How We Reset After a Rough Travel Day

Jenn: [00:00:00] Hi everyone and welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast. I am Jenn joined as always by my partner in podcasting, Meggan. Meggan. This week we are talking about resetting after a rough travel day. We've all had them. They're just part of travel, they're just part of life in general.

Meggan: Yeah, as we discussed they are.

Jenn: Yeah. So, uh, we'll talk about some scenarios that have led to a rough travel day and what we do about them. But Meggan, first I wanna know, have you ever had a standout, like bad travel day?

Meggan: Question and like, I hate to put anything out into the universe. Hopefully the universe isn't listening today. But it's just been a, a few minor things, like grateful that nothing major so far has happened. But the few things that have happened, like we accidentally, and when I say we, I mean Peter, once broke a glass stove [00:01:00] top at an Airbnb, which of course we had to pay for. Um, so that was a icky, it wasn't traveling that day, but it was travel related. They did share the cost, so we were lucky. Other than that, uh, rock through the windshield in Iceland. Of course a huge bummer and a huge cost. And then once we nearly landed in Halifax, but due to snow, like last minute, they pulled up and like diverted to Montreal. Coming home from London, we were so close to landing. It was so gross. And then the other thing I would say is a canceled flight so far to Bermuda, so canceled one day and we got out the next. Really minor stuff so far, nothing super tragic during a day. Let's keep it that way. What about you?

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah, for me, we've had, we've had some minor stuff happen and then we've had one day that we call like Jenn and Ryan's bad day, which I think we mentioned this in our, um, couples travel episode.

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: But, um, we were in Inverness, Scotland. It started, we arrived at the [00:02:00] Inverness airport to pick up our rental car and their system was down, which was like not their fault. So it was obviously disappointing. We ended up standing in line, like waiting for their system to come back online to get our car. Uh, we did eventually get our car a few hours later, but then we were like behind the schedule that I had created. So the made up schedule. Uh, so we did miss, uh, the opening times for the visitor center at the Culloden battlefield, and I'm pretty sure I got hangry in there somewhere on that day. And then. I know, and you're just like driving in an unfamiliar country. And then when we went to return the car, all of the returning spaces were full, so we just had to park it in a random spot. Uh, and also like their counter was closed, so like we couldn't tell them where it was. So they did email me being like, where's the car?

And I'm like, it's there. I don't know. Figure it out.

Meggan: Figure it out.

Jenn: And Ryan went to put on the parking brake at one point, and the parking brake [00:03:00] was like a thing that you like hooked your finger under and pulled up and the metal had gotten bent and he like cut his finger open and it was just like, this day is just like not our best day. It was a bad day.

Meggan: Yes. Yes. That sounds like a, like a really bad children's book. Jenn and Ryan's bad day.

Jenn: It truly was. It truly was. So the first situation we're gonna talk about is transportation issues. So as I was just saying, we've had a bad car rental day and

Meggan: Right.

Jenn: both of us were trying to like stay positive like we were getting like progressively grumpier, I think, and just like trying to stay positive for each other.

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: I think also like with flight delays, I tend to get impatient and it's definitely frustrating, but there's so many factors outside of your control. And I think that the best way to reset during like transportation issues or a lot of the issues really is to just like control the controllables and like, [00:04:00] you know, buy travel insurance so that you're covered if, um, your luggage gets lost, for example, build extra time in your schedule in case your flight is delayed or your train is delayed. Don't have anything planned for the minute you land, because chances are you're probably not gonna get to it, you know?

Meggan: that's right. You never know.

Jenn: Yeah. So what about you and transportation issues? How do you usually handle those?

Meggan: Yeah, so when I go to the airport, it is always in the back of my mind from like literally the time that I leave home. Like just that underlying current of like, will things happen when they're supposed to.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: Um, so starting with will I get to the airport on time? Even though it's only like a 25 or 30 minute drive, you never know if there'll be an accident on the highway.

