"I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything."
Bill Bryson

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Travel Traumas

It is now roughly 9 days 19 hours and 10 minutes until my plane leaves chilly Boston to land in even chillier England! I am so excited. I can't even describe how excited I am. When I first booked my flights, months and months ago, I had planned to fly back on the Monday as I was told that exams run right up to the Sunday. However, having arrived here I of course learnt that my last exam was on the Friday and so I would have to wait patiently to go home. Not going to happen. I bought my flights through STA travel company (really good student deals if you haven't already discovered it!) and so was warned of all the charges that would be incurred if I decided to change by flight. But, last weekend, as a further attempt at procrastination I phoned Delta... After battling with trying to get my individual flight code ("sorry was that 'b' for 'ball' or 'p' for 'paul'") I was eventually put through to a lovely Delta lady who announced that my flight could be changed for the bargain price of $60 and not the $300 that various websites had been threatening. I was so excited. I immediately began preparing my surprise trip home during which I would ring on the doorbell and my unsuspecting sister would answer and scream and shout and there'd be tears of joy... or something along those lines. But as you can probably guess by the fact that I'm publishing this on the internet I fessed up. I got far too excited and bbmed the mother within minutes.. I love surprises, it's a shame I'm not very good at them. I will no longer have to wait an extra two days in an empty residence halls - I will finish my exams next friday, pack and the next morning jump on a bus, Boston bound and then on a plane to good ol' blighty. 

Anyway's I'm telling you this random story because it's the first time that I've ever had a successful experience with an airline. I know I haven't flown yet and this blog is blatantly going to jinx everything (touchwood!) but I have been so impressed with Delta airlines that I feel I should share and advertise (/procrastinate a bit longer from this gigantic essay). Although the plane was a bit scruffy and the super-duper American air hostesses were just a tad annoying on my flight over, the entertainment, the food, the constant drink top ups, everything was pretty damn good. They even managed to switch around a few other passengers so that Emily and I could sit together. 

I've had a fair few experiences of crossing the Atlantic, in fact to date I've gone back and forth around 10 times; not bad considering I'm only 19! Anyways, in the past the vast majority of my transatlantic trips have been horrifying. On one occasion I was lost. As in they physically lost me. Yep. My parents paid for me to fly unaccompanied minor (as I was only 12) to be transported to all my flights from Virginia to Washington to London and to safely cross the Atlantic and the mean man lost me. They then lost my ticket and it was only after turning on the waterworks that I was allowed onto my flight*. I've battled flights during tropical storms and a hurricane or two, I've been pulled aside on nearly every occasion to be searched and my baggage has been lost for days on end. So I'm hoping that my luck has changed and that my transatlantic crossing is care free.  Snow, Volcanoes, incompetent travel assistants... nothing will stop be getting back to mulled wine and mince pies. 

*Delta are good but never ever ever ever ever ever fly United. Ever. 

1 comment:

  1. looking forward to having you home Molz xxx

    ReplyDelete