In the world of travel, every destination offers a unique experience, shaping a traveler’s perspective in unexpected ways.
For Geraldine Joaquim, a 54-year-old hypnotherapist and wellness coach, visiting over 60 countries has given her an appreciation for both the good and the bad of travel.
Joaquim takes around four holidays a year and believes in experiencing countries beyond the curated tourist attractions.
She embraces authenticity and the raw, unfiltered essence of each place, believing that travel should not be about “expecting a sanitized version” of reality.
However, despite her adventurous spirit and open mind, one particular trip left such a lasting impact that she vowed never to return.
It all started when Joaquim was on a work trip to Isla Margarita, an island in the Caribbean Sea, which is part of Venezuela.
Her journey took her from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital city, where she had booked an overnight stay before reaching her final destination.
Her flight landed late at night, and she had arranged a private car service to take her from the airport to a centrally located hotel.
However, things started to go wrong as soon as she stepped off the plane.
Joaquim recalled the eerie moment, saying, “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.”
Her phone wasn’t working, leaving her without any way to contact someone for help.
As she stood alone in the dark, an unfamiliar man approached her, speaking in broken English, claiming that he was sent to take her to her hotel.
At first, she felt a sense of relief, but that quickly turned into unease when she got into the vehicle and noticed another man sitting in the front seat.
Her instincts screamed at her that something wasn’t right, and she immediately went on high alert.
“I would never normally get in a car with two strange men, but I had no other options,” she admitted.
In an act of self-preservation, Joaquim gripped a small penknife from her hand luggage and kept it clenched in her hand throughout the 30-minute journey.
Thankfully, she arrived safely at her hotel, but the experience had already taken a toll on her nerves.
That night, she barely slept, haunted by the tension and fear of what could have happened.
But the nightmare was far from over.
The next morning, just as she was about to leave for the airport, a new problem arose.
As she was paying the driver, she turned around to find her bags gone.
After frantically searching, she spotted a man walking away with her luggage.
When she caught up with him, he nonchalantly claimed to be providing an informal “check-in service” and demanded money to return her belongings.
Feeling she had no choice, she hesitantly handed over some cash just to retrieve her bags and ensure she could make her flight home to the UK.
These experiences left a deep impression on Joaquim, and despite all her global adventures, this was one place she would never go back to.
She described it as one of her “worst travel experiences,” one that made her rethink the unpredictability of travel.
Even as a seasoned traveler, she had never felt so vulnerable and stressed as she did in Caracas, Venezuela.
For Joaquim, the city became the one place she refused to visit again.
Her story is a stark reminder that no matter how many countries one visits, some places leave memories that are best left in the past.
Featured Image Credit: (CoverImages)
