Let’s hear your fun/weird/exciting/boring travelstories 
Since I haven’t travelled alot I don’t really have a story to tell, would love to read about your experiences though!
Anything will do .. from missing your flight and waiting at the airport for 20 hours to the fun ppl you met in the country you were staying.
Okay here is mine.
I was studying in Rome and had classes 3 days a week. Myself and two other buddies decided to go to interlaken, switzerland for the weekend and get some extreme sports out of the way.
So we got on the sleeper train, there was room for four in our cabin but we did not get another passenger so we were just chilling..Mike decided that the night train's ride was entirely too long and that the best way to pass the time was to get drunk and pass out and proceeded to produce various bottles from his backpack..in no time the bottles were opened mixed and mostly consumed...matt and mike were buzzing..then we all zoned out. Here is where it gets interesting..I have a british passport, Mike an american and Matt had an Indian passport but was a greencard holder...
so at some odd hour in the middle of the night there was a loud knock at the door and it was immigration guards with dogs pointing bright flashlights in our faces. It took us a few minutes to regain some senses and realize that basically they wanted to see our passports. We handed them the passports which they took along with the stack of other passports that they had collected. We proceeded to return to zoning out and passing out, but that was disturbed by another series of loud knocks at the door. They gave 2 passports back..I needed no visa, same was with the case with Mike, they insisted that Matt produce a visa..these guards spoke barely any english, we spoke barely any german, and everyone involved spoke barely any italian.
This is how the conversation went
Guard- Visa
Matt- Italy (trying to say that he had a visa to Italy and thus he could move around freely in europe)
Guard- Visa (probably thinking..dude i know this is italy but you are trying to get into my country)..points to the passport again.
Matt Italy!! (getting irate that the guard is so dense that he cant find the italian visa)
Guard: Visa (probably saying..dude i dunno why u keep saying italy but i just want to see your visa nd then go and chill with my other pals)
Matt: Italy Italy (getting more desperate..the fact that he was drunk probably added to teh situation)
Kami and Mike: (look at each other, look at matt, look at the guard..and repeat.).
Guard: Switzerland Visa
Matt: Italy Italy EU
Guard: Switzerland no EU, you come
So Matt started to walk out of the cabin but the guy stopped him and pointed to bags in the room..."luggage"
so they took him and his bags..mike and i follow and see that he is surrounded by swiss guards in the back of the car..Matt says.."dunn worry guys, I am going to go to Milan, get the Visa and meet u guys in Interlaken tomorrow afternoon, I will find you at Balmers)..train makes and unscheduled stop at some small station..Mike and I hurry and get our bags, but were told we could not disembark there..
We head back to our sleeper..sitting on the benches and looking at one another..there is silence for some time as we try to make sense of what all had happened..Mike then says in a deadpan tone "and then there were two" ..we both stare at each other and then burst out laughing at the strange events that had just transpired.
Mike picks a bottle and takes a big swig..I light a cigarette and peek out of the window as the train pulled away, Matt was standing at the platform giving the guards a finger.
This was just the start of this great trip..more later
^
HAHahahahaha, excellent Frauds :k:
I especially liked your version of the conversation between you guys and the guard 
I was travelling from Paris to Geneva. I bought the Euro Rail Pass before leaving the States. I re-confirmed my reservation the night before. I was assigned seat number 2A.
I boarded the train next morning with my backpack and the ticket in hand. When I got to the assigned compartment I looked for seat 2A only to find a 50+ years old gentleman wearing a suit and tie in my seat. I looked at him, smiled and said very politely, "Sir, there seems to be some confusion. You are sitting in my assigned seat". To this, he looked up and kept staring at me. I figured he was french and didn't comprehend what I just said. I looked around for some immediate help but to no avail.
This was a weekday morning train and was fully packed. Although I think it was rude but I pointed my seat number on the ticket to the gentleman and tried to convey that his ass was on my seat. He started looking out of the window. At that point, I decided to get some professional help. Luckily, a conductor showed up. First I apologized for my broken French and then told him the whole story in English. He kept staring at the ticket and then told me to stay right where I was (about 10 yards from seat 2A) and wait for him to come back.
He walked over to the man who was sitting in my seat. Said something and the man got up, picked his briefcase and started walking towards the back of the train. The conductor then asked me to take the seat. I asked him, what was wrong?. Apparently, the other man had seat number 11A and he read it as a Roman numeral and thought of it as IIA.
Gosh you guys have funny stories :-)
waiting for more
at times like these, I wish I was a guy, I would pick up my backpack, stuff my piggy bank in it, sneak out of home and go hitch-hiking all over europe; for starters.
fraudz unkil, do tell more.
^
Hayaa, u don't HAVE to be a guy to do that!
SO come on, pack your bag and come over here. I've been looking for a hitch-hike partner for the longest time!
:-)
This might be funny for you guys. It wasnt for me. But here goes. I had 1 month off in April from the institute, so i decided to visit family. 15 days in ISB, 15 days in NYC. Got my ticket from Zurich to Paris and then to Islamabad.
