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What to Do When Travel Goes Awry: 5 Tips I Learned From Visiting Over 100 Countries

With the right attitude and response, a delayed flight or unexpected monsoon can have silver linings
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What to Do When Travel Goes Awry: 5 Tips I Learned From Visiting Over 100 Countries
When things go sideways, there might just be an adventure waiting to be had. Nick Seagrave/Unsplash
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It was a somewhat distressing situation, albeit one that many frequent travelers have faced. Years ago, after flying from Bangkok to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, I waited at the gate for my connection home. But the agent made a rather important announcement: Not everybody would be making the trip across the Pacific. At least not today, because the number of passengers exceeded the number of seats on the plane.

The flight was oversold. And everyone’s minds began to whir. Who would be bumped? How was the airline going to sort this out?

Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson
Author
Toronto-based writer Tim Johnson is always traveling in search of the next great story. Having visited 140 countries across all seven continents, he’s tracked lions on foot in Botswana, dug for dinosaur bones in Mongolia, and walked among a half-million penguins on South Georgia Island. He contributes to some of North America’s largest publications, including CNN Travel, Bloomberg, and The Globe and Mail.