10 Annoying Travel Problems and Their Solutions

It’s been a glorious day exploring Thailand’s ancient temple ruins. You arrive at your hotel room with a phone full of pictures and rich stories that will live on forever. But when you finish emptying your day bag, something isn’t there.

*Poof*

Your passport is gone and in its place is one of a traveler’s worst nightmares and biggest travel problems.

Don’t lose your passport. We repeat: DON’T LOSE YOUR PASSPORT.

With just a bag or two in tow and (sometimes) cultural and linguistic barriers, issues that pop up while traveling overseas can often seem magnitudes worse than if they were to happen at home. And when you travel to unwind, grow, learn, or tackle new adventures, these little snafus are the last things we want to get in our way.

As Albert Einstein once said, “A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” So in the spirit of a literal Einstein, let’s get familiar with some of the most common travel problems and how to solve them (or better yet, avoid them).

Is there a way to avoid annoying travel problems?

The unpredictability of travel lends to its charm and feeling of adventure. If a sprinkle of risk is an absolute no-go, we’d all be taking ultra-planned river cruises with our grandparents. Yet however thrilling unpredictability is, annoying travel problems are never welcome.

The best way to avoid most inconvenient headaches when out and about around the world is to overplan and prep before you even leave home. While you can’t foresee what will happen, you can at least have a backup plan or course of action lined up if you do find yourself in a pickle.

Familiarize yourself with a destination’s transportation system, the area around your accommodations, and what you’re able to buy in stores abroad—for example—all before arriving. Triple checking the ol’ packing list doesn’t hurt either.

10 common travel problems and how to deal with it

So, what kinds of bumps may pop up unexpectedly throughout your travels? Let’s dive in.

Is there a worse headache than the one caused by lost luggage?

1. Canceled, delayed, or unreliable transportation

No matter where you travel in the world, transportation will never be perfect—except maybe in Japan where trains’ annual average delay is mere seconds. From missed transfers to routes that have temporarily changed with a note posted in a language you don’t understand, there are tons of ways transportation issues can botch your journey.

• How to solve it: Transportation snags are largely out of your own hands, so avoiding them may not always be possible. Instead, the best way to minimize the impact is to seek out alternative routes to arrive at a destination just in case. Familiarize yourself with all possible options like a bus vs train, and what to do if your plans get altered. Knowing who to contact about a canceled train beforehand, for example, will help you act quicker and be less stressed if faced with that situation.

2. Forgotten can’t-live-without items

You’re settling into a hotel room after a whole day of flying and fighting jet lag only to find that your retainer didn’t make it into your suitcase. Now that you think of it, it’s still lying at home on the bathroom counter.

Universal items like toothbrushes or clothes are easy to replace wherever you go at the drop of a hat. However, personalized life companions like prescription meds, eyewear, or a phone charger with a specific voltage may not be readily available in your destination.

• How to solve it: This may go without saying, yet it’s not always a rule of thumb that travelers follow: Create a packing list and double check before leaving! Yes, that means start writing down your absolute essentials days or even weeks before your departure to make sure you account for everything. Leaving it all to your memory in a last minute packing spree won’t do you any favors.

3. Currency exchange

Do yourself a favor and have a bit of the local currency with you before you arrive abroad.

Exchanging currency has gotten so much easier over the past few years (good riddance, traveler’s cheques!). However, each country and region still has its own process for exchanging currency, so bringing a wad of cash with you and crossing fingers that it will all work out may not be your best bet. In some areas, traveling with that much cash on hand may raise safety concerns as well.

• How to solve it: Check in with your home bank to see what your options are for your target destination. In some cases, you can easily access an ATM with a debit card abroad for minimal fees. Some banks will also exchange money for you before you leave if you request it ahead of time, so you have a bit of cash on hand to navigate the first few days on a trip.

READ MORE: Is it Better to Travel with Cash or Card?

4. Figuring out where and when to get food and water

To be clear, you should definitely have access to drinking water and food anywhere you go! This common travel problem refers specifically to whether you can drink the tap water and what food sources you’re advised to avoid. Free drinking water also isn’t as widespread around the world as it is in the United States, especially in water-scarce regions.

