An Indian travel influencer is sharing a bad experience he had in Europe. He accepted an invitation from a social media follower to stay at his house. But after the stay, Gautam Sachdeva says, the follower threatened him and demanded rent.
People today travel to all corners of the world, so we’re all quite familiar with different cultures and customs. In this context, Indian travel influencer Gautam Sachdeva is sharing a story about a bad experience he had during a trip to Europe. He posted on Instagram about how he accepted an invitation from a social media follower to stay at his house, only to be threatened for rent money later. He warned other travellers that this was one of the worst experiences of his solo travels and advised them not to stay in strangers’ homes.
Gautam was in Berlin and planning to visit Prague when a follower messaged him. The follower told Gautam to come to Munich instead and offered him a place to stay at his home. Gautam accepted the invitation, thinking he could stay there and also visit Austria.
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“He didn’t even ask me if I wanted water to drink, forget about food,” Gautam said. Because of this, Gautam spent the entire day roaming outside and only came back to the house at night to sleep. He decided to stay one more day because he was having severe pain in his leg. The next day, as he was leaving early in the morning to catch a train, the follower stopped him and demanded 30 Euros (about ₹3,346) as rent. The follower’s argument was, “Wouldn’t you have had to pay money at a hostel anyway?” Gautam refused to pay, saying that he hadn’t asked to stay, but was invited. After this, the follower apparently started sending threatening messages, demanding money for using the room, for coffee, and for the internet. Gautam wrote that this was the first big lesson he learned on his solo travels.
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“On solo trips, always book your own hotel room or hostel bed. Never stay at other people’s places. When you invite someone, they are your guest, and you need to show them hospitality,” Gautam added. He clarified that the person wasn’t a complete stranger, but a follower who had been leaving good wishes on his travel videos for over two years. Many people commented on the video. One person wrote, “We need to hear his side of the story too. When you’re in Europe, you shouldn’t expect the same kind of hospitality you get in India.”