From the temple I could not enter to when the lightning struck at Deoriatal: Travel fails I will remember all my life

Long before I became a travel writer, I was already deeply passionate about travelling. Over the years, I have travelled across 25 Indian states, most of them solo, though some trips were with friends and family.

Coming from the northeastern part of India, travelling outside the region was always an experience in contrasts—not just in landscapes, but also in culture, customs, and situations that I sometimes handled well and sometimes absolutely did not.But this story is not about the highlights. This is about the travel fails—the moments when things didn’t go according to plan, often because I was unprepared, overconfident, or simply unaware.

These are my personal experiences, the kind that stay with you long after the journey ends.

The landslide ride home in Arunachal Pradesh

One of my earliest travel scares happened in the Northeast itself. At the time, my parents were posted in Arunachal Pradesh, while I was studying in Shillong. It was time for me to go home, and I decided to travel solo and surprise them.I took a bus to Doimukh in Arunachal Pradesh, and from there boarded a Sumo that would take me to Hoz, where my parents were posted.

It was the rainy season and the landline at home had stopped working because of the weather. I thought that made the surprise even better.What I completely failed to consider was the condition of the road during the monsoon.At one point during the journey, we reached what was easily the worst landslide scene I had ever witnessed. There was no visible road. It looked as if the entire hill had melted and slid down. But the resilient locals continued travelling on that route, which is why the Sumo service was still running.The vehicle drove over boulders—that’s the only way I can describe it.Inside the vehicle, my heart was thumping so loudly I could barely breathe. I was afraid to even exhale too strongly, worried the vehicle might somehow tip over the edge of the cliff. The fear felt very real.Only after we crossed the riskiest stretch did I finally breathe properly again.When we reached my destination and I stepped out of the vehicle, my legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

And then I projectile vomited.Some surprise that turned out to be. Never again.

When lightning struck at Deoriatal

Monsoon continues to be my nemesis, and here’s why. Trekking in Uttarakhand doesn’t completely stop during the rainy season, and I didn’t think too much about the weather when I decided to do the Deoriatal–Chopta trek. The hike up to Deoriatal was uneventful. I reached the campsite, a beautiful bugiyal (meadow), and pitched my tent. Dark clouds were gathering overhead, but I didn’t give it much thought.What’s the worst that could happen, I remember thinking.I had just laid down inside my tent when I first saw a flash of bright red light, followed immediately by the loudest, most deafening boom I had ever heard. For a moment, I thought something had exploded. Campers rushed outside the tents to figure out what had happened. The campsite manager soon told us that lightning had struck nearby. The sound we heard was the impact.It was one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced while travelling. Maybe now I can say I survived a lightning strike.

The temple I couldn’t enter in Madurai

If there were an award for the world’s most unprepared traveller, I would probably win it every single time.One of the most embarrassing travel fails happened during a solo trip across Tamil Nadu. My first proper stop was Chennai, and the city turned out to be fantastic. The food was great and autorickshaws made getting around easy.

Chennai itself was completely uneventful—in a good way.My next destination was Madurai, where I wanted to explore temple architecture and local culture. Naturally, my itinerary included a visit to the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple.I arrived at the temple complex and within two minutes, I was on my way back to my taxi. The reason was simple: I was not dressed appropriately to enter the temple.I had arrived wearing cotton pyjamas and a sleeveless tank top, completely unaware of the dress rules for visitors.

Since I wasn’t travelling with a guide and hadn’t bothered to check beforehand, no one had warned me about it either.So there I was, standing outside the temple, looking back at the magnificent structure behind me, realising that a little research could have saved the situation.It was a simple lesson: before travelling somewhere, it’s not enough to look up places to visit and food to try. Understanding local customs, traditions, and rules is just as important.