This evening my two hour journey has rumbled on into being closer to 5 hours than 2 and this is entirely the fault of the train provider. Now, I know I’m not the only one to experience such troubles. And this is certainly not the first time it’s happened. But I thought I’d just share a few ideas on what can be done when transport ****s you over to ensure you still have a good time!
1) don’t worry, be happy.
2) release your angers by slapping hard the fool who is being falsely positive and pretending to do the advice of point 1)
3) now that stuff is out of your system and that initial rush of anger is vented look for an opportunity. This journey has been rubbish it’s true. More than rubbish. However, I have bought myself some wine to enjoy on the final leg and now I shall have the fun of adding this expense to my compensation request tomorrow. Free wine! Ok, so, perhaps this (potential) freebie doesn’t equate in your mind to the additional 3 hours travelling… but let me tell you another, better, example. When we were InerRailing there were some unforeseen and highly annoying strikes going on in Europe and Ål and I got stranded somewhere in Germany we had never ever intended to go. However, after our initial anger was vented (see (2)), we sucked it up and found a local affordable place to stay and got to experience Dresden. Completely without planning, completely by chance, completely because of public transport screwing us over. We got an early train the next day to our intended destination so we didn’t lose a day there and instead gained a night in a new city. Whoop!
4) if there really is NO opportunity present to enhance the situation, then this sucks. But you know what the stories people most enjoy are from your travels?? (Maybe aside from exotic holiday romances). Disasters. These are fun for others to hear about because it turns their jealousy of your holiday to amusement! And everyone is happier amused than jealous. So it’s good for your friends back home if occasionally whilst you’re travelling you have a disaster!
5) Plus. If you truly are having a disaster episode with transport the likelihood is you’re stuck somewhere for hour upon hour waiting. Just waiting. With nothing to do but wait. Well… isn’t this what many people go away for anyway? To relax and do nothing? To have the OPPORTUNITY to literally do nothing? Yes, Luton airport may not be the poolside villa you had booked. And yes, you may have been planning to do people watching on a nudist beach as opposed to a sweaty airport full of people in jogging bottoms. But, crucially, you still have this time to relax now! Make the most of it!
One time I had an 8 hour delay to my flight and was stuck at Heathrow for this period. Naturally I was angry. Naturally I was sad. But then in the line to get the pathetically low value slip entitling me to a budget dinner somewhere, I made a friend. A friend just as angry and just as sad. So we went off and had lunch together in a pub and had a few drinks slagging off the airline and then we played FIFA on his Ipad using our phones and then we chilled out listening to music together whilst reading. And then; because we had many hours and were both pushing one another to read fast, we finished our books and swapped them over so had a whole new one to read on our hol! So whilst still in the airport I’d made a friend, had a nice pub dinner, had some drinks, played some games and read my planned book AND gained a new one. Whilst the delay sucked, I just brought my holiday to the airport! And many of you won’t be like me and will have friends or a partner with you there anyway. So just enjoy the fact you’re with them and enjoy the chance to relax :).
So there we have it, 5 ways, ish, to make the most of times when public transport lets you down. Don’t be angry, be happy.
Oh and 6) it could give you a chance to write that blog piece you hadn’t previously gotten round to.
Matt.
Budget Budgie Travel 