Geraldine Joaquim, a seasoned traveler with over 60 countries visited, shared her worst travel experience in Caracas, Venezuela, a city she vows never to visit again due to the stress it caused.

During a work trip to Isla Margarita, Joaquim flew from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Caracas for an overnight stay. Her troubles began when her pre-booked airport transfer didn’t arrive. Stranded alone late at night with a non-working phone, she accepted a ride from a man who claimed to be her driver. To her alarm, another man was already in the front seat.

“I had no other options, so I clutched a tiny pen knife the entire 30-minute ride,” she recalled.

Although she reached the hotel safely, she barely slept. The next day, at the airport, her bags appeared stolen. The man responsible claimed to offer an informal “check-in service” and demanded payment before returning her luggage.

Shaken by the ordeal, Joaquim returned home to the UK, resolving never to visit Caracas again.