Travel Tuesdays: When Things Don't Go as Planned

Many times during travel there are bumps along the road. Sometimes those bumps are dangerous or serious. Most of the time they're just annoying.

During our recent trip to Salina and Sicily, we had two annoying bumps.

My family was enjoying a quick dip in the Mediterranean when my daughter was "stung" by a jelly (fish). She had two angry slashes across each ankle and was screaming her head off. Here in Massachusetts, I know about local jellies. There, in the Mediterranean, I had no idea. We sought medical attention and learned we needn't worry. The doctor applied lidocaine and gave us a prescription for more. My daughter's crying stopped and we went about our vacation.  

Our second doctor's visit occurred about 5 days later. My daughter had some sort of rash or bug bites that were getting worse. Within a few days, all of us had symptoms. We were itchy as all get out. So off we went for more medical attention. We learned it was nothing dangerous or contagious and followed medical advice about treatment. (Quick aside... this visit was made easier when the owner of the apartment we were renting helped us see the doctor and translated our communications. We had been interacting with him daily and knew he was a kind man. The lesson: Don't be afraid to ask nice people for help. I'd help a stranger in my town who needed it. Wouldn't you?)

Now, I won't tell you I wasn't worried or concerned as these incident were happening. We've all heard about deadly jellies. And mysterious rashes while overseas are no small thing. But as soon as we realized there was no danger, I let it go.

The other owner of our apartment kept telling us how sorry she was that our holiday had been ruined by the rash. (We really were itching non-stop. I won't pretend it was fun). My response to her was this: "No one is in danger. It's an inconvenience. At least it's better than almost dying in West Africa." (This was an exaggeration, but only slightly. I was referencing the time my husband and I almost didn't get out of Niger. First, our car broke down in the bush. Then, there was a near crash in a taxi. That same driver then almost hit a military guy holding an huge gun- an AK47 maybe. That was followed by a heated discussion and much yelling on the part of the military official). Seriously, a rash? No big deal!

I say this jokingly, but I mean it. Unless you suffer a serious medical need or are in real danger, try to keep travel inconveniences in perspective. And, just think of the stories you'll have to tell when you get home!

What's your funniest/scariest/ hardest travel story? Please share it!

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