Travel Disasters: What to Do When it All Goes Wrong

Sherpani is built around our belief that travel restores the human spirit. Loving travel, however, doesn't ensure that it always goes smoothly. Take it from the Sherpani Team. Our travel mishaps include…

1. Arriving at a non-existent hostel in Portugal.
2. Getting stung by a sting ray in Costa Rica.
3. Totaling a rental car in Germany.
4. Starting a fire at an Airbnb in Singapore.

We have been confined to one outfit for days on end, gotten locked out of rentals, and run out of cell battery (with electronic train tickets on the phone in question–whoops). We have contracted illnesses and had our adventurous pallets rewarded with food poisoning. We have missed flights, trains, and golden opportunities. We have had passports stolen, luggage lost, and credit cards compromised (how did you think our Anti-Theft Collection was born?).

Hey, you don't become a savvy traveler by doing things perfectly! These experiences helped us to find stable footing in the unpredictable world of travel. We know how to do things well because we have done them before, likely the wrong way.

The truth is that travel doesn't always go smoothly, just like your commute to work or the execution of your kid's homemade Halloween costume. Stuff happens. Planes need de-icing, construction causes chaotic detours, and your Pinterest board may underestimate your crafty capabilities. Often, what transpires during travel is entirely out of your control (but seriously, charge your phone before you go to the train station).

 

Embrace the Adventure

Travelers are a special breed. We sign onto an experience without the ability to know what it entails. For many of us, plunging into the unknown is sort of the whole point! This can just be hard to remember when things go awry.

Let's take a closer look at one of our favorite words: adventure. Split it apart and it's not a stretch to notice the emerging phrase: to add venture. The definition of "venture" is "an undertaking involving uncertainty as to the outcome, especially a risky or dangerous one." To venture is to be bold, to embrace risk! To adventure is to accept the unknowable, explore the unfamiliar, bravely seek out the new…

With this in mind, it's no surprise that things go wrong from time to time. So what do you do when Adventure invites her fabled friend Chaos to the party? Here is everything we know about riding those unpredictable waves.

 

Take a Beat

When something derails your travel plans, it's important to acknowledge the mishap on every level. Some personalities are quick to jump into "fix-it mode" or determined to shift the focus to a silver lining. The difficulty is that, even if your mind is adept at moving forward, your body might not be.

Vacation Disaster Example: A sailing selfie goes wrong and your phone is hopelessly swept away by the sea.

Turns out, acknowledging the awfulness here is a pivotal step. Your body has a physiological response to external stressors that can't be undone by logic alone. Shifting your mindset to embrace an "unplugged vacation" is fine (it's great!), but it doesn't help your body to process the ordeal.

The best way to regulate yourself on a physiological level is to allow space for a physical release. This can look like dancing or shaking to a fast-paced song (a good option for a private charter), taking a minute to cry it out in the bathroom, or screaming underwater once arriving at your snorkel destination.

We aren't suggesting you wallow in self-pity, but take a dedicated moment to acknowledge the total bummer of the situation. This allows you to move forward with self-compassion and clarity, having processed it fully. Don't underestimate the importance of a physical release for your frustration.

Read more about the science of stress in the brilliant book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski.

 

Attitude Adjustment

Alright optimists, now it's your time to shine! Let's talk about reframing an unfortunate situation. Focusing on the things you can control is good advice in general, but it goes triple for travel plans gone wrong. 

Vacation Disaster Example: Your long-haul flight touches down after carrying you halfway across the world when you learn, for whatever reason, it could be several more hours before you're able to deplane.

After processing this bad news (see "crying in the bathroom" above), it's time to tap into what you can control. Is there any chance of a mindset shift to help you through these trying times? Hint: the answer is always yes.

Mindset matters, and yours will determine how the next few hours unfold. Now that you can switch off airplane mode, call a friend who can be counted on to make things better. Search "chair yoga" on Spotify and focus on stretching and breathing from your seat. Set a timer and challenge yourself to write a standup comedy routine about the situation, who cares if it never debuts at an open mic?

