Poor Planning... Or Was It?
In our travels, we don’t always make the best choices. Sometimes, things go a little wrong. I wrote an entire chapter in my book about this called “Sometimes Travel Sucks”, I made it Chapter 13 on purpose.
Speaking of which, don’t forget to check out my book Don’t Pack That at your favorite book dealer!
I can recall one such vacation that I was on where I made a poor decision and things were set to go terribly wrong.
During my big backpacking trip in 2012, I found myself in Paris. You can read about that six hour visit here. I decided to leave the city late in the day. I didn’t get on the train until the early evening and I made my way to Amsterdam, which was a 3.5 hour run.
About two hours into the journey, the sun was fully set and I was alone in my rail car. I started to freak out a little. The journey continued, no one new came into my rail car except the angry ticket checker lady, and my freaking out continued.
I thought all of the horrible things about myself in this moment, you know. I was only three days into this month-long trip alone in a country I had never been to and didn’t have a grasp of the language. I was lost, I was on the wrong train, I was going to be murdered in the middle of the night at some backwater train station in the French, Belgian, or Netherlands countryside. I didn’t know where I was, remember?
So, picture it. Me, terrified in a train car, screaming out of the window about how lost I was, wondering if there would be anywhere for me to stay in Amsterdam when I got there. Looking back, it’s kind of hysterical. At the time, it was not funny at all.
The point of this part of the story is to remind you that we are all human and sometimes we doubt ourselves. When we are tired and stressed and over-sensitized (like a 23 year old traveling alone in a foreign country after hours), that doubt is strengthened.
Upon arriving in Amsterdam, I found the city to be alight and alive. There were people everywhere and a simple trail to follow to get into the Red Light District. I was worried about nothing. My youth and fatigue got the better or me and I let that dangerous angry little voice that undermined my enjoyment led to an hour or so of agony at the time.
Moral of the story: Go with the flow. Be smart and safe. Remember that sometimes you will doubt yourself, but trust in your instincts to react. Don’t get too emotional, you don’t think clearly when you do. Lastly, remember that you are growing as a person. Travel is growth for the soul.
Thanks, y’all!