Um, will our flight leave on time? Will our luggage get there? Just like an endless list of like questions and I would have to really be honest. Mild concerns, like it doesn't overwhelm me, but I think travel logistics when [00:05:00] traveling are always front of mind for sure. We certainly had flight delays and even cancellations and with this one I always try to think like. Okay. There's a good reason I'm sometimes sure that it is BS in terms of like the delays and stuff, but for this one, it is life and death, you know, if the plane actually has something wrong with it. So I try to trust on that one. I try not to judge it too much. I haven't lost luggage yet. I'm sure my time is coming,

Jenn: I know

Meggan: but I know there's a process and we should get things documented in advance and whatnot. Really the stuff like that, I know there's worse things that can happen, so I try to take everything in stride. Like I said, we did have that broken windshield, but it got dealt with in terms of a rental car. So yeah, like I would just say it is about much like you said, controlling the controllables, understanding anything could happen and you can't be ready for every scenario. But I think, you know, understanding that it could happen is part of the, part of the win.

Jenn: Sure.

Meggan: So let's talk about jet lag, because if you are traveling somewhere outside of your time [00:06:00] zone, it's likely going to happen. So like most people, I hate being tired, but jet lag is like a different kind of feeling. Because often for us, we fly to Europe from here. It's typically a red eye. Travel is a luxury, so I try to get over myself, but also I cannot sleep on a plane.

So while I'm excited for the trip, this part is my least favorite part for sure, and I'm- i'm really not a power through it kind of girl, unless absolutely necessary. I did it once in London and I thought I may pass away. I can do it, but I don't wanna do it. So we just try to check in as soon as possible, sleep for a few hours, and then get back out and explore.

I would say maybe going west is a little bit different. I'm not sure how. How far west you've traveled, but um, yeah, you went to the Northwest Territories or to the Yukon. So, yeah, like going from, let's say, Nova Scotia to Vegas is brutal. Um, it's a bit more brutal in some ways because when it's 8:00 PM in Vegas, when most people haven't even gone out yet, it's 12:00 AM here.

Jenn: Yeah, true.

Meggan: [00:07:00] And I'm like, I'm like, well, goodnight. , Which isn't really what Vegas is for. So it's not all that fun, but you really do just have to like understand it's gonna happen. Be happy you can travel and try to deal with it as best you can.

Jenn: Yeah, yeah, agreed. Like I don't sleep on planes either, and that does make arrival days difficult. But I also cannot nap, so that that leaves me in the situation of having to power through and understanding that like the first day is gonna suck a little bit. So I do try to get outside to like, get used to the time, you know, the sun. Maybe that will help. And then just go to bed early and hope that that like resets my body. I don't usually knock on wood, have, uh, issues of like jet lag lasting multiple days, but like. I haven't ever traveled so far that like the clock is flipped, you know, so I'm sure [00:08:00] that's coming. But, um, we are going to Calgary in September and we booked a flight that leaves Halifax at 8:00 PM Atlantic, and then we arrive in Calgary at 10 35. PM Mountain time, so like middle of the night essentially for us. But then I booked a hotel that's in the airport terminal, so we literally like walk off the plane, we're still in the airport, walk into the hotel, check in and sleep. I'm hoping that will help us avoid the jet lag. Um, I'll, I'll, I'll update you guys in September and see how it goes. That's my grand plan. I don't know. Hopefully it works.

Meggan: Alright You definitely let us know how that works out. I'm anxious to hear.

Jenn: Yeah. All right. So speaking of tired, let's talk about just like generally being tired on a trip. Maybe it's continuation of jet lag or maybe it's just that you've done a lot of [00:09:00] stuff. So we are Disney World people, which typically means like six or seven days of like 20 to 25,000 steps per day and like long days in the park. So like we get tired and we usually try to take breaks like over meal time. So usually that means at lunchtime we'll do like a more of a sit down meal so that we get a good break both sitting and in air conditioning, which is important in Florida most of the time. Um, and then I usually just try to get a good amount of sleep every night. But of course that, you know, can be difficult. And I'm getting better at not over planning, so not having us out late and up early in the morning.

Meggan: Right.

Jenn: I think if you're finding yourself like unbelievably tired every day of your trip, then you should take that as a sign to [00:10:00] change your plans. Like obviously it's not working for you. You're probably planning too much or not planning for enough sleep. And I know I've talked about this before, but when we were in our honeymoon and we visited the Palace of Versailles our last day, we did not care about it at all. Like

Meggan: Which is such a shame.

