You know how it is when you’re traveling and everything works perfectly — flights leave on time, the apartment looks exactly as it does online, and even the weather appears to be on your side?
Neither do we. Travel is an imperfect science and success does not depend on flawless execution, but rather how you deal with the challenges, we’ve found.
Mike:
Remember when we arrived at am at Buenos Aires airport for an 8 am flight to Lima and they kept delaying departure all morning? Then, after lunch (in an airport where the food selection could be described as meager, at best), they finally canceled the flight completely.
Eileen:
My most vivid memory of that day was dozens of angry travelers banging on trash cans demanding resolution–I was told that with all the strikes in Argentina, this was not an uncommon sight. And then you saved the day by finding the one unharried gate agent who was willing to re-book our flights.
Mike:
I’ve found that taking out frustrations on overworked employees rarely gets you anywhere. It became clear that the situation required a quiet persistence–combined with being exceedingly nice– to encourage the agent to break the rules for us.
Eileen:
What I think we’ve both learned in our travels is flexibility is key. When things are not working you either seek another solution or find a way to adapt. We still keep debating why we stayed five days in a non-air-conditioned apartment in Montevideo, Uruguay in 100-degree (Fahrenheit) heat while being eaten by vampire mosquitoes.
Mike:
I guess sometimes it feels like giving up when we change a plan or move to a different hotel or location when it’s really just finding a solution that works.
Eileen:
When you plan to spend a certain amount of time in a place you’ve never been, you don’t know if you’ve planned too much time or not enough–or, when you are exceedingly lucky, just the right amount.
Switching midstream sometimes means losing money, but you have to weigh the costs versus the benefits.
Mike:
Some of the frustration is not knowing the local language and customs. Sometimes I simply need to take a deep breath when everything around me feels uncertain. We usually find someone who can bridge the divide and help us. It can either be a fellow traveler who has been there before or a local who has experienced others’ kindnesses when they were traveling.
Eileen:
We’ve had to remember oftentimes what we perceive as rude behavior or inefficient processes is just the way things are done. You can complain about driving in Panama all you want (and yes, Mike, you did), but ultimately you have to remember you are a guest in their country and not go all “ugly American” on them.
Mike:
And you have to admit that some of the worst situations have made the best stories when we get back home. Vale la pena (it is worth the pain)!
If you have any travel snafu stories share them with us below. We promise to be sympathetic.
by: Mike & Eileen Brill Wagner
