Expect the Unexpected: A Story of Travel-Prep Gone Awry

I never considered myself a victim of "bad luck" but I was starting to question my feelings on that. Of course, if I'm being honest, I can see now that the situation was really a mixture of bad luck and poor preparation on my part...

I was sitting in San Francisco for the fifth day of a three-day trip. It was supposed to be a nice weekend getaway but alas, Mother Nature had a plan of her own.

Somewhere in the middle of my trip, Atlanta found itself in the middle of a freak snow storm, and I found myself cancelled from two flights home - one on Sunday and then another on Monday. So there I was - without my computer, without a cell phone (it had died sometime late on Sunday night) and without an extra pair of clean undies. My little weekend getaway had become a full-fledged travel nightmare.

So, with the help of my good friend's laptop, I made note of some of the hard lessons I was learning in the hope that one day, I'd get back home to Atlanta and share my newfound wisdom with the OfficeArrow audience. The good news is that I did make it back...eventually. So now, you can learn from my mistakes.

Your Cell Phone is Your Life Line

When traveling, your cell phone is your connection to the world. My cell phone is a champ - she lasts a good five days without re-charging. So, upon leaving the house for a three-day trip, I assumed she would hold up nicely. No need to tote around that pesky charger. In hindsight, it takes up such a small amount of room, why leave it behind? A dead cell phone is way worse than no cell phone at all...because people think they should be able to reach you. And they can't.

Never Leave Your Laptop

It's fine to go on vacation and leave the laptop at home. But, if you choose to do that, you're taking an unnecessary risk. Just because you bring your laptop, doesn't mean you have to use it. It's just there if you need it. I left my laptop at home because, hey, it was supposed to be a weekend trip! Not anymore. I'm now stuck without the tools I need to be productive during the workweek. Though lugging your laptop through the airport isn't always an appealing idea, it's worth the extra effort.

Leave a Spare

If you live alone (or if everyone in your household goes out of town together), have a back-up plan for your home. Give a spare key to a trusted neighbor or friend. If you get stuck out of town, they can water the plants, feed the cats, pick up the newspapers, etc. It's a nice safety net.

Bring a Little Extra

Ok, don't go overboard here, but packing the bare minimum is a mistake. An extra pair of socks and underwear, an extra couple of bucks, an extra t-shirt or two...these things go a long way when you're stuck out of town. Just ask the friend I stayed with in San Francisco - I had to raid her closet and she was none-too-thrilled.

Carry Plastic

This one goes without saying but I'll say it anyway, just so there's no overlooking it. When travel emergencies come up, there is one thing that can solve almost any problem: a credit card. Need a few more nights at the hotel? Need a rental car? A credit card is sometimes the only way to make it happen. Personally, I try to avoid carrying a credit card and opt to just use my debit card most of the time. If my good friend had gotten annoyed with me and sent me to a hotel, a credit card would have been a necessity.

Don't Take It for Granted

Many of us travel so frequently, it becomes second nature. We have to be careful that we don't get so used to it that we start forgetting the importance of preparation. Remind yourself, remind your boss, remind your co-workers, your family and friends. Travel is great when all goes smoothly, but it's an absolute nightmare when it doesn't. UNLESS you're prepared for the possibilities.