Remember the time you were stuck at the side of the road all night, trying to hitchhike your way to Andorra? Then there’s the time you spent four hours in a Madrid train station, trying to buy tickets, only to be thrown out by the ticket seller because you were a weeping wreck.
Or how about when you somehow lost your money and tube pass and had to hike four hours across drizzly London, using an A-Z map book to find your way back to your squat?
These lowlights of our trips can be excruciating in the moment, but later prove to be some of the best things that happened to us. Why are lowlights so great for the creative traveler? Here are six reasons the lowlights can be the real reason we leave home.
Lowlights give us great stories to tell once we get home. The drama and the tension make for the kind of tales that have people on the edge of their seat, listening for the next juicy tidbit. There’s only so much zest in a story about how you enjoyed the perfect setting in a villa in Italy but the story of your all-night trek in Istanbul makes you a hero.
The lowlights of life show us who we are. They push us past our comfort zones and reveal us to ourselves in ways that highlights don’t. Maybe you don’t want to discover that you’re not capable of keeping your act together when faced with difficult circumstances, but at least you know how you respond under stress and can perhaps lessen that the next time.
Lowlights grow us. Being revealed to ourselves, we’re given an opportunity to grow. We can see our faults and foibles in high relief, and perhaps we’ll be a better version of ourselves for the next lowlight.
Lowlights give us the kind of thrill we often seek when we travel. Many frequent travelers are the types who veer toward, rather than away from challenging situations. If we admit it, the lowlights are what have us leave home in the first place – seeking gritty, uncomfortable situations.
Lowlights let us appreciate life more. There’s nothing like being without housing, food or shelter to remember that our cozy life back home isn’t the way everyone lives. Being forced to endure difficult scenarios can help remove us from our normal comfort and safety zone, and gain empathy for the less fortunate.
Lowlights can stimulate our creativity. They provide experiences that push us from our comfort zone and give us material and insights for our art.
What lowlights have you experienced on your trips and how have they impacted you? Jot a few lowlights in your journal and their accompanying lessons. You’ll get more from your adventures and transform those painful experiences into something of value.
Bottom line: Even the crappy times can be helpful later.
Coaching Inquiry/Writing Prompt:
What have your lowlights added to your creativity? Tell us in a comment below. Don’t be shy.
Psst…the lowlights mentioned at the beginning of the article all happened to me. Guess what? They absolutely formed me and contributed to my creativity. Don’t shun yours!
I love this article! And isn’t it true that the lowlights make for much better stories? I hadn’t thought of that.
The same is true for the lowlights of one’s business. We learn and grow more from them and can teach others because of our experiences.
Thanks, Alyson. The lowlights are definitely the best stories – bad circumstances that create drama and allow us to show our everyday heroism.
It’s true that our businesses allow us to grow, too. If you’re not learning from your business lowlights, you probably wouldn’t last very long!
End of September – two friends and I camping on a river for a music fesitval. Brought our own raft and put it in the water like we had good sense after dropping my car downstream. We assumed the river followed the road, which it did most of the way. Not having thought to get a map we didn’t account for the big 11 mile loop it made. We were on the river 8 hours and in the end navigating by the full moon. Finally, about 9:30 pm we spotted a flashlight on shore and a couple who helped us off and drove us to a gas station where we found another ride back to our campsite. No one got upset or frustrated – just a little worried about maybe having to spend the night in the raft. But it all worked out and it was our Big Adventure we got to tell everyone about. And we did see some gorgeous sites we would not have seen otherwise. Eagles and Heron’s and a gorgeous sunset and amazing stars. Next time – we’ll read the map!
Sherrie,
Thanks for sharing this story so beautifully. I was with you every step of the way! There’s always something to gain from being a little clueless, isn’t there? If you’d had a map, you’d have been looking at that much more than at the beauty around you.
And, a little reconnaissance never hurts!
The best travel stories are made from these lowlights–thank you or the reminder. Thinking I was “single” I bought a single vs a multi visa to England once…So I went to France on hovercraft, and on the train from Calais to Paris, a woman gave me a metropass, which I happily accepted, and an architect offered to put me up, an offer I declined. On the return trip, a storm had us divert to another port, & the French shuffled me aboard. In Dover, however, the officials said no. Two/Four/Five/ Six? long hours later, an official said, fine, you’re free to go. The French–he did use the amphibian word–would be fined a hefty sum for their mistake.
