When Things Go Wrong on the Road: 8 Ways to Deal with Travel Nightmares

Getting from one place to another isn't always easy. Whether it's a flight tire on your way to work or a missed flight at the airport, being able to gracefully recover from an unexpected problem is the sign of an expert traveler. As always, part of it is being prepared and another part is how you approach the problem at hand. This is a short guide to getting back on track based on the times when things have gone wrong (or almost wrong) over my travels.

1. Have Backup Plan

Having a "Plan B" is always a good idea and should be part of researching your destination. Answers to questions like, "When is the next boat if I miss that one?" or "What do we do if one of us misses the train?" well before you ever get there. From small bumps like a museum being closed for repair to big bumps like your flight being cancelled by Icelandic volcanic ash, having alternatives already part of your travel plan will help you transition to a new plan if your original doesn't work out.

One of the most important backup plans you can have when traveling with friends is what happens if you get separated. Having a plan about where to meet up and under what circumstances you will automatically go back to that meeting place can turn hours of searching and worry into a short break from sightseeing. A general rule of thumb is that if you have been separated for more than 20-30 minutes, everyone  should head back to your back up meeting point. The entrance to the building, the ticket booth where you bought tickets, or a cafe next to a well known landmark are top picks. Good meeting places should be specific, located near major landmarks (or marked on a map), and be comfortable to wait at.

If you're flying, you can dramatically improve your odds of getting to where you need to be if you can suggest alternative routes that will work for you instead of relying on them to find what they think is best for you. Having a backup plan for your purchased flight can also make it easier to accept voluntary bumps from flights, which can net you free flights if your schedule is flexible.

2. Keep a Backup of Your Vital Documents

While there generally isn't a reason to be paranoid about theft, losing or having your documents stolen can be disastrous. It's a worst case scenario, but even here there are a couple of things that you can do. Keeping copies of your important documents, including visas, in a secondary place is generally recommended and still good advice. In addition, it's a great idea to keep scanned copies of your documents online via a service such as DropBox or Gmail. Another option is a very inexpensive USB drive or MicroSD card that weighs nothing and can be kept in a jacket pocket.

Your backup should include copies of your passport, visas, emergency contact information, copies of any credit cards you're carrying (plus customer service numbers for each card), and all confirmations for hotels, flights, and other tickets. If you have extra time, it also doesn't hurt to have a copy of the serial numbers for the devices you are taking on the trip, especially for expensive items. For an extra layer of security, be sure to encrypt your files with a program like TrueCrypt (voted best by Lifehacker readers), so that only you can access them. By having an extra copy, you can limit the damage that's been done and ensure that you have the information you need to continue on your journey.

If you're from the United States, another great option that adds security while travelling is the new passport card. While the card is only valid for international travel by land or sea between the US and Canada or Mexico, the card itself is proof of citizenship which will help expedite problems related to lost passports or other documents. Your passport is the strongest proof of who you are and the new passport cards are legally equivalent to the standard passport in this regard.

3. Better Describe Your Situation & Desired Outcome to Get the Best Help.

In some situations, especially at the airport, being able to describe your situation accurately can help you get to where you need to be. The first part is being able to accurately describe what happened and why you deserve help. If you approach an agent at the gate and state, "I missed my flight and I need you to get me home", you are not likely to get the help you need. In contrast, if you said, "I was involuntarily denied boarding on my flight because of an equipment change and need help getting to San Francisco", you're much more likely to get there. You have told the gate exactly why you need help, what happened to get you in that position, and what your aim is. It also makes clear that the reason you need help is because of their operations, and not because of something that you did.

The second part is creating an opportunity for them to help you. As mentioned, having a backup plan is important. In this example, a great follow up would be to ask, "Are there any seats available on the 7pm flight on United or the 8pm on Delta to SFO?" This gives them a clear path to giving you what you want and will become the first options that they will pursue.

By clearing giving the person you're talking with a concise reason for why you need help and a reasonable request that they can actually accomplish, you open the door for getting what you need to solve your problem.