• How to solve it: If you’re participating in an organized travel program like study abroad or a language school abroad, you’ll have great resources available already to ask about safe food and water sources. Your accommodations, such as a hotel or host family, can also give the skinny on whether street food is a yay or nay and if the tap is trusted. When in doubt (say you’re super off the grid), just stick to prepackaged food and beverages.

5. Knowing local emergency protocol

Knowing to dial 911 in an emergency is a no-brainer home, but what if you find yourself in need of help abroad? Also, who do you contact if you are victim to a crime, lost valuables, or are hurt? While traveling is usually a positive adventure for most, these annoying travel problems can happen. And the last thing you need in an emergency is to feel lost and alone.

• How to solve it: Of course, you should definitely acquaint yourself with the local emergency phone numbers. If there is a language barrier and no one that can help translate, another great option is to know the contact for your embassy or consulate in your country of stay. Your embassy can act as a liaison between you and local authorities, as well as help you access medical care among other services.

6. Luggage weight limits

Don’t overpack, otherwise you might be stuck paying extra baggage fees.

Weight restrictions are a big limiting factor when traveling by air. But honestly, who can blame you for wanting to bring back an entire new wardrobe from Italy? If you’re hopping around to multiple destinations, e.g. adventure travel or a gap year, schlepping 100 lbs. of stuff around with you isn’t exactly ideal either.

• How to solve it: Ah, the internet. It provides so many wonderfully helpful free resources for how to pack light. Versatility is the way to go with clothes, but also think of multipurpose shoes, as multiple pairs of footwear can really add on the pounds. Another great packing hack is to bring a single suitcase with an empty duffle bag inside so you are armed and ready to bring back all the new goodies you buy abroad.

7. Gaps between check-out and check-in times

You’ve got a train to catch to your next location in the afternoon, where the check-in time is hours later, but you need to check out of a short term rental by 11:00 a.m. That leaves a few hours during which you’re on your own with bulky luggage and nowhere to go. Frequent travelers are likely quite familiar with these awkward gaps between check-out and check-in times.

• How to solve it: Accommodation hosts can be quite flexible when there isn’t another guest immediately arriving the same day, so see if you can get a check-out extension. Other great options are to ask about luggage storage at your accommodation (usually available at no additional cost) or even at bus and train stations.

READ MORE: Choosing the Right Travel Accommodations

8. Packing for multiple climates

Whether you’re staying put for a semester or year, or have multiple locations bundled up into one trip, you’ll likely face a range of climates. While keeping clothes for more than one season at a time in a single closet is already a struggle back home, this only gets all the trickier when you have to whittle that down to a few tops, bottoms, and shoes.

• How to solve it: Start a packing list with your bare essentials that you’ll need in any season or climate zone. Then, think about how you can get the most functionality out of the items remaining. Packing gurus typically advise travelers to lean on layers, so you can get full use out of each and every item.

9. Language barriers

Nowadays, it can be a little easier to find your way around language barriers.

Even though technology has evolved to the point of instant translation on a phone (admittedly, the translation isn’t always perfect), language barriers are still prevalent. Walk into a restaurant and sit down to order, then WHOOSH—you’ve never wanted pictures on a menu more badly in your whole life. The server comes over to ask something and BAM—maybe you aren’t so hungry after all...

• How to solve it: With simple Google Translate and other apps, you can overcome some of the most common travel problems with understanding signs and written text. When it comes to spoken language, having a travel program, host family, local friend, or even buddy who’s studied the local language more than you will certainly be helpful.

10. Locals who only want to speak English

On the flip side of traveling on a lonely English-speaking island, there are the language enthusiasts who have diligently studied the language of their destination for years. But, uh-oh, someone you proudly ask a question to senses an accent or maybe a grammar mistake. That’s it, they answer in English and now there’s no going back.

• How to solve it: Practice makes perfect with learning new languages, but every so often you’ll come across the stubborn English-enthusiast who just wants to save you the trouble of speaking their native tongue. They mean well, but it’s not doing your fluency any favors by switching to English. If you do get a reply in English, stay firm and keep going in the original language. That way, the person will understand that you know more than they thought and you’re comfortable sans English.

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Don’t worry—you can learn how to handle the biggest travel problems

For first time travelers, the possibility of meeting with common travel problems can be overwhelming. But once you become a seasoned globetrotter, you’ll know how to dodge issues and solve them like a pro. And who said you have to go at it alone?

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