US travel blogger reveals the scariest moment she's had abroad, including contracting a parasitic infection from eating cat meat

An American traveler has opened up about her most terrifying experiences abroad, ranging from a tourist scam to a parasitic infection she contracted from eating cat meat.

Karina Henry, a blogger and teacher, has visited more than 30 countries and is currently based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, after living in China and Thailand.

The content creator, known as 'Karina Worldwide,” has over 200,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares videos about her travels.

Karina, 34, recently counted down her top five 'scariest travel moments' to raise awareness of the unexpected challenges she has faced in other countries.

“In China, I was physically attacked by a drunk man who said he didn't like me simply because I was American,” she first recalled.

The footage showed a man shouting at her in Chinese as she begged him to leave her alone, saying: 'I haven't done anything. I just want to go home.'

Karina went on to say that she had “contracted an incurable parasitic infection after eating cat meat in Ghana,” but she did not go into detail about her health problems.

'In Egypt“I was lured into a store by a 'tour guide' and then locked inside until I agreed to pay for a belly dancer costume that I 'broke' – only to later realize it was a scam,” she continued.

Karina added that when she was in Greece, a woman threatened to call the police and her sons if she did not pay for another room.

'She said my girlfriend and I couldn't share a room because she believed we were in a relationship – even after telling her many times that we were just friends,” the traveler explained. “She wouldn't let us take our stuff either.”

Finally, Karina told how a man approached her in Peru and “warned” her that she was in a “dangerous part of town” and “could be robbed.”

However, when he saw the police, he ran away.

Karina said police later told her he had been deported from the US, but they did not indicate why.

The influencer explained in the caption that she shared her stories because she wanted to “provide valuable insight into the realities that come with travel.”

“Travel isn't always smooth — it's filled with unexpected challenges that we all face,” she wrote. 'Every traveler should be aware of potential risks, from scams to unsafe areas.

'It's not about deterring exploration, it's about making sure you're well aware of your surroundings. It's about doing your research and using your common sense. It's also about understanding that no matter how experienced you are as a traveler, things will happen.”

Karina's video has been viewed nearly 45,000 times and received more than 160 comments since it was posted on December 15.

“I love that you don't live in fear. No matter where we are in the world, it will always be something,” one person responded.

“This is so real though,” another added. “Real travel that doesn't involve tour groups has some very sketchy moments.”

Others wanted to know why she decided to eat cat meat abroad.

“Even though people may not agree, I will never judge people in other countries by what they eat, especially when I eat other forms of meat,” Karina explained in a follow-up video.

'Just because an animal is domesticated in one country does not mean it is considered a pet in other countries. Just because an animal is seen as food in one country does not mean it is seen as food everywhere.”

In another clip, Karina hit back at a commenter who told her she should “stop traveling” because she is “always looking for trouble” wherever she goes.

“Girl, you are definitely a very good detective because you have been able to see that I am the common denominator in all my scariest travel moments. But I think you missed the point and purpose of this video,” she replied sarcastically.

'The reason why I posted this video is because I think there are so many travel content creators that show the beauty of travel, but rarely do creators show you the reality and some of the challenges and obstacles they face when it is about travelling.'

Karina said her stories were intended to remind people to do their research and be aware of their surroundings when they travel.

“These are five situations from the more than 30 countries I have visited and four countries I have lived in,” she said. 'It's five. That's a damn good ratio if you ask me.'

Karina noted that things will happen “no matter how much research” you do and “use your common sense,” but that “it shouldn't stop you from becoming eager to travel.”

“It shouldn't be the reason you decide I can't explore the world,” she concluded. “When you're traveling, it's not always going to be a piece of cake, but it's okay.”