A few key phrases to know at the airport:
IRROP (or OSO on American Airlines): Short for "Irregular Operations". This is the term used to describe delays or cancellations due to some sort of issue. When there is an IRROP because of something the airline had control over, you generally are entitled to some sort of compensation, meal voucher, or even a hotel if you have to stay over night. However, you are generally not entitled to compensation if it's weather related or another cause outside of the airline's control.

IDB: Involuntarily Denied Boarding. When you get bumped from a flight against your will. You are entitled to cash compensation and agents will generally do whatever they can to accommodate you.
VDB: Voluntarily Denied Boarding. When you get bumped from a flight after volunteering to be put on a later flight. You will receive some sort of compensation and agents are more willing to help you.
Gate agent: Airline representatives employed to manage the boarding procedure and interact with passengers at the actual gate of departure.
Equipment Change: When an airline changes the type of plane to be used for a flight. Sometimes an equipment change will result in a smaller plan being used, which can result in more passengers than seats for the flight. These changes can cause IDBs or delays.
Misconnect: A misconnect is caused by a plane arriving late, making your connection to another flight impossible.
Trip in vain: A "trip in vain" refers to a situation where catching your next flight is guaranteed to cause a misconnect at your next stop. If you end up in this situation and there's another way to get to your final destination from where you currently are, gate agents can sometimes change your routing to get you there. This also sometimes applies when the delay would cause you to miss a meeting or event that you were traveling to.
Rule 240: [CAUTION] Prior to deregulation, Rule 240 was a federal rule that ordered airlines to get your to your destination when there is an IRROP situation. Some online sources will tell you to be pushy and demand that they honor this rule, but it no longer exists as a mandatory federal law. Instead, each carrier may have a Rule 240 in their Contract of Carriage which outlines how far the airline will go to rebook you. Mentioning it does not give you a carte blanche to make demands, but it may encourage the agent look more alternatives.

4. Ask for Your Pictures Back (Ahead of Time) / Uglify Your Stuff to Deter Theft

Aside from your wallet and passport, the next more irreplaceable thing that can be stolen from you are your photos. You can replace your camera, but the photos on it cannot be recaptured which makes them one of the worst things you can lose. Aside from constantly backing up your photos and periodically swapping your memory cards, Andrew McDonald has a great suggestion: Include a pictorial plea for the thief to return your camera (or at least your memory card). While it's not guaranteed to work, the memory card is the least valuable piece of the camera and just because someone is a thief doesn't mean they are immune to sympathy.

If you really want to avoid having your stolen, a popular and effective route is to uglify your camera (and other gadgets). Adding tape and taking a black marker to eye catching logos can take a beautiful and functional camera that could fetch $100 on the black market to an ugly camera not worth $10, but still equally as functional to you. People have been using this technique successfully on things from cameras to bikes to help keep their property safe.

5. Avoid Scams by Researching Your Destination

Scammers rely on ignorance to get you to to fall for their ploy. In some cases, it might be that you simply end up paying $5 instead of $1, while in other cases it can mean hundreds of dollars out the door. Before you travel, you should inoculate yourself against the local scams by researching your destination on line. A great start to raise your awareness can be found here on WikiTravel.

As general advice:

• Be mindful of pickpockets in crowded areas. Zippers aren't enough to prevent pickpockets.
• Anything left unattended for even a moment risks being stolen, just like anywhere. 
• Hotel safes aren't always safe (some staff members have master keys/codes). 
• It's OK to lie to strangers. They don't need to know what hotel you're staying at.
• Free is rarely actually free. 
• Don't flaunt anything.

Outside of the easy to spot scams, another place to be especially careful is when you are dealing with money. Always count your change when you receive it, especially when breaking large bills, and always keep an eye out for odd bills: Counterfeit bills are out there. If the size, texture, or security features aren't right ask for a replacement bill. They will generally feel dramatically different from the regular bills, either too glossy or too rough.

