Traveling, though exciting, fun and mind blowing, can be a real pain, especially when you come across travel disasters. There are numerous things that can go wrong when you are out and about and they happen at the most inopportune times. Let’s face it, there is really no idea time to lose your passport, for your money to get stolen, or for you to misplace your wallets. 

The entire trip can be thrown to disarray. People will lose their temper and it can put a real damper in your mood. In life, there are few constant things, death, taxes and travel disasters. So, what do you do when the most common travel disasters happen? Read up and have some contingency plan ready. 

Lost documents 

One of the most stressful things that could happen on your trip is losing your documents such as your passport or driver’s license. Most people do not know what to do in such a situation other than panic and totally lose their minds. Well, I might be exaggerating on that last bit but losing your documents is not a happy thought at all. To ensure that this does not happen, it is a must to make digital copies.

Scan all your documents as this will help facilitate the process of replacing them in case they are lost or stolen. There are some hurdles to get through but having copies will make things a bit easier for you. However, if you do lose your documents, specifically your passport, contact the local police and call your country’s embassy right away. You will have to show up to the embassy personally where they can give you an emergency passport which is only valid for a limited time. Once you are back in your country, you will have to apply for a new passport.  

Lost or damaged luggage 

It is a must to establish the condition of your bags before you go on your trip. If your luggage is not in a very good condition, by all means get a new one. Your luggage must be strong enough to resist rough treatment. Make sure each piece of luggage you own has a lock.

Check your bags early so they can make it on the flight and to avoid confusions, remove any old claim tags. You wouldn’t want your luggage going somewhere you are not. Put your particulars on your luggage for easy identification. If you lose your luggage, report it right away to the airline. One useful backup plan is to take a small bag with the necessities as lost luggage show up in a day or two. 

Flights that are canceled or delayed 

Waiting for a delayed flight is nobody’s idea of a good time. While delayed or canceled flights are totally out of your hands, you can reduce the difficulties which come with it.

Call the airlines prior to your flight to ensure that there are no changes to the schedule. You might want to call them one more time before you leave to know about delays or last minute cancellations. If there are any delays, make use of the free wifi at the airport to do what is necessary such as rebooking other flights or informing the hotel that you check-in time will also be delayed. You can also use the time in your hands to do a little more research about your destination. 

Unforeseen charges 

An, unforeseen charges, everybody’s favorite travel disaster. Each time you book a hotel, flight or rental car, there just seems to be unforeseen charges. So, how do you get around these things?

You can complain about it. Yes, this might not be ideal but it works most of the time. Hotel staff are told to make sure their customer’s have a good experience and often they will bend to their customer’s whim. Just remember to be polite when you complain or else it won’t work and you might need to look for another hotel. 

Language barriers 

Going to a destination where you do not speak language and where most locals do not speak English can be a problem. One of the things you can do is to get a compact book of language translation and take it with you at all times. Before heading to your destination, you should learn a few basic words such as “please”, “thank you” and “ how much”.

Learn the words for common food so that you have an easier time ordering. Other terms which are very helpful to learn are “where is the bathroom”. Although English is spoken by a lot of people around the world, there are still some places where it is not widely spoken. 

Bad weather 

The weather cannot be controlled and there is nothing much we can do is Mother Nature decides to unleash her fury during your vacation. What you can do is to plan your trip around it. Before planning your trip, check the expected weather conditions of your destination. As much as you can, schedule your trip and activities to avoid bad weather.

Even if there is no bad weather forecasted, it is still very important to prepare for the worst. Bring clothes for warmer and cooler than normal temperatures. And before you leave on a trip, make a list of indoor activities which you can do should the bad weather monster suddenly rear its head. 

Getting sick 

Nobody wants to get sick which on a trip. As much as possible, you want to enjoy and create unforgettable memories. If you suffer from motion sickness, try to sit in front of the car and avoid activities which can make dizziness or nausea even worse. When you are flying, try to sit on the rear of the plane. There are various over the counter medicines which you can get for motion sickness so make sure you have some with you. Also bring aspirin, no drowsy reliever and decongestant for common sickness.

Traveling overseas can be a bit complicated and you can have more serious illness from drinking unclean water and other things so go to your doctor before departure and get the necessary immunizations.