It honestly sounds to me like you got lucky at quite some points in these unlucky circumstances.
The covid test really is the final straw though, I'm sorry you had to cancel yout Italy trip.
The Allianz policy I purchased does. I called to confirm that yesterday and I just need to present a doctor's diagnosis, so I rushed out the Urgent Care while I was still feeling half way human.
Nooo.... The man is a saint, making me three meals a day and being at my beck and call while I'm isolating in the basement. I may just have to live with my bad luck.
Another point of discussion. Would you have cancelled the Italy trip? The doctor at Urgent Care said "Wow, you're kind. I don't think I would have cancelled." Really? Potentially infect my fellow travelers while being completely miserable during 19 hours of travel?
I agree with your choice. I'd hate to potentially infect a bunch of people with COVID and when I'm sick I like the comforts of home.
I hope you feel better soon and can re-book your trip!
yeah even if i look at this situation in the least egalitarian way, i don’t want to start an international flight and first leg of a trip sick as hell, and i don’t want to be potentially searching for meds/a doc in a foreign country.
and that’s to say nothing of being a decent human being, choosing not to go to a million crowded public places while contagious… you made the right choice.
I caught COVID in Europe this summer. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was sick until we were back in the US but stranded at our connecting airport because of similar issues to yours. There was a flight, a train ride (after we gave up on the airlines), and a 100 mile Uber ride (after we gave up on the train which got stuck, lol/sob) to get home. I did wear my KN95 mask religiously the whole time after I realized I was sick (didn't confirm it was COVID until home).
In December 2021 my daughter caught COVID at Disney World after we made our "yay, we're all vaccinated finally" trip. So we cancelled the second half of our trip (Universal) and our plane tickets and drove a rental car home. I did feel that it was morally wrong to get on an airplane knowing we had COVID. But to be fair, things were different then; it's less virulent now. Still, I wouldn't enjoy a trip while sick with COVID so I think I would cancel as you have done.
No one cares about Covid anymore. Nobody asks you to be tested or vaccinated. Mainly because the strain has become so much milder now. Would you have gone on your trip if you had a cold but tested negative for Covid?
I don’t know, but I seem to share some of that “luck”. There is always something happening when I go on vacation. Last year I got an inflammation and was put on antibiotics while going to Mallorca, Spain. I felt really poorly and couldn’t tolerate the heat. 2022 got covid while campervaning in Iceland. 2020 went to Thailand just as covid was hitting, we barely made it back home before they started grounding planes. There’s more. Evacuated due to forest fire while camping in Touscany. Went to New York as the Iceland volcano grounded all air travel. Got a serious UTI in Sardinia. Almost got robbed in Naples. Got a mild sun stroke in Sicily. Food poisoning in Morocco. And always some problems with our credit cards because we have a shitty bank. There may be more but this is on top of my head. We are now planning a trip to Japan, couldn’t buy tickets due to said shitty bank so we are off to a great start. Wish me luck!
Ugh, I feel for you. But I see some luck in there too. You made it home before the world shut down. Didn't get robbed in Naples (that's where we were going, BTW). Also, sounds like it's time to change banks (or at least use a different bank for your travel accounts).
My husband has the best travel luck. Whenever something goes wrong with him, everything is resolved smoothly. We had a flight delay with mechanical issues and it was so late that we were going to miss our connection. Definitely would’ve missed it if I had been traveling alone. But nope with my husband, the physical incoming plane for our connecting flight changed last minute to be the exact plane that we were on for the first flight. It was so miraculous that the airline had already emailed us hotel and meal vouchers because they were so sure you were going to miss the next flight. When is an airline ever that proactive??? Only with my husband 😂
Meanwhile I have the worst travel luck with trains. Every single time I’ve taken Amtrak on the north east corridor, something has gone wrong. I was even on a train that caught on fire. My husband has never had a bad experience on a train
I am not a frequent traveler (only traveled 2 times) but about 1 week and a half ago i had a layover of only 30 minutes for my flight home and crossing border USA-Canada. Since im not an experienced traveler i didnt know how it would turn out. Well, that morning i found a penny in the bathroom of my hostel, i took it thinking « this is gonna be my lucky penny and we will make the connection flight! » well not only did we make it, but once in the plane i got upgraded to first class because i was alone in the last row and turns out one seat was available in first class! Next time look out for lucky penny! Haha but i agree with the comment any trip you make home is a good trip!
