West Africa Day One: ready to pivot!

You might be wondering—how did she fit everything she needed for a three week trip to West Africa, including a huge motorcycle helmet in just two bags?

It all started before sunrise when my phone pinged at me. I didn't think my stomach could knot any tighter but before I even looked at the screen, it had. Delta. My flight to JFK was delayed.

I’d been dreading that message since the government shutdown more than a month ago, and with every passing day, the knot grew tighter.

But panic never gets you anywhere. If travel has taught me anything, it’s that plans fall apart so new stories can be written. And if you know me, you know I usually have a back-up plan... or two.

New action plan

1. Skip the checked bag and repack.

65L suitcase down to a carry-on. What stays? What goes? That extra dress—gone. I'll find one in the market. Six pairs of pants down to three. Eight shirts to four. Camera? Nope, my phone and GoPro will have to do. Poor Oliver watched me as I dumped and refilled bags, squeezing in every last ounce of space.

2. Check Amtrak schedules and other flight routes.

At the airport, talk kindly to the workers. They're weary and working without pay. I expected to see long lines and angry travelers but instead I found a ghost town. No lines. No travelers. Just a few, tired workers doing their best.

3. Find coffee.

What no Delta lounges at IAD?! I'm going to have a sore butt waiting this out on the hard airport chairs.

4. Refresh Google every five minutes until that little airplane icon says departed.

Then realize—just as my phone dies—that in the repack the one thing that didn't make it into a bag...MY PHONE CHARGER!

5. Finally, in the words of Ross Geller, be ready to “PIVOT!”

Adventure, it seems, is going to start earlier than expected.