Tales of the unexpected: carpe diem!
In Oman I was faced with the choice between this 'adventurous route', said to be a shortcut over mountains; or a 'black top' tarmac road.
Many more of us than usual have been forced out of our usual ‘comfort zone’ by events over the past week. Following the ejection of vast quantities of fine volcanic ash from Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, most of the UK and much of northern European airspace was closed to aviation for safety reasons for almost a week. An event without precedent in aviation terms.
Several serious near disasters involving passenger jets previously flying through clouds of volcanic ash around the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ near the Indonesian volcanoes of Mount Galunggung (1982), Mount Pinatubo (1991) and Mounts Redoubt and Spur in Alaska (in 1989 and 1992 respectively), lay behind the reaction of the authorities this time. Aviation and meteorological authorities, and air traffic control organisations all united to take a conservative approach, unilaterally closing large swathes of airspace as a precautionary measure with almost immediate effect, declaring the safety of passengers paramount, over-riding all commercial considerations.
The event also happened at a time when large volumes of people were travelling following the Easter holiday, traditionally a time of peak traffic flows in Europe.
What was different this time
Air travel was disrupted to an unprecentedented extent; but what was noticeably different this time (and from the cessation of aviation following 9/11) was the unexpected duration and the consequential huge and unanticipated knock on effect on other transport networks within Europe and further afield, as people have become unexpectedly stranded, and given the duration of the problem, started (with admirable and increasing amounts of ingenuity as days of disruption continued), to seek alternative ways to complete their journeys, in spite of the additional cost, causing huge short term spikes in demand for alternative transport services with limited capacity.
If the disruption had gone on much longer I belive that more people would have started looking at long distance travel by ship, although it’s generally much slower and has limited capacity. During the disruption Royal Navy ships were deployed to bring troops home from Afghanistan with some civilians, via ports in Spain.
Unlikely beneficiaries of disruption
In the UK, ferry companies and Eurotunnel have seen traffic volumes increase significantly over what they would normally expect at this time of year as people made their way to the Channel Ports to return to the UK. Eurostar, inter-European rail travel and coach operators such as Eurolines also benefited as people switched their attention to long distance overland alternatives to air travel.
Other beneficiaries were less popular air routes that conveniently happened to avoid the restricted airspace. Ben Fogle, for example, flew part of his epic journey home from Ethiopia from Beirut to Rome.
In all millions of peoples’ lives and plans were thrown into unexpected chaos. With no immediate end to the eruption in sight, further uncertainty and inconvenience seemed inevitable, until Nature calmed down a bit. Fortunately the aviation industry has united in declaring it safe for the travelling public to return to the skies today; although further disruption is not out of the question.
The case for personal contingency planning
It set me thinking about what steps people can take to prepare for, and subsequently deal with, the unexpected when they’re travelling, so they don’t get too badly caught out when some sort of disaster or unexpected event strikes.
As this week’s events have demonstrated only too well, the unexpected can strike tourism at any time. All too often we get surprised by something coming ‘out of the blue’. Can anything be done?
The first thing to say is that any unexpected event throws up a number of choices and opportunities, the most obvious of which is to do nothing and hunker down wherever you are, and hope that the problem will either go away or be swiftly resolved by people acting on your behalf and in your best interest. That can be a good strategy if time is on your side and the consequences are limited, and an end to disruption is in sight, or can be accurately predicted. This time, with the possibility of the ash cloud causing a continuing problem, it seemed to be an unwise strategy. Taking action has the benefit of preventing you from feeling a victim of changed circumstances, putting you back in control of your own destiny.
A few years ago I was involved in the meetings and incentives side of the travel business, and during that time I got used coping with the unexpected. I learned to welcome the choices and challenges that unexpected events threw up. In my experience it was usually hotel strikes, lost documents or passports, illness or crime that caused the most problems. I continue to believe that resourcefulness, ingenuity, persistence and patience are the most important attributes to see you through a crisis, or indeed life in general!
It’s never my intention to offer anything other than constructive advice; but for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts on dealing with unexpected travel events. I’d also like to make it clear that I’m not referring to anything involving medical emergencies or life threatening situations, not only because I have no experience of them; but also because they involve a different set of considerations.
