Backpacking through a remote countryside is something we have always wanted to do, and making plans to travel through a remote area of South America was the highlight of our year. Our plans were meticulous because we spent months researching the remotest areas of the country where we could hike and live like the natives. We decided to forgo high end hotels because we wanted to try something different than our typical vacation, so we opted for smaller bed and breakfasts and even a few nights under the stars during our excursion. We looked forward to two solid weeks of being totally alone with one another, with occasional interaction with the locals.
The planning that went into this trip was meticulous because we are perfectionists. We made list after list and double checked everything to make sure we would have all that we needed on our trip to South America. We packed light, but with clothing and supplies that would get us through anything we encountered; from warm weather to cold, from sunshine to rain and from fog to clear blue skies. We were prepared for this trip long before we ever left.
Finally, after months of researching and planning it was time for us to head to the airport and take off on our two week excursion to remote South America, where we would swim in the most beautiful of ocean waters, frolic on the beautiful beaches and make our way through rainforests. On the way to the airport, I was plagued by the feeling that we’d forgotten something. However, we had list after list and we had checked and doubled checked everything so I put aside my fears and decided to enjoy myself. We arrived at the airport with plenty of additional time to make it through security, to check our bags and to sit down for a cocktail or two. We talked about the trip, what our expectations were and how we were going to enjoy being one with nature for the next two weeks.
We paid for our drinks using one of the credit cards we packed for our trip and made our way to our gate to board our flight. The flight was smooth and perfect and once we landed at our South American destination we decided to gather our luggage and make our way to a cab to take us to our first destination; a small hotel several hours away from the airport.
This ride was not so smooth, but we didn’t care. Once we arrived, the cabbie unloaded our luggage and there we were. We walked inside to check in and that’s when the problems began. When we handed over our credit card to pay for our room we were informed that our card was not accepted there. Feeling a moment of panic, I realized that we brought several credit cards with us and we would simply use another one. Unfortunately, we realized that our mistake was in bringing several of the same brand of credit card and the hotel would not accept any of them.
We spent the rest of the day attempting to find a location that would accept our credit cards to no avail. We had little cash on us, and what we did have we forgot to exchange for the local currency at the airport. Our perfect trip was off to a very, very bad start. We spent the next few days attempting to make our way back to the airport so we could go home. Unfortunately, our perfect trip was ruined. Next time, we will bring a variety of credit cards to ensure we have enough money to see us through.