Warning: Picture- and Whine-heavy post ahead.
January 12 – I boarded the plane in Nanaimo at shortly after 5 am…anticipating the next 3 weeks of fun and relaxation with friends. Winter had finally arrived on the island, and our pilot announced he wanted the plane to go through a second bout of de-icing before we took off for Calgary. This meant arriving in Calgary and at the next gate breathless from sprinting through the airport, where the jet to Toronto waited.
Only to be told that we (there were more guests than just me needing that Toronto plane) were to step aside as the gate agent continued to check in guests arriving AFTER us. Spouting some policy about needing to be in the airport 45 minutes before take-off, the gate agent told us we were being rebooked. (Which was BULLSHIT. I’ve been on WestJet flights where they held the plane to accommodate passengers making tight connections.) Yep, they gave our seats away – probably to crew – and I was booked to fly to Toronto AT 6:30 PM THE NEXT DAY. No discussion except to tell us that we were on our own and WestJet was doing nothing for us as it was deemed a weather event that we “missed” the flight, and they weren’t liable.
FINE. Shit happens and this wasn’t going to ruin my trip. After making sure an underage guest was not left to twist in the wind by the heartless gate agent (they managed to get her out the same day once they realized she was only 16), I went to find myself a hotel room and make the best of things. Getting on another flight was not going to be an option for me as the Departures board was full of delays and cancellations due to the extreme cold weather Calgary was experiencing. The airport Marriott managed to get me into my very expensive room by 10am.
I’d only been there for an hour and already my eyes and nasal passages were inflamed and burning from the lack of moisture in the air. I went to look for eye drops and nasal spray in the airport – found the eye drops only – and also found an oasis of moist air:
The next day my 6:30 pm flight time came and went. Delayed until 10:45pm, eventually. I was cheered when I finally saw the plane come up to the gate. That didn’t last long, as the gate agents announced they were “just waiting for some crew members to arrive”. This dragged on for a bit until they finally announced the flight’s cancellation due to the lack of crew. We were told we’d be booked into hotels, transportation would be arranged, be given food vouchers, and rebooked to fly out the next day. All this information to come via email to our devices. The only emails I got were the food vouchers and a rebooking to fly into Hamilton, not Toronto. By now it was around 1 am, and my fellow passengers were drifting off to fend for themselves.
So I did the same. I booked a flight out with Porter for 730am the next morning and cancelled my WestJet flight. Then I decided it was not worth finding a hotel room anymore and tried to get some rest in the terminal, instead.
Sunday morning came eventually, and I gave up on any sleep myself a wet-wipe “bath” in one of the family washrooms and went to find my gate for the Porter flight to Toronto.
I must tell you I was an unwilling witness to snippets of so many peoples’ sad travel experiences during the time I spent in the airport. I heard people on their phones talking to family, hotels and travel agents about having to cancel their vacations/travel plans altogether due to the delays. It helped stopped my own personal pity party put my own woes into some kind of perspective. The travel clusterfuck caused by the extreme weather made the news, and I vowed to never grace this airport again if I could help it.
Joanne and I had a teary reunion at the Toronto airport and tried to make the best of my now-abbreviated stay with her. I think we succeeded! Laughs and good meals were shared, as well as a spa day at the Elmwood, downtown.
And – in the blink of an eye it seemed – I was on another fucking jet with CJ, and we were heading south, to Barbados.
One of the racers happened to be CJ’s nephew – whose team took first place for their class of boat. Woohoo!!! After the race, he and his wife graciously took us on a tour of the island for a day. We stopped at Earthworks Pottery, Animal Flower Cave, Limegrove Mall, and other island must-sees during our day out. Although we have been to many spots on the island during our years of coming here, these were all new to us and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. CJ’s sister Marilyn also joined us (and got a room at our same hotel) and it was lovely to spend time with her again, not having seen her since she and CJ visited me in the fall. CJ and I have been friends since we were 7 years old and I’m always happy to be folded into her clan.
My friends Jackie and Adrien had also come down to Barbados (first visit for them) and I tried to divide my time such that I got to hang with everybody, equally. Jackie and I booked a catamaran cruise for one of the days we were both at the hotel, and it was a lot of fun to swim the wrecks and observe the sea life there, again.
We also snorkelled off of off the beach at the hotel. A fellow guest educated me on how much tropical fish loved to eat bananas! Here is a 2 minute video (watch as much as you can stand) of me (with Jackie) feeding the reef fish:
For an introvert like me, this vacay was incredibly people-y. And thus, over before I knew it. It was a bit of blur. An enjoyable blur, but a blur nonetheless.
Soon (too soon) I was back on a plane to Vancouver (bypassing the Calgary airport, deliberately of course). I had a very long layover before my flight to Nanaimo was scheduled so I decided to cancel that leg and grab a ferry to the island instead.
