Last week, a massive power outage swept across Spain, Portugal, and Southern France, leaving travelers and locals suddenly disconnected from daily life. From gas stations and airports to mobile networks and hotel locks, modern conveniences vanished in a flash. We flew home from Portugal the day before—so were lucky enough to avoid it. But one of our readers had just landed in Madrid and experienced the chaos firsthand. Her story is a reminder of just how vulnerable we are when the infrastructure we depend on suddenly shuts down. Here is her story and our guide on How to Prepare for a Long-Term Power Outage while Traveling, with a free downloadable checklist.
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Her Story: A Real-Life Travel Emergency
Here’s what she encountered during the long power outage in Spain.
- Flights, metros, and trains were down. Some people got stuck in trains and elevators.
- A 3-hour wait for rideshares at the airport—without mobile signal or internet. There was wifi inside the airport.
- The city was completely dark.
- Credit card machines didn’t work, and most ATMs were offline.
- Her Airbnb had a keypad lock that wouldn’t work without power.
- She was able to reach her Airbnb host after 4-5 tries, but they weren’t able to let her in to her rental before the power came back on 4 hours later (at 1 a.m.). She sat in the dark hallway in the meantime.
What Wasn’t Working During the Outage
- Gas stations
- Credit card machines and many ATMs
- Trains, flights, and metros
- Mobile phones and internet
- Traffic lights
- Elevators, escalators
- Heating and cooling systems
- Electronic door locks (unless battery-backed)
What Was Working
- Cash
- Bicycles and walking
- Candles
- Water (for those who stocked up)
- Some restaurants stayed open to serve cold food that was available
- Kindness and community
Her Top Takeaways for Future Travel
- Don’t rely solely on your phone—download offline maps or carry a paper one.
- Always carry cash, and notify your bank or credit card provider of your travel plans.
- Install and set up multiple rideshare apps in advance. Include local options in addition to Uber or Bolt, and make sure payment info is saved ahead of time.
- Bring a headlamp with extra batteries.
- Carry an extra-large power bank—and keep it charged.
- Download books, podcasts, or movies ahead of time. Offline entertainment can help pass the time during delays or unexpected shelter-in-place moments.
- Carry a refillable water bottle and emergency snacks.
- Keep contact info for your hotel or vacation rental saved digitally and on paper.
How to Prepare for a Long-Term Power Outage While Traveling
While full-scale outages are rare, they do happen. Here’s how to stay confident and in control—even when everything around you shuts down:
Carry Cash
Credit cards and ATMs may not work during an outage—cash could be your only option. Have enough for a couple of days’ worth of food and transport.
Stay Powered
Bring a power bank (or better two), charging cables, plug adapters. Check your power banks regularly to ensure they’re fully charged before you travel.
Navigate Offline
Download maps, transit routes, and language apps that work without signal. Don’t rely on having internet or battery power when you need to get in touch.
Keep Printed Copies
Have printed versions of critical documents (passport, hotel booking, emergency contacts, embassy location).
Get Travel Insurance
Make sure your travel insurance policy covers trip delays, interruptions, and emergency assistance. If your plans are disrupted by power outages, weather events, or system failures, having insurance can help cover unexpected costs and give you access to support.
Pack Emergency Essentials
Bring a mini flashlight or headlamp, water bottle, snacks, first aid kit, and needed medicines and anything else you’d want if stuck in the dark for a few hours. Many rely on a mobile phone light, but you’ll want a backup in case your phone battery dies.
Consider buying a battery-operated radio.
When mobile networks fail, this might be your only way to access local news or emergency updates. Consider a radio with numerous power options (e.g., solar, hand crank).
Learn Local Phrases
In this recent outage, most emergency announcements were only made in the local language. Knowing key words and phrases—or at least having a translation app ready—can help in urgent situations. Before leaving for your trip, consider Duolingo or Immersion Learning.
Never let your rental car’s gas tank fall below a 1/4 tank.
With fuel stations offline, drivers had no way to refuel. Whether it’s your car or a rental car, be sure to fill up before you go under 1/4 of a tank.
How to Prepare for a Long-Term Power Outage while Traveling: Final Thoughts
Power outages and natural disasters aren’t something most of us plan our trips around—but they happen. And when they do, you want to be the traveler who’s calm, prepared, and ready to pivot. Being a smart, resilient traveler means embracing the unexpected—and packing just a little extra peace of mind.
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Travel Resources
We recommend booking through our preferred travel booking sites below.
| Air Travel | SkyScanner |
| Lodging | Booking.com, VRBO.com, Expedia.com, Hostelworld |
| Tours and Activities | Viator.com, GetYourGuide.com, TakeWalks.com |
| Car rentals | Discovercars.com |
| Travel insurance | Squaremouth |
| Bike and scooter rentals | BikeBookings.com |
| Train tickets | Trainline, RailEurope |
| Bus tickets | Flixbus, Busbud |
When I heard about this, I was really scared, so it was really thought-provoking! We rely so much on technology (very different from when I started traveling), but it’s smart to have backups because we never know what will happen. I didn’t think about door codes not working, but I don’t regularly stay in AirBnBs. Filling up a bathtub is a great idea, though. Great tips!
Thank you for the feedback! Hope you never need these tips.
I was in Ecuador the end of last year when they were experiencing extended power cuts (some days, up to 12 hours!): This was due to the drought and thus not enough water in the reservoirs to allow the hydroelectric plants to function.
One definitely has to plan and adjust, be flexible — and one learns that in many ways, the “old-fashioned,” off-the-grid way of living is best!
It definitely reinforces the “old fashioned” way of living!
Oh my, I had no idea there were SO many things impacted by the power outage! Now that you’re saying it, it makes sense of course but I didn’t think about like gas station, ATMs, restaurants etc >< I'm already cautious about my rental car by not letting it go below 1/4 but now I'll also make sure to bring some cash!
Thank you for the feedback!
This is a great post! We don’t realise how vulnerable and dependent we are as travellers on resources such as electricity, and this post is a great reminder. I love your tips about bringing a small emergency supply – I always pack my mini-torchlight.
Thank you for the feedback! Having a mini-torchlight (or headlamp as we do) definitely comes in handy, even in non-emergency situations.
Getting ready for a prolonged power outage can be challenging due to the reliance on electricity for many things. It’s advisable to have some cash on hand and ensure your car’s gas tank is at least a quarter full. Appreciate the advice!
Thank you for the feedback.
I was in Spain when this happened. Fortunately, I was at home, so I didn’t get stuck anywhere, but it felt like I was in a film. I didn’t feel real. This made me realise that I should be prepared for things like this. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again, but who knows…
I really hope it doesn’t happen again–glad you were at home for this though.
Practical suggestions, should one find themselves in this situation. It’s also very important to always carry cash, as many non Westernised countries, don’t always accept cards.
Great point about carrying cash for those locations which don’t generally accept cards.
This has never been a worry of mine but on my next solo trip to Europe I’m going to be following all of these tips! This was so helpful because you brought up things I never would have thought of. Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback! Safe travels!
Wow, this is something I would never have even thought about before! I rarely carry cash, so that would definitely be a problem for me! I also never thought about how Airbnb door codes wouldn’t work! Yikes!
I often pick up cash at the airport atm, unless I happen to have some on hand. Definitely something to plan for on future travel.