Lost passports, freezing in the cold: Youngsters share their worst travel blunders and lessons learnt 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as an old Christmas song goes – except that in Singapore, the year-end period for many is more vacation season than the yuletide.

But some holidaymakers make travel blunders that can end up costing them time or money – or both – and probably ruin the mood. We asked young people what travel mistakes they’ve made.

Left passports and IC in the car

“My family went to a wedding in Melaka, (and) we parked our car at a carpark. When we came back, the car window was broken and all our passports and ICs were (missing). We reported it to the police, but... we didn’t get back our belongings. So we needed to redo all our passports.

“Next time... if my family drives to Malaysia, I would keep my own things (rather than in the car)… so my things are safe.”

Muhammad Ridhuwan Mohamed Sharin, 17, ITE student

Stayed out too late and heard ghostly noises

“I got haunted in Vietnam on the last night of my trip. My friends and I stayed out really late and made so much noise that a security guard had to come (and tell us to keep it down).

“We were just talking when suddenly, I heard random voices in my head. I couldn’t hear my friends and only heard whispers... I couldn’t stop crying even though I didn’t want to (cry).

“Luckily, one of our friends said prayers to get rid of the voices for me. After this, I learnt not to stay out too late and make so much noise when I’m overseas.”

Mohamad Ilhan Mohamad Iwan, 17, ITE student

Missed the last train back to the hotel

“Because the train lines in Japan have different end times, we didn’t realise that we had missed our last train until it left. There was no other way for my family to get back to our hotel – taking a taxi would have cost us around $200, which was so expensive.

“We didn’t have a back-up plan, so we didn’t have anywhere to sleep and just stayed in a McDonald’s overnight. Occasionally, there were drunk people walking in. We couldn’t really fall asleep, because my mum wanted us to stay awake and keep ourselves safe, just in case.

“I was the one who planned most of the itinerary and hotels, so I felt a lot of guilt and regret towards my family.”

Wong Qi Qi Henin, 18, Nanyang Polytechnic student

Dressed for the ’gram but not the weather

“I learnt (the hard way) that winter weather in Hokkaido is no joke, and you should not try to wear fewer clothes just to look cute in pictures. Everyone there is bundled up for good reason. I was wearing just a sweater and a skirt over the Heattech (Uniqlo’s thermal inner wear), but it was not enough.

“It was the worst night of my life. My mum saw good reviews for an eatery on Tripadvisor, so we queued up for an hour outdoors at night to eat ramen and my whole family was shivering. It was about negative 5 deg C. 

“My body was trembling and my teeth could not stop chattering, so dad ran to the nearest 7-Eleven and got me a hot drink. After that experience, we went to a clothing store the next day so I could buy gloves and a proper winter coat.”

Alexis Phua Min Yi, 19, Singapore Polytechnic student

Accepting drinks from strangers

“The first mistake I made travelling overseas was accepting drinks from strangers at a club in Phuket. I was separated from my friends and it was only me and the group of foreigners.

“My friends came over to find me and accompanied me to ensure that nothing happened to me and we slowly backed away from the group. I realised my mistake only then.

“I learnt to be more wary of my surroundings and not to accept things from anyone when overseas. Although nothing happened to me, my drink could have been laced with something harmful.”

Dexter Wong Jun Han, 22, Ngee Ann Polytechnic student