1. Language Barrier

At most times you are traveling to a new place, communication can be a hassle, especially when you are traveling abroad. For example, if you know only one foreign language, you have to hire a translator to guide you through some basics like asking for directions, ordering for your food in a restaurant, booking a bus ticket or a hotel room. It can turn out to be hectic if you decide to do it on your own. Some people can be very unfriendly and rude making your experience even harder.

2. Weather, Food, Cultural Shocks

The weather that you are used to at home will turn out so different from what you find in the new place. You might be exposed to either very high temperatures during the day, too low temperatures at night, humid weather, rainy days and nights. This leads to sickness or leave you feeling so uncomfortable that you wish you were informed.

You are at times left with little or no choice when it comes to choosing what to dress in. Heavy jacket, scuffs, and boots are not an option while in some environments you will be expected to leave very little clothing covering your skin. This will be a challenge for most of the new travelers.

• At the restaurants, the food you were used to eating at home might not be there. You will be forced to take what’s available or spend the days on an empty stomach. This can be a big shock having to skip meals at times since everything can be different from what you are used to.
• Some vegetarians risk spending hours without food as it’s not common to find their foods in most restaurants abroad.
• Getting safe and clean drinking water, especially for those who are used to taking clean tap water is disastrous. You need to buy bottled water for drinking otherwise you risk diseases.
• Cultural shocks can also traumatize you. There are different amazing cultures all over the world, in some places, there are things you can’t do at a specific time and others that you can never do at home. For instance, you travel to China where some of the foods they consume are animals that culturally at home not edible by humans.

3. Currency Exchange And Credit Card Transactions

Getting used to your local currency can be a problem when you travel to a different country. Paying for staff or paying bills and bus tickets can be absurd, the figures might look big or small. Sometimes you need a pocket calculator to estimate how much you would have spent at home. Like I always say, some of these common travel problems are caused by limited exposure and culture shock.

Knowledge of how much to spend on food or paying for accommodation can be stressful. You have to consider so much for you not to get off the budget. This is because, you might find it life-threatening when you have run out of cash in an unfamiliar environment. You can end up paying more without your knowledge before you get familiar with the currencies.

Digital Payments

• If you are coming from a metro environment and you are used to digital methods of payments and transactions, this doesn’t work in remote places. You will be forced to adapt to their modes of operation. At times carrying huge chunks of money in cash will make you feel like tying a death trap on your wallet or bag. This will make you feel insecure at most times since you risk losing your money or being robbed.

Robbery and Theft

• Fear of getting cheated or robbed. You see new faces every time of the day, giving you a strange feeling of insecurity and not knowing who’s your enemy or friend. Choosing whom to ask for help or direction will take time. Unlike your usual places of operation, you don’t know dangerous places to be at specific times and insecure paths to follow to avoid being mugged.

Most new travelers, on arrival at their destination, don’t have enough of the local currency. When you finally change to the local currency it can be stressing for you to count the money and knowing how to get the best prices for stuff you need to buy.

4. Losing Your Stuff

Even after looking for cheap backpack in great shape to keep your items, you are also at a risk of losing your items if you are not familiar with the place. Due to unfamiliar means of infrastructure, you risk losing your belonging or forgetting some at the bus stop, train station or at the airport. At times you might be very tired after long trips and fall asleep. This can turn out to be a huge risk because someone might take advantage of you and steal some of your precious worth.

5. Missed Or Delayed Flights

At times you might be too early to the airport or train station to avoid missing a train or the long-awaited flight. The flight might delay for hours since you know the stress that comes with missing a flight you have to sit and wait. At times you miss connecting flights because you were delayed by the previous flight.

Sometimes, you get to wait long hours and days to connect. These inconveniences lead to an increase in the amount you spend waiting. You might have to get a hotel room to spend a night or two waiting for the connecting flight.

Here are some common reasons for missed or delayed flights:

•  You might be waiting for connecting bags. 
•  Waiting for the cargo to be loaded. 
•  Correcting some security problems before flights. 
•  Poor weather conditions can affect your planned flight. 
•  Some of the common travel problems  result from mechanical delays. 
•  Congestion at the airport. 
•  Delays in catering trucks because they attend other airports too. 
•  Weight restriction and traffic air control. 

6. Gross Accommodation

Stained carpets, dirty bedding and uncomfortable couch in your hotel room might not be what you are used to. The attendants always have an excuse or two for a broken toilet bowl or sink but that was different from what you paid for. The noise from the surrounding might be a nuisance to your rest and sleep.

Unless you booked an Airbnb, you might not get a refund or even transfer to another hotel. Feeling insecure about where to leave your passport and other valuables when you are out of the room. At that moment you don’t trust anyone.

7. Feeling Lonely

The feeling of not being with your friends and family members can be worrying. You will take time making new friends and adapting to some of the foreign customs. These frustrations of having to live with new people can be annoying.

Some people’s cultures might be irritating.  And your new friends will look comfortable with most of the things they do leave you with no choice but to adapt. You will miss the attention you receive from your loved ones, wanting to know how you are doing or how you feel.

Communication with people at home can be a disaster because you incur high costs of calls and sending texts. This can end up making you purchase new Sim cards for your mobile phone to call family and friends. In remote areas where WiFi connection is a problem, simply using the internet is a hassle. With a poor internet connection, things even get harder. This is because, at some point you need to mobile apps for navigation, maps for directions, social media and other essentials you are fond of.

8. Falling Sick

Any individual’s health is very important in regards to general work performance and well-being. This can be caused by a lot of reasons. For instance, exposure to unusual and sometimes harsh climatic conditions. Additionally, different foods,  lifestyle and long hours of travel can make you fall sick. Common sickness includes flu’s, diarrhea, stomach upsets, fever, dehydration etc.

Your travel agency can deny you medical claims meaning that you have to spend more money to get medication. Some of the insurance companies might not work outside your country, making insured bills like medical bills to demand a lot from you. Language can also be a problem expressing yourself to the doctor or pharmacist. You might the help of an interpreter to help you which is hectic.

9. Freaking Out

There are so many people waiting for innocent travelers so as to scam them. Taxi drivers may take longer routes to your destinations. You can find yourself purchasing low-quality products unknowingly and at times even pay bribe to law enforcers for basic services.

For those who visit night clubs for a bear or two, you risk getting drugged and getting lost on your way back to your hotel room. Generally, when you are new to a place there are so many people who will try to take advantage of you.

The worst of all feelings is when you know you have to get back home and leave all the experience you got in the new place.

CLOSURE

Traveling to new places is one of the best things you can do because you get the opportunity to interact with new people and learn different cultures. If you are aware of potential problems you are likely to encounter in a new place, then it will be easy for you to take the right measures.

Try your best to prepare accordingly and as you go looking for a cheap backpack in great shape to carry your gear. Also, endeavor to find the best ways to address these problems. Make your stay memorable and not full of I wish someone had warned me.

With a travel side and a portable GPS device, you can be a master of your new place. Not only will you know where you are but also avoid getting lost in your new place. The point is, with good preparation and planing, you can always avoid or overcome these common travel problems.