If Heels Could Talk… A Rookie Mistake
Very few people know that this happened, but life (and travel) isn’t only about the fun highlights so here goes a not-so-fun recent event – a rookie mistake.
Background: Remember the trip of a lifetime I took in April/May of this year starting in New Zealand and ending in Kenya? This trip was 3 years in the making. However, it started with a MAJOR hiccup, so much so that the trip could’ve been cancelled at the last minute. Thank God that didn’t happen.
I’d purchased my airfare with miles I’d been saving for a while and the route was Midwest USA-Los Angeles – Sydney-Auckland NZ. On the return: Nairobi – USA.
April 18th 2018: My friend dropped me off at the airport, usually I get to the airport just in time but she made me arrive a little earlier than normal. I had no clue this was going to come in handy. I walk over to the Delta counter to check in and this is the conversation that ensued:
Gate Agent: Ma’am please can I see your passport
Me: Here (hands over my green passport)
Gate Agent: Can you please show me your visas?
Me: With great pride and no words, I show my NZ visa
Gate Agent: The system won’t let me check you in. Can you show me your transit visa for Australia?
Me: Nah, that’s not possible, I checked months ago and I don’t need a transit visa since its less than 8 hours
Gate Agent: one second, (she proceeds to call someone), ma’am as a Nigerian passport holder, that waiver does not apply to you
Me: Shocked, and in denial, I proceed to go online and check. She (and the system) are right! Shucks!! What the??? How the ??? did I miss this?
As it dawned on me that I’d messed up in a major way this time, I lay my head on the check in counter for 30 seconds. There was a queue behind me and an agent in front of me. It didn’t matter. In those thirty seconds, I first beat myself up for such a rookie mistake, then I said a quick prayer, and then I decided I was not going to go home without trying other creative solutions.
I raised my head, and stood up straight. GAME ON! I called the Australian Embassy but no one picked up. I asked the gate agent to look at alternate routes to New Zealand bypassing Australia. She did, and it was going to cost $4000! *Excuse me while I pass out* Remember, I paid a total of $87 for this flight with miles. $4000 was not an option.
As a last resort, I decided to shop online for flights from Los Angeles to Auckland. BINGO!!! I found a direct flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, same evening on Air New Zealand for just under $500!!! I stood at the counter and bought that ticket online within minutes on my phone (Thank God for this miracle and for technology). The gate agent graciously made changes to my original ticket, without charging me a fee and return a portion of my miles for the portion of travel I could not use.
With all the delays, I made it to catch my flight to Los Angeles just in time. From Los Angeles, I boarded my Air New Zealand flight to Auckland, and it was an enjoyable experience and I arrived in Auckland 10 hours earlier than I would have arrived on my original schedule.
This was not my first close call with visas, and for those of us that travel on passports from ‘restricted’ countries, we are bound to have one snafu or the other at some point. The fact that I’ve travelled quite a bit does not mean that I always have it down. Mistakes happen…big ones too but we put our heads down (in thought and in prayer) and then we get up, we regroup, and we MOVE. Sometimes, the mistakes cost us (cost me $500 here and that’s something in itself but it could have been much worse)!
I’m thankful for the gate agent’s patience, and for her going above and beyond to refund me some miles when she didn’t have to. I’m glad my friend got me to the airport earlier than normal because I needed every single extra minute to sort things out. Last but not least, many thanks to Air New Zealand for coming through and saving a trip of a lifetime!
There were lessons in this for me….of course I could only think about this AFTER the fact. First, to triple check EVERYTHING, not to give up at the first or even second sign of disappointment, but to always seek solutions. I learned that our responses to disappointment can make all the difference. I was reminded that a rerouting does not necessarily make for a delayed arrival (I arrived ten hours earlier than planned).
We live to travel another day on this Nigerian passport, and tell all the stories that come with it! Have you run into last minute issues while traveling?
P.S. If Heels Could Talk..Stories From The Road is a series where I share stories from my travels. See others here , here, here, and here. If you’ve enjoyed this post, click here to subscribe to receive notifications of new posts, and to receive my monthly newsletter with insider tips and information!
