5 Travel Mishaps I’ve Had in Germany and Europe (and What Each One Taught Me)
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Almost all of our clients tell me there’s something about their trip that makes them nervous. And it usually comes down to one specific concern…what if something goes wrong?
To help you feel more confident as you prepare for your trip, let me tell you about 5 times something went wrong on my travels. I hope you at least get a laugh from these mishaps and also take away a few strategies for managing the unexpected!
This article is also available as the Germany Travel Planning podcast episode 54. Use the player below to listen or continue reading the article below. See episode transcript on Apple podcasts.
Quick answer: With the right attitude, a travel mishap doesn’t have to turn into a disaster!
– Make the best of it. Sometimes a detour turns out to be better than your original plan.
– People are more adaptable than you expect, including you.
– Don’t make assumptions. Instead, ask questions.
Mishap #1: The late night train that abandoned us in Spain
When I was studying in Germany, I traveled to Barcelona with friends. An hour into our long train journey back to Freiburg, the conductor told us we were on the wrong half of the train – it would split at a later stop and the part we were in would head in a different direction. He told us to get off at the next stop and walk to the correct car.
So we did. But the train door wouldn’t open! No matter what we did, or the passengers inside car did, the train door would not open.
And then the train took off…without us on it!
It was 11 p.m. in early January and we were stranded in a tiny Spanish town with less than 1 day left on our Eurail pass.
Long story short…we determined that the best way forward was to take the last train back to Barcelona, hang out at the train station all night (remember, we were like 20 years old!), and then take an early morning train going to France, Switzerland, and then finally Germany – so that’s exactly what we did. And we made it back to Germany just as our Eurail pass expired!
What I learned from this mishap: when something unexpected goes wrong, you’ve simply got to make the best of it! And sometimes the detour hands you the best part of the trip. The upside to the train abandoning us was that we crossed Spain and France during the day instead of in the dark, which meant I got to enjoy gorgeous views of the Mediterranean out the window for hours – something I enjoyed tremendously and have never forgotten.
Mishap #2: The night my parents and I slept in a German train station
After college I lived in Magdeburg and was thrilled when my parents were finally able to visit. When I asked what they wanted to do, they said, “When you talk about your travels it sounds like so much fun. We want to travel the way you travel.” So I planned for them the type of trip I’d plan for myself.
Everything went smoothly until our train from Prague stopped a couple of hours short of Magdeburg because someone had jumped onto the tracks. It was late at night and next connection was very early the next morning.
I asked my parents if they wanted a hotel room for a few hours. They asked what I would do if it were just me traveling with friend? I said I’d hang out at the station all night like I did in Barcelona!
Since they’d enjoyed traveling as an early 20s backpacker up to that point they said they didn’t see any reason to stop the experience, so…we hung out at the station all night.
We had a lot of fun keeping ourselves entertained with vending machine food, hot chocolate, games, and conversation. When we got too sleepy to stay awake, we huddled together on a bench and dozed off a bit. Early the next morning we arrived back in Magdeburg.
It might sound like a miserable experience but it wasn’t at all. It was so out of the ordinary for my parents and it became a surprising bonding experience. My parents and I still reminisse about that night 30 years later!
What I learned: I should have realized this earlier in my life but that night I recognized that my parents were much scrappier than I’d given them credit for. And their openness to doing something new and on the uncomfortable side as middle-aged adults made my 22-year-old self realize that I could be like that my whole life, not just when I was young. That realization set me up to take future mishaps (in travel and in life) in stride.
Mishap #3: The rental car in Freiburg we could not start
When I was teaching in Freiburg in grad school, Aaron came over to visit me for a couple weeks. We rented a car to drive through France and Switzerland. When we picked up the car, the agent asked us if we’d like them to show us how to start the car.
We declined, assuming he thought we were just young, dumb Americans.
Then we got into the car. And could not figure out how to start it!
Long story short, I asked the guy to come out and how us how to start the car. As it turned out, everyone who had rented that car needed instructions on how to start it!
What I learned: don’t assume anything and ask questions. We could have avoided the mishap had we simply asked a few questions to find out why he asked us if we wanted help instead of making an assumption about what we was thinking about us!
Mishap #4: The alpine hike that was wayyyyy more than we expected
When Aaron and I were in our mid-20s and in great shape, we took the gondola into the Alps near Innsbruck. The view at the top was so beautiful that we decided on the spot to walk back down to Innsbruck old town.
We enjoyed the hike but it was much steeper and took much longer than we’d expected!
When we finally made it back to our accommodations that evening, we were so tired and already so sore! The next morning, every single muscle was screaming at us and we still had to walk with our backpacks 30+ minutes to the train station and then spend several uncomfortable hours on a very bumpy train. We were sore for several days!
What I learned: ask questions before you start hiking, especially in the Alps! Is this the right trail? How long does it actually take? Is there anything I should know about the hike? Don’t assume you’ll find food, water, toilets, or even other people on your hike. Bring snacks and water and wear good shoes and appropriate clothes for the weather.
Mishap #5: The time we got off the train in the wrong town
While the previous mishap occurred when I was in my 20s, this one happened just a few years ago on a research trip!
Since Aaron and I were using the Deutschland-Ticket and had all day to get from Berlin to Hamburg, we decided to travel via regional trains. Shortly into the journey we found out there was construction on that route and so trains weren’t stopping where they normally did. Long story short, we followed a large group of people who were exiting the train at the stop before the one we were originally supposed meet our connecting train at.
Unfortunately, we got off at the wrong stop – in a teeny tiny village – and didn’t realize it until the train was pulling away.
Fortunately, we had our phones and a solid internet connection, so we sorted out a new route and made it to Hamburg. Just took longer and was more stressful than it needed to be.
What I learned: pay the most attention exactly when you feel least like it! We were exhausted and had been under the weather so we weren’t paying as close attention as we usually do when we travel by train. Had we paid attention to the extent we usually do, we would have figured out that we needed to go 1 more stop and not gotten off the train too early!
My tips for feeling confident while traveling in Germany
The best thing you can do to prevent things from going sideways is to prepare a bit before leaving for Germany.
Learn things like how trains work in Germany and how to navigate train stations. Research cultural differences and norms. Learn a few words of German.
Then once you’re in Germany, don’t hesitate to ask someone for help – at your hotel, on the train or on the street.
If you have our DIY Germany Travel Planner, we cover all of this and more to help you travel confidently. And if you hire us to create a custom itinerary and travel plan for you, you’ll get a personalized pre-departure guide in your itinerary doc.
