That is sound advice.

Explore your options when you have plenty of time, well before there is a problem, so that you aren't doing that research in a panic. Explain the options you find to your traveling companions. Print them out, and be prepared to ask specifically for the ones that work best for you if you encounter a problem on the day of travel. Do not wait for something to be suggested when you phone / step up to a counter. Instead say, "the first leg of our trip has been cancelled. We've done some research about what will work well with our plans, and would like to know if you can put us on the following itinerary," and hand them your original BP and the slip of paper. And, yes, paper. Don't rely on your mobile device when traveling internationally.

Whenever my travel includes an important reliance on timing, I am always prepared with pre-selected options in case things go pear-shaped. Mostly, this effort is just to assure myself that the options exist, because mostly, the information is never utilized. But you never know --- This past weekend, my wife was returning from visiting her parents and things went very pear-shaped. She was delayed mid-travel by 12 hours ... had she been better prepared (my mistake for not insisting), she probably would have refused the first rebooking she was offered and selected something different that would have gotten her home only slightly delayed, or allowed her to overnight with her parents instead of in an intermediate airport.