And, when I went to Arrivals to retrieve the carry-on bag that I was forced to check (due to a very full flight), I was informed they didn’t have my bag. WTF?!?!?!
I had an AirTag in the bag so I called up Find My app on my phone, and it told me that my bag had already left the airport and was travelling (probably on the SkyTrain) far away from me. For the next 12 hours, I held onto the delusion thought that someone had mistakenly taken my highly distinctive bag and would return it to the airport at their earliest opportunity. I did also make a police report, in the meantime. Long story short, after a couple of days of angst and many conversations with many lovely police officers (truly, I was impressed by their diligence), my luggage seemed to settle on Hastings Street in Vancouver, and I disabled the AirTag. My stolen luggage was irretrievably LOST to me.
So, all of the beach clothes, swim wear and jewellery (and much, much more) you see in the above photos are gone forever. And I am waiting (not so patiently) to hear from WestJet about the claims I have made for the cancelled flights and the stolen luggage. Not the best travel experience, but I had been reminded on this trip how many had it much worse than me.
Will I travel by air again, after this series of unfortunate events? Not soon, but eventually is inevitable I suppose. Road tripping and stay-cationing is looking very good (and so much less stressful) to me right now…
How about you? Have a travel tale of woe to share? Let me know in the comments, if you care to!
Rock on,
The WB
OMG, you are making me afraid to ever travel again!! 😳 Not fair!!
No one else can have all these things happen on the same trip, right? I think you’re good. Thanks, Jane 💕
I just want to hug 🫂 you …
Just as traumatic reading this as texting with you as things happened. I hope writing about it has been the tiniest bit cathartic and that you get compensation for all these errors, quickly and in full.
Love you sister 💕
Thank you, Sister 💕
Oh my what a story, but truly beautiful photos. You sound as though you need another holiday. What horrible luck that your bag was stolen. I hope Webjet pay up and you never have to fly with them again 😭
Thanks, Alison 💕 I hope WestJet does right by me too.
What a terrible journey but at least you got there!
And home again! Thanks, Barbara 💕
The bit in the middle sounded lovely, the to and fro-ing – not so much. I hope the claim progresses smoothly, but I fear it may be a hangover for you to endure. May being home & getting cuddles with Bowzer help soothe you.
Holy hell what a nightmare! I’d say all the hassle was worth it because, wow.! Your destination and actual vacay look stunning. But losing your luggage is a whole other nightmare on the other end. If the AirTag gave a location why couldn’t the police go search for it there?
The police could have gone to a single-family dwelling but my luggage ended up in an area of condo/apartment complexes the first night and then in a very bad area full of rooming/flop houses after that. They do not have the power to conduct searches in these buildings without a warrant/permission. They did however view security camera footage where they had permission to do so, and also interviewed a lot of street people, all to no avail. The AirTag gives a radius or zone of the area it’s located in, but not a precise location, and I couldn’t share the tag with the police (so they could see if they were getting any closer) as they are only equipped with android devices. AirTags are great if you lost the thing and it’s very close to you, but otherwise not so much ☹️. Thanks, Rivergirl 💕
Ugh. That’s so frustrating…
You went to the Elmwood! Nice place. Went there twice while living in TO. Fancy place. At least that went well I hope.
That did indeed go well! Thanks, Carol 💕
Deb, I feel your pain. My sister and I slept in the Atlanta airport one night after a similar situation – delayed flight, overbooked connection (gave away our seats). The airline gave us a (comfort package) blanket, toothbrush, wipes, etc. and pointed to some very uncomfortable metal benches. The alternative was to book a hotel, get transportation, sleep (or not) for a few hours and return for our early flight, which necessitated going through all the security hoops again. We took the bench and the comfort package inside the secure area.
Question, if the police have the address of your luggage thief, couldn’t they go retrieve it?
The upside of all this – your photos are wonderful and you had some quality time with friends. I didn’t know fish liked banana. Great tip!
Thank you, Suzanne 💕 I’m sorry to read of your Atlanta experience. See my detailed explanation to Rivergirl as to why the police couldn’t find my luggage. Long story short, it never ended up at a discrete single family dwelling so they couldn’t go knock on the door and question those suspected of harbouring it.
Travelling isn’t for the faint of heart when things go south! No lost luggage yet; touch wood (as she taps her head). The last international flight I took was a debacle on the return flight from Portugal to Toronto. Unable to land at Pearson airport so about turn to Ottawa. No, landing is possible at Pearson so about turn. But no, so back to Ottawa airport to be held on a runway until landing was possible at Pearson. One fellow was overheard saying he flew over his house in Ottawa but back to Toronto he went. Finally, in Pearson airport, I was in receipt of 2-3 boarding passes, shunted from one gate to another. At one point, I was looking at a flight board beside a pilot who informed me that he was the pilot to Edmonton. I stuck with him. Keep in mind that by now I’m punch drunk having been awake for way over 24 hrs. I wouldn’t have minded a cancelled flight if I could have just laid down even on an airport floor. I’m with you about the road trips & stay-cations.