How cautious should you be? In my travels, I've encountered a handful of would be scammers and even fallen for one during one of my earlier travels (€20 for a 7 mile taxi ride in Italy late at night). They are out there, but they tend to be the same scams over and over. If you know what to look out for, you can usually avoid becoming their next victim.

6. Know Where to Call for Help

There will always be situations that go beyond our ability to cope. If you are the victim of a crime, just like when you're at home, you need to know who to contact and who you can rely on to get help. 911 is not universal and if you look up one number before you go, it should be what the local emergency number is for where you will be. 112 often used as the local emergency number outside of the US, but not everywhere.

Another contact you should have is where your local consulate or embassy is. Consulates can help you if you get into real trouble and are the people to turn to if you lose your passport, help you if you run into trouble with law enforcement, or help you get in contact with your family back home in an emergency. To find contact information for the nearest embassy, first go to to the US Embassy website, then click on where you will be headed, and then click on "Contact" in the upper right hand corner of the screen. For an overview of the embassy can, and can't, do for you while abroad, please check out this website from the U.S. Department of State. You will be expected to clean up after yourself (especially for cost), but in a true critical situation they are there to help.

Involving local law enforcement or the embassy is a time consuming process and in some cases, it simply may not be worth it. In the case of petty crime where you are unhurt and none of your personal information/financial information is at risk, you may be better off writing off the jacket or camera than going in and going through all the hoops just to have a record of your loss. However, if you plan on filing an insurance claim from travel or medical insurance, you will need to file a police report and get a copy.

7. If Something is Stolen, Lock Down Your Finances ASAP

If something does happen and your wallet or purse is stolen, the biggest thing you can do to prevent a headache is to immediately call your credit card companies and lock the thieves out of our finances. For credit cards, you will not be liable for charges that the thieves place on it if you promptly report it stolen and there is less of a risk that they will be able to do any lasting damage. This is part of the reason that it is critical to have a backup of the information from the cards in your document backup! You can also leave that information with a trusted family member or friend in a sealed envelope for use in case of emergency. Sometimes it's easier to contact customer service if you're in the same general time zone, and it's much less expensive if you have to pay for an international call instead.

8. Keep Calm...

The absolute most important thing you can do when a problem hits is keep calm. Something has gone wrong and nothing says that the situation doesn't warrant urgency, but in most cases you and your friends are safe and the problem itself can be fixed. Realizing these basic facts and reframing the situation as a temporary challenge is key to keeping your fear in check.

There are two big reasons for remaining calm:

First, if you panic you will not be able to think the problem through and find the best solution. Fear often causes us to take the first option presented in the name of "taking control" of the situation, but there are usually better options a few questions away. For example, in Athens I was on my way to the main international airport, but I suddenly found that the trains weren't running because of a strike that had just been called that morning. I didn't have a backup plan and time was running short. The immediate option was to take a taxi for €35, but a few minutes later after talking with a station manager I found out that there was an express bus nearby for a fraction of the cost that might even end up being faster given that taxis were in such demand due to the strike.

Second, when something goes wrong, you need help from other people and you have a better chance of getting that help if you are calm, polite, and firm. If you're upset or start making demands, there is a chance that you will alienate the person who holds the keys to getting out of the situation. We've all seen people at the airport, stomping their feet and demanding that they be taken care of now and often those are the people that are sent to the back of the line. On the other hand, being courteous when you're in a pinch is often rewarded with jumping the line and talking with someone who actually wants to help you.

9. ...and Carry On

Remaining calm is a key part to getting through the issue, but it's equally important to develop the capacity to limit the impact that a mistake has on your travels. Don't let a problem ruin your vacation and this is doubly true when the problem wasn't your fault. If you are traveling with friends or a partner, it's absolutely vital to forgive them if they make a mistake. If you make a mistake, you also need to forgive yourself. Everyone runs into problems, but once they do happen the best thing you can do is move forward and explore what the new plan entails. Time spent on the road angry is very expensive wasted time.