Topics: Travel, World News
A woman has opened up about one of her 'worst travel experiences' and why she would never visit the city again.
Travel may've ground to a halt during the pandemic, but many are picking up the pace again when it comes to seeing more of the world, such as a man who's visited a staggering 190 countries.
However, if you are planning on getting some inspiration for your travel list, there's one place one woman has sworn off going to again due to the 'stress' it caused her.
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Geraldine Joaquim has visited over 60 countries and takes around four holidays every year.
The 54-year-old thinks it's 'important to see the good and the not-so-good' of countries and not just 'expect a sanitized version' however, an overnight stay in one particular city resulted in the hypnotherapist and wellness coach to avoid going there again.
She revealed she was on a work trip to Isla Margarita - which lies in the Caribbean sea and is part of Venezuela - and flew from Montevideo, Uruguay, to the capital of Venezuela - Caracas.
Her flight arrived 'late at night' and so she'd booked a car to transfer her from the airport to a hotel in the center for one overnight stay before reaching her final destination.
Joaquim recalled: "It felt pretty normal until I started waiting for the transfer, and waited and waited. I was there for hours and as the small airport emptied I realized I was alone."
Joaquim explained her phone 'wasn't working' and there was 'no one else around' her so when 'a man showed up and said in broken English that he was here to take [her] to the hotel' she was 'relieved'.
However, after getting in the vehicle to find another man sat in the front seat, her 'stress response went through the roof'.
"I would never normally get in a car with two strange men but I had no other options, so I got a tiny pen knife from my hand luggage and spent the 30-minute journey on high alert with it clutched in my hand," she said.
Thankfully, Joaquim arrived at the hotel OK, but experienced poor sleep and the nightmares didn't end there either.
The next day, she arrived back at the airport only to have her bags seemingly stolen as she was paying the driver.
When Joaquim caught up with the man, she was told he was offering an informal ‘check in service’ and had to pay him.
After hesitantly handing over some money, she then headed for a flight back home to the UK.
