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Traveling solo has always been on my bucket list. The idea of waking up in a new city, tasting unfamiliar food, and wandering through centuries-old streets was thrilling. So when I finally booked a three-week solo trip through Europe, I felt unstoppable. Little did I know that my most memorable experience wouldn’t be a scenic train ride or a famous monument, it would be getting sick and facing it completely alone.

The Sudden Shift from Adventure to Anxiety

It all started on a chilly morning in Prague. I woke up feeling slightly off. headache, body ache, and a dry throat. At first, I brushed it off as travel fatigue. I popped some painkillers and pushed myself to visit Prague Castle, thinking I just needed some fresh air.

But by evening, the discomfort turned into fever and chills. My cozy Airbnb felt suddenly unfamiliar, and the idea of being alone in a foreign country while unwell began to sink in. I had no friends nearby, no idea how the local healthcare system worked, and barely enough Czech words in my vocabulary to explain “I have a fever.”

First Lesson: Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs

One thing I learned quickly is that your body always knows. That "slightly off" feeling in the morning was my body trying to wave a red flag. If I had rested then, things might not have worsened. Travel often makes us feel like we need to be constantly on the move, but ignoring symptoms is never worth it.

Finding Help Was Easier Than I Thought

After a sleepless night with my fever climbing, I knew I needed medical help. I reached out to my Airbnb host, who thankfully spoke English and helped me locate a local clinic that accepted international visitors. To my surprise, the process was smoother than I imagined. I waited a bit, saw a friendly doctor, and paid a reasonable fee for the visit and antibiotics.

The experience taught me that you’re never truly “alone” when you ask for help. People are often kinder than we expect, especially when we’re vulnerable.

Travel Insurance Saved Me

Before my trip, I hesitated about purchasing travel insurance. It felt like an unnecessary expense. But that single doctor’s visit, prescription, and follow-up would’ve cost me much more without it. Filing a claim through my insurance provider was simple, I kept the receipts and submitted them online once I got home.

Now, I’ll never travel without insurance again. It’s not just for lost luggage or flight delays. It’s for moments like this.

Language Barriers Are Manageable

While I couldn’t speak Czech, the clinic staff understood enough English to treat me. I also used a translation app to explain my symptoms. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. I realized that language barriers shouldn’t stop you from seeking help, most medical professionals are trained to handle foreign patients, especially in tourist-friendly cities.

The Importance of a Digital “Health Kit”

Another thing I wish I’d done sooner? Prepare a digital health kit. This means having your health insurance card, emergency contacts, basic medical history, and important local numbers saved in your phone or written down somewhere accessible. When you’re running a fever, it’s hard to think clearly, having this info ready is a huge help.

Rest Is Part of the Journey

For three days, I stayed indoors, barely moving from the couch in my Airbnb. At first, I felt like I was wasting my vacation. But then I realized, rest is not a failure. It’s what allowed me to heal and continue the trip safely. I adjusted my plans, skipped a few cities, and gave myself permission to recover.

Final Thoughts: I Came Back Wiser

Getting sick alone in a foreign country wasn’t in my itinerary. But it happened, and I handled it. The experience taught me how resilient I could be, how kind strangers can be, and how important it is to be prepared, even when things go wrong.

Now, every time I pack my bags, I don’t just think about clothes and passports, I think about health, support systems, and flexibility. And if I ever feel that tickle in my throat while abroad, I’ll know exactly what to do.

Have you ever fallen sick during your travels? Share your experience or tips in the comments, your story could help someone else.

Why no pictures.so we can travel with you.. please take pictures next time.

U don learn that part las las that's life. Never you hesitate to ask but make sure you ask the right people E get why.

stay strong



Don't ask Nairaland members for contact details

Everybody wants to trend.
Op Abeg which AI you use write this epistle? Because it looks fake

Quite unfortunate. Most people get sick because of change in climate, especially for first timers. European climate is totally different from ours.

Even here, some get ill at the start of raining season.

Okay ....Ajala travel all over the world ....Idan traveler ..........

I like this because of the message , would have loved to repost it if you on LinkedIn. Nice

Hope Nairaland has not started paying content writer to boost the platform. The contents comes with introduction, body and conclusion.