Instead of being in jolly old England, I might have eaten a baguette to celebrate, but as it was, I ordered chips with vinegar, and it was the best thing indeed.
Indira,
Great journey juju story! I’m curious about what would have happened if you’d accepted the architect’s invitation. (There’s a title – The Architect’s Invitation)
Crazy how things work out. And how the simplest things can offer such comfort.
My inner storyteller fires up the instant trouble begins; a great natural defense mechanism. I see the event in the most entertaining fashion and it somehow includes my age, weight, and the history of my frumpy clothes. I lean right into the experience and try to find the perfect words to create a humorous and heartwarming story.
Being well entertained and creatively engaged (while thoroughly miserable) keeps my travels balanced and productive.
Great noticing, Lilliian! The gremlin wants to point us toward a victim’s perspective. “See? I told you it was better to stay home!” But out champion – the creative part of ourselves who loves story and meaning – will point us toward what’s to be gained. I love that you know that.
Cynthia, this was a great article–so true on so many levels! The lowlights are the real reason professors encourage students to study abroad (personal growth!!) even more than language acquisition. The nominal cultural and linguistic fluency are foils for the “stretch challenges” that come with long-tern foreign travel. Remember when we spent All-Saints weekend in that hostel in London with the French guys who shared our bunkroom commenting on us? Twenty-two years later, I’m still convinced they were the ones who stole my return ticket to Paris… and my American toothpaste!
Loved reading the article on the newsletter, and seeing the photos here made it even better! Have a great flight home, and here’s hoping you always have the perfect balance of grace and grit in your travels!
The Loç,
Thanks for sharing the memory of the lowlight we experienced together! I totally remember how uncomfortable and weird that weekend was.
I love how eloquently you talk about ‘stretch challenges’. I absolutely believe that living in France when I was 17 and again 20 gave me so much strength and fortitude. I’ve written a couple of essays about my experiences in France and they are all about the lowlights.
Thanks for your feedback on the newsletter/blog format. I’m happy to know what makes reading and commenting easier.
After grad school I recovered from 2 years of group-project suffocation with a solo trip to the UK. My first night in Edinburgh the nasty B&B keeper informed me that, despite prior confirmation, the rates had gone up (by about the amount I had budgeted each day for food). If I didn’t like it I could find somewhere else. Given that it was Festival – easier said than done so I stayed.
After sobbing on my tiny bed for awhile, I took a deep breath and a shower. Then I pulled my only cute outfit from the bottom of my backpack and hit the town.
Later that night I met a boy with beautiful blue eyes in a pub. He fed me for the next 3 days and eventually married me!
Lesson? It’s good to acknowledge your feelings/frustration, then move on! There’s a world out there waiting.
Cindy,
I love this story! It’s a great lesson for me to remember. It’s all too easy to stay in the cocoon when you’re not feeling great. And, I’m sure you wanted to get away from that meany! Edinburgh is a magical place to have met your husband.
What juju you had that day!
Love this article because it brings back so many memories!
Getting caught in a torrential rainstorm while exploring the ruins of a Moorish castle on a mountaintop in Sintra, Portugual. Spending a frigid night on a cross-France journey in an unheated train car… and then learning that the rest of the train had heat. Sleeping on the cold floor in the Munich train station during Oktoberfest to be rudely awakened at 5 am by police with bully sticks and dogs…
I never think of them as “lowlights,” though, because traveling and seeing new things, meeting new people, eating new foods… it’s all worth it.
When the three of us came racing and sliding down that mountain through the curtains of rain and rivers of mud, we emerged through the trees to see a clearing featuring an idyllic cottage with smoke coming out the chimney. We knocked on the door and were welcomed by a lovely Portuguese woman and her beagle named Snoopy. She handed us towels and fed us hot chocolate in front of the fireplace until the rain abated.
Sometimes the “lowlights” lead us to the highlights in life!
Elizabeth,
Your comment about bringing back memories reminds me of how much we want to share our travel stories. Whenever I’ve posted something like this, I get wee peeks into your journey juju. It’s so fun!
Sintra! That’s a magical place for sure. Did you know that Sintra is the root for Cynthia? I found that out when I was there. I’ve been to that castle, and I know how special that area is. I am not surprised (though I am delighted) to hear about the magic cottage waiting for you. Yummy!
It does seem like there’s always a highlight waiting after a lowlight.