Last week, we were packing for what has become a familiar routine.
Our future home is around two and a half hours’ drive away, and staying locally makes the practical, emotional, and logistical reality of our property project much easier to hold. It took time to find somewhere that suited us, so when we heard the hotel we’d been using had gone into administration, there was a quiet unease in the background.
Each time we booked, we hoped it would all be okay.
It was — until it wasn’t.
As we started packing for our one-night stay, I missed a call from the property. When I listened to the voicemail, it was 3pm. The message was simple and abrupt: they had closed their doors with immediate effect, and we wouldn’t be able to stay that night. We were due to leave at 4.
In the space of a few minutes, two very different parts of my brain kicked in at once.
One part went into practical mode: opening tabs, scanning alternatives, hoping that by some small miracle the “perfect” place would finally appear after weeks of being elusive. At the same time, I opened a chat with Expedia to begin the refund process for our non-refundable booking — still ongoing, but one of those small, steady admin tasks you simply have to trust will resolve.
The other part of me noticed something familiar in my body.
That quiet tightening. The moment where you realise a plan you were holding lightly is now gone. The moment where you have to decide how you’re going to meet the change.
It took me straight back to the early days of travelling again after the pandemic.
The sudden pivots. The policies that changed overnight. The paperwork, tests, and requirements that seemed to shift just as you thought you’d understood them. The feeling of packing with one set of rules and flying with another.
There were trips that ended early, journeys that were rerouted, plans that dissolved while I was mid-pack. And over time, something in me changed.
I stopped expecting plans to hold. I started expecting movement.
Not in a resigned way — but in a way that softened my grip on certainty. You can read all about it HERE if you would like to know more.
Travel taught me that flexibility isn’t about being endlessly positive. It’s about being willing to respond without letting panic take the wheel. It’s about understanding that sometimes the most important skill isn’t planning well — it’s adapting well.
Standing in the kitchen with half-packed bags and a closed hotel booking, I realised I was meeting this moment differently than I might once have done.
There was disappointment, yes. There was a flicker of irritation. But there wasn’t the same sense of everything collapsing.
Instead, there was a quiet: Okay. What now?
We decided to drive there and back in the same day. It wasn’t perfect. It was exhausting. But it was OK.
And that feels like a small but meaningful midlife shift.
So much of life — travel included — asks us to hold plans lightly. To prepare, yes, but not to cling. To make arrangements, but not to confuse arrangements with certainty. To understand that the skill we’re really building is not control, but responsiveness.
The world will keep changing. Properties will close. Rules will shift. Plans will unravel at inconvenient moments.
The question becomes less about how tightly we plan, and more about how kindly we meet ourselves when things move under our feet.
This is something travel taught me. And, it turns out, something life keeps reminding me of at home too.
So, how do you usually meet last-minute change — with resistance, or with a little space to adapt? I’d love to hear your thoughts — just hit reply if this stirred something for you.Thank you for being here — whether you read every word or just dip in now and then.
Until next time,
Safe travels,
Sue x
This email may contain affiliate links. If you choose to use them, I may receive a small commission — thank you. You’ll never pay more, and my opinions are always my own.
P.S. Helpful travel resources I genuinely use can always be found below:
🏠 For accommodation, I use Expedia and Booking.com primarily. They have their own loyalty schemes which is easy to progress through the levels for better discounts and inclusions.
🚍 For tours and activities, my preferred supplier is Get Your Guide.
🗺️ For multi day or week tours, check out G Adventures. I used them for trips in Costa Rica, Peru, and Galapagos.
🧳 For luggage storage on your travels, I recommend the service by Bounce.
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