Take the flight from Zurich to Paris at 12 get there at 2. Go through the transit counter where they tell me my PIA flight leaves in 30 min. My ticket however said it leaves at 5. Not good. They call the PIA counter and they say they are doing the final boarding. I run all around the Paris Airport in 20 min. From Terminal B (for European flights) to Satillite 5 (other side of the airport), i get to the plane and they say oh dont worry we are leaving at the allotted time ie 5 pm. I didnt bother asking and i just sat down.
Got to Pakistan, they lost my luggage. I came with only one bag, with clothes. No show. So i am in pakistan with only a sweat shirt and a jeans. Knowing PIA i didnt expect to get my luggage until the end of the week. I got it 3 days before i was leaving and i was in Pak for 15 days.
I had my bag for 3 days and then i left for NYC. My flight of course to Dubai and then NYC via Zurich was delayed due to a storm in Dubai. Getting to Dubai they lose my luggage AGAIN!!! They have no clue where it is. I give them my address and my flight via Swiss and they said they will get it for me. I take the flight to Swiss and get to Zurich. Of course they lose my luggage for a Third time! It seems they found it Dubai and put it on the plane but now it is off the radar.
I was flying for the US the next day so i give them the flight number for my Swiss flight so they can just send it to the US. I get a call that night saying the luggage is found and will be put on the plane. Yes finally. But oh no. Take the flight to the US, the Swiss people say he luggage is already on the flight. Get to JFK and the luggage is lost again for a fourth TIME! It is somehow in Newark.
At that point i didnt care. I gave them the address and proceed to the nearest shopping area to get new clothes for the next 15 days.
Gimme a break. Hitch-hiking? Don’t you watch those scary movies and what happens to innocent hitch-hikers when they start getting stalked by deranged truck drivers? Or maybe you’re a kickboxer too and have Charlies Angels type delusions about the whole thing 
^Exactly Xtreme, they’re MOVIES!
Snap out of it mate. :-p
CM,
Yikes! Four times eh? I’d say sue them!!
Four days before I got married - :)
I had to go to Toronto in Emergency & couldn't find a flight .... so bought a flight London Boston, over night stay & then Boston Toronto. Finally reached the destination safely ... did all the business I wanted to do in Toronto & headed back to Pearson for the flight back. Lori (my friend & host) was going to drop me at the airport & due a an accident on the Q.E.W we got stucked & I missed the flight ... irony was that there was no seat available to any flight to boston for three day ... so I decided to take a bus from Toronto to Boston same night.
Lori dropped in at Chapters where I bought couple of books & headed my way to Bus station ... boarded 11 pm bus from Toronto to Buffalo & then from Buffalo a change over for the bus to Boston. My Driver delayed the departure due to a fault in drivers seat & he couldn't adjust the seat. So instead of leaving at 11 pm we left at 00:07 am. Toronto to Niagra Falls & I was falling sleep. Mr. Driver didn't bother to turn towards the immigration booth at the USA/Canada instead passed thourgh the customs & straight to Buffalo bus station .. now people with Philippines & other Visa needing countries started shouting that they need a stamp on the passport so move the bus back to border ... so he did .. I wanted to get off the bus becuase I told him that I have to catch the bus from buffalo to Boston showing him my passport that I dont need the Visa for USA. he didn't agree so we ended up on the border ... back to Bus Buffalo bus station & I missed my bus to Boston ... there was no bus for next 10 hours to Boston & I had a flight in 14 hours so nothing I could do ... I still remember I looked at the sky & ask Allah what is happening & said "Its upto you to" and then I sat in the corner. I was getting married in 30 hours & at that time it didn't seem happening .. because I was sitting in Buffalo not London (UK).
Anyway .... I took next bus to New York instead & ended up in New York in 10 hours instead of Boston ... long story short ... took a Delta (air) shuttle from La Guardia (New York) to Boston for only 89 US dollars & I was in Boston in due time to catch my flight from Boston to London.
When I was sitting in the aircraft to fly to London I was thinking about last unbelieveable 24 hours. I landed in London & straight from Heathrow I headed to Marriage Registry office where I got married in 3 hour after landing. I told me wife the whole story & she didn't believe me ... but when showed her all tickets & afterwards photographs from the film I developed she believed me.
I still have those Bus & Delta Shuttle (air ticket) as a sovenior to keep my memory refreshed.
There are other Travel stories ... more later.
Mehnaz, please tell me what airline was that?. Had it happen to an american outbound flight, congress would have passed laws by now. This is really absurd behavior from the airline. Almost sounds unbelievable.
Don't want to de-rail the thread but there is a difference between backpacking and hitchhiking. Backpacking is done by students, professionals and senior citizens with some planning and organization in advance. Whereas hitchhiking is a bit hippy and dangerous and you never know who will provide for your next ride.
