2.01 · Four Trips That Went Sideways

Four Trips That Went Sideways
Four readers, four trips that went wrong and ended well. The travelers are fictional; the places are real.

Story 1 · The Island Can Wait — Sean, Dublin

The gate was locked, and the rain was coming down sideways. I’d set off from Cancún at dawn, and after nearly three hours on a bus, I’d reached Chiquilá, the little port for Holbox island. I’d booked a beach cabin there to get away from it all. A storm must have closed the port, I thought. It had.

A fisherman saw me standing there like a wet cat. He must have felt sorry for me, because his family put me up for the night. I roughed it in a hammock and lost every card game to his daughter. The next morning, I got on the first ferry. The cabin was lovely, but the best night of the trip was in Chiquilá.

Story 2 · One Stop Too Early? — Kate, Denver

I was traveling light through Oaxaca, with just one backpack. One evening, I took the last bus to a mountain town where I’d booked a guesthouse. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, the driver was calling out a name that sounded like my town. I grabbed my bag and got off.

The bus drove away, and I was alone at a quiet bus stop. I might have gotten off one stop too early, I thought. I walked up and down for ten minutes, practicing how to ask for directions in Spanish. Then I noticed a small sign across the street. It was my guesthouse. The owner must have seen me from her window: she couldn’t stop laughing when she opened the door.

Story 3 · The Sandwich Run — Jake, Chicago

Last summer, my friend Luke and I were getting around Spain by train. On the way to Seville, our train stopped in Córdoba, and I jumped off to buy sandwiches. By the time I ran back, the doors had closed. I waved the sandwiches, but the train didn’t wait. Luke had both our tickets.

I bought a new ticket and took the next train to Seville. I called Luke ten times, but his phone must have died. Two hours later, he called me from a borrowed phone. He’d gotten off in Seville and taken a train back to Córdoba, to look for me. We’d passed each other going in opposite directions! That night, I gave him his sandwich.

Story 4 · The Wedding Guest — Emma, Leeds

I flew to Cancún for my best friend’s wedding, with my dress in my suitcase. After changing planes in Madrid, I waited at the baggage carousel while everyone else picked up their bags. Then the belt stopped, completely empty. My suitcase must have missed the connection, the airline said.

The wedding was the next day, so I bought a blue dress at a market. The next evening, I was dancing at the wedding when a van stopped outside. The driver walked across the dance floor with my suitcase. I’d written the wedding address on the airline form! He can’t have delivered many suitcases to a party before. Now my suitcase is in half the wedding photos.