuhu…! Is this His way of telling me to retire from chasing after men?
So, what should I do, guys? “Get an exorcism!” Ezra joked. No, seriously. Does anyone have a scientific explanation for why this keeps happening to me? Or any tips to make my travels go smoothly? Please, enlighten me!