The Best Time to Panic is Never

August 10, 2013

All my traveling has taught me not to panic until it's time to panic. And even then don't panic.

I remembered this as a new friend and I arrived back at or hostel in Fussen to retrieve our luggage and then promptly hop busses and trains to our next destination. When we arrived back at the hostel our luggage was not where we had left it and the reception worker was gone. The front desk closed during afternoons, so we expected no one to be there, but we also expected to be able to grab our things and go without a hitch. We looked everywhere for a note or a secret hiding place where he had stashed our stuff. No such luck. After searching everywhere we decided to check the basement, which of course was locked, and where we assumed our stuff was. It was beginning to look like neither of us were going to make our bus/train and probably be stuck in the hostel for another four hours. 

What did we do? Well, we didn't panic! Instead my new friend began calling previously dialed numbers in the front desk's phone (so glad she spoke wundebar German!) and finally got a hold of someone... But that someone could not come for another two hours. Again, no panic! After all, why panic. All this meant was that it had delayed both of our trips a few hours, no big deal. We were instructed by the hostel worker to take whatever drinks we wanted from the fridge and hang out until someone arrived. So we popped open some radlers and chilled out on comfy couches for the next few hours. 

A few years ago I'm not sure I would have had the same reaction. It's taken me a while to figure out how to travel, but I think I've finally got the philosophy down. It's like the saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff." In life there will always be unexpected bumps in the road. The tricky part of life is figuring out how to deal with those bumps. When you hit a bump, don't panic, even if it seems to be a perfectly good time to do so and you have reason to. Panicking doesn't get you anywhere, it just gets you worked up and doesn't allow you to think properly. So the next time you hit a bump, remember not to panic until it's time to panic. And even then don't panic. Things will work out if you chill out.