Jenn: It is such a shame, but we were so like dead on our feet tired that I just really didn't care.

And it essentially ended up being like a waste of money

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: us. Right. So it, it also depends on how long your trip is. Like we mentioned on our, uh, planning a quick trip episode a little while ago. Like if you're planning on visiting a city for two days, uh, you know, it's much easier than to push through being tired

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: know, on a longer trip.

Meggan: Definitely. And that happens for sure. And when I go to Europe, like I start off tired, I stay tired, and I've been tired the entire trip. And [00:11:00] that's really just the reality of it. And to combat that, we really do rest when we can. And I'm not ashamed to nap. Um, if it means like we can get back out there afterwards.

So like I don't let it end my day. But if it has to happen, it has to happen. And vacation is often go, go, go. But like we've talked about before, it should be enjoyable. And that means enjoying it with like a clear head. So we do take naps, or at least veg sometimes. I don't even need to nap. If you can just like power down a little bit.

Um, that really, that works too. I remember in our 2022 trip to Europe over multiple countries and our first big post pandemic trip, we wanted to do like all the things. We were so Randy to get like out there. And we did, but I just kept saying to Peter, I've never been this tired in my entire life. And I think I've mentioned this before too, but we stayed in Frankfurt at the end before we flew home and there was a heat wave and one day we came back to our hotel midday and I laid down and I was sleep in like 30 seconds. I swear to God, I was just absolutely wiped out and I don't fall asleep [00:12:00] like that. But to me it also means like a good trip was had. So like you really do have to try to find the balance of like resting so that you can enjoy the other stuff as well, and it doesn't just completely wipe you out.

Jenn: for sure.

Meggan: Another thing that can happen, of course, is plans not working out. So it, that happens. And it used, I used to be a really huge control freak on trips if things didn't work out, the anxiety was like immense. And now it still bothers me. Like I'm not a, I'm not completely rehabbed. Um, but also it isn't the end of the world anymore.

So this has happened certainly before, you know, missed seeing something we wanted to see. Like in Iceland, we missed Diamond Beach the first time, or that rooftop bar in Barcelona that I talked about that wasn't what we thought it would be. But so far these things have all been minor and I try as hard as I can, although sometimes it is still like quote unquote upsetting to realize not everything is going to go according to planned 'cause.

That's how life goes.

Jenn: Yeah, I think [00:13:00] that you and I have both learned that it's okay if things don't work out, like exactly as we've planned. Definitely like bailing on that rooftop bar that, uh, wasn't gonna be what you wanted it to be, and that it's like really okay to change your plans if you're not feeling something. it can be super disappointing for sure. And, you know, I remember being really sad that we missed out on the colloden uh, visitors center. Like we still visited the battlefield and walked around, but without the visitor center, you just miss out on so much like context. Right? So I was there, but like at the end of the day, it's not that big of a deal, right? Um, and then sometimes, like, you know, if things don't work out, sometimes you find something more fun when you bail on your original plans. So you never know.

Meggan: You never know what the universe has in store.

Jenn: True. All right, let's talk about how to reset if you get sick or injured on [00:14:00] your trip. So, a knock on wood, we haven't had any major issues personally with getting sick or injured. We have like, of course, had minor colds or like sore feet or what have you. Actually, in November when we were in Toronto for our Christmasy trip, I only, I wore my shoes.

Like the one pair of it was my, um, Blundstones. So I wore those on the plane. I didn't bring anything else. They actually really hurt my feet walking like 10 hours a day in them. Uh, so we actually had to pivot a bit because, I couldn't walk as much as I wanted

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: Um, and we just had to take more breaks than I usually would.

So this actually led to us hanging out in the hotel lobby and people watching, which is not something we ever do, and it actually ended up being a lot of fun. And so I would say if your feeling under the weather or not up to walking around. It's [00:15:00] okay to rest and like chill. And I have anxiety about like wasting time , when I'm traveling and it's a huge like mindset shift to like convince myself to be okay with resting. So I would say like, unless you're like sick or like contagious or like, you know, need to be close to a bathroom or something, you can rest your feet in a cafe or in a park instead of just your room. And then on the flip side of that, like I have traveled with other people who've had like major medical incidents and ended up in the hospital and in that case, having travel medical insurance definitely reduced so much anxiety for everyone involved.

