It’s no secret that air travel can be stressful and positivity is hard to come by while traveling. I was recently traveling for work when I realized that a lot can go wrong when you travel. Although it’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of your situation when things don’t go as planned, I realized that if we approach our circumstances with perspective and positivity, those things don’t seem so bad. Here are seven things that can (and did) go wrong when I was traveling and how I dealt with them with positivity and perspective.
1.Your flight has been cancelled. Yep, you read it correctly. Just after our scheduled time to board, it turned out that I wouldn’t be going anywhere. After taking a deep breath and spending some time at the service desk with the gate agent, I was rebooked. My new flight was departing Omaha a full 12 hours later. Arrival time to my destination: 11:35 PM.
Thank goodness that we live in a world with options! After exploring other airline options and speaking with my travel agent, we found a flight that departed three hours later. Arrival time to my destination: 3:40 PM. Rather than sulking in my three hour set-back, I bought myself a coffee, found a runway-facing window (side note: I love watching airplanes), and watched my favorite morning television shows. Hey, it could be worse.
One flight later, I arrived at my connecting airport. With less than an hour layover, I grabbed some lunch and located my gate.
2. Your gate has been changed. Really? We boarded in less than five minutes and the new gate was in a different terminal. Would they hold the plane for me?
Traveling is a fantastic way to get exercise! Walking through airports can rack up some miles -not to mention the endurance and strength that carrying luggage requires.
Along with the other frantic passengers, I made it to my gate. Our plane was there. All was well.
3. Your flight has been cancelled. Alright, two in one day –that had to be a record for me! Following another conversation with another gate agent, I was re-booked on a new flight that departed one hour later.
Air travel is so technologically advanced, it is truly amazing and something I often take for granted. Turns out I was already re-booked onto this new flight prior to speaking with the gate agent
4. Your flight has been delayed. What’s another two hours, right? I was thoroughly enjoying the sound of the jack-hammer working on construction nearby. Did I mention that my gate was at the very end of the terminal? There were no coffee shops or restaurants nearby and I had already eaten enough junk food for one day.
Airports can be a commonplace for camaraderie – you just have to be open to it. Obviously I wasn’t the only traveler whose plans had been thrown off track. In an effort to charge my phone I found myself sitting by a gentleman from Mississippi. Long story short, he and his son come to Omaha every summer for the College World Series and I was reminded that you’re never alone when situations don’t go as planned.
A second flight later, I made it to my final destination airport! Arrival time: 6:30 PM. I still had a short 1 hour and 15 minute drive to the location of my career fair for the next day, but I was thankful to be headed in the right direction.
I ate a kid’s grilled cheese (with tomato soup, of course) for supper at my hotel and went to sleep. The career fair the next day went off without a hitch.
After the career fair and following my 1 hour and 15 minute drive back to the airport, it was time to fly home.
5. Your e-ticket has been declined. You know – the one you can pull up on your phone to be ‘paperless’. I headed over to the ticket counter. It’s a good thing I arrived early.
Living in the 21st Century has inevitably given us a back-up plan – I call it the ‘old fashioned way.’ For this, I am forever grateful. Things of all types have changed so much in my brief 22 years and when the ‘new age’ fails and knocks me down, the ‘old fashioned way’ is right there to pick me back up and get the job done.
6. At security: you’ve failed the metal scanner. I was treated to a pat down, followed by a hand swab. Wait! There’s more. I failed that too. They took me to a private room to search my belongings and conducted a full pat down and body search.
Our country prides itself on keeping us safe. This is another thing that I take for granted. I reminded myself of one of my own personal mantras – “better safe than sorry” – and that’s simply what the TSA personnel were ensuring.
7. Your flight has been delayed. You’ve got to be kidding me.
Airport delays aren’t always worst case scenarios. No worries, it was only ten minutes.
Yes, I made it home. But that isn’t the most important part of this experience. This particular trip made me realize just how far perspective and positivity can go when dealing with a difficult situation. Look for the silver linings and persevere with a smile (and a little humor) and things won’t be so bad. At the end of the day (or trip, I should say), I made it to my scheduled career fair and back home to my own bed safely. What more could have I asked for? In the comments below, tell me about a time that travel didn’t go as you had planned!
Joleen Rupe-Hueftle joined Aureus Medical Group in May 2015 as a Recruiter in the Nursing division. She is now a Student Outreach Coordinator for the Rehab Therapy division. In her free time, Joleen enjoys spending time with family, running, cooking, and baking.