“Xin chào,” I greet the receptionist at Hoiana New World Hotel and Resort in Hoi An, Vietnam. “I need to check in to my room but we have a slight issue. My luggage did not make my connection from Taipei so I don’t have any of my belongings.” 

Yes, my worst nightmare realized. After an 18-hour flight from New York to Taiwan, I hopped on a quick connecting flight to Da Nang, Vietnam. But much to my chagrin, upon landing I discovered that my luggage did not make the quick connection. It was a nightmare. I was in Vietnam with none of my belongings (apart from the clothes on my back that is). 

As much as this situation sucked, I tried my best to make the most of it and stay positive. After all, I was in Vietnam, and I had my most important possessions on me (wallet and passport), so how bad could things really be?! I chose to view the missing luggage debacle as an opportunity, a sign that I needed to go shopping. I had planned to do that anyways, just not out of necessity. 😂

Given the circumstances of my situation, I was very fortunate to have been aided tremendously by the kind hotel staff. My friends at Hoiana truly went above and beyond to make sure that I was able to secure all the necessities. They promised to call me as soon as they heard anything from the airport to make sure my luggage got delivered straight to my door. And lo and behold, a few days later my suitcases finally arrived, all belongings intact. 

What the case of the misplaced luggage taught me is that our problems are never as big as they seem to be. While not having any of my things was a major inconvenience, that’s all it was: an inconvenience. Life goes on, and in the scheme of things this was nothing but a minor blip. I’m happy I did not let this trivial matter negatively impact my trip. It’s not everyday you get to travel halfway across the world to meet fellow board members and celebrate with each other at an elegant gala, so I focused all my energy on taking it in and appreciating the moment. Hence why I am just getting around now to writing about the experience. I’ve had some time to process it all. Much more to come in terms of reflections on this amazing trip to Vietnam, so be the lookout for more blogs to come soon. And remember: if you lose your luggage while traveling it’s not the end of the world. Onward!