Some travel weeks are smooth as silk for me…others may have a slight hiccup such as leaving my luggage in the elevator of my house. Yes, you read it
right…an elevator!
When I bought my condo the previous owners had chosen an elevator over two extra closets… a decision that I reap the benefits from day after day by not schlepping luggage up and down the stairs. I think my children are thrilled that this device is in place for my old age….and two of my longtime male friends continue to ride up and down the elevator after a few cocktails during dinner parties.
Back to my elevator story…I got to the Parking Spot only to realized I had forgotten to put my luggage in the trunk of my car. Lucky for me it was one of the few days that I hadn’t cut my time close for arriving at the airport and I was able to return home and back with time to spare! Anyway a little bit of adrenaline is good for the soul….right!?
Last week was a different story…
My travel week included going to the coal mining state of West Virginia…then home for a night and off to the wide expanse of flatland Texas for three days…for some reason I decided to pack for the week so I wouldn’t have to repack when I got home late Wednesday night…little did I know what a good decision that was!
Traveling on commuter planes for Delta has not been good this year…too many mechanical issues that have cause delayed or cancelled flights. This is a negative for any passenger…and certainly not good for a business traveler if you miss your connection with no other flights to get you where you need to go! That was my plight…flight on Tuesday evening. The mechanical issue on my flight out of WV created what I have now coined “the domino travel effect”. The delay on my first flight meant that I would miss my connecting flight home. When asking to go on the next flight I was told that on Tuesday evenings the last flight to Nashville, TN the flight I was on. … the 11:00 pm flight doesn’t run on Tuesdays! Since I am unable to get home this means that I will miss my morning flight out of Nashville taking me to Austin, TX….all I could think was “hold your tongue”!
The good news….my travel for the next morning just happened to be on Delta and I just happened to be going thru Atlanta where I was going to be detained for the evening…otherwise it would have been a travel disaster…and major changes to overcome.
The other good news was that I was only short one day of travel clothes which I was able to purchase in the Hilton Airport gift shop on Friday night!
Travel tips:
1. Travel with an extra set of underwear and top or as a friend told me “You will just have to turn your undies inside out!”
2. As you make travel plans check to see what flights follow your flight in case you are delayed . ( I do this going out, but failed to think about this on my continuing flight)
3. Remember that customer service is more willing to assist you if you keep your frustration subdued and conversation pleasant!
4. The “Domino Travel Effect” can happen to anyone so be prepared!