Sometimes you just can’t win. Your train is late. The hostel loses your booking. Your bag gets stolen. It starts raining on your walk to the hostel. Nothing seems to be going your way and you want to curl up in a ball and ignore the world. These days don’t stop happening when you go traveling. In fact, they can happen more often and at inconvenient times.
I mentioned that I had a rough first day in Berlin. I was late getting to a tour and missed it, so I had to reschedule it for another day. This was after getting lost and stuck in an elevator. Not to mention that I was on the complete opposite side of town from my hostel.
It wasn’t the end of the world, but it sure felt like it. I may or may not have found a corner to cry next to a grocery store in Gesundbrunnen. So I did what you sometimes need to do when having “those” days: veg out.
Thankfully, I was staying at a nice fancy room at PLUS Berlin and had the luxury of wallowing in my self pity and watching dubbed episodes of The Pauly D Project all afternoon. But once I’d showered and rested, I felt like I could give the city another shot.
So what happens when you have one of those bad travel days?
Don’t feel guilty for what you “should” be doing.
This is all about you. You can do or not do anything you like. The city will probably still be there tomorrow, but if you force yourself into sightseeing, you won’t have a good time.
Find the comforts of home.
Fix yourself a bowl of soup and shamelessly watch Grey’s Anatomy reruns on YouTube. Alternatively, binge on Haribo gummy bears and paprika Pringles as I did.
Don’t write off a place because of your bad day.
I didn’t have the best first day in Berlin, but it turned out to be one of my favorite cities on my trip. I’ve let bad days ruin my visit to Melbourne and I don’t want to make that mistake again.
Get over it.
You can’t rush yourself into a better mood, but only give yourself up to 24 hours to wallow. Past that, snap out of it.
I agree 100% with the “what you should be doing” thing. Have gotten caught in that trap a few times and it just makes everything so much worse. I think sometimes we forget that just because we’re not at home doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in some of the comforts of home, especially if, in the long run, it will give us the energy to get out and do all of the new things we want to experience.
I experienced bad travel days in Vienna where I went down with food poisoning. Ended up forcing myself to look around the city and in the end I did not enjoy it. Yesterday I booked another trip for March next year and this time I know I will have a better time. Vienna will be enjoyable.
My veg out days while travelling have been the best way to recharge and just enjoy where I am. A sleep in, relaxed food and doing what you want is what we do at home all the time why does when we start travelling mean thats a no no anymore.
Everyone is going to have a bad travel day. Lucky, so far, they have been few and far between. On those days I just veg out. Being a slow traveler it doesn’t matter if I have a day off.
And a piece of chocolate usually helps too ;)