Well I am a student and I wouldn’t know where/who would provide my next ride. 
shinzi babe! for real? trust me, you have to be a guy to get away with it with my parents. They think if I leave home, someone will swallow me alive. I have been dying to make a trip to new york with a friend but
x, why do you watch such horrible crap, picking up pointers eh? Well I wouldn’t mind if you were the deranged truck driver. :halo:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by hayaa: *
fraudz unkil, do tell more.
[/QUOTE]
I will continue the travelogue of that trip soon.
In that case I’ll go for the back-packing!
Hayaa, I know same is with my parents 
But if I take along a trustworthy friend then I guess it’s alright :-p I’ll be able to convince them to let me go. So far I’ve only travelled ‘alone’ with my sis. Mehnaz has a point there… can’t u take ur sis/bro with u?
Najim and Mehnaz thanks for the stories :k:
Najim that was quite an experience!!! Good that u made it ‘on time’ though
Cool thread.
I have travelled a lot but my most memorable experience has been when we were going from Karachi to Islamabad on the train sometime in the mid 90’s. It was a ‘special first class Eid train’ LOL and even the fans were not working and the seats were wooden. Not to mention the inadequate train facilities. Plus the train was supposed to take 24 hours but ended up taking more than 36! By the time we reached Islamabad, our faces were packed with mud!
This other time when I was 19, I was transitting in London on my way to Pakistan from the US. I was going to surprise my uncle’s family in England so I got off the airport at Heathrow. I had these two mega massive suitcases and there I was alone at the Heathrow airport trying to get to East London. I had never used any public transport alone before and I was a bit scared, not to mention my heavy suitcases. Finally, a South Indian uncle who was one of the airport workers saw me standing there looking all confused so he came and helped me get on the right tube and get my suitcases on there. I settled myself on the tube and was just about to feel a bit relaxed telling myself what on earth was I thinking when I had decided to surprise my cousins, that these two total punk character guys [wearing weird clothes, with all these body piercings, and acting all high like totally drunk or something] came and sat on the seat opposite me. The whole compartment was empty and they had to choose that seat! They weren’t saying anything to me and I was telling myself relax they mean no harm they are just normal human beings…but that whole ride I was like scared for my life and reading ayat-ul-kursi constantly!!!
This other time I was travelling alone * I was in transit at the Bangkok airport when these two huge black guys came up to me in a kind of seserted airport lounge and they said something in some weird language. They walked and were dressed like thugs and I was so scared LOL I didn’t even say anything to them, I just picked my purse and RAN away from them lol!!! hehehe. Gosh, they must have thought I was stupid or something hehehe.
Incidents of missed flights and delayed flights and overbooked seats and long transits and lost luggage [specially in the case of our dear PIA 
] are way too many to even write about…
BTW, what’s with these new regulations in some airports like Hong Kong that you have to have transit visas if your transit is above six hours? The airlines don’t even mention it until you are there at the airport boarding your flight and then you are told you don’t have the visa so they re-rout your flight and charge you extra! Happenned to one of my relatives recently so beware guys!*
My fun story is about the Deewoo bus ride from Lahore to Rawalpindi alone. Not that I don’t have other stories to tell, I think when you travel you allways encounter something funny, wierd ect… Some two years ago I went to Pakistan via Istanbul to Karachi, from there I landed in Lahore, where I was picked at the airport by my relatives, whom I hadn’t seen for years. Lahore was an exciting city, I think the best place to have fun and to eat superb pakistani food. Well I spent 2 weeks in Lahore and then I had to goto Isblamabad /Pindi to meet my other relatives. My cousin wanted to come and pick me up by plane, but I refused the offer saying that I can handle and will come to Pindi alone by the bus service. They tried to change my decision and told me that its not quite safe to travel alone but I didnt listen and said that its no problem and I can manage. I wanted to buy something, thats why I had a certain amount of cash with me. Now my relatives in Lahore didnt knew this till the last day, last minute before my departure. So when I told them they started getting worried and told me things to take care off, told me places to hide the money, told me to not to speak to anyone during the journey bla blaaa. I ignored it and said dont worry I’ll be fine.
So then they drove me to the bus station and there I went. Actually the ride was very pleasent and then it occured me the things my relatives had said, I looked around to see the kind of ppl traveling with me, and to scan anyone who might be a potiental robber, murderer, thief. I started fantasing that what can happen to me.. now the journey wasn’t pleasent anymore 
The thought of being robbed or even killed didnt go away, thanks to my relatives for bring me in such a state of mind 
.. some four hours later at last the bus reached the other city and I was glad to get out and to hand the luggage to my cousin who came to meet me and to head off to my final destination.
I was angry such a nice journey ruined by my thought created by fear from ‘others’. And the lesson of this story is that nothing happenend, I landed safe n alive at the other place, I wasn’t robbed out of my money and I certainly wasn’t killed.. that’s why I am here today to tell this story. Ameeeen!
Thanks Niqabi and Saadia :k:
U ppl have travelled sooo much! sigh
Now let’s hear some positive stories; fun experiences. This was all a lil ‘negative’ 
yo shinoo..mine was not negative at all..none of the guys has bad memories of that incident, it was all very funny. the one whos till laughs the most about it is Matt.