I'm an idiot.
No seriously, I really am a moron. If you can remember so far back you may recall my little emergency at the very beginning of my trip, when I found out at the airport that I needed an Indian transit visa in order to complete the Mumbai to New Delhi leg of my trip to Nepal. Luckily in this instance the airline was able to find me a more direct flight that would negate my need for the visa, and I was not charged a dime extra for the last minute flight change. Well, that minor nuisance pales in comparison to the debacle I got myself into this time. It only seems right that my nearly blemish-free 8 month journey would be flanked by flight issues, but the one in the beginning can be understood, I was a novice traveler, naive really. This time I have no excuse for my stupidity. I should have known better. And this seemingly little mistake cost me, big time!
So what happened, Kristen? Well, let me tell you. This entire trip, from day 1, I have known without a doubt in my mind, that October 2nd was the day I was flying home. Every step I have take has been to get me to Amsterdam no later than October 2nd to fly home. So, you can imagine my surprise when I arrive at the airport the morning on October 2nd to find that my flight had actually been booked for October 1st! This is where panic truely set in, for the first time in 8 months, I was having a legitimate breakdown. I tried to keep my head as I ran around trying to figure out my options. I absolutely needed to get home today in order to make it in time for my best friends wedding on October 4th. Since I flat out missed my flight, it wasn't as simple as a flight change and a inconvenient fee. Nope. My only choice was to buy another ticket, at an astronomical rate. The cheapest flight I could find going out that morning was a round trip British Airways flight for just over $1000. Aside from that, actually booking the flight became an ordeal. I was trying to avoid an additional $75 fee for booking through an agent, so I was attempting to buy the ticket using my phone. The wifi was incredibly weak, so I had trouble getting through, and when I finally did my credit card would not work. Next step was to call my credit card company who assured me the charge would go through. It didn't. I then continued to run through the airport to find the British Airways desk and get their help. It was around 9:30 at this point and the flight I needed to book and then catch departed at 10:55AM, so I was running short on time. Finally, I was able to find the airline help desk and have them book my ticket.
At the end of the day I made it back to Orlando, Florida in time to be a bridesmaid in my friends wedding. Moral of the story, never trust your memory when it comes to important flights. When I booked my flights I should have set reminders in my calendar, and I definitely should have checked my flight records several days before the flight. Very expensive lesson learned. Now all I have to worry about is how to pay off my credit card. At least I have a month to figure that out.
Oh - and I have a return flight to Amsterdam for December. Maybe I'll just use that :)
No seriously, I really am a moron. If you can remember so far back you may recall my little emergency at the very beginning of my trip, when I found out at the airport that I needed an Indian transit visa in order to complete the Mumbai to New Delhi leg of my trip to Nepal. Luckily in this instance the airline was able to find me a more direct flight that would negate my need for the visa, and I was not charged a dime extra for the last minute flight change. Well, that minor nuisance pales in comparison to the debacle I got myself into this time. It only seems right that my nearly blemish-free 8 month journey would be flanked by flight issues, but the one in the beginning can be understood, I was a novice traveler, naive really. This time I have no excuse for my stupidity. I should have known better. And this seemingly little mistake cost me, big time!
So what happened, Kristen? Well, let me tell you. This entire trip, from day 1, I have known without a doubt in my mind, that October 2nd was the day I was flying home. Every step I have take has been to get me to Amsterdam no later than October 2nd to fly home. So, you can imagine my surprise when I arrive at the airport the morning on October 2nd to find that my flight had actually been booked for October 1st! This is where panic truely set in, for the first time in 8 months, I was having a legitimate breakdown. I tried to keep my head as I ran around trying to figure out my options. I absolutely needed to get home today in order to make it in time for my best friends wedding on October 4th. Since I flat out missed my flight, it wasn't as simple as a flight change and a inconvenient fee. Nope. My only choice was to buy another ticket, at an astronomical rate. The cheapest flight I could find going out that morning was a round trip British Airways flight for just over $1000. Aside from that, actually booking the flight became an ordeal. I was trying to avoid an additional $75 fee for booking through an agent, so I was attempting to buy the ticket using my phone. The wifi was incredibly weak, so I had trouble getting through, and when I finally did my credit card would not work. Next step was to call my credit card company who assured me the charge would go through. It didn't. I then continued to run through the airport to find the British Airways desk and get their help. It was around 9:30 at this point and the flight I needed to book and then catch departed at 10:55AM, so I was running short on time. Finally, I was able to find the airline help desk and have them book my ticket.
At the end of the day I made it back to Orlando, Florida in time to be a bridesmaid in my friends wedding. Moral of the story, never trust your memory when it comes to important flights. When I booked my flights I should have set reminders in my calendar, and I definitely should have checked my flight records several days before the flight. Very expensive lesson learned. Now all I have to worry about is how to pay off my credit card. At least I have a month to figure that out.
Oh - and I have a return flight to Amsterdam for December. Maybe I'll just use that :)
This is me finally at the gate with my coffee and totally not impressed with myself or my situation.
It was all worth it to see my best friend walk down the isle looking stunning and so happy.
RSS Feed