How do you handle changes?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been mulling over how I deal with change, how my travelers flex with change, and how others handle change. There have been key instances in nearly every area of my life that have forced me to accept it. I don’t always do it gracefully, but it’s an inevitable fact of life that plans shift and situations arise beyond our control. It’s no different when you travel or even when you think about a brand you love. Everything and everyone changes over time. It would be boring if we were all stagnant forever, wouldn’t it? Instead of being vague, I’m going to highlight a few instances where change is happening and how you can prepare yourself to go with the flow.
When your plans change during a vacation, how do you handle it? My initial reaction is to internally freak out, worry about everything possible, and eventually try to focus on what matters. The big picture is what really matters. I’m not very good at being flexible and like to have my days planned out. However, I also love the days on vacation when I just let the events unfold. Those days are the ones that lead to little discoveries you weren’t expecting.
When we were on a Virgin Voyages cruise last year and had a port stop in Roatan, we had nothing planned for that port day. The entire day, zero plans. The excursions were either full or we were looking for something different, so we packed a day bag for some possible beach exploration and headed off the ship. The only thing we knew we wanted to do was find a spot to snorkel. So, we talked to the first taxi company that looked legit and headed out. It turned out to be a fabulous day full of sightseeing, wild animals, and yes, snorkeling! We even practiced our Spanish the entire time.
A few weeks ago, I was traveling to Cincinnati for medical stuff, and at the last minute, my daughter Avery and her fiancé decided to get tickets to a Bengals game before our flight. Normally, this would have sent me into a slight panic attack due to the time-sensitive nature of the travel day. Well, it turned out to be an amazing experience from start to finish, and yes, we made our flight with plenty of time to spare!
The biggest part of travel plans that’s prone to change is air travel. I’ve had a dozen clients over the past month or so who have been affected by major changes to their flight plans. Seeing them all gracefully handle these changes is a huge reminder to myself to just focus on the big picture and take a breath. They all show gratitude and patience, even when the schedule changes cause a bit of frustration. I am thankful to work with such kind people.
So, how can you prepare yourself for travel plans that will likely change?
• If you’re a planner like me or you work with me already, you know I talk about having a backup plan for your scheduled activities. Have a loose plan for what you’ll do if the scheduled activity doesn’t happen or you end up with extra time.
• When you make flight reservations, look at the connections and see if there is a later one. Schedule the earlier flight (as long as the connection time is still an hour or more for domestic), so you have a backup option in case the flight is delayed.
• Bring a paper copy of your itinerary with addresses in case the travel app fails or your phone dies while en route.
• Pack your patience and a smile. Kindness will take you farther than any amount of complaints. I know it’s cheesy, but when you need help from someone in charge, you’re likely to get further when you show kindness.
As always, thank you all for your support of my business. I’ve been at this for a year and a half now and officially an LLC for one year. Being a travel advisor has been a massive learning curve and one that I wake up excited about each day.