7 years ago…
Tracy and I went on our first road trip.
The destination: Alishan
We rented a car, popped up Google Maps, entered a viewpoint, and started the adventure. “Continue for 400m and take a right turn,” said the robotic navigation. The voice was so cold. Emotionless.
I spun off the main road and drove onto a narrow trail that could fit only one car.
“That’s small. I hope we don’t need to cross any vehicles,” I laughed nervously.
(imaging taking your new girlfriend on vacation and couldn’t pass a car)
We were lucky. There weren’t any other tourists that day.
But…
As I drove, the trail got smaller and steeper.
*SQUEAKKKK*
Suddenly
The car started drifting.
I was in a steep turn, and the wheels lost friction.
I jammed onto the gas.
*RUMMMMRRR*
The tire screamed, creating a burning rubber smell.
But the car didn’t budge.
I was stuck.
No
We were stuck.
Google Maps led us into a dead-end not designed for cars.
The worst part?
The road was so small that I couldn’t even make a U-turn.
My life flashed before my eyes, ending with tomorrow’s newspaper title:
“Dumb new couple drove into the mountain—crashed the car and died.”
Fortunately
Tracy got out of the car, found a piece of wood, placed it under one wheel, and I accumulated enough friction to push the car over the steep turn.
After the turn…
There was a tiny platform—barely enough to make a U-turn.
We escaped.
(To celebrate: I proposed 2 months later, and she said “yes.” 😅)
Lesson?
FIRST
Never trust Google Maps in the mountains.
SECOND
Make sure you know where you want to go before hitting the road.
Same for launching a promotional campaign.
You must figure out:
~ Who are you writing to
~ What have they done/seen up to this point
~ What are you trying to sell
~ When is the promo (open/close cart)
~ How many emails can you send
…before you write a single word.
To be continued,
– WYH
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