At the American University of Rome, students receive a one week fall break in order to relax and recover from the stresses of midterms. I decided to take advantage of this valuable time by traveling to France and Switzerland – countries that I had always thought would be spectacular to experience. However, while my break so far has been exciting and enriching, some planning errors have made it quite stressful as well. I have come to realize, though, that confusion and mishaps are inevitable parts of travelling and that the key to enjoying the adventure is to embrace the uncertainty rather than to fight it. In the end, overcoming these travel challenges can help one learn navigation skills, gain confidence, and strengthen communication and teamwork skills with one’s travel companions.
I decided to embark on this fall break trip with my boyfriend Pablo, who came last week from Guatemala to spend a month with me in Europe. We met last winter while I was on co-op in Guatemala and we have worked to manage both of our schedules to reunite as frequently as possible. As this is Pablo’s first time in Europe, I am excited to show him around but also worried about the pressure of being in charge of the logistics, especially in countries in which neither of us speaks the local language. Our trip has started with three days in France and will end with 6 days in Switzerland where we will stay with Pablo’s childhood friend Jacobo who now lives there with his wife. Jacobo warned us that, although Paris has the stereotype of being romantic, we were bound to fight because of the stress and challenges of touring the city. Only later did we understand the truth of his words.
Our trip to Paris started with a 3 am taxi ride to catch our 6 am flight. This presented our first challenge, as I realized as soon as we were meant to order the taxi that my phone had just run out of data. We luckily managed to find and flag down a taxi in the area, however, and made it to the airport in plenty of time. I used that extra time to figure out how to buy more data online which required some translation and a few customer service calls but ended up working out. Before even boarding, I had already learned a couple of important lessons: #1 keep track of your data while abroad and #2 order a taxi in advance whenever possible.
Fast-forward a few hours, and we landed in Paris exhausted but excited to begin our day of sightseeing. I had not anticipated, however, that it would take almost three hours to travel from the airport to our hotel. After navigating the complex subway system and finally checking in to our hotel, our transportation drama was not over yet. This brings me to lesson #3: Always book a car rental in advance or pay the price. For the second and third days of our French excursion, we planned to drive north to Normandy. I had assumed that simply renting a car upon arrival would be no problem, but after inquiring about prices and finding that they were nearly 10 times higher than those online, I realized I was incorrect. With only a day before we were scheduled to leave and seemingly no affordable cars left to rent, I had to spend a long, stressful hour researching before I was able to find and reserve an affordable car. By the time this panic session was over, it was already 3 p.m. and we had yet to begin our single day of sightseeing in Paris.
In the end, Pablo and I were able to enjoy a fantastic half day biking around the city, seeing the Eiffel Tower, climbing the Arc de Triomphe, and tasting crème brulee and escargot. While Jacobo’s warning about the stress of touring Paris ended up being accurate, we proved him wrong on one count; we managed to avoid fighting and actually had one of the most enjoyable days of our lives together. While I can see how the situation could have easily degenerated into feelings of anger and blame, we instead did our best to support each other and reassure each other. I would say that this is advice point #4: make the most of every situation by working with instead of against those around you.
Despite the beautiful afternoon and evening that we enjoyed in Paris, our mishaps were not yet over. The next morning, we picked up our rental car and enjoyed the stunning scenic drive from the city to Beuvron-en-Auge, a quaint tiny town in Normandy. I had booked us a room in a gorgeous old-fashioned B&B that looked like the setting of a French fairytale. It was not until we had nearly arrived, however, that I checked my reservation information and realized I had made yet another critical error: I had booked my reservation for November instead of October! In a large city on a normal weekend this would not have been an issue, as we could have easily rebooked somewhere else, but in an extremely small rural town on a French holiday weekend, our prospects were looking slim.
After driving around for two hours essentially reenacting the portion of the Christmas story where Mary and Joseph are turned away at inn after inn, we had resolved to simply sleep in the car, despite the cold. Feeling horrible and guilty for my mistake ruining the night, I couldn’t believe that Pablo didn’t utter one word of annoyance or anger. He remained calm and rational, as did I, which I believe made all the difference.
In situations such as this when you are stranded without phone service or a place to stay for the night, my advice is: #5 ask locals for help. I was pleasantly surprised by how kind and helpful strangers abroad have been, from the bustling streets of Paris to the slow, quiet streets of Beuvron-en-Auge. In the end, we met an elderly couple who only spoke a word or two of English and they managed to find us a room at a hotel one town over. Instead of eating crackers and sleeping in a near-freezing compact rental car, we lodged in a cozy old hotel and enjoyed salmon and cider.
No matter how experienced of a traveler you are or how well you think you’ve planned your trip, you are always bound to encounter a problem or two along the way. I believe that the secret to getting the most out of your experience is to embrace the imperfections of the adventure and accept the experience as a whole. If you want relaxation and convenience, go on a vacation. But if you want to feel exhilarated, challenged, and alive, travel.
