By Nancy Dorrans
Everyone has at least one or more nightmare stories of travel hiccups and horrors. Some of my clients have one airline they will absolutely never fly on again. For others it is an airport they refuse to fly through or into. This summer there seems to be a bit of a perfect storm for airlines, airports, and pent-up travelers. No pilots, passengers boarding then offboarding, rebooking then nothing available, cancellations, hours on hold… How did it get so bad?
Could it be the loss of control over the situation that has caused so much frustration and the recent traveler’s revenge, as the industry has coined the pent-up demand? Are we as travelers the victims, perpetrators/persecutors, or rescuers? This current storm is like a swirling dysfunctional triangle!
The Drama Triangle
“The Drama Triangle” was first described by Stephen Karpman in the 1960s. “It is a model of dysfunctional social interactions and illustrates a power game that involves three roles: Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor, each role represents a common and ineffective response to conflict.”
If you read my article last month about escorting a group of forty-eight high school students from Spain to Greece, you know that Mr. Leonard had the lead in one of my nightmare travel stories. He played the major role of perpetrator and minored as victim. I landed the role of rescuer. Often my go-to place in the triangle.
The students, on the other hand, avoided or ignored Mr. Leonard’s roles and enjoyed the spontaneous moments of their European adventure. I followed them out of the Drama Triangle. They connected with each other and the surrounds with awe and were inspiring. I’ve held onto the memories of these precious students and moments all these years.
Roses to the Rescue in Italy
One evening at dinner somewhere in Italy, the restaurant seated all the students in the back room. The rest of us “adults” had a small table out front. While we were dining on pasta and red wine, a peddler came in with a basket of long stem red roses to sell to the patrons. He greeted us and asked Mr. Leonard if he wanted to buy a rose for one or both of his ladies (me and his sister) at the table. He declined.
I motioned for the peddler to head back to where the students were dining. He did. Moments later one of the students, Kyle, came out of the back room with a rose. He smiled and gave it to me! What a sweet and thoughtful gesture. I’m sure I blushed! I was happy. Kyle was happy. The peddler was happy, too. His basket was almost empty!
The Superfast Ferry’s Bridge
A few days later our group boarded an overnight “Superfast Ferry” from Bari, Italy to Patras, Greece. After dinner there wasn’t much for the students to do since they weren’t old enough to drink or go to the casino room. I found several of them sitting around looking bored.
I asked if anyone wanted to go for a walk up on the deck. Half a dozen girls joined me, and we walked up the stairs into a strong wind. We could barely walk forward. I suggested we try and run across the top deck. They took the bait and raced across. Everyone laughed as the winners tagged the wall. I came in last but in time to see the captain open the door. We were at the bridge. He looked very serious. He asked us if we’d seen anything odd. His crew below had reported what sounded like several elephants running above their sleeping quarters. Then he laughed and invited us all in for a tour of the bridge!
He explained all the controls and introduced us to his first mates. The bridge offers the best unrestricted view of the coast and lights of the villages nearby. We soaked it in! I didn’t care where Mr. Leonard was at that point. He was in the triangle, and I was not.
Traveler’s Revenge
Travel can be difficult, and it often doesn’t go as planned. Sometimes the unexpected leads to wonderful memories, sometimes not.
This summer I’m happy to say that travel is surging. Many countries have loosened their Covid-19 restrictions and reopened borders. BUT the surge is washing ashore and causing travel chaos. Travelers are taking revenge on Covid!
“Traveler’s Revenge” is a new industry term for this pent-up demand. Airlines can’t keep up. Airports are asking the airlines to cut down on flights in London and elsewhere. Everyone is beat down and overworked, and this isn’t just while traveling.
Best advice if you want to get away and avoid the traveler’s revenge? Use a travel advisor. Schedule your flights for early morning departures. Purchase trip cancellation insurance. Be flexible. Make a list of where you want to go next, but wait to book the next big trip!
If you do book and take a trip in the next few months, please try and make the most of the unexpected. Stay calm, breathe deep, and be nice. Know that you’ll have the best experience and memories if you do.
Nancy Dorrans is a professional travel expert and founded Adventure Marketplace in 2014.
