Greetings from US Airways flight 2033! I’m blogging from the sky on my way to Washington, DC right now. After an hour and a half delay in Boston, I’m finally on my way to the Nation’s capital. Hooray!
I don’t know about you, but I usually get pretty annoyed when my travel plans get messed up. I almost always have a loose agenda in mind with things I want to do and see, so any sort of mix up generally bugs me. This morning, however, my flight delay really didn’t bother me.
When I first learned about the delay, I was upset, but more for my friend, Katie, than me since she took the day off from work to pick me up at the airport. Thankfully, Katie didn’t seem to mind when I broke the news to her, so I sat back and relaxed at the airport. I mean, all I could do was wait, right? Might as well make the best of it!
So, I did some reading:
And ate a delicious lunch:
(I had turkey and Swiss cheese on a sun-dried tomato wrap with a bottle of water.)
And enjoyed a chocolaty treat:
I even had time to finish my Feel Great Weight post (about nighttime snacking) for next week.
Before I knew it, it was time to board the plane. On the flight, I drank some orange juice (for the Vitamin C, baby).
We’re landing in a few minutes. Yay! More adventures to come!
How do you deal with delays and other changes to your travel plans?
51 Comments
I’m definitely not a fan of delays, but I can usually handle them as long as they don’t affect a layover I need to make. Then I get really nervous and my husband has to talk me off the ledge. š
i usually get pretty annoyed with delays since i really just want to get where i’m going most of the time. and let’s be honest, i’m definitely not the most patient person out there. š sometimes they’re not too bad though if i have stuff to keep me occupied. i love to people watch, read magazines, and work on blog stuff and read other blogs (if the airport offers free WiFi).
I had to fly from SC to CO this past Sunday and my flight ended up being delayed about 3.5 hours. It didn’t bother me though because I wasn’t in. Hurry (only plans were to go to bed when I got to CO) and I didn’t have to worry bout a connecting flight because I actually just stayed on the same plane during our stop!
Depending on where I am going, sometimes I can get really annoyed/nervous. If I am trying to fly home during the holidays and flights are getting delayed/canceled I worry about never making it in time..but if I am on the way to a vacation I am more relaxed, because fun is waiting for me when I arrive! Have fun in DC š
Of course I never like delays but sometimes they can be nice if I have a good book or something to do. It can sort of force you to sit still for awhile, which can be a good thing š
Good for you! I am not that good about it. I only ever had one delay due to weather which made us miss our connecting flight by about 5 minutes. At first i was very annoyed (it was our honeymoon) but they had us on the next flight out in 90 mins so I was happy about that.
I get annoyed when flights are delayed. I know it’s usually for a good reason but when you are excited for arriving to your destination it’s hard to have to wait even longer.
When I saw the picture with your reading material, I thought the wad of cash with a ribbon was really yours! Maybe a bribe to get things moving with your plane? Ha ha!
I LOVE your shoes!!
Delays don’t phase me too too much unless I miss my connection. Then it gets quite stressful…especially when you are surrounded by other stressed out travelers who are unnecessarily rude to the airline employees! I have a great deal of respect for those folks for dealing with tired, frazzeled, stressed travelers on a daily basis!
It totally depends on my trip! If I’m anxious to get somewhere and I have plans right after arrival, I’ll get stressed out but otherwise I’m fine. I have a secret love for airports and their tiny shops so I usually just kill time looking through the stores and flipping through magazines.
unless it means i’m missing something huge, delays don’t usually phase me. with my job, i always have a ton of work with me and i just look at delays as “bonus” work time. i do usually treat myself to a TCBY or something, though, just for the heck of it!
“How do you deal with delays and other changes to your travel plans?”
Before or after I “ugly” cry?
I’m still stewing about the 6 hours Delta stole from us last year in Napa Valley.
I used to get really upset about delays, but the more I traveled the better I learned to deal with them. I’m like you – I mix relaxation and productivity. The best is when there’s a nail spa in your terminal and you can get a mani/pedi or a massage while waiting!
One time on our family trip to Hawaii, the plane flew back to San Francisco almost halfway through the flight because there was something they needed to check with the plane! Thank goodness all was okay and we made it safely.
Now I always just hope for a safe flight when we travel.
Hope you have fun, girl!
Fun for you but SUCKS for those of us in SW DC who are forced to find some imaginary alternative parking. There are already no parking spaces in the area and this frickin marathon/half business eliminates an entire street for us to park, not to mention closing off access to highways if we want to get somewhere. Hope you’re satisfied your fun comes at the expense of others.
Darn! When you said “for the .., baby” my eyes skipped the Vitamin C part and I thought it meant you were having a baby! Haha.
I’m with you on just kicking back and waiting. Nothing I can do will make it go faster, so I just hope that I have a book to occupy me, or I go for a walk.
I’ve never even been on a plane before! Haha have fun š
Delays kill me because I have three little people who are already sick of traveling, so when it takes longer it’s just no good at all.
Anxiety disorder + changes in travel plans = bad for me
I do some deep breathing, use my Blue Oil Aveda Rollerball, call and bitch about it to someone who will empathize and then move on. It’s annoying though. If all else fails for me, anxiety medication helps in emergency situations. I’ll be honest about it.
Something I’ve never understood..how do people (like that lady in the first picture) walk around airports with high heels?! Every single time I do that it’s like Murphy’s law and I end up having to run to my connecting flight, which has resulted in me rolling my ankle, tripping and having my suitcase, computer bag and purse going flying through the terminal before. Slightly embarrassing.
