Woman Who's Traveled More Than 60 Countries Shares the One Destination She'd Never Return To

A seasoned traveler has opened up about one of the most stressful experiences she’s ever had while exploring the world - an ordeal so unsettling that she has vowed never to return to the city where it happened.

With international travel booming again after the pandemic slowed things down, people are eager to tick new destinations off their bucket lists. Some travelers, like a man who has visited an astonishing 190 countries, embrace every adventure, no matter where it takes them.

However, if you're looking for travel inspiration, you might want to take notes from one woman who says this particular place is permanently off her list because of the anxiety it caused her.

Geraldine Joaquim has explored more than 60 countries and typically takes at least four vacations a year.

The 54-year-old believes that traveling isn’t just about experiencing the good parts of a destination. She feels it’s also important to see the reality, even when it's not so glamorous. But despite her open-minded approach, one particular overnight stay was so unsettling that she refuses to go back.

Joaquim was on a work trip to Isla Margarita, a Caribbean island that belongs to Venezuela. To get there, she flew from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, where she had planned to spend one night before continuing her journey.

Her flight arrived late at night, so she had arranged for a driver to pick her up from the airport and take her to a hotel in the city center.

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."

She explained that her phone wasn’t working, and with no other travelers around, she started to feel uneasy. So, when a man approached her, speaking in broken English and claiming to be her driver, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

Geraldine Joaquim has visited over 60 countries Cover Images

However, once she got into the car, she immediately noticed another man sitting in the front seat. That’s when her gut instinct told her something wasn’t right, and her anxiety spiked.

"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 shared.

Thankfully, Joaquim made it safely to the hotel. But after a restless night filled with worry, she knew her troubles weren’t over yet.

There's one city Joaquim wouldn't return to in a hurry Cover Images

The next morning, things took another turn for the worse when she arrived back at the airport.

As she was paying the driver, her bags suddenly disappeared. Panicked, she rushed to find them, only to discover that a man had taken them, claiming to provide an informal "check-in service." He then demanded money before returning them to her.

Feeling like she had no choice, Joaquim reluctantly handed over some cash before finally boarding her flight home to the UK - eager to leave the entire experience behind her.