Get Lost

What does it truly mean to get lost, and why do we try so hard to avoid it? I'm pretty sure I have gotten lost in every foreign country I have been to. As a woman who travels solo it is quite a scary concept. And as someone who hates asking for help, I usually tend to try and figure things out on my own.

Before each trip I take, I attempt to map out my days. For any activities I want to do, I plan as far ahead of time as I can, it's helpful in my opinion to get any fee's for activities out of the way before I travel. It makes it easier to budget and you don't have to worry about adding those expenses to whatever funds you plan on spending while you're there. Even with all that planning, I still want to have some spontaneous days, so like for my last trip, I planned activities every other day, and the days in between I kept open to do whatever.

Google Maps is also my best friend when I'm traveling alone. I can map out the exact route I want to take where ever it is I plan on going and even take screenshots of the directions in case my network goes down. I discovered a newer feature on my most recent trip (this is not sponsored by google, btw) that allows you to pull up a street view on your camera while walking, and Maps will give arrows to each street you need to turn on. It makes traveling alone so much easier, so that you never give off the impression that you don't know where you are or what you're doing.

Despite all these careful plans, I am still me. Which means, I will still get lost.

There was the time I first traveled by myself in 2015. I was in London, and despite never having done this before, I felt totally prepared. Until I realized that some train and underground stops have very similar names. And that there is a marked difference between the above ground and underground trains. The closest thing to this type of travel I had experienced before this was the MARTA in Atlanta, and let me just say, it's not the same. So getting off of a over ground station that is an 18 minute walk from the station I was supposed to be at, but got on the wrong train, was not ideal. And I say 18 minutes, but that's what google says the walk was when I look at it now. But I know that it took me probably 30 because I couldn't pull up maps at the time, with my inferior phone network, so had to just follow the street signs until i got where I was going. I learned so much about public transport on that trip, and while it was daunting I enjoyed it. One day on that trip, I got off on the wrong stop, on a bank holiday, and found the best restaurant, that I still think about to this day. And discovered a part of London, that I never would have been to had I not. That same trip I just so happened to stumble upon Buckingham Palace, at the exact right time to catch the changing of the guard!

Then there was the time I was in Versailles in 2018, and while I was not necessarily lost on this trip, I still count it. Tip: If you tell your bank you are going out of the country, be sure to let them know if you are going to make a side quest to another country. I did not tell my bank I was going to France, and while I had cashed in some pounds for Euro's I used all of it on souvenirs, because I am very intelligent. Being short of cash and needing to take a train back to Paris, is not ideal for a sane person, but for someone like me who creates the worse case scenario, it was the end of the world. I had to break my don't ask for help rule, and discovered I wasn't the only one in a bind. There were two women from Spain who had no clue how to get back to Paris but had the funds to do so. With my know how and their money, we were able to get 3 tickets back to the city, and while at the time it felt like forever that I was "lost" it truly didn't take me longer than 10 minutes to figure out a solution.

The crux of these stories is this. You will get lost. It will probably be an adventure, and years down the road, when you reminisce on your travels these will be some of the moments that stand out to you. Don't be afraid of going off the path, lean into the crazy, and discover something new about yourself. Believe me, it'll be worth it. (Also I fully only condone, moderate chaos, don't go too wild in another country that's dangerous). Let's get lost. (The last pic, is the time I stumbled on an African Festival in the middle of Trafalgar Square, just another happy little accident.)

Jack.