A woman has shared one of her worst travel experiences and the reason she vows never to return to a particular city.
While global travel came to a halt during the pandemic, many are now back to exploring the world, like one man who’s visited an astonishing 190 countries. But for those seeking inspiration for their next adventure, one destination might be worth reconsidering.
Geraldine Joaquim, a 54-year-old hypnotherapist and wellness coach, has traveled to over 60 countries, taking around four holidays each year. She believes in experiencing both the highs and lows of different places without expecting a “sanitized version” of travel. However, one overnight stay during a work trip left her so shaken that she decided never to return.
The ordeal began during a business trip to Isla Margarita, located in the Caribbean Sea and part of Venezuela. Joaquim flew from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, planning to stay overnight before reaching her final destination.
She recalled that everything seemed fine, until she landed late at night and waited for her airport transfer. “I waited and waited. I was there for hours, and as the small airport emptied, I realized I was completely alone,” Joaquim shared.
Joaquim recounted that her phone “wasn’t working” and, with no one else around, she felt isolated and vulnerable. When “a man showed up and said in broken English that he was here to take [her] to the hotel,” she admitted feeling a wave of relief.
However, that relief quickly turned to fear when she got into the vehicle and noticed another man already seated in the front. “My stress response went through the roof,” she confessed.
“I would never normally get in a car with two strange men, but I had no other options,” Joaquim explained. Clutching a tiny penknife from her hand luggage, she spent the entire 30-minute journey on high alert.
Fortunately, she arrived safely at the hotel. But the trauma of the experience lingered, she struggled to sleep that night, and the feelings of anxiety haunted her long after the journey ended.
The following day, Joaquim returned to the airport, only to face another unsettling ordeal when her bags appeared to be stolen while she was paying the driver.
When she confronted the man who took them, he claimed to be offering an informal “check-in service” and demanded payment to return her belongings.
Reluctantly, Joaquim handed over some money to retrieve her bags. Shaken by the experience, she then made her way to catch her flight back home to the UK.
