Your dream vacation can quickly become a nightmare if you become stranded while traveling. It can happen for multiple reasons. Your car could break down on a road trip, or you could become lost and miss a flight while a stranger in a strange land where you don’t speak the language. Either way, you’re far from home and stuck.
The right prep work provides the gear and know-how to handle such situations, as does the ability to think on your feet. Here’s what you should know to get home safely.
Before You Go
The most successful way to deal with being stranded is to avoid it outright. Here’s how to avoid putting yourself in a bad situation.
Pack Smart
Cross your T’s and dot your I’s by starting to pack at least three days before departure. Doing so provides ample time to remember oft-forgotten essentials like your glasses, contact lens solution and a case. Contact your doctor or pharmacy several weeks before you leave to secure a travel supply of any prescriptions. You may need special permission from your insurer to dispense medication early, and cutting through the red tape can take time.
Additionally, ensure you have access to crucial documents, such as bank, credit card, and health and travel insurance contact information. The same secure cloud storage used by 94% of businesses can keep copies of policies and critical phone numbers. A physical backup may or may not be necessary. You can generally find computer access in populated regions, but use your judgment if traveling to remote areas.
Outfit Your Ride
If traveling by car, take your vehicle to the mechanic or inspect it yourself before departing. Check your oil, radiator and transmission fluid, belts, filters and tire pressure — 600 fatalities occur each year due to underinflated tires, a preventable tragedy. Carry supplies with you for fixing things on the fly, including extra oil and radiator fluid, a tool kit, a jack you can operate, a spare tire, emergency flares and triangles, and a headlamp for visibility after dark.
It also helps to review what common dashboard warning lights mean. Check engine lights often cause unnecessary panic over simple mistakes like failing to screw your gas cap on properly after fueling up. However, paying attention to your oil and temperature gauges can spare you a breakdown.
In The Moment
No matter how much you pre-plan, sometimes situations are such that becoming stranded is unavoidable. Should this happen, here are the next steps to take.
Do Not Panic
Your mind is ultimately your best tool if you become stranded while traveling. However, it doesn’t necessarily function at its best during stressful situations. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol affect how you store and retrieve memories, which can cause you to overlook simple solutions in the heat of the moment.
Calming yourself is your first order of business. Take several slow, deep breaths and practice a grounding exercise such as 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 by listing five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell and one you can taste. This activity grounds you in the present while slowing your breath, and elongating your exhales engages the parasympathetic side of your nervous system — the side that calms you.
If you feel extremely flustered, it might help to brainstorm in writing. Jot down each possible course of action. The act of taking your racing thoughts out of your head and committing them to paper can facilitate clearer decision-making.
Diagnosing Car Trouble
The right roadside assistance plan can be your best friend if you aren’t too handy around an engine. Check with your insurer and read the rules carefully — many only cover towing a specified number of miles from home. You may need to invest in a backup such as AAA. Even the best roadside assistance can take a while to reach you, so carrying blankets, snacks and a few diversions like games for the kiddos makes your wait more comfortable.
If your car is drivable, nearly every auto parts store has an OBD-II meter that associates can use to diagnose what’s wrong with your ride. What if you rented a car? Your provider will generally swap it for free as long as you know who to contact — get the 411 before you leave.
Finding Your Way Home
What happens if you slip and fall on a wet hotel floor while overseas, landing in the hospital and missing your flight? Here’s where that prep work pays off. Take the following steps:
- Contact your travel insurance company for options if you have purchased a policy.
- Contact the airline, explain your circumstances, and ask about your options for switching flights or catching a later one on a standby basis. You may have to pay a fee, so have your credit card handy.
- Contact folks back home to inform them what happened and solicit help if necessary. It’s always wise to appoint a check-in person when traveling internationally — they may reach out to you if you don’t report at scheduled intervals.
- In rare circumstances, you may need to contact the American embassy for assistance. Ensure you write down the requisite contact information before you depart.
Be Prepared and Don’t Stress if Stranded While Traveling
You might understandably panic if you become stranded while traveling. However, the right preparation and a calm approach will get you home without too much trouble. Maintain a cool head and double- and triple-check your travel information and gear before you leave so you can relax and enjoy your getaway — even if you experience unexpected snafus.
Jack Shaw is the senior writer for Modded, a men’s lifestyle publication. An avid outdoorsman and lover of travel, he’ll often find himself taking retreats out into nature to explore the world and encourage others to do the same. Feel free to connect with him via LinkedIn.