The craziest travel stories of team Yobbers

Nina got lost in Australia 🚗

During my trip in Australia, I was driving with a rented car on an old cattle track. Suddenly, the car stopped, leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere. My phone had no signal, so calling for help wasn't an option. At that moment, the only way out seemed to be to wait  until someone might pass by and give us a lift to the nearest town. After a long wait and some walking, it started to get cold and dark, and we began to panic a little. Fortunately, a group of people came along and offered to take us to the nearest town. Once there, we quickly arranged for a towing company to pick up our car. It turned out that the car was perfectly fine, except that the clutch had shifted due to the bumpy road... In the end, we could laugh about it!

Laura had a new roommate 🕷️

I spent half a year on Bali for my studies, and I really enjoyed the exotic environment. Besides all the beautiful moments, there were also some less pleasant experiences that I now look back on with a smile! During my stay in Bali, a tall palm tree fell on my roof, I experienced quite a few earthquakes, got bitten by a dog, and hit by a scooter. You might think that was the worst, but for me, the absolute low point was the spider, a whopping 15 centimeters in size, that was in my bedroom. In sheer panic, I ran out of the house, looking for someone who could help me because I really didn't want to touch that spider myself. Fortunately, I eventually managed to pick up a total stranger who helped me remove the spider from the room…

Barbora's vacation ended on a sour note 💰

A few years ago, my husband and I traveled through Cyprus, where we enjoyed all the sights the country has to offer. After a long day, it was time to return to the hotel where we were staying. Actually, I don't even want to call it a hotel because it was very sketchy; it seemed much nicer online. When we arrived in our room, we discovered that the safe, along with all our valuables, was gone. Money, laptops, etc.were missing... That was, of course, a sour note to end our vacation on, and it didn't feel particularly nice to go back home this way! Still, the memories of this trip are incredible and we had many  enjoyable moments!

Leslie was robbed by a group of monkeys 🐒

A few years ago, I was traveling in India with friends and we visited a park known for its large population of monkeys. We had a great day seeing many beautiful animals. When we returned to our car, to our surprise, we saw several monkeys attempting to open our car to steal our belongings. They were on the roof, hanging on the doors - it was chaos! Fortunately, it wasn't too bad; they only stole our food. I found it quite an exciting moment!

Dennis was stranded in Panama 🏝️

In March 2020, I decided to travel alone to Panama with my backpack. At that time, Covid was spreading rapidly in China, but Europeans weren't as alert. There were no official travel restrictions, and the airline didn't offer free cancellations, so I boarded the plane on March 7th. Flying from Lisbon via Madrid to Panama City, everything seemed normal. Perhaps 10% of the passengers were wearing masks, and life in Panama City didn't seem affected. Two days later, the first positive Covid-19 case was discovered in Panama City, and the country immediately responded with a lockdown: no public transportation, closure of the airport, and no possibility of domestic travel.

Here we were: twenty travelers stranded on an island in the Caribbean Sea where only doctors and delivery services were allowed. Feeling like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, we were literally left to fend for ourselves. To make a long story short, from the originally planned seven days on the island, I had to extend my stay to almost five weeks before I could fly back home.

Linda was stuck in Mexico ✈️

I left Mexico for a vacation after living there for eight months. I had a great time, experiencing amazing adventures every weekend, and it truly felt like the country where I was meant to live. Until I was at the airport, checked in for my flight, and they wouldn't let me board my flight out of Mexico... I was super confused; I had valid plane tickets, my passport was in order, and all my travel documents were up-to-date. Yet, the flight departed without me. I had to go to the immigration office to sort out the situation. They informed me that due to my permanent residency permit, I was not allowed to leave the country. Mexico didn't want to let me go! Eventually, I had to cancel my residency permit to be able to leave the country on the next flight. 

David was rescued by locals 🏊🏻‍♂️

During one of my adventures in Bali, I faced a situation I will never forget. Together with a friend, we decided to visit a fairly remote beach, away from the tourist crowds. After a long ride on our scooters, we eagerly jumped into the sea to cool off - everything seemed perfectly normal at first. After only 5 or 10 minutes of swimming, my friend suddenly said, "We're stuck!" We were caught in a rip current and couldn't swim back to the shore, no matter how hard we tried.

To our great relief, Balinese locals on surfboards came to our rescue. These people seemed to possess unmatched strength and agility, effortlessly navigating through the waves as they pushed us back to the shore while we lay exhausted on the surfboards. I had never felt so helpless and weak, like a half-dead fish washed ashore. Once safely back on land, we saw red flags in the sand, warning signs that had gone unnoticed in our excitement. The experience left me sick for a week from swallowing seawater, and even now, I still harbor a deep-rooted fear of the sea.

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