Meggan: Yeah, no, I can imagine for sure. So we've had a few minor things happen. Peter usually gets sick when we go to resorts and we now do take prescribed medicine with us. That always works for him. So we did learn from that. We once did a beach walk, um, and I injured one of my heels. I couldn't really walk very [00:16:00] well the next day after that. I'm a really bad heel walker and I didn't wear shoes. Um, and three years later it actually is not back to normal. Yeah. Um. So, yeah, you do work around it. You just try to manage it. You try to anticipate stuff that may happen, but understand that there's no planning for everything and you have to be okay with risk. Honestly, as soon as you leave your apartment or your house, it really, it really is how things go. Um, I've mentioned before that I did have a UTI in Iceland, which it was terrible way to start the trip, but it got handled. We found a clinic. I got medication we carried on, and now I do actually travel with medication for that. So, so far they've all been learning experiences with nothing major, which I would like to keep that going.

Jenn: Yeah, same.

Meggan: Yes, indeed. Let's talk about feeling anxious. 'cause I think that that's a big one. When it comes to travel, there's so much to consider. I do have some anticipatory anxiety, and as I have aged into like perimenopause, um, [00:17:00] certainly experienced a bit more than normal, but so far my travel anxiety has remained relatively low.

Like, yes, I check my passport 123 times, before we leave, while we're at the airport, et cetera. Um, I do worry about, of course, getting places safely, traveling safely in a foreign country. Catching public transportation and so on. But for me, nothing like out of the ordinary or crippling to combat it, I would say I try to keep a line of communication open with Peter.

He reads me like a book he has memorized, which is very irritating. Um, and hiding things never works. So I do just try to voice it, rather than stew on it. I'm sure he has his own concerns or worries, but ensuring I'm honest is a really big one for me, even if it's foolish. Or not necessary, like I really just have to be open about it and he usually has good advice and isn't bothered by the same things that I'm bothered by.

So I have found that to be helpful when I don't feel like, like I'm alone in it, if that makes sense.

Jenn: Yeah, I [00:18:00] definitely agree. Like it's better to like share whatever your worries are with someone. And so for me sometimes like the anxiety is not necessarily like related to, um. You know, something that's going on, just like kind of maybe like generally feeling anxious and like one time I was at Disney with my friend, it was just the two of us and I was feeling like a bit anxious that day for whatever reason, like nothing really going on.

And at the end of the night we were waiting for the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and it was so crowded, which it often is, but I don't know this particular time and like as a short person in a crowd, like it can feel very claustrophobic because most people are like taller than you. Like

Meggan: Right.

Jenn: coming in from all angles, if that makes sense. Um, anyway, I like told my friend, I feel like we just looked at each other and I was like, Hmm. I'm like. I'm feeling a little bit like, know, closed in and [00:19:00] anxious and she was like, yeah, I'm, I'm good to bail. Like, let's get out of here. And

Meggan: Right.

Jenn: getting out of that crowd was a bit of a nightmare, but I think we both felt better leaving.

So it was disappointing to, of course, not see the fireworks that night. But I have seen them before. It wasn't a, you know, it wasn't a once in a lifetime thing for me, but.

Meggan: It's good that you voiced it because both of you were kind of feeling the same way and maybe one didn't wanna spoil the time for the other. But when you break that ice and say it out loud, somehow it can turn out better.

Jenn: Yeah. Yeah, I think we were both, both in a better spot after that. So

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: Of traveling with other people, another thing that can uh, come up when you're traveling is not getting along with your travel companions and yeah, that can be so tough. So I think like to, to avoid it, hopefully in the first place. Like setting expectations before you travel with anyone [00:20:00] else. I mean, usually if you're traveling with your partner and if you've traveled with them before, they probably know what, what you're like. But if you're going with other people, like you don't have to do every single thing together. Talk about how you like to travel and what you like to do.

