Making the best of failed travel plans…a how to.

While I was looking through old photos to share on Instagram, I ran across a few photos from last year in Times Square. It brought back so many memories. Many good and many bad. It also made me think, how did I make the best out of unexpected failed travel plans?

Long story short…I planned an elaborate trip to Italy taking me all over from Milan to Rome, up the Amalfi Coast into Capri, and back to Milan. Basically, due to my airline, I missed my flight to Milan and didn’t end up going. I was absolutely in shock and heartbroken. A whirlwind of information and choices suddenly were thrown at me and I was at JFK with no ticket to get home for over a week. What was I gonna do?! Welp, me and my travel partner ended up going into the city for a pretty event filled day. We went to some great restaurants, met a celebrity, and I ran into a friend that I hadn’t seen in 5 years standing in the middle of Times Square of all places!

While all of this is great, and trust me when I tell you, I struggled for a while with accepting the fact that I lost out on my vacation. Time has brought me the gift of perspective. So, how can you make the best of it if you are in an unexpected bad travel situation? Or a bad situation in general?

1. Ignore the urge to place blame or wallow in the negative – It may be someone’s fault and you could point fingers but does that change your situation? No, it just makes you disappointed and in a fight.
2. Focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t. – Even if you are in a place where you don’t know anyone, you can Google great places to go or things to do in the town you are in. Every place has something to offer! Plus while you are doing it you might run into someone cool like we did!
   

   Hey Questlove!!

3. Go eat until you figure out something to do! – Food, especially comfort food makes things better in situations like this. Check blogs like mine for food recommendations or sites like Tripadvisor if you are in a random place. The top recommendations have never let me down. Here are some spots we went to in NYC. This tasty spot (Clinton Street Baking Company) had great Chicken and Waffles
   

   Delicious Chicken and Waffles. Take me back now please!

   NYC also has a staple called Dallas BBQ so I had to get a plate of sticky wings for dinner.
   
   

   Yum!

Allow yourself time to process. While all this food talk is fun and is making a girl hungry, big disappointments, bring big emotions. If you feel sad, its ok to feel that way. If you feel angry that is ok too. If you need to take time or a break from others to practice a little self-care or self-soothing that is perfectly fine too. Take time for you, but be honest with others that are impacted and remember, they are probably going through similar emotions.

4. Take a moment to be appreciative – Life is very short. There are so many disappointments that we face, but the truth is we are very fortunate to live and breathe. Many of us are living with luxuries and extras that people would gladly exchange their troubles for. Google some of the atrocities that are happening worldwide, and you may be overwhelmed with appreciation for your life.

It’s true that sometimes life brings us the worst of circumstances and it can’t be solved with a waffle or a celebrity but for the lighter things, we can do everything in our power to make the best of our bad situation and smile from our heart. Try it, it will make you feel better, even if just for a second.

xo Danie