Monday, February 16, 2009

Give our regards to Broadway...and Brooklyn

A trip update: We are still going to Israel, but we are not going to New York City.

We got our flight plans from DuCar Tours, the travel agency handling the Israel part of the trip, the other day, and they had “IAD” on our itinerary, not “JFK.” I got the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach when I saw it. I wasn’t sure at first what “IAD” meant, but I knew it wasn’t “JFK,” like we had been told…up until a month before the trip. I soon found out that “IAD” meant Dulles International Airport, 26 miles outside Washington, D.C.

Cue pregnant emotional meltdown.

That is, after I called DuCar and found out there was no way to trade airports or tickets. They had “already been printed.” And we all know that printer ink might as well be blood.

Apparently, they encourage everyone to wait to make their travel arrangements until receiving official flight plans from them. I must have missed the memo with that important bit of information, along with “Pay no attention to the itinerary on our Web site or the paperwork we sent you. We cannot guarantee you will leave from the location we told you or at the time we told you.” Still haven’t seen that anywhere.

I’m okay now. Really. I just wasn’t very okay for a few minutes there. As usual, Gunter took it in stride.

We rescheduled our domestic flights (what's an extra $300 fee when you've paid so much already, right?), cancelled our hotel in NYC and got a new one in Sterling, VA. We’ll leave on Sunday instead of on Saturday, fly out of Dulles on Monday, make a happy little stop the next morning in Vienna, Austria, and arrive in Tel Aviv Tuesday afternoon. What better opportunity for me to learn some key German phrases! Could anyone tell me how to pronounce, “Where is my plane?”

I realize there are real problems in the world much worse than not getting to go to New York City. I know I'm spoiled. God helped me work through my anger and psycho-planner issues, and I believe I’m moved on with my life. Life doesn’t follow my plan…just a small lesson in adulthood.

It’s me, moving toward maturity, one raging tantrum at a time.

4 comments:

Heather said...

This post made me laugh. Not at your situation, but at your attitude about it. Way to keep your sense of humor! :)
I'm sorry you won't get to go to New York, but I know you'll still have a wonderful time on your trip.

bethany@sippinsweetteablog said...

Thanks, Heather! I was really hoping this post leaned more toward tongue-in-cheek than angry.

Jen L. said...

STINKY!!!!! Aw, man, I was really excited for your trip to NYC. :( You'll just have to go some other time. Sorry that didn't work out. Let me know when you get ready to go in the future and your personal NY travel agent will be back on duty!

How's that baby!?!?

bethany@sippinsweetteablog said...

It's a deal, Jen! You've prepared me so well, I feel ready for the next time.

The baby is good, as far as I can tell. :-) I've been meaning to do an update on the blog...maybe I'll get around to it during lunch today or late this afternoon.