Expect the Unexpected
Posted by HAYLIE SEGAL
A microcosm of the old saying, “life is not a straight line,” can be found when
travelling. One would think that travel is simple; you board a plane and arrive at
your destination a few hours later. However, experienced travelers know that things
rarely run so smoothly. I remember one time that my travel day was extended from
one day to two.
The journey should have been simple. It was 2011 and I was travelling with a friend
to Poland. We were to travel from Vancouver to Munich, Munich to Krakow. All the
travelling should have amounted to an eleven-hour day. It was to be a long trip, but
we were mentally prepared.
The first leg of the flight, Vancouver to Munich, went by without issue. The flight was
long, but we arrived on time. It was the second flight, the flight that was supposed to
be quick, where things fell apart.
We boarded the plane after a two-hour layover in Munich. My friend and I were
tired and were ready to get through this final flight. The plane took off and
everything was fine until we entered a dense fog.
The flight from Munich to Krakow should only be an hour and a half long, so we
noticed something was wrong when the flight extended to two-hours. A glance out
the window gave no answers; the fog was so dense I could not see above or below
the plane, nor could I see straight out. As my curiosity of what was happening
increased, the voice of the pilot came through the speakers. The pilot announced
that the heavy fog made it unsafe to land in Krakow. Due to the circumstances, he
planned to re-route the plane back to Munich. The passengers broke out into a
hushed worry. One man, a few rows back from us, stood up and started to yell in
Polish as he banged his hand against the seat in front of him. His anger would
prevent nothing, unfortunately. The plane looped around and we headed back to
Munich.
Back in Munich, we boarded a shuttle with other weary travelers. The shuttle took
us to a nearby hotel where the airline paid for our overnight stay as compensation
for the delay. The next flight to Krakow left early the next morning.
Severely jet-legged and short on sleep, my friend and I were shuttled back to the
airport the following morning. We boarded the plane for our second try at Krakow.
Luckily, the fog was gone, and the plane landed successfully. But there was to be no
rest for my friend and I. The flight delay had made our travel plans all the more
urgent, as we had booked a tour for the Auschwitz concentration camp that day. As
exhausted as we were from the delay, my friend and I took a bus straight from the
airport to the concentration camp to do our tour.
Expect the unexpected when you are travelling. Long flight extensions can delay
your travel plans and leave you in a hurry, sometimes for days on end. Flight
extensions also lead to extra hours of immobility on the airplane. These long periods
of immobility are the reason you should wear Dr. Segal’s Compression Socks while
travelling. Dr. Segal’s Compression Socks will keep your feet safe, energized, and
healthy no matter how many hours you spend on the airplane.
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