And I feel like that will come up, uh, when you're planning. We've done Disney, uh, with another couple and it went pretty well and actually probably better than I expected because we shared a hotel room as well. So it really could have been a make or break friendship trip. Um. And like we did almost everything together on that trip as well.

And I think it helps that we're really close friends and they're also Disney people who'd been to Disney before and had a, a similar like park strategy to us. And, and we did a lot of planning together. other times that I've traveled with friends or family as an adult, like things have gone super well.

And I think that is [00:21:00] because we talked about things in advance and planned time apart. And then. If it was just me and one other friend, um, like for instance, my best friend and I went to Vegas. We had very different ideas of what we wanted to do in Vegas, and we just compromised. We kind of did both of the things.

Meggan: Right.

Jenn: I'm trying to imagine what I would do if I was on a trip, like on the trip and not getting along with the person I was traveling with. Like maybe just take a break from each other and then talk about it later if possible. But that would be really tough.

Meggan: It would be, and I actually don't have much experience with this one either. Like in the way that we actually don't usually do big trips with other people. We've done a few road trips actually. Sometimes on weekends, but really nothing major. Um, when we have, there's always minor annoyances because humans like, and it's not necessarily the people, it's just being in close spaces and close spaces all the time.

But overall, we've been really lucky. I think if it did happen some time away, to do your own thing would be key. [00:22:00] Like a nice reset. If it was something a bit more major, I would say open communication would be important depending on the relationship, because who wants a ruined trip? You would think neither side.

Um, there are many worst case scenarios out there, of course, where people just never talk again or come home early, but like may that never happen. But it really can vary from like minor annoyances to like really big things. And I think maybe you won't even know until you're in the moment and also the individual that you're dealing with.

Jenn: Yeah. Well, Meggan and I have our first, uh, girl, our first girls trip. Uh, just a, a very casual, Airbnb, uh, getaway together, but, so hopefully the podcast will still be happening after, uh, that trip.

Meggan: I feel we're gonna be just fine 'cause we're just gonna chill. So if we get that wrong, we were never meant to be. If we can't relax together, we've got other problems. Um, so another one is what can you actually do before travel [00:23:00] to make travel days easier or make rough travel days easier? And I think this is a really great place to finish off because I say this with a grain of salt, of course, because in the moment I would tell myself to just like, shut up already.

But the same as when you leave your home or go anywhere else, you just need to realize anything could happen, including rough or bad stuff. Try to be prepared on your journey with things. You know, you need to have close with you at all times. So being careful is key. If things go awry, try your very best to remain calm. Ask for help when you can, or if you need to, even if you don't want to, you know, nobody wants to look foolish or silly, but like take your ego out of it. Open communication, like we talked about with your travel partner if applicable. And also if you get upset. You're human and that's okay, but don't like get dragged down by it or take it out on other people.

Um, because travel often comes with trying to figure something out, how to get back on track. There's a lot of logistics [00:24:00] that come up. So you'll need your wits about you and also just be kind to yourself, but also be kind to other people.

Jenn: I agree with all that. My dad has a saying, "another chapter for the book." So just like remembering that rough travel days make interesting or funny memories. I think when we were having our bad, our Jenn and Ryan's bad day, we kept saying one day we'll laugh about this. I think that's kind of become the joke though, that we're still saying, well, it's not funny yet, but one day we'll laugh about it, but.

Meggan: It still might be funny someday.

Jenn: Might be funny some days. So yeah, definitely mindset is one thing, and then making sure that you're adequately prepared is another. So having travel insurance, planning your transportation so you're not rushed to get there before your flight or your train leaves and not planning anything strenuous on your arrival day. And yeah, rough travel days happen to everyone and they're just a part of travel life.

Meggan: [00:25:00] Indeed. Well, that is it for this week's episode. We hope we have given you some insights into our experiences and what we do to cope with some of the not so great aspects of travel. If we did miss anything, or if you want have some tips of your own to share, we'd love to hear from you. You can always find us on social media at Travel Mug Podcast on our website at travelmugpodcast.com.

Feel free to leave us a review with feedback or support the show with buy me a Coffee through the link in our show notes. Until next time, to travel safely and bye.