One of the biggest worries of traveling abroad is being stuck in a foreign country. Maybe your passport got lost or stolen. Perhaps your flight got canceled and there aren't any more flights to the U.S. for another week. If you have a serious illness or injury on vacation, you might have to wait until after you're well enough to travel.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen how quickly borders can be shut down. And we've learned a few things about what we should do in cases like these if you're a U.S. citizen stranded abroad.

Remain calm

First — while it may seem like a cliche — the most important thing is to remain calm. It's hard to resolve any issues if you let your emotions get in the way of your decision-making and communication skills. Focus on what you can control.

Yelling, screaming and reminding officials that you have to get home because of a personal emergency won’t get you very far. For example, let's assume that a standard commercial airliner has an average of 250 seats. Canceling that one flight could disrupt the plans of literally hundreds of people. Even one canceled flight can cause an enormous problem. You’ll get home — but it will take time.