Eye & Pen: Lifestyle, Travel, Photography and Literature
  • Main
  • Blog
  • Topics
    • Accommodations
    • Bucket List
    • Cheap Travel
    • Culture
    • Essay
    • Destinations
    • Inspiration
    • Interviews
    • Narratives
    • Personal
    • Photography
    • Restaurants
    • Reviews
    • Safe Travel
    • Travel Planning
    • Trip Update
    • Weekly Wanderlust
  • Photo Gallery
    • Photo Gallery – All Places
    • Photo Gallery – Aruba
    • Photo Gallery – England
    • Photo Gallery – Europe
    • Photo Gallery – Iceland
    • Photo Gallery – Ireland
    • Photo Gallery – Italy
    • Photo Gallery – Northern Ireland
    • Photo Gallery – Other
    • Photo Gallery – Scotland
    • Photo Gallery – USA
  • Services
    • Blog Coaching
    • Graphic Design
    • Hire Brandon
    • Advertising
  • About Brandon
  • Contact

The art of travel troubleshooting

5/13/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Arcosanti, Arizona – by © Brandon Elijah Scott / Eye & Pen.
If there were to be only one thing that’s true for all travelers, no matter of the style of travel, be it backpacker or luxury, unexpected surprises will strike. It’s just how travel goes – it’s best to expect that SOMETHING will go horribly wrong, or you will become unceremoniously lost, or some sort of fee may pop up that you never thought to plan for. If one aspect of traveling is to be consistent – no matter the type, style, destination, or traveler’s homeland – it’s the fact that there will be something that won’t quite go as planned. The real question when traveling isn’t what will go wrong when? – but how will you handle it?
I’ve been traveling nonstop for nearly ten years entirely, and if one thing is true, it’s the fact that nothing will go exactly how you want it to, or even how you planned it – for all the planning in the world will not totally prepare you for everything a destination will throw at you. The trick is to run with whatever the issue or grievance is, when it hits you. Throwing a fit, breaking down, or taking out your frustrations on poor bystanders or (even worse) innocent locals is the absolute worst thing you can do – plus, it’s a sure fire way to assist in the ruining of your trip. I’ve learned long ago, that you have to maintain a good humor about it all – or else, the experience and the negativity will eat you alive.

I’ve had the worst of the worst happen to be while traveling – and if you’ve read the blog for some time, then you know already, but for those who’re less familiar: I was hiking in the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico in the late summer of 2012, and when I returned, I came to find that everything I had with me was stolen in a smash and grab of my rental car. All of the cars in the block were vandalized and ransacked, and I was left with my first true adversity on the road, and while I handled it as well as I could, I was pissed off at myself, for not locking up my bags in the trunk or something – but to be honest, from the looks of the other cars, I don’t know if that would have done any good.

While there’s little room for recovery when everything you owned was stolen from you, and you’re only left with a mess of shattered glass in a country that’s native language is not your own, the true test of any longterm traveler is precisely how they handle a situation like that. There’s very little ‘troubleshooting’ that can be done in those circumstances, however, a full meltdown may hurt more than it helps – surely, I felt emotional, with a hint of rage for a moment, before my head snapped back into the game.

When the worst happens, breathe, and let things slow down, because when you take the time to process the situation, you allow yourself to gather your thoughts, control your emotions, and to plan your initial reaction. While it’s okay to react (but not overreact) with emotion sometimes,  you don’t want to alienate anyone else in the meantime, especially a person who may control the fate of your trip – for example, like a booking representative of an airline or an accommodation. Because in travel, like most of the world, stereotypes and preconceived judgements are very much alive, and the moment you confirm a particularly more negative connotation, you’e already lost the battle. Remember, you’re as much a representative of your own country, as the people you meet abroad.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Sign up for my VIP email list:

Picture
Picture

Article Topics

All
About Blogging
Accommodations
Bucket List
Cheap Travel
Culture
Destinations
Discussion
Entertainment
Environment
Essay
Fine Art Feature
Gear
General
Giveaway
Green Living
Guest Posts
Inspiration
Interviews
Lifestyle
Luxury
Narratives
Not Recommended
Other
Personal
Photography
Restaurants
Reviews
Safe Travel
Trip Planning
Trip Update
USA Road Trip
Video
Weekly Wanderlust

RSS Feed

Monthly Archive

November 2021
September 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012

*Disclaimer: All blog posts featuring products, reviews, or suggestions for products or services are governed by our Disclosure. Products were received free to review, so to provide authentic opinions and content for our readers. The opinions and ideas in this post are the writer's own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business. We receive no compensation for product reviews. Links within non-product review posts may be sponsored.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.