Before you go away
- Always take copies of all your passports and insurance documents and leave them with someone at home you trust. Try and familiarise yourself with insurance policy exclusions before you travel. This exercise can be a sobering experience. Make a note of the insurance helpline number, take it with you and keep it safe. For travel within Europe get an E11 card.
- Subscribe to a card protection scheme that helps you get swift replacement of credit and debit cards in case they get lost or destroyed during a incident while you’re away. There’s usually a cost, but it’s a small price to pay if disaster strikes.
- Always tell your credit card company when you plan to be travelling abroad, so you don’t encounter problems getting approval of ‘out of pattern expenses’. Even if you’re not planning to use the card except in an emergency, it gives you peace of mind to know you’ve got something by way of financial resources to fall back on.
- Buy or borrow a map and guidebook or two. Familiarise yourself with the geography and general background information about your destination in advance. Take them with you if possible. They can be an invaluable planning resource (with phone numbers and website addresses) and you might avoid having to negotiate directory enquiries at a time when communications networks are overloaded.
- Take a smart phone and charger away with you. Having email, access to social networks and internet access can each be invaluable in helping you keep up to date with news and getting about in places you don’t know.
When trouble affects travel plans
- Stay calm and establish the facts about the unexpected situation affecting travel arrangements, and the expected duration of the problem. If you have advance notice of a problem you might consider curtailing your trip and making a dash for home, but you’ll have to act fast.
- If you’re on an organised or package tour make contact with the operator or their local agent. Request help and give them your contact details and mobile phone number if you have one so that they can reach you easily. If you booked direct, contact the carrier concerned.
- Examine and evaluate alternative travel options and costs. Compare this with the expense of staying put until the situation is resolved. Look at your insurance policy exclusions, as you may not be covered for ‘Acts of God’, and you may not get a refund for unused travel arrangements until long after you return home.
- Make friends with others similarly affected. You might be able to club together to share intelligence or transport expense. In any event keep your ear to the ground and make use of the ‘bush telegraph’.
- Make use of any local contacts you might have. The past week has shown that in a crisis, ex boyfriends, long lost relations, or even passing acquaintances in a far flung land can provide useful help and information.
- The more urgently you desire to travel, the more likely you are to end up out of pocket. That’s where patience can be useful. If you do need to get back home urgently you’ll need maximum ingenuity and persistance. This was demonstrated by John Cleese’s return trip to the UK from Oslo in Norway.
- Take photographs and consider writing your story. The media may be interested in running your story while you’re away, and you might even get paid.
- Contact anyone at home who needs to know what’s happening. You might be like some lucky people this week, whose relations drove over with a car by ferry to pick them up from Calais, or were one of the 25 sucessfully rescued by Dan Snow’s ingenious Sunday speedboat service, before it was shut down by French authorities, who also heard of his plan via Twitter.
Seize the moment! When faced with unexpected produce in an Omani market, I took a photo to remember it by. Allow yourself to enjoy the serendipity of life
- Allow for serendipity in your life. Sometimes you just have to relax, make the best choice you feel you can in the circumstances, keep people informed, and live with the consequences. Incidentally, I’d be grateful for any help in identifying the unusual spiky vegetables shown above!
Even in my home village in Kent, I enjoyed the glorious sunsets which were one of the ‘benefits’ of the ash cloud, along with louder and more noticeable birdsong resulting from the absence of background aircraft noise. BBC Radio Kent yesterday interviewed residents of Edenbridge, further west, that normally lies under the final approach flight path into Gatwick airport, who reported that they’d noticed this to an even greater extent.
By the way, when it came to me making a choice of route during my recent lone trip through the mountains of Oman, I thought you’d like to know that I chose the adventurous route shown in the photograph at the beginning of this post, rather than the tarmac ‘black top’. It was well worth the experience!
If you’re involved in the UK visitor economy and your business has been affected by the ash cloud and consequent travel disruption, Visit Britain would like you to complete a survey. Read how to take part.
If you were ‘on the road during the last week and have any comments or advice to pass on to fellow travellers as a result of your experiences, do let me know.
Did you enjoy reading this post? Virtual Viv could write for your organisation. I can help with PR and marketing or write content for tourism businesses online or offline. Comment about what I’ve written below, or contact me at Manifold Associates.
Until next time…