As for the delays, when it’s work related it doesn’t bother me. Personal trips though, I get worked up and annoyed I’m missing more of my trip than planned.
Ew, delays! We had a 4 hour one in San Fran one time. The only thing that saved me was the smartphone. Thank goodness for free wifi! š
That wrap looks delicious! Where did you get it from?
Some little kiosk at the airport.
I solve the delay problem by not flying at all. About 10 years ago I just stopped due to my fear. I know it’s totally silly and I’m working on it. But when I used to fly the delays would just increase my anxiety ten-fold. I hear it’s much worse these days.
I hate plane delays. It took me 22 hours to get from Pennsylvania to California. Took a flight to Chicago, ran to get the plane, got in the air, flew for about an hour and they said they had problems and had to take us back to Chicago. After sitting for hours for the next flight, made it to San Francisco only to find out the subway is broken down and it would be another 2 hours. That was the worse delay ever!!
I detest delays but I’m used to rolling with the punches. I always pack my phone charger in my bag just in case of unexpected delays so I can charge at the airport.
I think packing snacks is smart because a lot of airport food is expensive and unhealthy.
Hope you have a wonderful trip!
Since I’ve experienced one of those absolutely nutso too crazy to be true travel nightmare experiences, I no longer take smooth gravel for granted or assume that things will go smoothly. That being said, small/minor delays don’t really faze me. I just always make sure to have something to read, and then I’m good to go!
Cry then hit the bar.
US Airways is the WORST! I’m currently in a fight with them over a lost bag, a cancelled flight and two delays (all on the SAME TRIP). So frustrating. But that sandwich looks pretty amazing.
Oh I’ve had so many delays in my life lol
I always take plenty of reading material with me , just in case š
Nighttime snacking is my downfall! I will definitely read this.
I hate delays too! But theres nothing we can do, might as well go with the flow!
Wow that wrap looks great, even more so that it’s from the airport! Flight delays are the worst and as frustrating as they can be, all you can really do is suck it up…and hope that you have some good reading material/entertainment on you!
Yay for taking the delay in stride. BTW…hot shoes to stride in too. Enjoy DC.
Delays used to stress me out and put me in a bad mood. But I soon realized that stressing does nothing for the situation that is totally out of my control. I now learn to sit back, enjoy some much needed down time and indulge myself in some magazine/book reading and a fun airport treat. Might as well make the best of it!
I’m a big planner, so I hate when things mess up my plans – it stresses me out! I usually just buy a bunch of magazines and try to make the best of it. š
I’m not the best when things are delayed, I get antsy and anxious, especially at the airport…
Good luck with the race! The forecast was looking pretty crappy this weekend but it was nice to wake up to the birds chirping and sunshine this morning š
If I am flying alone, I am a ball of nervous energy before the flight; I always worry I am going to miss it or something is going to go wrong. Then, I often get delayed. To pass the time in airports, I also read (I read the same Real Simple issue on my flight to AZ this weekend!) and play Scrabble. Eating and people watching is fun too.
Thankfully, I have never experienced a huge delay, but I did have a 5 hour layover in Turkey. There was no AC in the airport, it was summer, it was hot. š
Be safe! š
Is that your friend with the heels? Where’d she get them – they’re adorable!
I’d go buy a stack of magazines and some nail polish! I loooove Luna Nutz over chocolate. Have fun in DC! š
I do not travel often, so I have not experienced too many delays, but they definitely annoy me – as I am a very schedule-oriented person, even when traveling!! A change of plans really throws me off!
There is not much you can do…so the best thing is to just ‘breathe and reboot’. I used to get my knickers in a knot over this kind of thing, but not anymore. Now i just grab a mag to read, or work on my computer until the time comes to board the plane.
Ahh are those your legs/shoes in that first picture? If so please tell me where you got those shoes! They are beautiful and I’ve been wanting something exactly like that.
I think you hit it on the money when you said “all you can do is wait, right?” Because that is all you can do. I get frustrated when my flight is delayed but as long as I don’t have a connecting flight that could be affected, I realize I can’t do anything more than wait.
The only time I ever really got upset over it, I was flying home to be with my parents while dealing with a really bad heartache in college. Flights to Chicago were being canceled left and right and my flight was the only one that hadn’t been and had been delayed hours. I was exhausted and hurting and just remember walking around the airport sobbing while talking to my dad. I eventually made it there after the worst flight of my life (whoa turbulence!) and not being able to land and circling for an extra hour or so above Chicago because of weather.
I try to look on the bright side, but I have a horrible habit of overplanning my trips. So I’m always having to say goodbye to certain things I had planned to do. But there’s always still time to have some fun!
I just found your blog and I love it. I’ll continue to follow your updates!
I don’t handle delays very well, mainly because I hate flying! So I usually deal with delays in the bar :-/
Where did you get those shoes?!?!?!? ADORABLE!!!
Being an airline employee and flying standby, I HAVE to be flexible. I always have a “plan B”, and don’t start getting nervous unless I’m still in the terminal waiting on the last flight of the day. Always have a book & a snack with me so I’m prepared for (almost) anything. I also know that there are forces beyond anyone’s control (weather, maintenance issues) that cause delays, so I don’t get upset about them.
You should have asked that woman where she got her shoes xD