Firstly, a quick nod to the fact that this is J5's 500th weekly blog, which in my view is no mean feat given how reticent I was back in early 2016 when I started creating them. I'll write more about our history when we celebrate our 10th birthday in a few weeks, but for now I want to thank the travel industry for the endless supply of inspiration that gets sent our way, and my entire team, who now help out fairly regularly with creating our weekly newsletter. I will admit to missing one week in all that time and the reason...I just plain forgot. I do though aim to have my voice, calm English demeanour and occasional humo(u)r spread throughout everything we create!
On to this weeks topic, which is basically an account of my last week in travel and at work, it's been something special! I hope there are a few takeaways that may help you, especially when travel plans go wrong.
1. The Heathrow Debacle
Last Thursday evening I was heading to Paris via London from Charlotte, or at least I thought I was. Without adding too much detail, as this did make headline news, I flew for 7 hours total only to land back in CLT. Yes, we turned around half way across the Atlantic. Heathrow had totally shut down. In travel terms Heathrow shutting down completely is a fairly epic event, as this is one rather busy and connected airport. But I'm a travel advisor, I know what to do, right? Here's my usual checklist and how it worked out...
Action # 1 - as soon as the turnaround is announced, get on the airplane wifi and check app and website for rebooking options.
Result - both AA app and website offering no options to rebook, though AA managed to automatically rebook me on a flight that was due to depart well before I returned to CLT. That flight was also subsequently cancelled.
Action #2 - call my travel advisor (lol) get on the phone as soon as I've landed with AA Exec Platinum line.
Result - 2-hour plus wait time so I request a callback, which never happened.
Action #3 - go to AA Lounge to get quicker service.
Result - Nah! It's 3:15am and the lounges are closed.
Action #4 - get in the queue for AA service desk (photo above).
Result - a 3 1/2 hour wait where I learned that human nature is inherently good. No arguing among the 600 people in this queue, served by just 3 agents. No shouting, just everyone realizing the situation and being patient. We shared stories and cookies and kept our spirits up.
Action #5 - realizing the scale of the event and the fact that such a long queue would almost certainly mean no opportunity to reach Paris by my deadline of Sunday afternoon, I start searching on my phone for award availability to Paris departing Saturday, for Sunday arrival.
Result - a Business Class award for 57.5K AA points shows up flying AA to Nashville, followed by BA to LHR and BA to Paris. I book it as a free option, as awards can be cancelled for no penalty. I reach the front of the queue and there is nothing to get me to Paris before Monday. I keep the award and AA, out of the goodness of their heart, allow me to cancel my outbound for a refund but let me keep the return leg.
2. The Rebooking
Saturday arrives and I have already started my insurance claim for the 48-hour delay involving a transfer and 2 hotel nights which were prepaid. AA are already refunding me for the outbound flights.
All 3 legs are on time and I arrive for my river cruise with 2 1/2 hours to spare.
On top of that the BA 787-8 aircraft had been recently refitted with their brand new Business Class product and it is a massive improvement on the previous iteration. It's gone from a 2 - 3 - 2 configuration to 1 - 2 - 1 ! The space now has a door too. In addition, I caught a lovely sunset in Nashville (above).
3. Paris!
So now I'm sailing on the SS Joie de Vivre on the Seine, heading all the way out to Normandy. This is a Uniworld ship, a cruise line reknowned for attention to detail in its decoration (below), matching the ship decor with whatever location it is sailing to/from. To be honest, I was so relieved to make it on board after the travel tribulations, that I really couldn't have cared less about the paint color, but now I am settling in, it really is a charming and meaningful touch. I missed my 2 nights pre-cruise in Paris due to the flights, so that of course means I have to come back again, and I view that as yet another plus. Things are turning around!
4. Cheese!
Camembert to be specific. The offer of a tour of a single-family owned cheese farm where everything is sourced on site was too good to pass up. Run by 5 brothers (Les 5 Frères), together, they produce raw milk hand-ladled Camembert that has been a great success from its beginning and is simply delicious.
How particular are they in the process? The biggest determining factor in how their cheese tastes is what they feed to their cattle, so they grow their own crops to ensure the mix is exactly what they need for that perfect Camembert.
5. Rouen Cathedral
With construction begun in the year 1030AD and Gothic additions appearing from 1145AD, this cathedral isn't just a historical landmark; it's a work of art in itself. Claude Monet was so captivated by its ever-changing facade that he painted it over 30 times.
It was an absolute privilege to attend a Uniworld curated private choral recital on Tuesday evening in the Cathedral. The acoustics and echoes were incredible and any last vestiges of tension from my travel tribulations, just melted away.
For me, this is what travel is all about - those moments that make the difference, that change your perspective, that make you go...wow.
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Hi, I'm John, and I'm told I have a cool accent. I absolutely love travel and I am proud to have built a team as passionate about exploring the world as myself. It took me a very long time to align my career with my undeniable passion for exploring, but now I and the team are here for you. Your personal travel tailors - award reservation and luxury custom itinerary experts. We provide a bespoke service, imagining and creating itineraries for independent minded families and groups.
