I made it to Mannheim, Germany!
As cliché as this sounds, BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS, as I explain how this journey from Columbia, SC to Mannheim, Germany was a complete nightmare. My original direct flight from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany was scheduled for around 5 pm. The weather that week started to get worse, colder, with chances of snow and ice on the roads. Luckily (or so I thought), my flight didn’t get canceled, so my dad, brother, and I drove about 45 miles per hour on semi-dangerous roads that morning to make it to the Atlanta airport (which ended up taking about 5 hours). All over the news and social media, I saw that over 1,000 flights out of Atlanta were either getting delayed or canceled, but I still had hope.
Once I made it through check-in, security, and walked to my gate, I realized that my gate was the same as a flight that was all over the news, headed to Minneapolis that day. Apparently, all of them had to evacuate due to an engine issue. It was really fascinating to speak to those passengers about their experience and what it was like to evacuate. Soon after, my flight got delayed and then canceled. In the meantime, as I figured out what to do about my canceled flight, I got to meet a German girl who also went to the Christian conference in Atlanta called Passion that same week! It was so cool, and we helped each other figure out our rebooked flights on the Delta app. I was now scheduled for a flight to Rome and then Frankfurt, taking off that same night!
Here’s where the story gets interesting. For the next seven hours, my flight kept getting delayed and moved to several different gates. Finally, around 12 am, we were able to board the flight! After about an hour and a half of de-icing the plane, all of a sudden, they told us that according to FAA regulations, the pilots had worked overtime and they would not be able to fly us. So, they took us back to the gate, and we all had to quickly get off. I had put my carry-on up top, my backpack under the seat, my keychain with my wallet and AirPods in the pouch in front of me for easy access to my AirPods throughout the 9-hour flight I thought was ahead of me, and my jacket on me like a blanket. Everyone was rushing, and I quickly grabbed my belongings since I had an aisle seat and walked off the plane. I felt a little bit frantic about what the future of this trip would be. My dad and brother already had a hotel booked because it was too dangerous to drive back to South Carolina and were fast asleep. About 300 of us passengers all got escorted to the Delta help desk, where we had to scan a QR code to get in line to be rebooked. I was number 255th in line… and all the hotels were full for the night, so let’s just say everyone was not happy. I sat on the floor at the airport for about 3 hours trying to get rebooked on my Delta app. The app kept crashing and then re-booking over and over again to random locations, most being 2-3 stops. After multiple rebookings and finally switching to my computer, I had a confirmed flight to Paris and then Frankfurt!
Around 3 am, my dad and brother picked me up, and I got to crash at their hotel for about 6 hours. The next day, after having breakfast and packing the car up, I realized… I LEFT MY KEYCHAIN ON THE PLANE… which had my wallet and AirPods connected to it. I am beyond thankful I still had my passport, or else I would not have been able to still fly to Europe, despite losing such a valuable belonging of mine. I immediately checked my FindMy app on my phone and found that the AirPods were still at the airport, so I tried to stay optimistic. My dad gave me $100 cash so I at least had some money in case I wasn’t able to retrieve my wallet. Once I arrived at the airport, the app started glitching, and I was booked for a flight to Chicago and also to Paris, both from Atlanta, so I had to get that fixed. Apparently, my airline switched also, so I had to stand in two check-in lines, and I double-checked that my bag had the correct label and would make it to Frankfurt with me! I filed a lost item report, and dumb, frantic me decided to listen to the lady who directed me to the lost and found, even though I literally knew the AirPods were still at the gate I had left them in… I took a 15-minute shuttle from the international terminal to the domestic terminal with 3 hours before boarding, only to find out the lost and found is closed on Saturdays!! How crazy!! I stood in line for security and then traveled back to the international terminal to find my gate. I made it there on time and was able to meet up with my friend Neeha, who is also in my cohort, flying out around the same time! Unfortunately, the Delta employees were not able to give me my keychain, as I was supposed to follow the lost and found procedures. I would have to wait until someone turned it in, and then if so, have it shipped somewhere in the U.S. since they don’t ship internationally. I knew I was making it to Germany, and that’s all that mattered at the moment. I tried not to be upset at myself about leaving my keychain, since I knew it had been a stressful airport experience so far, but I was definitely disappointed in myself because I had my driver’s license, three debit cards, 300 Euros in cash, AirPods, and lots of other important cards in there.
I promptly and safely made it to Paris! I arrived around 7 am on January 12th and had a two-hour layover before flying to Frankfurt. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed (minus one detail we will get to later in the story) the Paris airport. It was so clean, organized, and had a great lounging place for me to relax with free Wi-Fi and plenty of outlets! Plus, I met a group of Americans from Anderson, SC, who were on a work trip for Michelin. They were wearing Clemson and Alabama merch, which are my two rivals, so it was fun getting to talk to them while waiting for my flight. Once I boarded the plane, I noticed that I could watch the bags as they were being loaded on, so I did. I noticed that not a single bag put on the plane was mine, so I started to worry. I already had this really bad feeling that my checked bag wasn’t going to make it, and so I went up to one of the flight attendants and asked if she could please confirm that my bag was on the flight. She took my seat number and then had another lady come and tell me that it is on the flight and I have nothing to worry about. I relaxed, even though I did not see my bag checked in on the Delta app, nor saw it loaded on the plane. Once I arrived and went to baggage claim, I watched as about 200 bags came out and not a single one of them was mine. Upset, but not surprised, I spoke to the Delta lost baggage worker and gave him my brand-new address in Germany, which I had to search through my emails to find. I was hoping I gave them the right address as I had not even moved in yet and did not know how receiving mail or packages worked yet.
My friend, who had arrived at the Frankfurt Airport a few hours before me, was waiting for me, and so after I was done, we met up and figured out the public transportation to Mannheim together! I am so thankful we had each other to travel with and that she was able to pay for my train ticket for the time being! The correct train was a little difficult to find, but once we did, it was a breeze, and we were safely on the way to Mannheim! Once we got there, we walked to the building where we picked up our keys and then met up with some of the Germans in our cohort, who helped us bus over to our new apartment!
What! A! Journey! I made it, just with a lot of ups and downs!
Stay tuned for the next blog post, where I'll finish the story about my suitcase and wallet, and explain my first two weeks in Germany! Even though this travel experience was a nightmare, it was so worth it! Don’t let this scare you from traveling abroad, just be prepared for changes and keep up with your stuff HAHA.
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