NationStates Jolt Archive

Now, I have heard some great travel horror stories, ranging from canceled flights to pick pockets. I have to say, this one trumps every single one.

So two of my sisters friends decided to backpack around the world for the last 65 days. One of them came back yesterday. The other? Yeah. He ran out of money and is currently stuck in Europe. His father has taken the stance "You got yourself into it, now get yourself out".

Being the resourceful boy that he is, he has figured out a way to get a ticket.

He is selling himself on EBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/HELP-IM-STUCK-IN-EUROPE_W0QQitemZ250145393034QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1468QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Now, it seems that he has actually gotten some media attention (http://video.knbc.com/player/?id=132295), and the bidding has racked up some decent money.

Personally, I think it's awesome, and by far beats any other travel story I have ever heard.

So...you got any stories that could beat this one?

their blog, for those interested (http://makeithomealive.blogspot.com/2007/07/josh-on-ebay.html)

Ha, love it.

My favourite parts are where he offers to work in "counting things" and "minimizing pop-up ads".

And this:
"You are bidding on Josh Minney, but I am being sold by Smith Anderson because I don't have an eBay account."

:p

This is why you buy a return ticket instead of a one way and trusting yourself to budget for a ticket back.

I got my pocket picked in Rome though... I was on a crowded bus near the door and the bus turned a corner so I grabbed the pole with both hands so I wouldn't fall... when I got off the bus my wallet was gone. Definitely doesn't beat being stuck abroad though.

This is why you buy a return ticket instead of a one way and trusting yourself to budget for a ticket back.

I got my pocket picked in Rome though... I was on a crowded bus near the door and the bus turned a corner so I grabbed the pole with both hands so I wouldn't fall... when I got off the bus my wallet was gone. Definitely doesn't beat being stuck abroad though.
Well, it's hard to get a return ticket when you don't know what countries you'll be going to, let alone which one you might be leaving from. From what I know, all they planned of the entire trip was "We are starting in Japan on this date, and leaving maybe Europe 65 days later."

Ha, love it.

My favourite parts are where he offers to work in "counting things" and "minimizing pop-up ads".

And this:
"You are bidding on Josh Minney, but I am being sold by Smith Anderson because I don't have an eBay account."

:p
haha...At least he's enjoying the experience somewhat

Argh!
An anecdote thread right before i have to go to sleep!!!!

I've yet to be robbed on vacation *knock on wood*

I've been to Vegas and Reno a few times, but I never seem to lose my shirt. :p And who doesn't love $1.99 steak and eggs in the morning? Gotta love that. Makes it worth the trip, right there. :)

Last Friday I flew Porter Airlines to Ottawa. It's an hour flight. Sounds like there should be no problems. About 15 minutes into the flight, the flight attendant is serving drinks and food. She puts it down for us but then takes the coffee back about three minutes later, with the captain announcing that the has to turn the plane around because of an emergency.

A light in the cockpit had come on, indicating a possible problem with an emergency exit. We land back at Toronto City Centre (at least it wasn't Pearson so the delay wasn't so bad).

They take us all off (I think there were less than 10 people on this flight) and shove us onto an 8:30am flight going to Halifax. I gather the people going to Halifax weren't too happy about the additional stopover. But TS.

The second flight wasn't so bad. I got to the national crapital at 9:30am instead of 8am, which was when my original flight was to arrive.

On the flight back, I had to go through Ottawa Int'l Airport.

I showed my clear bag, which has my meds and a couple of bathroom items to the first set of customs guards who wave me through. So I figure no problem. They saw what I was carrying into the plane.

For some stupid reason, my sandals, which didn't set off the metal detectors at Toronto City Centre set off the detectors and I had to take off my sandals while some disgruntled customs dickwad looked at them like they were diseased or something. I mean, it's a friggin' pair of sandals. They had a small metal buckle on them... it's strange being barefoot in the airport. I had to walk through the detector barefoot...

And I had an empty bottle of hair goo confiscated because it said 105 ml on it... I'm standing there thinking to myself, 'you asshole, it's fucking empty! What the hell am I going to do? Throw it at your pilot?'

My toothpaste was put into a separate tiny baggy and then back into my big transparent freezer bag, which the first set of customs guards saw and approved of. (Friggin' inconsistencies!)

The only good thing is at least I was getting the hell out of Ottawa.

I didn't spend the weekend on in Ottawa though, I had been in Quebec City with my mom, aunt, cousin and godmother for a family reunion on Isle of Orleans... blah. Five of us in one hotel room. I got stuck on the shitty pullout couch. The pullout was too uncomfy for me to sleep on that I opted for the couch even though it's a two-seater and my feet hung off...

The air conditioner and the fridge in the room both would take turns humming loudly. I was the one closest to them but at least it didn't keep me awake. The only thing that woke me up was the inevitable morning conversation in French and English that gradually grows louder.

The reunion was kind of boring. I barely knew anyone and I only went because my mother asked me to.

It seems my family only does this shit so they can bitch about the rest of the family later on...

My weekend could have been better, I could have stayed in Toronto...

