Even though it’s no fun to catch a virus and fall sick when traveling, or get hurt in an accident, see it as an experience and think of what you can do to prevent the same think from happening in the future. Learn from it rather than complaining about how bad you felt etc. Sure, it might make an amusing travel article or a good story to tell your friends over a beer a night out, as long as you can laugh about it and look at it from the bright side. No one wants to hear about your travel mishaps when you’re angry and whining about how your trip turned into such a disaster… at least not me. Things can always be worse. And what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.
I’ll never forget the first time I realized that traveling is not only a dance on roses. My mom, my sister and I were standing next to a ski lift in the Swedish ski resort Are. I felt I had skied enough that day, but my mom and sister convinced me to go for one last run with them.
I didn’t see him when it happened, only felt the crash followed by a strong pain in my back. Tumbling down the piste, I couldn’t make myself stop. Next thing I knew I lay motionless on the cold snow, vaguely hearing my mother yell at the twenty something guy who had skied right into me. Eventually the paramedics came and drove me to the hospital. According to a Swedish expert doctor on spinal injuries, they needed to put a halo on my head to fix my broken collar bone. A halo, also called a halo crown or halo ring, is a braze which stabilizes the cervical spine following a dislocation. Here’s a picture of a woman with a halo.
The night before my operation I was a bit scared, although I knew I’d be under an anaesthetic and not feel a thing. Next morning, everything would be as usual they told me. Yeah, except for a big halo on my head, I thought. But when I woke up the following day I couldn’t feel it.
Mom explained that my injury, in some strange way, had taken care of itself during the night and an operation was no longer necessary. The doctors called it somewhat of a miracle. Happy I only needed to use a neck restraint for a couple of weeks, and not a halo, we left the hospital the same day.
Apart from that skiing accident when I was seven, a sprained wrist from snowboarding in Norway a few years ago and a broken arm during a surfing trip on Lanzarote, I’ve been pretty lucky. My worst travel experience (so far) occurred during a hotel stay in London last August when I for some inexplicable reason got a terrible food sickness. Luckily I was back to normal the next day.
How about you? What’s your worst travel experience?
Who To Contact
In case an emergency happens abroad, it’s important to know who you can contact. Personal recommendations from people you know are often the best choice. For travels in Italy, Spain, and south of France, check out Gupsy’s Personal Guide to Doctors, Drivers, Taxis, Shippers and Helicopters in the Med at The Women on The Web. The article includes good tips on doctors in the Mediterranean.
