I was talking with my friend earlier this week and we were reminiscing about our time abroad. I couldn’t help but think about how many fun stories I have to tell about this time in my life. So, I just had to write it down and share it with whoever wanted to know about it.

Because I have so many stories, I am going to focus on just one of the craziest and slightly over-dramatic ones. (It didn’t feel dramatic at the time.) This is why you should travel. You will have lifelong stories you can tell everyone.

My traveling buddy, Cha’Rae Brown, and I were in Frankfurt, Germany and we were nearing the end of our time abroad. I was looking forward to being back home and visiting my family after three months of not seeing them.

We had a hotel room on the outskirts of Frankfurt and on our last day we ventured out into the city. We had horrible tasting beer (we drank it anyway), a unique ride on a bicycle buggy, and walked a long time in the rain.

When we got back to the hotel that night I was watching one of the news shows I watch on YouTube and they were mentioning our last country to tour, The United Arab Emirates and flights from Qatar.

This news, put into the most basic terms, is that all flights from Qatar Airways would be banned from most Middle Eastern countries. This was mainly because of the gulf crisis in Qatar.

And I bet you can’t guess what my first connecting flight back to the U.S. was? Dubai, UAE to Qatar on Qatar Airways on June 12 2017. I watch the news over and over again before I go into a full panic mode.

“There is no way this is happening to me?” I think to myself. My mind starts racing and I can’t help but uncontrollably cry. “How am I getting home?” I scream.

You may think this is just an over dramatized retelling of the story, but Cha’Rae was there and she had to deal with all of this and I assure you she will tell you that’s really how it all went down.

I called my mom and she said that I should just enjoy my time while I’m in Dubai and that it will get figured out.

Then I called Lori Utecht who was with us in Greece and Italy and she helped us book our flights back to the United States before we left for study abroad in March. She said she was going to contact the travel agency that we booked our flights with and she would update me. She also mentioned that I should visit with the help desks in the airports before leaving Frankfurt and upon arriving in Dubai.

When Cha’Rae and I woke up to go to the Frankfurt airport and start our journey to Dubai, I still had no idea how I was getting back to the U.S. So, I did what Lori advised me to and I went to the Qatar Airways check in help desk and there was no one there. Apparently if airlines are banned, so are the help desk workers, flight attendants, and pilots from said airline. So we boarded the plane to Dubai.

The reason Cha’Rae wasn’t affected and keeping me together emotionally as best as she could is because her connecting flight was in Bahrain. We were flying separately back to the United States and meeting in Chicago to fly back into Omaha together.

This was fine with me at the time we booked our flights, but now that I was panicking on a way to get back, I wish I would have gone through Bahrain too.

We landed in Dubai and I met with a travel help desk in the airport and they basically told me they couldn’t do anything but help me pay for a new flight. Which I could definitely not afford so close to the end of my trip abroad.

I cried in the airport in front of many people and once I calmed down we headed to our AirBNB. Before I went to bed, I prayed that I would have a way back to the U.S.

That next day I received word from Lori Utecht that the travel agency I booked my flight with was in the process of changing my flight for me free of charge. I was so happy that I could now truly enjoy my time in Dubai.

Cha’Rae and I went to the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall and Fountain. My flights went great and I was so happy when I saw my family and told them this story and so many others in person.

The main point of this whole story is don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and travel. Travel anywhere and without worry, because life is short and full of opportunities for adventure if you take the chance.