When faced with a wave of strikes—flights canceled, subways suspended, buses halted—what should clueless tourists do? Our reporter has some tips for you.
Tip 1: Arrive at the airport early to wait for boarding
Passengers who book flights in advance usually receive notifications from airlines before a strike occurs. If your ticket truly cannot be changed, it’s advisable to get to the airport early to wait for boarding. Typically, international flights begin check-in over two hours in advance, but during a strike, try arriving even earlier before it starts to inquire—you might snag a last-minute seat and depart ahead of the strike. If you arrive at the airport after the strike has begun, stay updated with real-time airport information. As soon as the strike ends, you can immediately check in at the airport, queue up early, and take the first available flight back home.
Whenever a strike ends, the airport often gathers many passengers waiting for connecting flights, making it very crowded and possibly leading to shortages of airport resources. It’s best to prepare in advance—for example, bring your own food or items like sleeping bags. In case the strike lasts long or there’s a long wait for boarding, having these supplies can make your time at the airport more comfortable.
Tip 2: If flight changes are hard, switch hotels
If you learn about a strike in advance and really can’t adjust your itinerary or change your flight, consider switching hotels to reduce transportation risks caused by the strike. Generally speaking, unless it's an extremely large-scale strike, transportation doesn’t completely shut down—but flights, trains, and buses may reduce frequency or operating hours. For tourists, even if transport isn’t fully halted, it’s still quite inconvenient. So, if you’ve previously booked a hotel in the suburbs, it’s best to switch to one closer to the city center that doesn’t require too many public transport transfers. That way, even if transport is difficult, you can walk back to your hotel. Although downtown accommodation is relatively more expensive than in the suburbs, taking a taxi back and forth to the suburbs during a strike isn’t cheap either.
Tip 3: Strikes at attractions have pros and cons
Often, strikes also occur at famous attractions. In such cases, the attraction may close its doors to visitors. Therefore, it’s essential to check the opening status of the attraction online in advance before going there, to avoid a wasted trip and being turned away. You could also consider visiting some unaffected attractions first, then return to see the ones impacted once the strike ends. But sometimes, a strike at an attraction isn’t necessarily a bad thing—many tourists skip visiting certain spots knowing they’ll be on strike, which might actually make those places less crowded than usual. Even if you can only view them from the outside, you can leisurely take photos, turning a negative into a positive.
Tip 4: Stay informed about strikes and adjust your itinerary accordingly
If you suddenly encounter a strike while traveling, don’t worry too much, because if the strike is small in scale, it may not affect your itinerary at all.
It’s understood that strikes in Western countries aren’t always long-term, nationwide, or cross-industry—they’re sometimes short-lived and limited to a few sectors. The most common are 24-hour strikes. Because the duration is short and the scale is small, they usually don’t have a huge impact on your trip. In such cases, just adjust your itinerary and mode of transport accordingly. For example, if the subway is on strike, choose another form of transport. If you know that striking crowds are gathering in a certain area, it’s best to avoid going there—this helps you steer clear of the strike’s effects.
Tip 5: Seek multiple sources of information to stay calm and prepared
As a traveler in a foreign land, it’s normal to feel at a loss when encountering a strike. But for locals, strikes may be a common occurrence, and they might even have their own coping strategies. Especially tourism professionals—they usually have their own ways of dealing with strikes. So, if you’re caught in a strike, ask local tour guides, airport staff, or hotel employees for advice. Gathering solutions from locals will help you stay informed and less anxious.
Tip 6: Monitor announcements to avoid strike disruptions
Generally, strikes in Western countries don’t happen out of the blue. For example, in Europe, strikes are carried out in an orderly manner—the unions organizing the strike typically issue announcements weeks in advance, specifying which departments and during which time periods the strike will occur.
Therefore, the best way to avoid the impact of strikes is to keep an eye on local strike news and updates in advance. If you notice that a strike will take place during your travel period, and if adjusting your trip is possible, consider postponing your plans to avoid the strike and reduce its impact. Additionally, strikes in Western countries usually follow certain patterns—for instance, they’re more likely to happen toward year-end. Major policy changes affecting workers’ interests may also trigger widespread strikes. Based on past occurrences, you can identify trends: aside from a higher likelihood and scale of strikes in the second half of the year compared to the first, there are also typical strike-prone periods, such as late September to early October, and early November to mid-December—especially the latter, where strikes tend to last longer and thus require extra caution.
Tip 7: Gather fellow travelers locally to reduce transport costs
At your destination, you might also meet other travelers from around the world facing the same issues.
Consider leaving a message at your hotel to gather companions for carpooling to your next destination. Sharing transport costs helps everyone minimize losses from the strike. You can also ask hotel staff if there are any local websites for posting such requests or ask them to help share a post online—you might find travel mates more quickly.