Luck O' the Irish? Blarney!!
Posted: Monday, March 02, 2009
by Tracey Watson
When my daughter graduated from High School, I decided to take her on a mother-daughter trip before she went on to bigger things; college, work, home and social demands, and decreased ability to take time off for two weeks. She had done well in High School, kept her grades up, been a good "citizen", and though we had taken a foreign trip the summer before with our church, it was definitely a working trip. I wanted to reward all of her hard work and honesty, and spend good, quality, and fun time with her. We sat down and decided together where we would like to go and Ireland was on the top of the list. Rolling green hills, friendly faces, and adorable accents. We were ready for the happy-go-lucky Irish!
The next glitch came when the flight was delayed by an hour. When they finally let us on the plane, we sat on the runway for half an hour, then we were told to get off. Can they do that? Yep, they can. We were advised to go to the airline counter to be rescheduled. So, all the people from the plane were quickly scurrying to the counter, where we were fifth in line (long legs have an advantage here). It still took an hour to get to first in line. The reservation agent said she had to re-route us through Chicago, then to London (with a 6 hour layover), then on to Ireland - total time: 25 hours. This was starting to feel very unlucky. I asked her if our baggage would follow us correctly. She reassured us that it was all computerized and not to worry. To make this long 25 hour part of the story shorter, I will summarize it: cold airports, long lines at each airport for re-checking in, passport checks, and major fatigue. We finally got to our destination and, I am sure you guessed it no baggage. By the way, my luggage didn't show up for 5 days, my daughter's for 11 (out of 14) days. We had to call and check in to the airlines every day. We had no clothing, very few toiletries or personal items, and no warm gear for the rainy Irish skies. Each day they told us we could buy a few things for the day, but we would probably get our luggage the next day.
We had purchased a package deal that included vouchers for bed and breakfasts for each day. The travel agency said that it was not difficult to find places that accepted these vouchers because "there were literally thousands of B & B's in Ireland, and most of them accept vouchers". Generally, this is not a true statement, maybe one third of them do accept vouchers, and it is best to make reservations ahead of time. We did not have reservations either, because we wanted to roam the countryside and stop when the mood hit. The travel agency made it sound like this was all easy and feasible. I will say the places that we did stay were wonderful. But, we spent so much time trying to find clothing and housing, that we just didn't get to relax and enjoy the atmosphere like we should have.
When I did get my bag, it was pretty well destroyed. They found my daughter's bag in New York (no, we never went through New York). I shared all my clothing and makeup with my daughter (luckily, we are the same size). Being girls, we had brought a curling iron and a converter. It blew up (I am not kidding, with smoke, sparks and all). Fortunately, I have natural wave to my hair, and the humidity did all sorts of fabulous things to it. I felt like I fit right in with my wavy, red hair. My daughter, on the other hand, was not feeling the love with her hairstyle.
We had one mishap after another, and really had moments where we wondered what all the hype was about with the "Luck O' the Irish". But, all things said and done, it was probably THE most beautiful place I have ever seen. The Irish people are warm and caring, and very relaxed about life. They went out of their way to give directions and advice, tell stories, and were just wonderful in every way. We spent one night in a castle that was magical. And, given the opportunity, I would go back in a second; just hoping that all my bad luck was used up on this trip. Anyone that has the opportunity to go to Ireland, GO. Just make sure that you bring a carry-on that has enough clothes for a few days, and bring your own luck!
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Tracey,You definitely give another side to the 'Luck-O-the Irish' with this write. Sad that you had to go through that, but at least you had the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing this memory.
nice article...
Tracey, good advice, that carry on piece of luggage. I'm glad you and your daughter had a good trip in spite everything. Your article encourages to look for the good in our everyday lives.Hi Lorrie! Boy, did I learn my lesson! What I didn't mention in the article, is that I forgot to pack my prescription medication in my carry on (as a nurse, you would think I would really know better). So, when I got there and my luggage was gone, I panicked. Luckily, all I had to do was go to the local Pharmacy and they gave me an emergency five day supply. I don't know if they do this in all countries, but they did it there, and without a prescription. I was surprised, but thrilled. Thanks for writing! Tracey : )
Even though with all the 'bad luck', look at all the cool memories and adventures with your daughter. Waaaay Cool!I could really feel your frustration with lost luggage, airport delays, erroneous information from travel agent, etc. in this article. You see, I used to be a travel agent and also an airport checkin agent, baggage agent, telephone reservations agent. A total of 32 years in the travel industry. I have seen all the problems, heard all the stories. When I travel, I go with a carry-on case and that's all.I've never been to Ireland yet, but really want to some day.Hi David! As much as I've traveled around the United States, Mexico, and a little in Thailand, I have never had bad luck with my luggage or other things. I think the moons were just lined up wrong. However - I still have to say - I can't imagine a MORE beautiful place! The small, winding roads; the lush, greeeeeen hills; the quaint, little towns, wow!!! I met so many wonderful people and have a head full of amazing memories (less the flaming curling iron and destroyed baggage), I still can never be sorry I went. Save your money and take the trip, you won't regret it! Thanks for commenting. Tracey : )
Tracey,What a great article. I felt your frustration with every word. But somehow I knew the end of your story would turn out well. The glass is half full, isn't it?NancyThe glass is always half full for those who realize that life is not out to get you, but for opportunity for fun and learning. Sometimes it may take me a day to find a good angle to see it, but luckily I am flexible! Talk to you later.... Tracey : )
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