The more we travel, the more we have come to realize that, sometimes, it is ok to get lost when you travel. In fact, getting lost can often be better than finding your way on the first try. It happens that we get lost a lot, or maybe it is that I get lost a lot.
Left, right, north, south – seriously don’t play with my head. For someone who is relatively intelligent, my sense of direction and my knowledge of my left from my right is nonexistent. This is making my new life as a yoga junkie difficult, but my teacher seems to have figured me out ..’the leg nearest to me’ she says looking straight at me.
Getting lost often makes for the best memories and stories.
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I went for my driver’s license many moons ago. I was told to turn left, and I went right. Lucky that I did because if I didn’t have this affliction, then I would have been in a tiny lane having to do a 3 point turn. I would not have got my license if I had known my directions.
My friends and family know about this, and they know that they must point to the direction if they want to get to the destination. I drive Gordon mad with my lack of knowledge, and he still attempts to lecture me on how it all works to the point that he brings out compasses, shows me stars and the sun and shadows. He is wasting his time – my eyes glaze over as I have no interest or indeed the desire to remedy this affliction.
It could be that I am like Derek Zoolander, and am not an ambiturner.
Getting lost can lead to unexpected adventures.
I went skiing with Gordon and my brother in law in Australia. You know who you are Craig! We were flying down a mountain, and one yelled to me – ‘we’re going left.’ I went right. I was so lost that I ended up in the terrain park, going over moguls and ended up in a grove of trees. I felt certain that the boys would be waiting for me somewhere, but the further I went, the more lost I got.
I did what all resourceful people do – I sat in the middle of the snow, totally by myself, and I cried.
I finished this weeping, started swearing and seeking revenge on those who had left me stranded. I then got to a spot where I had phone coverage and called Gordon. All I could hear was them laughing and telling me to turn left at the bottom of the hill near the creek and take a right turn to get to the ski lift. Were they serious?
Of course, I got lost again, but I was rescued by a Canadian man, who must have heard some bad language and he skied me back to where ‘those’ people were waiting.
We ended spending the next few days with him skiing and socializing. Out of bad comes good … and revenge also.
Getting lost can help you learn how to relax and just embrace the situation
Gordon must have got the same affliction as me once, and we ended up getting very lost outside of Ubud, Bali as we were trekking through the fields, woods, and jungles. We met a man who was also obviously lost, and again we made a new friend and eventually after a few hours, the three of us came in from the woods to enjoy many a Bintang and a traditional Balinese ceremony.
Getting lost can enhance the travel experience
Meeting Local People when you Get Lost, is the best part. You might like to read this .. Meeting Locals is the best part of travelling?
I have a mouth, and multilingual hands and people are very kind in assisting with my plight. This is an excellent way to talk to local people even if they might say in whatever language – ‘stupido.’ They don’t actually, I have been amazed that many people go out of their way to not only point but to walk with you to make sure that you are are on the righteous path. People are ultimately very kind.
We were in Ankara and had gone up the hill into the old historic area. We stopped to talk to a man gardening. While he didn’t speak English particularly, and we really didn’t speak Turkish at all, we ended up discovering that his daughter had lived in our hometown of Wollongong, Australia. Go figure. Cups of apple tea later and we part company, richer for the experience.
Even if you don’t have this affliction, it is an excellent way to discover a place by wandering around in an unpredictable way.
This way you see where real people live and work and play. This is another reason why we like walking. We clock up a lot of kilometers in our planned getting lost and sometimes argue because we are lost. But we see lots of different things. Great things that are not in guide books as they happen spontaneously…like a movie being made in Montreal.
Getting Lost when you – some Hints
Getting lost when you travel is exactly that. Be prepared just to wander. Yes, have your details of your lodgings written down somewhere. Have a map as a backup, or a GPS lady who ‘points,’ and soak up the atmosphere of the back streets of the places you visit.
Get up early and watch the city wake up. People are friendly and pleasant, and watching businesses set up and people start to go about their lives is fun. We got to know the baker in Florence when he saw as wandering early daily, and he would bring us out some hot bread, and wandering Munich in the morning was the best.
Be sensible. Have some idea where you need to return to. Have some cash on you, should a tuk-tuk go past, and you could get a ride back and only use the GPS if you need to go somewhere and be there by a definite time.
Take your time and get lost. Remember it is all about serendipity – you just don’t know what is around the corner.
Can getting lost enhance the travel experience?
Fun read, and agree, it can make for some good stories. I especially enjoyed the ski photo. I’ve definitely been there a few times (chuckle).
The ski one was only funny, after, the event. Thanks for your reply.
Loved reading your stories of getting lost. So many great reasons to get lost whether on purpose or not. My husband is usually very good at directions but we do like to wander (with many precautions in place and in safe areas) especially in Europe in cities like Rome and Paris and all the Scandinavian cities. It’s so true about meeting locals. We’ve been rescued a few times by some nice Japanese who have actually escorted us to the right direction.
