Looking back at the past couple months and all the places I’ve been, it seems like some of the most memorable things have happened when I least expected them to. I’ve gone to several places with arms wide open not knowing what may come and I’ve come out thankful I went in the way I did for it made my experience that much better. 

On my way to Barcelona, I had EVERYTHING planned out. I knew when I landed and I knew how long my layover was before catching my connection from Sweden to Barcelona. I had my chargers ready, my camera, a pillow, a book, some snacks and a change of clothes in case something went wrong. But I surely didn’t see this one coming…
It seems that my connecting flight wasn’t full enough so it was cancelled and I was put on an earlier flight. This would of course be ideal if my arrangements hadn’t been made for a later time. You see, my flight to Barcelona arrived at 8:00pm and I couldn’t move into my apartment till 8:00am the next morning, when someone would pick me up at the airport to take me to my new place.
Worst of all WIFI at the airport wasn’t free and I didn’t have an international plan so I had absolutely no way of contacting everyone.

So as I sat there almost in tears – afraid of being alone with no communication to anyone close to me, in a foreign country – I decided I couldn’t just cry or get mad, that would solve nothing. I decided to suck it up and pay for a days worth of WIFI, I unpacked all the things I thought would help me through my flight and I made a little corner for myself at Barcelona Airport.

Sure, sleeping on a cold, hard bench wasn’t my idea of a first night (or any night for that matter) but it sure is a fun story to tell now that I am sitting comfortably on my couch with a wonderful view of the Sagrada Familia. It was a bit rough I’ll admit – even the deodorant and change of clothes didn’t make me feel much cleaner after 36 hours without a shower, but it taught me that things can AND WILL go wrong from time to time. The important part was that I shook the worries away and made the best of a bad situation.

My view from home

So as you set off on your travels there are an innumerable number of travel accessories that can make going from place to place a lot easier while ensuring you are able to captivate the moments. Planning your activities ahead, budgeting a map and a camera, or your phone – filled with the best photo and travel apps – can certainly make your trip come along smoothly from beginning to end. But there’s always the possibility that something goes wrong – unforeseeable weather, delayed or missed flights, stolen items, not enough time, the list goes on and on. When things go awry, it’s easy to want to give up and pout for the rest of your trip angry that things didn’t work out. This is why keeping an open mind is (in my opinion) the best thing you can bring with you in your travels. An open mind allows you to remain hopeful , even when it feels like all your plans are falling apart, but no matter what you end up doing – or how you get there – things will seem a bit brighter.