When I was a kid my family all went to Morroco, we were traveling on a 'local bus' (my parents liked the idea of real experience) and I pointed out to my Dad the holes in the windows of the bus, I said " they look like bullet holes" he told me that they did, but it was probably stones thrown up by the road (it was a very basic road) Well the bus was crowded, people had chickens and goats and packages and all manner of crap, stuff was piled high on the roof of the bus as well. Suddenly the bus ground to a halt and on came some very angry gun wielding policeman ( I think) and they were shouting and gesturing with their guns at us to get off the bus, We had no problem with this to be honest. Basically they then stripped the bus, and it seemed that they knew what they were looking for, as we sat on the roadside, they took it to bits, and they found bags of 'something' hidden in the inner tubes of the tyres. Eventually we managed to get someone to stop and asked them to call us a taxi, which took us back to where we were staying. It was a real experience for a kid, and I am glad it didn't happen now as I would be considerably more scared than I was then!

Leaving Athens on a school trip, we get through the security lines and head for the gate. Now, stupid Americans we are, my room off the cruise woke up late and ate no breakfast: we assumed food after security. Bad idea. first time I ever had Fanta and a ham wrap for breakfast. Anyway, one jackass loses his passport in between security and the gate.

"what line did you go through?"
"I dunno."
"What shop did you stop in?"
"I dunno."

The chaperone is fully prepared to spend a night in the embassy when, after ripping into the security person who said "It'll show up," (black market for an American passport? no shit) the passport magically appeared.

They found it, and were going to keep it, IMHO.

I was also yelled at in a museum because of flash from my camera. I set it to off, took a pic: no flash. Turn around, take another, flash. Twenty people jump around and yell at me for the flash. Sheepishly, "But the flash was off . . ."

I was also yelled at in a museum because of flash from my camera. I set it to off, took a pic: no flash. Turn around, take another, flash. Twenty people jump around and yell at me for the flash. Sheepishly, "But the flash was off . . ."

I was on a 2 month exchange trip to Berlin when I was 17 and was taken on a school trip to the MOMA. None of us had ever really been to an art exhibit before and we got yelled at about three times for leaning against statues and almost poking works of art. Thankfully I wasn't one of the people yelled at.

Argh!
An anecdote thread right before i have to go to sleep!!!!
That's how I roll ;)

I was also yelled at in a museum because of flash from my camera. I set it to off, took a pic: no flash. Turn around, take another, flash. Twenty people jump around and yell at me for the flash. Sheepishly, "But the flash was off . . ."

That was me in Notre Dame. I was 14 at the time, and just looked kinda scared as 3 frenchmen started yelling. I still don't know what they said.

In other news, 1 week of Josh's work is appearently worth $935, and is being featured on the front page of 3 different websites...Atta boy, Josh. Atta boy.

...
The only good thing is at least I was getting the hell out of Ottawa.
...
My weekend could have been better, I could have stayed in Toronto...
Hey, now! Ottawa is soo much nicer than Toronto, I say. : -P

I have to agree about the airport here being not stellar, though. I suppose it is better to have an empty hair-goo bottle confiscated than a full one...? I hope you have a more pleasent visit next time.

I went to Flordia back in 2001 (Yeah pretty much in the wake of 9/11) I was with a stage group and we were of course all set to preform. The nightbefore I woke up feeling horribly ill. I felt wasted the next morning but managed to get some breakfast. Of course as if thing's weren't bad enough we had to put on Polo Shirts (Florida and Polo Shirts, you do the math) and had to dance and sing. Well I survived then of course we went on a cruise afterword only to hit stormy seas. I rember waking up in the middle of the night and could feel the ship listing. Maybe not the most horrofic story don't blame me I'm just trying to reach my quota with out spamming.

Hey, now! Ottawa is soo much nicer than Toronto, I say. : -P

I have to agree about the airport here being not stellar, though. I suppose it is better to have an empty hair-goo bottle confiscated than a full one...? I hope you have a more pleasent visit next time.

Ottawa is a smelly craphole full of asshole politicians and pretentious Sens fans to boot. I'd rather eat a handful of thumb tacts while dancing on a bed of hot coals with pythons biting my ass than live in Ottawa.

Neat. I'd bid if I could, I live near Boston.

A recent anecdote;

I fly out to Gdansk, Poland, to embark upon a four week debauch around Eastern and Central Europe. Disgustingly early morning flight, and my refusal to go to bed before 1, contributes to a slightly grouchy mood on the 6.30 flight, after which I drop my passport grumpily into my bag when slumping into my seat. As it happens, I dropped my passport grumpily onto the floor, not realising this until I attempted to pass border control. Not being allowed back onto the plane, and having been assured it had been searched thoroughly, I had to buy a ticket back to England for £180, only to fly back on the same plane, and have my passport found on said plane by a passenger.

It sucked.

Neat. I'd bid if I could, I live near Boston.

I'm really amazed it got this high and is actually getting mainstream media attention (the story has been covered by NBC in Orange County, CA as well as Fox in Boston)

I'm really amazed it got this high and is actually getting mainstream media attention (the story has been covered by NBC in Orange County, CA as well as Fox in Boston)

Well, if someone sells themselves, word's gonna get around.