I think most people are very good people and do want to help you.
Hi Paula,
Love your sense of humor.
My affliction is quite the opposite. I am obsessed with direction. I am the autistic savant of direction. Even when I look at a photograph, I can tell you, “the photographer is facing west.” I can’t help it. I can hike in the woods and not get lost. I can be in a strange city, wander around for some time, then be able to point exactly in the direction I need to get back “home,” and then get there.
Having said all that, I totally agree with you about getting lost. The best things can happen — meeting locals, discovering that fabulous restaurant, or just experiencing local culture. So “getting lost” has a slightly different definition to me. For me it’s more like “unintended wanderings.”
Either way, your post is fun and entertaining reading!
~Josie
That is the best saying ever, the autistic savant of direction. Gordon keeps trying with the sun is here and all of that crap. I just let my eyes glaze over. I seriously have no idea where anything is, but east because I know that is the beach, and we live on the beach. If I leave here, I am stuffed.
I’m mentally really good at getting myself around, knowing where I am relative to other places, and at retracing my steps back to my starting point. I desperately attempted to get lost on purpose in Venice but unwittingly had kept track of where we were. However, I’m horrible at verbally communicating any of this information. I use the words “left” and “right” interchangeably which is difficult when my husband is the driver and I am the navigator. I find pointing much easier. When we driving around England, I was yelling “Left! Left! Left!” There were only right turns available, so my husband assumed I was saying the wrong direction. What I was actually trying to communicate was that we Americans were driving on the wrong side of the road and that he needed to switch to the left since a car was headed straight for us.
Love it Michele. Bet your husband loves you as a navigator too.
On our trip to Sardinia this past summer we stay we stayed at a B&B in Oristano. We went out for the evening and decided to take a different way back to the B&B. I thought I could find it by dead reckoning but I was completely wrong. We wandered for quite a while before I asked someone for directions outside of her home. She had not heard of our street and apologized. As we turned the corner her husband spoke to us through the window and described the way to get back to our street, which I don’t believe we would have ever found on our own. I confess I was having some anxiety.
I often have some anxiety when we get lost, but it turns out in the end to be good stories …once you are tucked up safely in your bed.
I have a pretty good sense of direction and rarely get lost, but my travelling companion has absolutely no sense of direction, so I have to be sure not to lose her at any time while we’re away. Having said that, we’ve had great walks in foreign cities, where we weren’t technically lost, but we discovered things we never would have seen otherwise. Venice is a classic example of this – and we discovered pretty little laneways, parts of the city where there were NO tourists, and a great little bar for a refreshment!
I am like your friend. It is a great way to discover things that you didn’t know anything about.
I hate being lost. Hate it! i’m sure it’s a control thing. My husband lived in Hong Kong for a year 25 years ago or so. and when we go back he uses his 1997 mental map of the city, which doesn’t work at all because they are always reclaiming land, moving ferry terminals a mile down the coast and so on. We often wind up putting a few extra miles on our feet when we discover something else has moved and usually after 2 or 3 days my feet are killing me. Luckily, they at least have excellent foot massage spaces in Hong Kong so I can revive my tired feet for the next goose chase he sends us on.
I love that you go on goose chases, and a foot massage is always a great way to finish off getting lost on your travels.
Most women suffer from this affliction unfortunately. It has something to do with how our brains are wired. I get lost every single time I drive in Brisbane and that is not even close to be a foreign city! I recently got lost in Bangkok at night time when I separated from my friend who I was shopping with. I ended up going around in circles but eventually found a landmark I was familiar with and made my way back to the hotel. Although I was a little frightened at the time I was never in any danger really.
I hear you Kathy. Sometimes I start to freak out if I am on my own, but landmarks are a great way of reassuring you that you are nearly back home.
Hubby and I also like to wander. As long as we have a basic idea of which directions NOT to go, we are fine. We always discover something new, meet new people, and generally have a good experience, and like you, we occasionally meet someone who knows someone we know in New Zealand.
On to this direction thing. Next time you are holding the steering wheel in the proper 10 and 2 positions, lift up your index fingers and put your thumbs out to the side. Look at your hands. The thumb and index finger that makes the L is your left hand. A kid taught me this, and now I usually get it right. Although I do still hear hubby say “your other left” far too often.
I have been taught so many tricks to help me with left and right, but none of them stick. It seems I am just stuck with this. I get ‘your other left’ a lot.
We got lost in Venice last year. We were enjoying the markets in the evening, and didn’t realise how far we had wandered. Then the sun went down and all the market stalls packed up and we TOTALLY lost our bearings! We did eventually find our way back to our hotel, but had very tired sore feet from doing all that walking!!!! Now it’s one of our favourite travel memories!!!
This is so true. When ever anything runs so smoothly, the experiences don’t become as etched in your brain, as when things go slightly astray.