Hive & Seek

The trials and tribulations of trying to get yourself home after an amazing vacation.

I arrived back at home on Sunday. I was supposed to be home on Saturday. It is now Friday, and I’m finally starting to feel like a normal human.

Traveling is never easy on our 50-year-old bodies, is it? It is especially not easy when traveling across several time zones. Add into the mix:

• a time change at your destination
• Holy Week Celebrations 24/7 (not for us, but we sure heard them!)
• 20,000+ step days (uphill both ways! Seriously, those hills are no joke.)
• Sun up to sun down activities
• Perimenopause. Need I say more?

Physically tired. Mentally tired. Hormones. This is a perfect storm waiting to happen to somebody.

I began my journey home, as I mentioned, on Saturday at 5 a.m. My Uber delivered me to the airport without incident. I had plenty of time to souvenir shop, and buy a Coke Zero (it just tastes so much better in Europe!). Life was good.

Things took a turn when my carry-on rolling bag was taken before boarding the plane. The flight attendant said that there was no room. The baggage person said that I could get my bag in Madrid, my next stop. I had a short layover in Madrid, but I wasn’t worried. The airport is pretty easy to maneuver despite its size.

I should have been worried, because you see, my bag was checked all the way through to the belt versus the gate check that I was anticipating. This meant:

• I had to go to baggage claim
• I had to wait for my bag
• I had to deal with a child who kept stopping the baggage return because he kept putting his arms and face in the way of the luggage return…stopping the luggage….every….single…time!
• I had to wait, patiently, for the gate checked luggage which came out a good 15 minutes after all of the other luggage (someone mentioned a baggage worker strike????)
• I had given up and was going to leave my bag forever in Spain when my luggage finally did come out…..
• I ran to the escalator
• I ran to the elevator (which we got stuck on because, of course we did, until I finally yelled and told the people outside of the elevator to quit pushing the button, and then we didn’t press the button inside of the elevator and ended up riding it all the way up, down, and back up again….sigh.)
• I had to go through Passport Control
• I had to go through Security
• I got pulled aside at Security because of that Coke Zero that made me so happy and was now ruining my life!
• I ran, with a full bladder, through the airport to my gate
• I dodged children PLAYING on the moving sidewalks (there were a lot of parents I wanted to strangle at that airport!)
• I had to go through another security check at the terminal gate where I cried in relief (literally) that I had not missed my flight
• I made it within steps of the gate, only to watch them lock the door….where I cried some more

I will pause my story here to mention that when I was in college, I worked at Detroit Metro Airport. I worked at Avis Rent-A-Car for three and a half years. At that time, the early 90s, the rental agents sometimes worked in the largest terminal (Northwest, now Delta) right at the baggage claim belts. I remember when I was being trained, my trainer said something that has stayed with me my entire life. She said (this is a paraphrase), “We are the first people that travelers see when they get off their plane.” We wore awful red polyester dresses. These dresses really stood out compared to the Hertz black uniforms and the Dollar green uniforms. She continued, “Even before they get their luggage, they come to us for help. We don’t know if they are having a good trip or a bad trip. They could have been delayed; they may be leaving home, missing out on important events for this trip, or any number of other things. It’s our job to not make their trip any worse if we can help it at all. Bend and adjust to try to make their life better if you can.” I was a poor college student who had never traveled by plane before, so I didn’t really get it.

Until now.

Back to the story.

Crying, and sweat literally dripping off of me (so gross!), I was directed to the airline’s customer service desk. This customer service person had obviously not had the excellent training that I had when I worked at DTW, because after I relayed that I missed my flight. She looked into my obviously distressed, sweaty, and snot-dripping face and said, “Well, that’s not our fault!” Quote. Unquote.

Admittedly, I was not at my best at the moment. I work with teenagers every day. I know how to keep my feelings locked down, but…..Over tired. Stressed. Perimenopause. So, I forgot myself and said, “Well, it sure as he** isn’t mine either!” I mean, maybe I could have run faster. I could have shoved a toddler, or two, down to get around them faster. Hindsight.

Her response, “Call this number.” because apparently there was no way that she was helping me now. So, I smiled my fakest smile, and thanked her so much for her help in my most sarcastic voice. It was not my best moment. I also forgot that I still needed her help to get out of Spain.

