diff --git a/src/babel/messages.js b/src/babel/messages.js
index 98e136daff..aa2e76fa13 100644
--- a/src/babel/messages.js
+++ b/src/babel/messages.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export const MESSAGES = {
   missingTemplatesDirectory: "no templates directory - this is most likely the result of a broken `npm publish`. Please report to https://github.com/babel/babel/issues",
   unsupportedOutputType: "Unsupported output type $1",
   illegalMethodName: "Illegal method name $1",
+  lostTrackNodePath: "We lost track of this nodes position, likely because the AST was directly manipulated",
 
   traverseNeedsParent: "Must pass a scope and parentPath unless traversing a Program/File got a $1 node",
   traverseVerifyRootFunction: "You passed `traverse()` a function when it expected a visitor object, are you sure you didn't mean `{ enter: Function }`?",
diff --git a/src/babel/traversal/path/index.js b/src/babel/traversal/path/index.js
index bf505c2a2b..48c2f56d31 100644
--- a/src/babel/traversal/path/index.js
+++ b/src/babel/traversal/path/index.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import PathHoister from "./hoister";
 import * as virtualTypes from "./virtual-types";
+import * as messages from "../../messages";
 import isBoolean from "lodash/lang/isBoolean";
 import isNumber from "lodash/lang/isNumber";
 import isRegExp from "lodash/lang/isRegExp";
@@ -400,7 +401,7 @@ export default class TraversalPath {
       }
     }
 
-    throw new Error("Where did we go?!?!?!");
+    throw new Error(messages.get("lostTrackNodePath"));
   }
 
   /**