Recently I had a very unplanned and unpleasant layover. It felt so bad that I snapped at the guy handling our case. You know that not so needed predicament you get in to and haven't known a sliver of sleep for the last 12 hours from doing a bus ride? (If not, follow along, you'll see )
If you are like me you'll either chat all the time (in case you have access to internet), take selfies and listen to songs till the phone juice is out and recharge pronto. That would be ideal, but this time it was like all odds decided otherwise and my phone asked for a phone unlock password when I exchanged simcards (the password was written in a notebook that intentionally left at home). There was no WiFi in the waiting area we were in and music was my last resort although sleep seemed to get the best of me.
Point is, I had to use my creativity to make those seemingly endless hours worthwhile.
I came up with these ways to make it less of a hustle, so here goes:
1. First of all pour all that frustration to the right personnel.
Like I said, I snapped at the guy, mix that with my lack of sleep and the fact we were to spend another 10+ hours in a country I barely know a lot of people. Poor guys so a wrath they never should wish to see again. Thing is I was the meekest of them all. You should have seen the lady who threatened to sue them because of not warning us in due time. I loved her fervor! Inside, I told myself I wanna be like her someday. Besides, why would we soften up on them while they treated us like we didn't matter. Point is, out of a group of 10 guys only two of us remained at the office of that bus service because our luggage was bigger and trailing it all over in search of other buses wasn't a wise idea. So we waited.
On a bright side we ended up getting an alternative means of travel that deserves a trophy for saving the day!
2. Befriend people around you.
Not all people, because safety is important. Just a few people. You could start with those around you. Be careful for malicious looking people and trust your gut.
If you befriend someone chances are they might know people in that place or know the place better so that's a bonus which leads to the next point.
3. Tour around the area around the waiting place.
After ensuring your luggage is safe and have your next scheduled ticket with you, get to know the places around you. You could take a walk or use a cab to a destination that won't cost you a lot of money. I'm talking about window shopping, sightseeing, visiting parks especially if where your next mode of travel is close to the city center.
4. Know the currency exchange rate of the country.
It's easy to get duped by hungry lurking around conmen. So be very careful, use trustworthy businesses you have tried and tested before or use the connections you've gained in tip number 2 above to help you out. You'd be surprised they could help you get good deals. Deals that allow you to eat, drink and have fun for less than you would likely spend if you were on your own oblivious to the modus vivendi of that place.
5. Get familiar with names of the places around you.
This is important especially if you left the place where you were and have a few more hours remaining. Ask for the names before you leave the place, take pictures of the place so that you can trace your way back if it was a walk. Look for landmarks that you won't forget. Better yet, use Google maps if you have access to the internet. The safest bet is always a taxi cab or the commercial motorbike who know the place in case you are farther away from your next travel center.
Finally if all is said and done:
6. Take a much needed nap.
You could ask for a place to sleep in the waiting area or book a room at a nearby hotel to sleep which is surprisingly cheap during the day than at night. You could explain your predicament and the staff at the hotel if they are as generous as the ones I encountered can give you a room at a discounted price and an access to the shower of course a very much needed relief to a tired traveler.
There you have it friends. These few tips can help you save a lot of frustration and channel all your disappointments to something better than sulk all day in a waiting area with no clue if you will travel that day or the next day.
Have a beautiful Monday
Peace, Love, and Light your way ❤
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Travel bag in tow a passenger leaves a hotel room in style.
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