I Just Couldn’t Catch a Break
Photo: JamesZ_Flickr
You’d think after all the trouble I had getting home for Christmas – delay after delay and then lost luggage – that the travel gods would smile down on me when it was time to return to Newfoundland. You’d think that… and you’d be wrong.
The weather last Sunday was a combination or snow and freezing rain that caused issues all over the eastern half of Canada. That afternoon I started getting my stuff together for my evening flight. I was optimistic my flights would be fine. Silly me. It wasn’t long before I got a message telling me that the Halifax -> St. John’s leg of my trip would be delayed almost two hours making for a post-2am arrival. I’d be a zombie at work but I’d manage.
Not long after came the kicker… the short flight from Saint John -> Halifax (on what I like to refer to as the Giant Lawn Dart) was cancelled. Next one going out wasn’t until the morning. Then, just to add insult to injury, the delayed YHZ->YYT flight was also cancelled.
To the phones! I was hold with Air Canada for a solid hour without talking to a live person so I decided that it would be faster to drive to the airport and rebook there instead. Earliest they could get me out? Wednesday, with a 35min connection. Good grief Charlie Brown.
This time I wasn’t taking chances, I made sure to pack a change of clothes and a toothbrush in my laptop bag just in case they lost my luggage again. I also checked on my travel insurance. Did you know that if you have insurance, you may be covered for things that you need to buy, like socks and underwear, while your luggage is taking an extended tour of some airport?
There are so many reasons you really need to have insurance when you travel, even if you’re not going international. No one ever plans to get sick or hurt, but things happen. Finding the right plan can be daunting, but you can check with someone like SecuriGlobe to help separate the wheat from the chaff and find just what you need.
Pro tip: If you’re travelling with someone, always pack a few of your items in their suitcase and a few of theirs in yours. That way if one bag goes missing you’ll at least have something.
When Wednesday dawned, I double checked on my insurance, packed the essentials in my carry-on, and hoped that I’d see my luggage again on the other side. And would you believe it? The 2nd leg of that trip was delayed!
I swear, if I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all sometimes.
January 13th, 2015 at 3:56 pm (#)
I’ve never purchased travel insurance but your story is definitely making me reconsider!
January 31st, 2015 at 9:30 am (#)
Hey Mellisa, thanks for giving this pro tip. But generally I do that.. :)