21 Aug Travel Disasters: Common Unwanted Things That Can Happen on Your Trip
Going on a journey is always a good thing and it can bring a lot of fun times and wonderful memories. But, what happens when something goes wrong while you are on your vacation, somewhere out there, far from your homes? How to deal with an unpleasant and possibly dangerous situations outside your hometown or even country? Some most common unpleasant situations that can occur while you are travelling are losing your luggage, your documents and money, missing a flight, getting lost or having some health issues.
No need to panic and think about all these things before you even started your trip. Just think of everything and make yourself prepared for anything – maybe you can prevent some of them, or find a reasonable solution.
Lost luggage
People losing their luggage at airports, hotels or anywhere else is a pretty common situation. This is not the end of the world, you just need to remember that you have to be persistent in finding it. Your suitcase might have been lost by an airline or someone might’ve stolen it. The most important thing to do is to stay calm and composed. If you have decided to find it, you might have a chance, if you don’t leave the airport immediately. Your luggage might be found right away, if you are lucky enough.
To prevent situations like this from happening, you should pack lightly. If you have to pack more things, then at least keep your money, documents, medication and jewelry with you, just in case.
Lost documents
The most complicated thing that can happen is to lose your passport while somewhere outside the borders of your country. This can turn out to be quite a problem that can’t be solved quickly. In order to prevent this, make several copies of your passport and put one in your suitcase, one in your pocket and the other in your carry-on.
The first thing you need to do if this happens is to go straight to the nearest embassy and report that your passport is missing. There will be a lot of papers that you need to fill in but eventually, you will get a new passport and everything will be solved.
Lost money
If you lose money, there is not much you can really do about it, because there is almost no chance of getting it back. Accept the situation as it is and carry on. If you don’t have any money on you, then you could call your parents or friends to send you some money – and basically that is the only thing you could do in this situation.
Prevent this by putting some money on your credit card, some cash in your bag and the rest of it in your wallet. So, if this was to happen, you will always have some sort of back up.
Miss a flight
Missing a flight is your mistake exclusively – remember that. Anything can happen to you on your way to the airport: accidents, hold ups, broken cart, etc. and these sort of things are, of course, unpredictable. But, what you can do is leave earlier. This will give you plenty of time to get a solution to any situation that might prevent you from arriving on time for your flight.
Set an alarm that will remind you to leave on time or stick a note on your mirror or fridge, this can help sometimes. If you do miss a flight, the worst thing that could happen to you is that you will have to wait until the next one, so this is not such a big deal.
Health problems
Injuries, headaches, catching a cold and even some more severe things can happen almost anytime, even while you are traveling. With this being your destiny, there is not much you can do, but in any case, get travel insurance before you start your trip. Take care of yourself and bring some medication with you if you have some health issues. Injuries and something more serious are not an issue to be playing with, you better ask around and head straight to the nearest pharmacy or hospital.
Unfortunate things like a toothache, falling and losing or chipping your teeth are also a possibility. In this case, you better call an emergency dentist that can fix you up really quickly.
Get lost
If you do get lost in a place you know nothing about, you better stay right where you are. Don’t go further trying to find the right way because this might get you in even bigger trouble. If you speak the language of the people living in that particular place, try to communicate with them and ask them for directions, or you can call someone from your group to come and meet with you somewhere.
Avoid going to alleys and some places where there is not too many people. If you are not familiar with the particular area, you can never know the whereabouts of some problematic areas where you can get in trouble. The smartest thing to do is stay near some easily recognized monument and call for help.