Mr Seun I'm available for powerful contents.

If na for Nigeria this kind thing happen, your host go recommend Agbo Jedi Jedi for you to drink

Because you want to japa, you went to Prague.

Some have gone to Poland, Bosnia, and even North Cyprus.

They say those places are better than Nigeria.

Go first and let us have that conversation.

Hey bro did you see the zodiac in Prague . It's huge they say

Insigtful and interesting post. I enjoyed your narrative and writing ability. I hope it wasn't AI though from what someone insinuated above.

i had a relative who died abroad because of a slight illness, its not wise to live single abroad...if not get prepared for things worst than this

Prague is beautiful.. can't wait to be back there. you should show us pictures

DrAkpa:
Everybody wants to trend.
Op Abeg which AI you use write this epistle? Because it looks fake

very fake
Sound like some copy and paste bs …..


Ggyyhh

Abroad sef too far...!

If I have to travel outside my state of residence in Nigeria, I prepare my health kit religiously.

Thanks for Sharing!!

My experience was in June! I wasn't sick, but I was stooling, and I wasn’t prepared for that… silly, right? I was in a Francophone country, and my French is limited.

I had a colleague staying in the same hotel who came to my rescue. I also got some paracetamol and Flagyl from him.
I’m definitely getting my own travel first-aid kit now. As a cross-country internal control/auditor, I need to be more conscious of these things.


The Flagyl I took almost got me into trouble at the airport on my return trip. I had removed two Flagyl tablets from the sachet he gave me. I used one and wrapped the other in a tissue, then put it in a zipper compartment in my purse.
It was found during inspection at the airport: no description, no sachet, just a yellow tablet wrapped in tissue paper in a side bag.

They were reasonable. I remained calm and explained what it was and how I came to have it. I spoke both my limited French and English. I explained the reason for my visit, and luckily, I had a copy of my hotel invoice that had been sent to my company. (Thankfully, I collected a physical copy when checking out of the hotel "Ivotel", a very nice place in Abidjan).

thesolosister:
Traveling solo has always been on my bucket list. The idea of waking up in a new city, tasting unfamiliar food, and wandering through centuries-old streets was thrilling. So when I finally booked a three-week solo trip through Europe, I felt unstoppable. Little did I know that my most memorable experience wouldn’t be a scenic train ride or a famous monument, it would be getting sick and facing it completely alone.

or tips in the comments, your story could help someone else.

nice write up

while travelling through cities one just keeps entertained

Babangidapikin:
Why no pictures.so we can travel with you.. please take pictures next time.

You no see the pictures wey OP attached? You blind?

lailo:
You no see the pictures wey OP attached? You blind?

You that can see do kindly point me a 62 years old woman clearly visible in the picture

It takes me back some years ago, when I was single, jobless and living alone in Cotonou.

One evening, a friend got me some prepared 'kponmo'. It was not really soft and so I decided to stop chewing and just swallow.

Bad move.

I nearly choked to death, as the kponmo was big and couldn't pass through my throat. I couldn't breathe. I was dying.

Thankfully, it started to make it's way down - painfully and slowly.

I survived but I wondered what people would have said killed me. Who would have thought that I had kponmo lodged in my throat and suffocated? It could have been dismissed as ritual killing, poisoning or that I was prostitute or something...

I also took agbo during this period to treat malaria - I didn't have much money and it was very cheap. Luckily, it worked. I only peed a lot that night.

On the flip side, I later found a teaching job, life improved gradually and I was able to afford buying drugs from their pharmacies when I fell ill.

I tell people that there is a difference between being alone and being lonely.
Sadly some experience it the hard way.
When you have many people around you and you become needy and then you can hear pin drop due to the silence of their absence, then you'd know you just had beer buddies, gossip partners, business partners and sadly parasites.
I pray that whether you're travelling or in your comfort zone, may you have helpers and be a helper, this I pray for myself also, amen

Nice article.
It's helpful and eye opening.
We are never alone even in foreign lands, we are guided by the spirit of our ancestors, the holy spirit and angels.

Oh, sorry, seems like u no like to dey miggle around,no place u go on earth, 🌎 wey u no go c Nigeria