It seems like I held my breath for half of my first day on the road. The first day on the road usually brings hiccups. You realize very quickly everything you’ve forgotten, what you didn’t need to pack, and how prepared you really are. New places bring the unexpected, which is part of the fun, but there are definitely avoidable stresses. I learned that the hard way.

I hit my first lump-in-throat-feeling moment before I even landed in Mexico, which was my first destination. Yes, that’s right. I didn’t even make it past my first airport before running into a hurdle.

At the Airport

Many countries require you to have some sort of proof or explanation of when and how you will leave. As I was checking in the lady at the counter informed me that I may have a problem when I arrive in Mexico since I did not have anything to show that I would be leaving. Great. My flight was departing in a couple hours and now I was sweating and nervous. I was allowed to go through and board but was told I might run into a problem when I land. I frantically tried to find something online but the airport wifi was terrible and what little loaded was only expensive flights, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.