Breaking Down

To pretend that every day of this living on the road lifestyle is a photograph where a happy traveler is silhouetted from sunrise to set would be a great untruth.

Having every piece of a wandering puzzle fit together perfectly and without error is more the territory of a staycation than a mobile lifestyle. Any true adventure will feature obstacles which must be overcome to advance. If there is no adversity, no hardship at all, then it isn’t an adventure at all, but rather a simple moving through space.

It’s beautiful when everything works out perfectly, but when adversity strikes, the mark of a successful traveler is how he deals with it.

A group of roadtrippers finds their engine smoking several hundred miles from the destination. A flight is missed or cancelled last minute. A broken leg the night before hampers plans to hike a morning mountain.

The roadtrippers could argue over who’s at fault. Who owns the car? Who was driving it too hard? If only we’d have turned the air conditioning down or checked the oil once more. Tempers flare, voices get loud, a trip is ruined.

Or the companionship of another while waiting for a tow truck could be relished. A night spent in a hotel bar laughing about the situation could replace one watching Family Guy reruns in silence. A bastion could evolve from a burden.

Cancelled flights can mean free tickets down the road. Missed flights can mean an opportunity to thoroughly explore an airport’s closest city if only a shift of expectations can happen. A broken leg might prohibit a hike, but lead to an epic kayaking trip.

When our plans nose dive it can be hard to pull up hard enough to regain control. But a successful revamp can truly result in a glorious loop-dee-loo, too.

Here’s to those travelers who make a triumph out of a difficult situation!