Traveling involves always some level of uncertainty and improvisation. You come across situations you have never encountered before and events which could not be predicted. That’s part of the fun… and part of the struggle.

Unexpected situations can range from very simple things such as your kids don’t like any of the foods available, to highly stressful events as when one of your children is missing or worryingly ill.

For sure you have experienced all kinds of weird, irritating or nerve breaking episodes in your home country. The difference when you’re travelling is that unfamiliar or unfriendly environments and language barriers will add to the complications.

So, how to deal with unexpected situations?

Although it might be annoying that your child is making a fuss in a restaurant, it is not really a big deal. Or you’re since long queueing to pay for something and your daughter desperately in need for a toilet cannot stand it any longer. You give up on queuing, leave your unpaid items behind and take your kid to the toilet before it’s too late. That’s manageable. Or your 2-year old son has locked himself in the car with the key inside and you have to figure out how to get him to open the door.

These are relatively easy situations to handle as compared to cases involving health and safety (check my post on difficult situations).

Usually I take a deep breath and calmly assess the situation to determine how serious it actually is. That’s the most important step: to understand whether you’re facing an annoying situation or a potentially dangerous one. Give yourself a few minutes to think before acting.

My approach to unexpected situations: be focused, be pragmatic, be flexible.

Be focused: What I mean with being focused is to avoid distractions and ignore other low priority issues when trying to solve a problem. This is particularly important if you are travelling alone with more than one child. Focus on understanding the situation and on what needs to be done.

Be pragmatic: I would say that being pragmatic is the single most crucial factor when travelling. It’s not possible to have everything the way we would like to or the way we are used to at home. Therefore, I try to find a solution that easily solves the problem in the given circumstances rather than thinking about what the perfect approach would be. This goes a long way in quicky handling unexpected situations regardless of being it the fussy child or the security threat.

Be flexible: Bear in mind that very seldom things go exactly according to plan. Staying flexible and making adaptations along the way contribute immensely to a more relaxed travelling experience and peace of mind. If something is not working, it’s better to rethink and adjust; try a different approach, route, or activity. For instance, if your child is facing altitude sickness on a mountain trip, it’s better to change the plan rather then insisting on the original tour and ending up with health complications. Or, if your child doesn’t like the healthy food that you have selected, be prepared to change, because it’s better to have a stomach full with something else than a big fuss one hour later for being hungry.