Recently, I spent a weekend exploring Krakow with a friend and while we had a great time, the end of the trip was marred by a faulty aircraft, which caused an additional night’s stay away from home.
Unlike most of my fellow passengers, I wasn't due at work on Monday, so I didn't experience the same levels of stress I saw in many of them, however not knowing when you’re going to get home is a disquieting feeling.
It can be easy to completely lose the plot when a trip goes off schedule. However, with plenty of delay and diversion experience, I have concluded that staying calm is the best way to survive.
While I was stuck at the gate waiting for the next announcement, I distracted myself with magazines (Texture has changed my life), podcasts and people watching. Anything to take my mind off the situation at hand.
I also kept forefront in my mind that worrying about what would happen is fruitless activity that won’t change the outcome.
And I resolved again to start meditating.
My delay was made a bit easier knowing that all of my electronics were fully charged and that I had an extra battery pack and charger at the ready.
When it was finally confirmed that I would be sleeping in an unexpected hotel bed on Sunday night, I spent some time thinking about how I could remain zen the next day as our plane still needed a new tire and our revised departure time seemed to be a suggestion.
Even though I climbed into bed way past my normal 10 pm curfew, I was able to manage a decent amount of sleep, which meant there was no excuse to skip my morning work out. With fitness gear in my suitcase, a routine on my iPad and knowledge that I wouldn’t be piling on city exploration steps during the day, I set my alarm and got my sweat on before breakfast.
Morning workouts are definitely my thing and on a day where I was likely to spend a lot of time inactive and questioning what would happen next, the early AM surge of endorphins helped to keep my adrenals balanced, providing better stress management.
And finally, let's get to how I handled managing what was and wasn't in my case. Since my bag was a carry on, I was definitely running short of clothing options, however I did have that extra pair of panties, for which I was grateful! My bare minimum skincare and makeup were the cause of concern.
On any trip, I find nothing quite as satisfying as packing products that I will be able to use up while I am away. Whether it's a foil packet of shampoo, toner-soaked cotton wool or a travel mini, I'm always excited when something doesn't need to go into my liquids bag on the return flight. And I am even more ruthless on the repack. If something has too little left to be used effectively on a future trip, it gets tossed.
The downside of this is that when I packed my case on Sunday morning to return to London, I tossed a few things that would have been helpful for my extra night’s stay. Luckily, thanks to hotel toothpaste and shampoo, things didn’t get too desperate.
And while the wait was frustrating at times, the rain deluge that came every time we stopped for a meal, the rail replacement bus and the restored tire make for entertaining stories. Part of what travel is all about, really.
I’m sure you’ve got your own travel coping mechanisms. Do tell…what’s your favourite?