Anyone who has been near an airport in last five years knows that all of the romance of air travel is long gone. Present day flying experiences can be degrading, demoralizing, and downright crazy-making. From security regulations that scrutinize everything from your shampoo to your footwear, to airlines that are so financially screwed that they are charging you for the privilege of eating stale peanuts, leisure and business travel alike have become chores more than adventures.

Getting there (and back) is no longer half the fun.

There is a way to turn this challenge into an opportunity, however. It involves changing the way you approach a trip, doing a little scenario planning, and being prepared for the inevitable bumps in the road (pun intended) when you are traveling. By doing this, you can turn travel difficulties into personal growth opportunities.

I recently had the chance to test my own personal growth and levels of flexibility when my employer sent me on 24 hour trip with 3 days notice. For the real road warriors out there, this would be no big deal, but for me it was a stretch assignment. Because of the short notice, I had few flight options available. In addition, I really wanted to avoid a long drive to a major airport, so I was limited to a couple smaller regional airports that would require connecting flights. I ended up booking flights with short connection times, had 1 flight where I didn’t receive a seat assignment upon purchase (red flag!), had late flights that were probably the last ones in, and the weather forecast called for storms the whole time.

In short, this trip had the potential to be a nightmare.

The good news is, I knew it could be a nightmare, so I was able to plan ahead and prepare appropriately. How did I prepare myself to cope with a possible travel hell? I took the following 3 steps:

1. Do Some Scenario Planning. As I explained in my post How to Do Scenario Planning, scenario planning is a tool for imagining several possible futures, then planning your responses to them. In this situation, I knew that I had a good chance of missing a connection, getting bumped, or having a flight canceled due to weather. Because of my late flights, if that happened it would be nearly impossible to get a flight that same evening to my destination.

2. Figure Out Responses to Each Scenario. I realized that if I missed my flight, I probably would not be able to get to my destination on the evening before my meeting. Fortunately, the meeting didn’t start until 9:30 am and the really critical part wouldn’t begin until 11:00 am, so I had a little time to play with. I came up with three possible responses to this:

• Sleep in an airport hotel and catch an early morning flight. This would be my first choice. Assuming a flight and a room was available, I would take this option.
• Sleep in the airport and catch an early morning flight. If a flight was available, but the hotels were all booked, I figured I could get at least a little sleep in the airport before getting a 6:00 am flight.
• Rent a car and drive through the night. The hub airport I had to fly into is about an 8 hour drive from my destination. If not flights could get me to my meeting before 11:00 am the next morning, I could make the drive and perhaps get a couple hours sleep.

3. Prepare For Each Response. After I decided on my possible responses, I did what I could to make each of them as pleasant as possible:

• Carried on my luggage. That way I wouldn’t have to deal with lost luggage if I was delayed or put on another plane. Plus, it was only a 24 hour trip, so I didn’t need to carry much anyway.
• Packed earplugs, a blind fold, snacks, and some entertainment in case I ended up sleeping in the airport.
• Had contact information for the meeting organizers, my hotel, my office, and anyone else I might have to contact if my plans changed.
• Carried some cash. I find that cash can make life easier in difficult circumstances, so I carried about $150 – just enough to help out with taxis, food, and tips for helpful people.
• Most importantly, I mentally prepared to stay calm and stick with my planned responses by visualizing them ahead of time.

Keep It In Perspective

Nearly all travel, even for business, is optional these days. For most of us, most of the time, getting to our desired destination on time is a matter of convenience, not life and death. I knew during my whole trip that if I never made it to my meeting I wouldn’t get fired, my employer wouldn’t go out of business, and life as we know it would not end. Keeping that perspective made the whole experience less stressful.

Given how challenging travel can be, I think it is one of the best ways to stretch your mental muscles and exercise your creativity.

What Was the Result?

Well, after all my careful thinking and preparation, the travel gods decided to smile down upon me. Except for having to jog to make one connection, I had a very smooth trip, got to my meeting, and got home again within 32 hours. Maybe it was my advanced preparation that helped

If you have stories about ways that travel nightmares have helped you grow as a person, please tell us about them in the comments.

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Photo by nina chantrasmi.

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