Today I’m gonna share with you an embarrassing story that shows just how bad I can with even the simplest tech.

The story takes place in Budapest, back in 2014, and the protagonists are my old Samsung Galaxy S7582 and, well, me. 

Back then, I was an adventurous and reckless young lady on my way to my first solo trip abroad. I had decided on Budapest for its stunning beauty (and the tickets were also very cheap).

I arrived in Budapest early in the morning with nothing but a few clothes and my beloved Samsung S7582.

It was state-of-the-art for its time. I could browse the internet, use its GPS to navigate the city, and take amazing photos with its 5MP + VGA (!) camera. 

With this trusty tool in my pocket, I was read to take on the city.

I arrived in Budapest early in the morning and I had the whole day to explore the city. 

If you've seen or been in Budapest, you know that the city is split in two parts, spread around the Danube river. 

I decided to start my exploration from Margaret Island, situated in the middle of Danube.

I was sitting on a bench admiring the island's beautiful park, when I realized that my phone's battery was low.I had a big day ahead of me, so I did what any tech-savvy traveler did at the time: turned it off.

It wouldn't be a big deal, I'd just turn it on when I needed it, right? But when I grabbed it to capture the beautiful cityscape I had a horrible realization — I couldn't remember the last digit of the SIM's password.. 

1, 7, 6... and then what? 

I spent over half an hour trying to remember. And then it dawned on me! 9! 

"Incorrect password, you have two tries left," the screen stated apathetically and I started panicking.

But then I managed to calm down and decided not to sweat it, I'd just continue exploring and give my memory a little more time to get it together.

At my next stop, the Fisherman's Bastion, on the city's west side, I made my second attempt. 

I thought it was an 8. "1768" sounded right. But as you might have guessed it was incorrect... again. 

So there I was, all alone in a foreign country for the first time and unable to call anyone, take photos, or look up any information as I was just one step away from being permanently locked out of my phone. What a great way to start my holiday.

But still, I kept going. I visited the Cave Church at the bottom of the Gellert Hill and, while I was walking around the altars, it finally came to me — the divine epiphany! 

The last digit was a 3! The Holy Trinity! 

But, of course, the story doesn't end like that. I was so excited to finally remember the correct number that I rushed to fill in the password and, well, I accidentally pressed 4 instead of 3... 

Yep, phone locked. And, yep, I had thrown away the alternative PUK password years ago. 

So, I spent the next three days traveling the old-school way. I used a paper map, I asked locals for information, and I simply enjoyed sight-seeing without the burden of taking a thousand photos. Then I found an old payphone to let my parents know that I wasn't dead.

What's the moral of the story?

1. Traveling is a much more rewarding adventure when you don't rely on your phone. 

2. SIM cards suck. 

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