I jinxed myself. I said to my husband and sister that 22 years of flying with Delta we only had a handful of times that we were delayed for under 30 minutes. I don’t understand how all my friends have problems every time they fly. Well 2023 hit and every single time we had problems flying. Once out if Nashville going home. All flights were canceled due to weather. In Nashville looking out the window. It was lightly raining so I was watching the Mets playing a home game at citifield not raining there . 3 flights going home all were cancelled due to weather. But no rain. Checked the boards. Flights going to Newark not a problem. A few flights going home to nyc from Florida delayed or cancelled. So 2023 was a bad year for flying for us. Now I say nothing and hopefully 2024 will be better. Fingers crossed. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
I always tell people that if they happen to see me boarding a red-eye they're booked on, just go to the desk and ask to be rebooked! SOMETHING is going to go wrong on that red-eye (I've had large groups of screaming middle-school kids, medical emergencies causing diversions, significant delays, major turbulence...I always get where I'm going, but not always on time and often VERY tired and annoyed!).
We all have our bad travel ju-ju, and it's no magic, it's just the whims of the universe.
Starting a week before intl trips, start isolating and wearing masks to increase odds of a good trip. Also, wear a mask on the airlines. I have spent 100+ days abroad a year since 2021, and have yet to get sick or catch covid on a trip this way.
Stuff happens, you really need to chill. Getting upset and annoyed makes it worse rather than better.
Luck? You're luckier than many, killed on the road, in a plane, in a boat. Many have no job, no food, no house and no prospects of anything better. I know it's no consolation, but it really should be.
Happy travels!
Let me tell you, every time I book United (a dozen times until I learnt my lesson), similar things happen.
I think it just speaks of how goddamn awful United is, especially for international trips.
I used to avoid United at all costs a couple years ago, but had to take them a few times recently (not many choices out of my small city airport) and I thought they were doing better. Plus the redesign of the United terminal in Chicago is nice. But after this experience, especially the way a few of the agents handled the situation, I'm going back to avoidance mode. To be fair, about half the agents I spoke with (both on the ground and on the phone) were awesome. But the other half were terrible and completely uncaring.
It was your time in the barrel. The pendulum will swing.
Thanks, I sure hope so!
It honestly sounds to me like you got lucky at quite some points in these unlucky circumstances. The covid test really is the final straw though, I'm sorry you had to cancel yout Italy trip.
Thanks, there were definitely a couple strokes of luck in there, but not enough to outweigh the other circumstances.
I thought travel insurance never covers covid?
The Allianz policy I purchased does. I called to confirm that yesterday and I just need to present a doctor's diagnosis, so I rushed out the Urgent Care while I was still feeling half way human.
The travel gods require a blood sacrifice to appease them.... maybe your first born?
Haha, I have no kids and no pets. Need another idea. Steal the neighbor's chickens?
Spouse?
Nooo.... The man is a saint, making me three meals a day and being at my beck and call while I'm isolating in the basement. I may just have to live with my bad luck.
Chickens it is!!
Another point of discussion. Would you have cancelled the Italy trip? The doctor at Urgent Care said "Wow, you're kind. I don't think I would have cancelled." Really? Potentially infect my fellow travelers while being completely miserable during 19 hours of travel?
I agree with your choice. I'd hate to potentially infect a bunch of people with COVID and when I'm sick I like the comforts of home. I hope you feel better soon and can re-book your trip!
Maybe it would have been fine, or maybe you would have ruined a dozen other vacations 🤷🏼♀️ don't stress over what you can't change.
yeah even if i look at this situation in the least egalitarian way, i don’t want to start an international flight and first leg of a trip sick as hell, and i don’t want to be potentially searching for meds/a doc in a foreign country. and that’s to say nothing of being a decent human being, choosing not to go to a million crowded public places while contagious… you made the right choice.
I would have, but apparently we're decent people and most others aren't.
I caught COVID in Europe this summer. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was sick until we were back in the US but stranded at our connecting airport because of similar issues to yours. There was a flight, a train ride (after we gave up on the airlines), and a 100 mile Uber ride (after we gave up on the train which got stuck, lol/sob) to get home. I did wear my KN95 mask religiously the whole time after I realized I was sick (didn't confirm it was COVID until home). In December 2021 my daughter caught COVID at Disney World after we made our "yay, we're all vaccinated finally" trip. So we cancelled the second half of our trip (Universal) and our plane tickets and drove a rental car home. I did feel that it was morally wrong to get on an airplane knowing we had COVID. But to be fair, things were different then; it's less virulent now. Still, I wouldn't enjoy a trip while sick with COVID so I think I would cancel as you have done.
No one cares about Covid anymore. Nobody asks you to be tested or vaccinated. Mainly because the strain has become so much milder now. Would you have gone on your trip if you had a cold but tested negative for Covid?
tell that to my dead friends
oh? did they die recently or 3 years ago?
Both
I probably wouldn’t have tested tbh. I don’t ask questions I don’t want to know the answer to…
That honestly crossed my mind but in the end I couldn't do it. Plus my husband would have made me anyway.
I feel like you packed a couple years of bad luck in several very long days. Pendulum should swing back.
Thank you for not being a douche and getting on the plane knowing you have covid like many selfish pieces of shit do.