So sorry to read that, Mona! The woman who does my nails was telling me how you can rent a sleep pod in Asian airports, for long layovers and these types of situations. Now, THAT is civilized! I can’t wait for transporter beams (ala Star Trek) become a thing. Although someone will still find a way to part you from your luggage, I am sure. Thank you 💕
Sadly, I am not certain one airline is more competent than another! It seems customer service in many industries is a thing of the past, taking little or no responsibility for error. Experiencing travel delays/lost luggage is the worst, especially when, in so many cases, we are travelling to de-stress & unwind! Looks like once you finally got to your destination, good times were had💕
Thank you, Lynn 💕 I’ve read enough stories of nightmare passengers to kinda understand why airline personnel can be so hardened against feeling anything for any traveller’s botched up travel plans. But still! I am not one of those people!!!! Good times were had, thankfully.
Even though I *lived* through all this angst with you, reading about it hasn’t made it sound any easier. The Universe took one major dump on you this winter, my friend 🙁🙁
In the end though, the only thing that really matters to me is that YOU are ok 💕
Thank you, my friend 💕 And we did get some (albeit very shortened) time together!
Reminds me of Steve Martin’s experience in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but that was just pretend. Your ordeal sounds pretty frustrating. At least there was a beautiful place in between the going and the coming home.
Yes! That movie went through my mind as well 🤣. Thanks, Susan 💕
Sounds like quite a nightmare thanks to the airlines (and I thought the airlines here in the U.S. were a mess!)
Car travel works better for us, but we once had our car stolen from a hotel parking lot during an overnight stay. That was quite a mess as we had to get a rental to get to our destination, then home. Three weeks later after the car had been stripped, the insurance company paid to have it shipped back to us and, no, the hotel wasn’t particularly concerned about our distress.
I’m impressed you held up as well as you did amid such chaos and wish you well getting reimbursement (that experience may be another blog post, eh?😬)
Thank you, Bobi 💕 It may be months before all this is settled, based on the hundreds of stranded passengers I witnessed just in my little area of the Calgary airport (which is HUGE). I’m so sorry to read about you getting your car stolen. The hotel probably sees this kinda thing happen a lot so they can be blasé about it.
Wow! You win the record for one of the worst trips (other than the destinations) ever! Hope you get compensated. I would have expected police to go busting in the Hastings street address to pick it up.
It was an area of rooming houses in probably the worst street in all of Canada. By then my luggage would have stripped of all its valuables and some destitute person had found it and was using it for their meagre possessions. Thanks, Kate 💕
Boogers.
Traveling in the winter can be a nightmare. I think you got hit with all 3 things going bad at once for the year done and over with!
What a shame about the luggage. I hope you’re well and truly reimbursed for all your stuff.
The bits in the middle looked amazing, and so beautiful though!
Thanks, Deborah 💕 I hope the travel gods are done smiting me now 😉.
I agree with others. You definitely need a holiday from that holiday. And please sign me up for any local travel or staycations that you would like to explore. I’m all IN!
Beautiful photos though. Thank you for sharing them.
My pleasure! See you soon 💕
Omg. Someone deliberately STOLE your luggage?? Who does that? I’m glad you had a good time with friends, but the rest of it, delays after delays, sounded like a nightmare. I do have a story, but it’s not as entertaining as yours. I haven’t flown since covid.
Yep, someone did. You’re not missing anything great by not flying, that’s for sure! Even when everything goes right, it’s exhausting. Thanks, Dawn 💕
But if you knew the address where it was why couldn’t you file a report and get it back?
The address pointed to an area full of rooming houses, not a discrete address. Police do not have the power to enter these types of residences and do a search without permission.
Come on holidays, they said … it will be fun, they said. I was groaning with you and that Calgary airport stay sounds beyond hellish.
It was pretty hellish! Thanks, Jo 💕
Oh, friend, what a wild ride. This would have made me extremely anxious. You truly are a badass. I guess the question is: Was it all worth it? (I think I know the answer). You look like you had a great time (when you weren’t at the airport). I have a love-hate relationship with flying. Your post explains precisely why. I’m glad you’re home safely. 😘❤️
At this point, I’m not sure it was worth it. I keep waiting to “get over it”. Thanks, Kari 💕
I’d still be upset, too. Take your time. 😘❤️
I always hated traveling for business in the winter but I NEVER had as bad of an experience as you did. Everything was horrible enough even before you had your bag stolen. Too bad the thieves didn’t just get a bunch of soiled underwear. You will definitely win (or lose?) for worst travel story on tomorrow’s chat.
An award I never want to accept 😂. And the thieves did get a bunch of dirty clothes too! Thanks, Janis 💕 Talk to you soon!