Tired, Tried And True: My Adventures In Travel

The difference between travel plans and a trip, you see, is that one is predictable and safe, with the same lifeless, flawless details staring back at you blankly each time. The other is a living, breathing thing, pulsating with personality and adventure. No matter how many times you visit Epcot or Paris or Bangkok, your experience is new each time. Places change, and so do you.

But the desperate need for common sense and the tried-but-true rules of traveling don't change, as I have learned over and over again.

Don't panic. A few years ago I joined a young professionals group leading a business conference in central Russia. I followed my host's directions carefully but somehow found my bus heading away from the city into the hills. Severe, barbed-wire fencing surrounding what was clearly a remote military facility offered the most significant indication something was wrong. Even though I had no idea where I was or where I was supposed to be, had no way to contact anyone for help, and did not speak Russian, after a brief flash of terror a thought occurred to me; surely all buses work the same. If one bus heads north, another bus must head south.

I exited the bus, crossed the street, and waited. At long last a bus appeared on the horizon which dutifully returned me to my original stop. My host, apologizing profusely, explained she had inadvertently given me the right bus for the wrong day. My team was in a panic over my half-day disappearance (especially the cute guy I'd had my eye on who, two years later, decided he'd had enough of my adventuring on my own and married me), but I made it in time for my presentation. All was well.

Although racing around in circles screaming can feel quite satisfying when a trip goes wrong, resist the urge and stay calm instead. Panic inevitably leads to mistakes and will only make the problem worse. Repeat to yourself as many times as needed, "It's going to be okay."