The Worst Travel Experience of my LIFE

It just so happened to be this past summer 1 month after starting this passion project travel blog.... Proof it can happen anytime in your travel journey, and a reminder of why I can understand there are some people who might not enjoy traveling as much as I do.

A lesson I learned the hard way… Always keep your medications & essentials on you, not your checked bag, in case your suitcase does get lost or delayed.

Flying Delta from a wedding in Cali to Charles de Gaulle in Paris to connect on Aegan Airlines from Athens to Santorini, sounds easy right?? My mom should be connecting through London, Heathrow to meet me from a different departure airport (Brunswick, GA -- which ended up being cancelled and she went Savannah to Atlanta instead). Delay after delay after delay, we both end up stuck overnightt in Athens waiting for the next flight to Santorini at 7am the folllowing morning. Since my mom's flight from London to Athens was delayed aftter my Paris flight, she actually flew out an hour later than I did so we were reunited in Athens to be put on seperate flights again. The odds we both get delayed OVERNIGHT from different airports in different countries are CRAZY low. And that's just the beginning.

All for my suitcase to be lost inside CDG and me helplessly watching my air tag float around the Paris airport aimlessly while I waited for it to join me in Santorini.

I’ve never felt so discouraged & helpless on a trip, in all of my 20 years of travelling… No call to Delta or Aegan Airlines made a difference, it didn’t matter the status of the Delta flyer (bc trust me, I tried my mom’s ultra platinum Delta phone number for help) but unfortunately no airline wanted to take ownership of what had happened, but that didn’t change the fact that my bag was MIA (with my toothbrush, medicine, bathing suits, etc) & floating around CDG airport like it had all the time in the world. All i could do was wait!

Delays happen. Bags get lost. It's rare, I promise, but it can happen. Learn from my mistakes:

• ALWAYS keep your important toiletries in your backpack or carry-on. Esp medication!

• If you have formal events, keep 1 nice dress with you in case there are any delays.

• If it’s a tropical island you’re visiting keep at least 1 swimsuit, cover up and flip flops on you. That way, if there are any unexpected delays — you can at least enjoy the first day of your trip worry free.

Look who decided to join us