In this example, you're setting the tone for your entire trip. Don't let a frustration that's entirely out of your control derail your experience. It's hard to exercise creative solutions that improve your mood, but it's also hard to sit there in a bad mood. Choose your hard.

 

Rejection = Redirection

It's great to be a curious traveler who does her research before arrival. There's no doubt that detailed trip planning can lead to some incredible experiences. However, plans are not promises, and nothing is guaranteed. What happens when the itinerary gets pulled out from underneath you?

Take the old platitude, "When one door closes, another one opens." It's a nice idea, but how can it help in the midst of a letdown? 

Travel Disaster Example: The highly anticipated Michelin Star restaurant somehow lost your reservation. 

When a vacation evening opens up, anything could happen. Maybe your new travel soul sister is at the bar down the street just waiting to meet you! If your original plan is rejected, you never know where you are being redirected. Keeping an open-minded about your plans makes for some of the very best travel memories.

Here's our hometown example: In Colorado, weekend traffic coming down from the mountains is no joke, especially during ski season. Locals have learned that waiting it out over a meal in a quaint mountain town is much better than idling down I-70 in stop-and-go madness (and you'll make it home at the same time either way).

 

This Too Shall Pass

When things go wrong, try to remember that experiences are temporary. The disasters we mentioned at the beginning of this post are funny now, but they were definitely not funny at the time.

The notion that "one day, this will make a great story" can help pull you through the muck—even if that story never gets told. Privacy is a massive benefit of solo travel, but we find the embarrassing snafus are well worth laughing about with friends.

In our experience, there is a positive takeaway from every travel disaster, and it's not always humor. More often, it's a sense of empowerment. Looking back on a challenging situation and realizing "Yeah, I made it through that." When you're in the thick of things, try to remember that future you is so proud of how you prevailed.

Experiences are temporary; memories are what we get to keep. Whether or not you choose to share them, your memories will always be your most precious souvenirs.

 

Helping Hands

It must be said that one of the most profound things we have experienced during travel happens in the aftermath of a disaster. The acts of kindness we have received as travelers in distress are unmatched. The language of kindness is universal, and no matter where you are in the world, there is someone nearby who will help you however they can.

It takes courage to ask for help, but it also takes courage to receive help. You must trust your intuition, which doesn't always play out in the ways you imagine. It's possible that the healthiest and safest choice for recovering from a travel disaster is accepting a ride from a stranger. When things go poorly and you find yourself in a low place, it's okay to receive the helping hand that extends your way (so long as your gut agrees).

Throughout our own travels, people from all corners of the globe have picked us up, dusted us off, and sent us on our way–faith in humanity restored. (Alexa, play Lean on Me by Bill Withers.)

 

Dare to Prepare

The whole point of this post is that not everything is predictable. That said, there are definitely some measures you can take to minimize your risk of travel mishaps. Here is what we recommend:

• Make copies. Take photos of important travel documents and save them in a private album on your phone. Printed copies can also be lifesavers if you need to go to an embassy.
• No 911. This emergency number is used in the US and some other regions throughout the Americas. Before you go abroad, use this list to look up the emergency number for your destination.
• Pack meds. In addition to any regular medications, we recommend having over-the-counter aids for motion sickness and digestive distress, two common travel needs.
• Anti-theft bag. Carrying a bag with built-in theft prevention will ease your mental load. Luckily, you have a friend in the bag world! Browse our anti-theft designs.
• Your spirit. The most essential piece of any travel experience is your own relentless drive to make it happen. When the going gets tough, close your eyes, take a breath, and remember: you have got this. 

Yours in the life-changing, unpredictable, mesmerizing, messy, disastrous, and wonderful world of adventure,

The Sherpani Team

 

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By women for women, the Sherpani Travel Blog talks about all things travel (& all things Sherpani!). Explore topics like solo travel, destination guides, women's travel safety, personal essays, and much more! This is a space to amplify female voices and celebrate our belief that travel restores the human spirit.