when you cannot visit the attraction
Over the years of travels, I have learned a very important lesson. It is to always have a back up to your plan or to at least be flexible and understanding when things don’t go as planned. One of the worst things that can happen is when you go to a place with an intention and cannot see or do something because of the circumstances. Circumstances can be closure, delays to get to destination, weather related, inability to obtain tickets or entry, among several other things. Either way what you wanted you cannot have, and you must adjust to make the most of it.
my crazy stories
I have had my fair share of going on trips only to find that what I wanted to do was not able to happen. These are just a few handful of stories of when things didn’t go quite my way and what I did to make the best out of less than ideal situation.
Colombia- closed for cleaning
Of all the things to do in Colombia, a thing I was most excited to do was to visit Tayrona National Park. In fact, that is what really made me start planning the trip and all other things were secondary to my desire to go here. The best way to get to this park is from the town of Santa Marta. The thing that I did not anticipate for was that the park was closed with very short notice for cleaning. We found this out only after we had arrived in Santa Marta. We had already booked a non-refundable flight and hotel and had planned to allow us a full day to explore the park. We knew that a majority of people go to the park and stay over but we were short on time, so we anticipated taking full advantage of 1 day of hiking in the park. I literally did not believe it when our hotel receptionist mentioned that Tayrona Park was closed and was trying to book us on an alternative tour. I even pulled up the English site about the park that had no mention of it being closed. It wasn’t until I googled in Spanish and an article came up that was printed in the local newspaper the day before that stated the park would be closed for the rest of the month to clean and restore the park. I was like a kid who goes to Disneyland only to find it closed. Let us just say I was beyond disappointed, but as any seasoned traveler knows sometimes you have the make the best out of any situation. So, we set off to find out what else there was to do in this small coastal town in Colombia. We made the most of it and traveled to nearby Minca.
mexico- closed on Mondays
In Mexico City, I had planned out this whole day adventure to go to Chapultepec Castle which is a main park in town. We had booked our accommodation divided in the city to be able to explore two different areas and make those attractions more convenient. But what isn’t convenient is when you plan to do something and comes to find out that the attraction is closed on that day. Such is the case with Chapultepec Castle which is closed on Mondays. Definitely learned the hard way and had to come up with an alternative to the plan. Luckily, we had a few more days so we were able to check it out the next day without a problem. Lesson to learn is check ahead on hours of places and days available to fit in your schedule. Never fun to show up and find out there that it is closed, and you have to come back another day. Would be even worse if wasn’t going to be open again until you have already gone.
USA- no luck at the lottery
In the United States, we decided to visit the southwest and check out some of the iconic sites. One thing I really wanted to see was the iconic Wave. To see it you must win a lottery ticket or else you are not allowed to go. They do this to conserve the space. You can apply online or attend an in-person lottery in hopes to win a slot to go. Let’s just say I am not too lucky. Literally, both days I went the number before mine got called- so close but so far. Needless to say, I did not get to see the Wave, so I had to come up with some alternatives. Also, on the same trip, we headed over to Page area and I wanted to check out Antelope Canyon but unfortunately, since the COVID pandemic it was closed to the public. Another time, another time. My alternatives did not disappoint though as there is so much to do and see in this area.
USA- roads closed ahead
In the United States, we decided one weekend to head over the Shenandoah National Park for a drive. It had been somewhat chilly the week before, but the weather had turned warm and sunny. We also did the trip as our National Parks Pass was expired and we knew we needed one for our upcoming trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. We were doing a snowmobile tour there, so they required us to already have passes prior to the trip. We got the park entrance in Front Royal and had marked out this whole plan to drive down and then swoop back up. I had looked up some awesome wineries and breweries to possibly check out on the way back. When we got to the park, the ranger informed us that there was ice on some the roadways and the park was closed beyond the first visitor center, but they were reassessing, and she had high hopes that the road would be able to open in a few hours. Dickey Ridge Visitor Center is literally only a couple miles into the park. We had to regroup and decide what to do. There were a few hikes from that visitor center though not the ones we had planned, and we figured we would do one of them and recheck. We did recheck and the road was still not open, so we did another trail from that area. We checked again and still not open. Thus, our plans were thwarted, and we would have to come back another day.
the lesson
In the end, events and plans can change because of temporary closures, various opening hours, weather conditions and sometimes when traveling you have to make the most out of situations when your best laid plans are obstructed by things out of your control. Things will go wrong when you travel, and you will have to adjust.
You can plan alternatives in advance. I would especially recommend this if you know there is a chance of bad weather or in case you get stuck an extra day or certain plans fall through. If you can spend extra time in an area for something you really want to do that may give you the window of opportunity to see it on another day when open or more favorable conditions.
It just gives you reason to want to go back again for another round. I am still thinking of some of these things I have missed and dreaming of when I will get there to try it all again. Remember stay calm and find something else and you might be pleasantly surprised at what you find or do to make up for it.
