Last spring, if you faithful followers may recall, I took a trip to Egypt. I went on a sort of business trip, but since I work for a travel agency it wasn’t really a business trip. My “job” was to explore as much of the country as possible in two weeks so that I could start selling the Egyptian itineraries back home.
My first full day in Cairo was a bit of a whirlwind. I was picked up at my hotel absurdly early and driven straight to the pyramids. My guide helped me buy a ticket, we walked up the hill, he gave me a quick history lesson, and then said, “You can take pictures for half an hour,” and walked away. And I suddenly realized how very, very alone I was.

I was still jet lagged, the sun was too hot, I had no stomach for breakfast, I didn’t speak the language, and I wasn’t with a traveling companion. The only other person in Cairo who I could talk to had just walked away and left me alone, on the edge of the desert.

“What if,” I wondered, “he really did just walk away? What if he never comes back?”

I’m sure, at one time or another you’ve all found yourselves in an equally distressing situation. Your first instinct, if you’re anything like me, is to panic. But you need to take a few deep breaths, calm yourself down, and re-evaluate the situation. It really isn’t as bad as it seems. You may be halfway around the world in an unfamiliar environment but at least you know where you are. Don’t think about how far away home is. Think local. Did you take public transportation to where you are now? Can you retrace your steps back to your hotel? Do you have a city map
with you? Could you walk back to your hotel if you had to? If worse comes to worse, can you remember the name of your hotel to tell to a cab driver?

See? You’re not so lost after all. You know what you just did? You created a safety net. Now you know that even if you were just abandoned by your tour guide, at least you can make it back to your hotel. Whenever you find yourself in an equally distressing situation (and I’m sure you all have your own stories) try to imagine the worst-case scenario. Now compare it to your current situation. See the difference? Unless you’re in immediate danger there is no need to panic.
Take a deep breath. Take a look around. Are you at the base of the pyramids? (Or a temple in Japan? Or hiking in South America?) Good! Explore a little. Chances are, the ½ hour is going to be up before you know it and your guide is going to have to drag you away to the next location.