As a native of Los Angeles and professional traveler, I know that taking a look at Lax is rarely fun. But even I was tested in the summer of 2023 after an Uber, then a Lyft canceled me when I had to be at the airport in an hour and a half.
By trying not to vomit not to fear missing my flight, I led to the familiar car park next to the in-n-out on Sepulveda. I registered by the application, I photographed the place so that later my father and my nephew could recover my car and galloping at the airport shuttle. At the terminal, the woman who checked my bag said I arrived in time – with 11 minutes to lose. I tried to think in terms of pass / failure: I did it. I would climb aboard the plane for Loreto, Baja California, to do scuba diving.
After having traveled in more than 100 countries and worked on dozens of cruise ships for three companies, I knew not only sprints at the airport but also hurricanes, medical emergencies and helicopter evacuations. I am used to perpetual horror stories on flight delays, astronomical ticket prices and other challenges. What makes me move forward – even more than opportunities to swim with jellyfish without rotation on the island of Kakaban, in Indonesia, or to see a 380 -foot Buddha statue near Monywa, Myanmar – is that nothing is compared to the magic of unexpected connections that the trip can bring.
During a trip to Israel, after my luggage was lost in transit, another traveler who joined my group excursion organized to receive the daily contact lenses which I had desperately needed by post. A new friend shared a dress and another her curling iron.
The help of foreigners went beyond practice. To reinvent myself after my divorce, I challenged myself to finish 50 challenges in the world before I was 50 years old. Continuing this challenge in Kenya, I met Maasai warriors who shared their jumping warrior dance. In return, with the permission of their leader, I showed them how Hula-Hoop. With each destination I visited and the community I met, I felt small games of me that had numbed me in recent years. The world was smaller and more friendly.
Some of my favorite meetings occurred by Serendipity. In a restaurant in Upolu, Samoa, when I asked my server a few words in the local language, he translated a song for me. The next day, I headed for the smallest island in Manono, and walking, I saw elementary schoolchildren in recess. Their teacher encouraged them to say hello, talk to me in English and sing. They were delighted when I could join me because they got to what I had learned at the restaurant the day before.
Yes, the trip is almost always chaotic. It is impossible to plan all possible reverse, although I have picked up tips that facilitate the task. Although I arrived in Israel with stops in Germany, Spain and Italy, my lost luggage inspired a discussion with other travelers on objects that we could not live (for Toni, it was makeup; for Kaitlyn, special socks). I realized that my contacts should always go in my hand luggage next to my passport and my Kindle.
I reserve my flights in a way of flexibility. During the return trips, I often choose another transporter according to the most direct route and if I want to arrive at Lax after the worst time during peak hours, or I could fly at the quieter Burbank airport. I use packaging lists and remember that if I forget something, there will be a store. (Even in the “vast expanse of nothingness” on the road to the Gobi desert in Mongolia, I found the Kirkland brand in Costco in small stores in small towns.)
But finally, navigating the logistics labyrinth of transport problems, hotels and languages is a token toll for the pleasure of joining people for meals, songs, fashion and conversations that I would never have experienced otherwise.
Maybe my favorite perspective on travel comes from the stamp that Palau adds to passports visitors. It is a contract, a commitment, they are asked to “act in an ecologically and culturally responsible manner on the island, for the good of the children of Palau and the future generations of palanes”.
I hope that more destinations will adopt something like that as a reminder to take care of the houses of each other as we do for ours. The opportunity to travel and be invited to other countries has changed my life, and no amount of challenges or disadvantages can distract it.
Lisa Niver is the author of award -winning memories “Brave-ish: a break, six continents and feel intrepid after fifty», A travel television host and writer. @Lisaniver
