A 57-year-old Cork man ended up staying in a retirement home in Argentina after an Airbnb mix-up.
Pat O'Neill has been travelling around South America since August and his solo trip has proved to be quite the adventure.
He got caught up in riots in Ecuador and after arriving at his destination in Northern Argentina, he found his accommodation was in a retirement home.
Travel blogger Pat, who is a quite a few years off from drawing a state pension, was shocked to find out that his accommodation was not what he had hoped for.
He told RSVP Live: "My two-day visit to the Corrientes (Northern Argentina) has been pleasant.
"My living quarters was not what I expected it to be though. Throughout the last five months it's been the weirdest one yet. I am staying in an old folks home booked through Airbnb. I got the fright of my life.
"My friends are laughing mad at me that I ended up here. I am hoping I can catch the Christmas party before I go."
Since the summer, Pat has visited Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Paraguay.
His highlight so far has been visiting Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls.
However, his journey hasn't been all smooth sailing, as he got stuck in Eucador for a month as locals rioted over fuel costs.
He explained: "The people battled the police and the army on the streets. They were protesting a rise in fuel. The government backed down in the end.
"I was unable to move as all roads in the country were blocked. I saw some of the worse riots up front and was caught in the middle of a tear gas attack by police.
"Local people came to my assistance as my eyes burned, and I was struggling for breath," Pat added.
Like many other backpackers, the Corkonian keeps a tight budget of €30 per day which pays for his hostel and food.
Despite not coming home for Christmas, Pat plans to meet up with other backpackers he met while touring around the continent in the blistering heat.
While he's enjoying his trip, the travel writer says he will definitely miss some Irish traditions during the festive season, one in particular: "I will be lonesome thinking about the big dinner with family and meeting up with friends over the holiday.
"I will miss the good Guinness also, but sure I miss that every day," he said.
As of yet, Pat has no return ticket booked home to the rebel county and plans to go while the going is good - or in his case, "until the money runs out."
Where to next for the adventurer?: "I don’t know, I don't really plan anything. I could end up anywhere, knowing my luck I will arrive at another retirement home in the near future. I keep saying to myself maybe it's a sign? But there's plenty of road left in me yet."
You can follow Pat's travels here.
