Problems travelers can face and ways of solving them

One of the most educative, rejuvenating and fulfilling pursuits in life is traveling. If you agree with the saying that seeing something once is better than hearing about it a thousand times, then you surely understand the enormous value of traveling. Every year, millions of people go abroad, and they all do it for different reasons. Some travel for recreational purposes, while others hit the road for a family visit/reunion, business or work, religious pilgrimage, study, or permanent resettlement.

Regardless of the reason, all travelers desire to get to their destination safely and on time. But as you no doubt know, traveling isn’t all nice, smooth and hassle-free. Therefore, it’s always important to know what problems you may encounter and how frequently they may occur. While some of the underlying causes are natural, the majority of them are caused by human factors.

Most of the problems dealt with here can be successfully resolved. After all, we live in an era of affordable smartphones and other internet-enabled mobile devices that make it easy for a traveler to conveniently find the information they need. So, what are those problems?

1. Personal Belongings Getting Lost or Stolen

This is arguably one of the most painful problems and what travelers would rather not experience. The gravity of the pain often depends on the value/significance of the missing or stolen items. The underlying causes also vary. For example, the missing luggage problem can occur due to mishandling/human error during baggage transfer. Though it is more common in air travel, it may also occur in rail or bus transits. In some scenarios, you can forget your items somewhere in the airport and they can be picked up by the airline or security officials. Unfortunately, crooked individuals can steal your belongings by being the first to get their hands on them.

Solution: Be sure to report the incident to the relevant authorities. For instance, if it happens in or near your airport, hotel or rented apartment, you should notify the airport/airline passenger help staff, hotel receptionists or your landlord. They usually know better what course of action to take. Typically, they may assist you in filing a complaint with the local police.

If you had your bank cards and passports stolen, you should immediately contact your bank and embassy. To avoid such situations, you should be alert at all times and never leave your belongings unattended. If you have to quickly use the toilet or eat something, take them with you or place them in the care of trained security personnel.

Students who do a lot of traveling often have to deal with a huge load of assignments (especially ones with tight deadlines). To partially reduce it, they should consider using custom paper writing help. This way they can avoid missing submission deadlines due to their laptops being stolen or lack of Internet access.

2. Delayed, Missed or Canceled Flights

Pesky as they may be, delayed, missed or canceled flights is a problem commercial transport companies (airlines, train or shuttle bus operators) are often guilty of. Other issues travelers can face may include air/road traffic congestion, road works, unfavorable weather conditions, earthquakes, etc. In some cases, the underlying cause of missing a flight can be unjustified lateness.

Solution: If you’re running late, you should inform your transport service provider, so they can put you on the next flight and thus let you avoid losing your ticket money. For a standby passenger, this would be a dream come true since they may be offered a chance to fly in your place.

Always depart early. For those who are honest enough to admit they have a problem with tardiness, the best way to prevent it is to get moving early. This may be easier said than done, but playing a psychological self-check game of mentally adjusting the departure time to be a few hours earlier helps immensely.

For instance, suppose your flight departs at 8.00 pm and you usually need 1 hour to get to the airport. Once there, you are required to be at the boarding gate an hour before take-off. Ordinarily, you’d be on your way there from 5.30-6.00 pm. The trick here is to mentally set the flight time for 6.00 pm and start to get moving by 3.30-4.00 pm. This helps mitigate/neutralize the impact of unexpected developments, such as traffic congestion.

As far as delayed or canceled flights are concerned, you should seek alternative options that can get you to your destination nearly as quickly. But be sure to contact the person(s) who may be waiting for you to arrive. This will prevent them from having any concerns about your whereabouts.

3. Medical Emergencies

In the grand scheme of things, nothing is more important than your health. Travelers can often fall ill by contracting infectious diseases or experience a relapse or sudden recurrence of a previously known medical condition. If they are not rendered timely medical aid, the consequences may prove fatal.

Solution: Make all known existing medical problems to the transport company staff upon booking your trip. This can help them take pre-emptive actions and make the necessary adjustments for you. Be sure to purchase a travel insurance plan. Lastly, take your prescribed medications and first-aid box along with you.

4. Having Little or no Command of Foreign Languages

Let’s face it: not every person is a polyglot. In fact, there is less than three percent of people who can speak four or more languages fluently. It’s hardly any fun being in a language environment where you feel like an alien just because you have no idea what people around you are speaking about. Things can get even worse when you have to formally communicate with individuals who don’t speak your mother tongue.

Solution: When you know you’ll be faced with the language barrier, you should seek the assistance of a human translator who can help you with important appointments. You can also use a digital translator or mobile translation apps. In an informal setting, you can ask a person who speaks your language and the language of the country you’re in to give you a hand. If you’re going to be staying for long, prepare yourself by learning the language long before embarking on your trip. You may do so by using online resources or joining a language school.