Guest post today by @phampants, our worst travel tweet winner. (He gets a Dozen of our Favorites! Yeah!)

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When the awesome @brandonzeman RT’d @foiledcupcakes‘ Worst Travel Tweet challenge, I asked myself, “What story should I pick from?”

When I backpacked Europe alone last summer, I had quite the adventure. The adventure also included many mishaps. From sleeping in the Brussels train station in 40 degree weather with bums to having my 4gb flash card go corrupt on me and losing 3 days worth of pictures in Rome. Let’s not also forget that I was only allowed to live 18 days on a TINY duffel bag containing all of my belongings that weighed no more than 22 lbs. Don’t believe me? Here’s photo evidence (sans a 6 pound laptop):

Yeah, it was an interesting trip. Just as interesting as learning how to drive stick while driving on the other side of the road while in Ireland. Oh wait! That’s right, I couldn’t drive because I lost my wallet (one of three) containing my driver’s license, student ID & my debit card on the morning of Day 3 of my trip in the Dublin airport. How did I lose it? It was in my jacket pocket which also contained my umbrella. Apparently, the umbrella looked like a huge knife in the X-Ray machine, so when they took it out to check, the wallet fell out. Sadly, I did not noticed until I was in the middle of the Brussels train station 2 hours later.

So what did I do? Being the seasoned & experienced traveler that I am, I had wallet #1 and #3 handy. Those two wallets contained 350 Euros, 60 British pounds and a credit card. Now before you go all, “Oh he cheated, he had a credit card,” remember this: Europe is a CASH continent. Finding a place that takes credit card is like trying to a hot dog place in Chicago that puts ketchup on your hot dog. It wasn’t easy, but I did survived 15 days with 350 Euros & 60 GBPs.

Want to read more about my trip & the day I lost my debit card? Read more here.
Want to know how you can survive cleverly when traveling and losing your debit card? Read more here.

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Congratulations, @phampants – your story touched the hearts of millions. Well, at least of the people who voted for you. And thanks to all who participated!

(We’re gonna start having Friends of Foiled Cupcakes start blogging here and there. Want to be a guest blogger for a day? Email us at info {at} foiledcupcakes {dot} com.)

Iris, Chidinma, & Mari at the Chicago Tribune Tower

I feel like cupcakes could quite possibly be the world’s most perfect food—delicious, flavorful tastiness in a perfect little portable package.  How can you not smile with just their mention?!  My favorite part of the cupcake experience is the first bite.  Initially, the smooth, creamy frosting ignites a spark in my mouth, and then the moist, buttery cake brings it on home.  It takes me to a happy place—elementary school birthday celebrations, high school graduations, weddings, girls’ nights, the “no occasion” occasion, you know…the important moments in life.

The economist in me appreciates the efficiency of the cupcake.  Cupcake history says that cupcakes gained popularity because they were convenient and cooked much faster than larger cakes, and that the measurement of ingredients were easy to remember.  The basic recipe of a cupcake is freakishly simple: butter, sugar, eggs, flour. So easy, even I could do it (maybe)!

Whatever their personal appeal, do you ever really need a reason for shiny happy goodness?!

- Chidinma