Do you love missing a scheduled flight/train and like being forced to run around to try and book another one ASAP, pay through the nose for it and at the same time worry about the impact this will have on other important aspects of your life (career, college etc.)?
I know I don’t and I am sure most people don’t like it either, yet I often come across itineraries which are packed to the brim and require the traveler to catch a flight or train, towards the end of trip with no provisioned buffer days to fall back on. Problem with this sort of planning is, there is no scope for delays towards the end of trip. Even though we would like to believe that our plan is fool proof and things will go according to plan, fact of the matter is, things usually go haywire when you are least prepared for them.
From roads getting closed due to landslides, floods, broken bridges to strikes, buses/taxis getting cancelled/missed, mechanical faults or worse still, accidents. All these things can play havoc on your time bound schedule and make you miss that flight/train you booked months ago.
This is where buffer days can come in handy, by allowing you to have those crucial extra hours to watch the BRO guys clear the landslide or find another alternate route/transportation or wait for the agitators to cool down and stop damaging public and private property.
Buffer days becomes more essential, when you are going for a foreign trip or would be traveling at a time when severe weather like rain, snow and fog is expected, since in seasons like these, chances of encountering a road block or getting delayed are much higher.
So the next time you are planning for that oh so important and adventurous trip, don’t forget to keep aside couple of days for contingency.
2 Comments
Very true. I should send this article link to my project manager 🙂
Then he would sanction half of your leaves for trip and rest as buffer days, on which you have to report, unless stuck somewhere 😀