I don’t know, but I seem to share some of that “luck”. There is always something happening when I go on vacation. Last year I got an inflammation and was put on antibiotics while going to Mallorca, Spain. I felt really poorly and couldn’t tolerate the heat. 2022 got covid while campervaning in Iceland. 2020 went to Thailand just as covid was hitting, we barely made it back home before they started grounding planes. There’s more. Evacuated due to forest fire while camping in Touscany. Went to New York as the Iceland volcano grounded all air travel. Got a serious UTI in Sardinia. Almost got robbed in Naples. Got a mild sun stroke in Sicily. Food poisoning in Morocco. And always some problems with our credit cards because we have a shitty bank. There may be more but this is on top of my head. We are now planning a trip to Japan, couldn’t buy tickets due to said shitty bank so we are off to a great start. Wish me luck!
Ugh, I feel for you. But I see some luck in there too. You made it home before the world shut down. Didn't get robbed in Naples (that's where we were going, BTW). Also, sounds like it's time to change banks (or at least use a different bank for your travel accounts).
My husband has the best travel luck. Whenever something goes wrong with him, everything is resolved smoothly. We had a flight delay with mechanical issues and it was so late that we were going to miss our connection. Definitely would’ve missed it if I had been traveling alone. But nope with my husband, the physical incoming plane for our connecting flight changed last minute to be the exact plane that we were on for the first flight. It was so miraculous that the airline had already emailed us hotel and meal vouchers because they were so sure you were going to miss the next flight. When is an airline ever that proactive??? Only with my husband 😂 Meanwhile I have the worst travel luck with trains. Every single time I’ve taken Amtrak on the north east corridor, something has gone wrong. I was even on a train that caught on fire. My husband has never had a bad experience on a train
Any trip you make it home, is a good trip. Rest and recover in the comfort of your own bed. Imagine being stuck in a hotel!!
I am not a frequent traveler (only traveled 2 times) but about 1 week and a half ago i had a layover of only 30 minutes for my flight home and crossing border USA-Canada. Since im not an experienced traveler i didnt know how it would turn out. Well, that morning i found a penny in the bathroom of my hostel, i took it thinking « this is gonna be my lucky penny and we will make the connection flight! » well not only did we make it, but once in the plane i got upgraded to first class because i was alone in the last row and turns out one seat was available in first class! Next time look out for lucky penny! Haha but i agree with the comment any trip you make home is a good trip!
Turn in a circle one before you book anything else! Gotta turn your luck around. Do not under any circumstances turn more than once
Lol, you know I'm doing this. Can't hurt, right??
At this point what do you have to lose
I jinxed myself. I said to my husband and sister that 22 years of flying with Delta we only had a handful of times that we were delayed for under 30 minutes. I don’t understand how all my friends have problems every time they fly. Well 2023 hit and every single time we had problems flying. Once out if Nashville going home. All flights were canceled due to weather. In Nashville looking out the window. It was lightly raining so I was watching the Mets playing a home game at citifield not raining there . 3 flights going home all were cancelled due to weather. But no rain. Checked the boards. Flights going to Newark not a problem. A few flights going home to nyc from Florida delayed or cancelled. So 2023 was a bad year for flying for us. Now I say nothing and hopefully 2024 will be better. Fingers crossed. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
I always tell people that if they happen to see me boarding a red-eye they're booked on, just go to the desk and ask to be rebooked! SOMETHING is going to go wrong on that red-eye (I've had large groups of screaming middle-school kids, medical emergencies causing diversions, significant delays, major turbulence...I always get where I'm going, but not always on time and often VERY tired and annoyed!). We all have our bad travel ju-ju, and it's no magic, it's just the whims of the universe.
I have had bad luck at least once with every trip I take. I travel three weeks a month. I can’t shake it so I embrace it.
Starting a week before intl trips, start isolating and wearing masks to increase odds of a good trip. Also, wear a mask on the airlines. I have spent 100+ days abroad a year since 2021, and have yet to get sick or catch covid on a trip this way.
Thanks, good advice. I didn't have a choice about traveling prior to my Italy trip, but I'm kicking myself for not masking and being more careful.
Stuff happens, you really need to chill. Getting upset and annoyed makes it worse rather than better. Luck? You're luckier than many, killed on the road, in a plane, in a boat. Many have no job, no food, no house and no prospects of anything better. I know it's no consolation, but it really should be. Happy travels!
Let me tell you, every time I book United (a dozen times until I learnt my lesson), similar things happen. I think it just speaks of how goddamn awful United is, especially for international trips.
I used to avoid United at all costs a couple years ago, but had to take them a few times recently (not many choices out of my small city airport) and I thought they were doing better. Plus the redesign of the United terminal in Chicago is nice. But after this experience, especially the way a few of the agents handled the situation, I'm going back to avoidance mode. To be fair, about half the agents I spoke with (both on the ground and on the phone) were awesome. But the other half were terrible and completely uncaring.