What to Do If You Get Lost While Traveling
There are many ways to get lost while traveling. You fall asleep on the train and miss a few stops, and when you wake up, the train is no longer running. Your phone is dying and Google or Apple Maps are no longer available. Maybe you’ve completely lost your phone – and here’s your only card.
Something happens, but you don’t need to be afraid or anxious – a lot can be done if you get lost.
Plan, don’t panic
Expect something to go wrong on every trip; this way you will know what to do if this happens. Keep a spare charger or battery for your devices; make a map of how to get to the place of residence and back without a phone; have some extra money in case you have to jump into a taxi; know what are your stops on the train; and keep your emergency contacts handy at all times.
Keep your phone with you
At times, you might think that having a phone is pointless if you have no service in a certain area, or your battery may be dead and you want to leave it charging. But if you have a choice, you should never go anywhere without your phone.
Someone will always have a charger that’s right for your phone, whether it’s a hotel or a coffee shop. Even if you don’t have a service, you can connect to anywhere using Wi-Fi. And Wi-Fi access can help you find an interpreter to tell you that you are lost and where you are trying to go. The phone is priceless. Keep your phone with you.
Carry a card for your hotel / accommodation
Each hotel information, including name and address, will be written in the native language if you are in a non-English speaking country. If you get lost, you can always show someone the address to see if they can help you get back to where you should be. It can help you anywhere in the world.
In China, I took an Uber at the wrong hotel and my phone was dying. I showed the reception of the wrong hotel the card of the hotel I was supposed to pick up at (my Chinese is limited to the words “hello”, “goodbye” and “thank you”). It was easy to see that I was in the wrong place, so they not only showed me on a map where my hotel is, but also called Uber while my phone was charging on their desk.
Learn the jargon
It’s always good to know how to ask for help in any language.
- “I need the police.”
- “I am lost.”
- “Do you speak English? Because I need help.”
People who speak another language will be more than willing to help if they understand what you need, even at the most basic level. You can also record multiple phrases in both native and English; carry them with you and point to the phrases you want so people have a general idea of how they can be useful.
Pay attention
Everywhere in the world, I’ve watched people invest so much in their phone screens or neglect them that they missed train stops or went in a completely different direction that they shouldn’t have gone.
Being aware of your surroundings and paying attention to landmarks, street names, or how you got to a place can help you get back to where you need to be.