Travel Triage: How to Get By When Plans Fall Apart

Problem: If it’s adventure you’re looking for, it’s adventure you’ll find. And it won’t always go as planned.

Solution: Adopt a few adventure travel coping tactics and rescue any misadventure from the fate of bad memories.

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Good morning from the floor of the Munich Airport, where I spent the night in my trusty sleeping bag huddled in a peaceful corner before being kicked out a few hours ago by security—apparently my resting place of choice was fair game last night, but is now definitely closed.

I wasn’t planning to spend the night here, but if you’ve ever traveled beyond your front door, you know that plans don’t always go as… planned.

Actually, I’ve been traveling for more than a month now and this is hardly the first problem I’ve run into; this trip has been riddled with mistakes, misunderstandings, and other various hardships. Yet, I’m not upset or bitter. On the contrary, I’ve had a really great time.

If you search the Internet for travel tips, you’ll find no shortage of over-simplified lists telling you what to do to have a stress-free, relaxing vacation. If you’re looking to lay on a beach somewhere, these might be useful, but if you’re more like me—on a search for adventure and new, interesting experiences—then a bit of headache comes with the territory.

I recorded this video update from the base camp of Mt. Elbrus in Russia (more on this in a future update) to explain just what I mean and why I appreciate a little bit of stress when I travel:

Adventure travel need not be overly complicated, but it’s rarely stress free. And that’s what I like about it. You get more than just a new experience; you get a new challenge to overcome.

Equipping yourself to deal with these sorts of things is generally a “good idea.” Otherwise, a fun adventure can quickly turn into a regrettable nightmare.

I have a few universal strategies I like to use in almost every travel scenario gone awry. Hopefully you’ll find them applicable to your own “stressful” adventures:

Whatever You Do, Score A Goal

Traveling without a goal can be fun, but to be honest, I don’t do it. Learning the fine art of going with the flow is important, but I prefer to set out with an agenda. I know what I want from my travels, so it’s not hard to prioritize when something goes wrong.

When I arrived in Warsaw a few weeks ago, I planned to run a self-directed marathon (in addition to the one I ran in South Africa). This was on the agenda, but I was in pretty poor health when I arrived. This wouldn’t normally deter me, but with an 11-day mountain climbing schedule ahead, the decision to skip it was simple.

Yes, it’s disappointing to give up an important part of your travel agenda, but if I hadn’t taken the time to rest, summiting Mt. Elbrus a few days later would have been put in real jeopardy.

Considering the cost, difficulty of access and, most importantly, excitement involved in climbing, the decision was easy. Truth told, I wasn’t that excited to run a “self-directed” marathon, so why stick to the plan if the plan isn’t even fun?

I can go back to Europe anytime and run a real marathon that I’m actually excited about, so that’s what I’ll do.

What’s your main objective? When something gets in the way, what will you do?

Make the Clock Tick

A funny thing happens when you have a deadline and you’re forced to make a decision. All of a sudden, very tough choices become easy. The fogginess that comes with lots of time and lots of options disappears, and the most important factors b obvious.

Another funny thing happens, also; you tend to be more happy with your decision because it’s based much less on things you think may be important and, instead, is based on what you already know is.

When uncertainty creeps into my travel plans—and it always does—I try not to wait until the last minute to deal with it. If I give myself a small amount of time to address the problem, make the best decision I can at the deadline, and move on with life, things tend to work out.

Fretting over a problem while I’m trying to enjoy myself is mostly a waste of time. All my attention gets redirected to problem solving, and I tend not to commit to correcting it until I’m forced to. That makes it hard to be present and focus on what I’m currently doing.

Raining Cats and Dollar Signs

At the risk of upsetting budget travelers who can’t be happy unless they get a deal worth bragging to their friends about, I don’t recommend making price the top consideration when it comes to solving a travel problem (more on this in the free instant adventure guidebook).

Instead, I always try to build a small contingency into my travel budget—money that I hope not to spend but will do so without hesitation if the need arises—so that I can focus my priorities on having the best experience possible. This sometimes means that I spend more than I have to, but it also means I usually get what I really want rather than making a big compromise or sacrifice.

My theory is that, over time, I’ll be happier to have had the experience I did—even at a higher cost than planned—than I will to have saved the money. I just can’t see myself at 75 saying, “Boy Tyler, remember that time you saved $400 by skipping that thing you really wanted to do?”

I call this the “Fifty Year Test” and, even as a militantly frugal traveler, I’ll usually abide by the results of the test.

A few years ago, I was in Spain and really looking forward to taking a short trip to Morocco in Africa. When I learned that the ferry tickets were more expensive than I’d planned to spend (though I could still afford it), I decided to skip it.

I still regret that and actively avoid repeating it.

An Adventure in Every Misadventure

Sometimes there simply aren’t any choices to make. Something goes wrong and there’s nothing you can do to fix it; acceptance is the only option. These are, of course, the most frustrating challenges to face while traveling, but they happen. Knowing how to face them and still enjoy your trip is, of course, very useful.

In this case, Darwin’s Theory is applicable. Adapted and abridged for adventurers—those most capable of adaptation are more likely to enjoy their travel.

When I realized early today that I’d scheduled myself to fly to Poland tonight and back to Germany in the morning with no place to stay in either, my first thought was, “You dummy.” But after a little self-flagellation and acceptance of the undeniable truth—you’re sleeping on the floor of the airport somewhere—it was time to make the best of my mistake.

“How many bathrooms does this terminal have? Where’s the quietest place to sleep? Who sells the best pretzel in the whole airport? How many of these duty free Mars Bars can I eat before bed?”

These are all questions I asked myself. So, I answered them.

I’d have rather been on a plane back to Portland, but there wasn’t a lot I could do about it at the time, so I created my own adventure in the Munich airport instead. And I had a good time.

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When it comes down to it, adaptability and a positive outlook can get you through almost any difficult time in life whether you’re sitting at home or out wandering the globe. State of mind is a big factor in a happy life.

These are just a few of my own universal rules for travel triage and making the best of a less than perfect situation. There are, without a doubt, plenty of others.

So what are yours? How do you get by when plans fall apart on the road? Let me know in the comments.

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For more on travel and adventure, you might enjoy this round-up article from my friend, Matt Kepnes, about terrible travel experiences.