I called the number three times. Every time I called I would get partially through my problem and then the person on the other end of the line would begin saying, “Sarah, I can’t hear you, are you there?” I became that annoying person at the airport yelling into their phone. I’m sure I’m on someone’s social media somewhere. Title: That annoying, hysterical, American woman

The customer service person finally called me back, only to tell me that I needed to call my travel agent because I used Chuck’s travel card to book my flight. First, I called Chuck. Had a good cry. He was so supportive. Ha. Ha. Basically, he said, “Quit crying, you had a great vacation, you’re still in Spain, enjoy it.” Whatever. Quit talking sense, Chuck.

Then I called Chuck’s credit card travel people. Michael answered the phone. He was literally an angel! I told him what happened. He patiently walked me through some different scenarios that might work to get me home…eventually. He called the airline. He found out what needed to be done. He broke the news to me that I was going to have to go back to the customer service desk and my nemesis. He told me that he would stay on the line for support.

I went back to that customer service desk. Although I use the phrase customer service loosely at this point. I prayed that I would get a different person. My prayers were not answered. I prayed that she would not remember me. My prayers were not answered again. In fact, she told me that she remembered me and asked if I had called the number. I told her yes, and that my travel agent was on speaker phone now. I explained that the airline showed me in flight to Chicago, and we were unable to make any changes until the airline changed my flight status. Michael piped in with a, “That’s right!” at this point. Saying nothing, she picks up her phone and begins speaking in rapid Spanish. I’m sure she was saying all kinds of nice things about me :)

Long story short, I ended up staying another day in Spain. It was a beautiful, sunny day that I eventually enjoyed. This whole experience only solidified my opinion that customer service is dying. Had the words, “Oh no! I’m so sorry you missed your flight. Let’s see what we can do to get you home,” been said rather than “Well, it’s not our fault!” Things would have been much better for both me and that customer service representative. I mean, I didn’t really want to go home to the cold and snow anyway. I see a customer service lesson for my marketing students in the near future.

What do you think? Is customer service dying? Let me know in the comments.

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What do you need for your trip to Spain?

For those long flights, and all of the walking, you MUST invest in some compression socks:

My favorite = https://amzn.to/4tFKx9z

Chuck’s favorite = https://amzn.to/4cj5gZV

Travel Vacuum bags: https://amzn.to/4tzoUHP

Gum: https://amzn.to/4sogWAo

A cute black skirt, that you can dress up or down as needed: https://amzn.to/48y1laf

Linen Pants: https://amzn.to/4soRQkQ

Linen Culottes: https://amzn.to/4svByXF

Jean Jacket for Cooler Days & Nights: https://amzn.to/4soZEmC

Comfortable & Stylish Tennis Shoes: https://amzn.to/4miUFm5

Beach Day? Be sure to pack a Turkish Towel: https://amzn.to/4suG9sR

Magnetic Wireless Charger: https://amzn.to/47OOlNs

iPhone Charging Lightning Cable: https://amzn.to/4czpAr8

iPhone Charging C Cable: https://amzn.to/3Q2Mj6b

Apple Watch to track all of your steps: https://amzn.to/3Oy9Mvw

Universal Travel Adapter: https://amzn.to/4cmhtNp

Stretchy Apple Watch Band: https://amzn.to/3Q3PJ8G

Heated Eye Mask for the flight over, and the hotel: https://amzn.to/4cfNSoR

Migraine Stick (for those smelly airplanes, buses, & trains):https://amzn.to/4sp1vrA

Laundry Detergent Sheets, so easy to fit into your luggage: https://amzn.to/4tDInHo

Rfid Blocking Clip Stash Pouch: https://amzn.to/41lVd15

Rfid Blocking Neck Pouch: https://amzn.to/4czOve1

Anti-theft Phone Tether: https://amzn.to/3PSZAyf

Macey’s Fav Phone Tether: https://amzn.to/3PXLHyM

I LOVED this bag! It held a water bottle, and a Coke Zero easily, plus all of my other “stuff”: https://amzn.to/4cfMGBT

Hoodie (to pull up over your hair on the plane, train, and bus): https://hiveandseektravelblog.dashery.com/products/84015828-queen-bee-swarming-the-globe-hoodie

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***Disclaimer*** As an Amazon Associate, if you click on a link and order something, I may receive a commission. Please click and order! Momma needs to pay off her credit cards from her trip to Spain, AND has an addiction to ordering too many craft supplies!

***Disclaimer #2*** This list is not exhaustive. There are probably a few other things that you think should be added. Feel free to comment, and let me know what you think I should have added.

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