This week has been one for the books in the travel industry (and not in a good way). With the mass cancellations by a certain airline, winter weather and the busy travel time of the year – it has been crazy. Here is my story, which I am sure is shared by many others. On Monday, I was supposed to fly to San Antonio from Colorado Springs. I got notification that my flight was cancelled on Sunday evening and that they had rebooked me for Thursday. What???? Thursday that seems a little far away. So, what does any good travel agent do, I got online and started searching for other options. I found a flight for the next day to Houston, rather than San Antonio so I bought it for Tuesday. And then, I found another flight from Colorado Springs to San Antonio on my original confirmation number for Tuesday, so I booked that instead. Then I got a refund on the Houston flight – that was probably a mistake – but hindsight is 20/20. In my mind, I was ready to go. Then on Monday night, I got a text that my flight was once again cancelled. UGH!!! So, I went back to searching for a flight…nothing. I also made a reservation for a car rental – just in case.
On Tuesday morning, I headed for the airport to get my car since I could not find any air travel or rail travel to get home. The drive is 15 hours, and I was by myself. When I get to the airport the line at the reservations desk was long – I was worried that my reserved car would not be waiting for me (they will hold a car reservation for 2 hours after the time traditionally). As I was standing in line with a lot of other distressed travelers, a gentleman walked up. He had reserved a car at an off-site location and the car was not available when they go there. On a whim they decided to try the airport to see if any cars were available. Little did they know that they were not honoring same day reservations at the car rental company. You had to have reserved your car the day before for it to be available that day. They were out of luck. I happened to ask them where they were heading – and guess what they were going to San Antonio. How lucky is that? I said, “hey I’m going to San Antonio, would you be interested in sharing the cost of a car with me and the driving?” He and his wife said “REALLY?” and of course I said “Really!”
When we got up to the counter, I asked the attendant if they had a larger vehicle than what I had originally requested available. She looked doubtful! (You see, the gentleman is 6′ 5″ tall and a compact car would not be comfortable for a 13-hour drive). And guess what, she put us in a mid-size SUV! Let me just say, there are still great people in this world! The three of them (they had a 3-year- old son) and me loaded up the car and headed out. We shared the load of driving. It was truly a blessing. We got on the road about 10:30 Tuesday morning and were in San Antonio by 1 a.m.
Here is what I learned:
Be FLEXIBLE!
Be willing to SHARE the load and maybe do something a little DARING! I so appreciate the trust and faith that my passengers put in me – and I know that they appreciate the trust that I put in them.
My plan is not always the right plan, but God’s plan is always perfect. My passengers had prayed that morning had prayed to be able to get home and I had prayed for someone to share the drive with. I have made friends with people I may never have met otherwise, and I am so thankful.
I know that not everyone had a great experience through this travel hurricane. I know that some have had a miserable experience and will have some travel trauma from the last few days.
Safe travels,
Danielle