Till Next Week,
Ms. Heels!
Hey Dee! 30 seconds…I panicked for 3 full minutes o! I had the same issue once…because of the way I booked my tickets, I had a transit flight between Paris and Amsterdam…I had no idea I needed a schenghen visa for this…oh by the way I got to the airport pretty late..such that I was the last person checked in…then halfway into checking my passport…aunty airline coordinator is like ‘you don’t have a schenghen visa’, i almost started crying o…cos a lot of things had already happened that day…but then i took a deep breath…asked her for possible solutions…then ended up buying another ticket which cost about £150…downside was i had to sleep in the airport which is totally uncomfortable…upside was I met the most amazing man from South Sudan who helped expand the way I viewed the world and even the way i accepted news reported on the media.
My learning points were 1. Always get to the airport at least 3 hours early 2. Always have extra money
Thanks for sharing as always Dee. ✌?
Hahahha. 30 seconds because no time for me to be dramatic, people were in line behind me and flight was taking off soon! Ahhh the transit in Europe visa debacle 🙁 Extra money comes in handy but I cannot lie, it hurts me to pay every extra cent/penny/kobo in these situations but it is such a relief in the moment!
Sleeping at the airport though, I have a story about that too, but know that I feel you on the physical discomfort of that specific experience. Thats amazing through that you met someone amazing in the midst of it all. What airport was this? Doesn’t sound like Lagos to me oh!
I don’t know about getting to the airport 3 hours early though but I’ve added more buffers compared to before this experience. Thanks for reading and sharing your personal experience, I always look forward to your thoughts!
I have had my share of rookie mistakes (by the way, I loveeee the title). One of such mistakes led to sleeping at the airport in Senegal. I thought my flight back to Lagos was for 1pm not knowing it was set for 1am (Angry face at Arik). Ha! I slept confidently and even had breakfast in the morning before setting out to the airport. I got the shock of my life when I was told the flight had long taken-off. Literally, my world crumbled. I had to spend 24 hours in the airport and I was penniless. At that time, no Nigerian card was working in Senegal. None!!! I had spent my last cash before heading for the airport. I couldn’t buy food or anything…..It was such an humbling experience.
My learning points was 1. Always have extra CASH not card. Lmao 2. Always double check your departure time.
Hehehe, Thank you M!!! Wow another sleeping at the airport! Oh goodness! I always triple check those flight times because…. being stranded can be a beast! But gosh being penniless ahh oh my! Hungry and stranded is not a good place o I’m so sorry! I agree with you I always keep enough to have a snack on me at the airport if I can. There have been a few times where I have run out of money but I generally keep some change just in case.
Thanks for Sharing your lessons!!
Wow, quick thinking on your part!
I’ve had a similar issue once when I was traveling to Namibia. I booked my flight on SA Airways and discovered at the airport that I needed a transit visa to connect to Namibia. (That’s no longer necessary now anyway) but I ended up forfeiting that flight (it was an official trip, so I only felt bad for loosing company money), sleeping at the airport and loosing money I had spent to book a room in a transit hotel.
But I’m with Fisayo. I always go to the airport early. Lol, my mind won’t let me rest if I’m not there at least 3 hours to my flight.
Kudos to the gate agent for being so patient and helpful. I can’t imagine forking out an extra (unplanned) $500 for a trip.. I would cry! Side Note: Do you think that buying an insurance might have helped in this case?
Wow crazy, I’m sorry about your issue with Namibia. Crazy that transit visas WITHIN the African continent held you back. Doesn’t seem right!
FYI you’ve just solved a question I had without knowing. How? I’m really looking into Namibia and I’ve been wondering if I need a transit for South Africa and now I know I dont. So, thank you! Girl, it was either I pay up or I lose way more in other booking but yes, it was a close to tears moment lol. I’ve finally finished drinking garri so I can talk about it.
The thing is, I actually had insurance for a portion of the trip, but not this part. Can you imagine!!! So yes, I think insurance would have helped (I’m hoping transit visa issues would qualify as grounds for reimbursement). Good point!!!
Maybe I’ll join the early airport gang when I grow up some more 🙂