5 Must Have Items for When You Miss Your Connection

Taking pictures like this made the extra long travel times worth it.

You wouldn’t think that getting from Spain to Italy would be that hard, right? They’re basically next door to each other! Well, the cheapest flights I could find were $250, took about 5 hours, and involved a stop in Frankfurt on the way there, and in Zurich on the way back.

Okay, not next door but not that far. Driving home would have been faster!

No big deal though. I’m easy. That is until I missed my connection, not only on the way there, but also on the way back. Just my luck.

It wasn’t even my fault either time! On the way to Venice someone on board had a panic attack as we started taxiing and had to be taken off the plane. That was a long fix. On my way home I don’t even really know what happened. All I know is that the Venice airport was an absolute mess.

I’m still amazed at the length of time it took for me to get to and from Venice, but thankfully, I had these 5 things to save my life while I waited forever catch my flights.

  1. My portable charger. I think my phone died about three times each way. Without this I would have been stuck huddling around an inconvenient charging station. Instead, I enjoyed endless battery life.

    This beer (and the German bartender 🙂 ) saved me during my five hour layover
  2. Beer money. Thankfully, I had some wiggle room in my budget that I could spend on beer and some food. Five hours in the Frankfurt airport without German beer or a pretzel would have made my day miserable. Instead, I got a taste (pun intended) of culture while waiting for my next flight.

    Reading about someone traveling through Africa during multiple civil wars really put my flight delays into perspective.
  3. A book. Okay, so I didn’t actually pack a book… BUT I regretted that decision before I even knew I missed my connection. Always, always, always bring a book when you travel! There is only so much social media to scroll through before you die of boredom. Don’t pay extra for a book at the airport like I did, bring yours from home.

    I didn’t have snacks for the Madrid-Frankfurt-Venice leg, but thankfully I didn’t miss them!
  4. Snacks. Even though my German pretzel and sausage were delicious, they were expensive and were far above what you can normally expect from an airport. I was so grateful to have brought my own snacks to the airport on the way home. Especially once my plane was delayed and the lines for food were crazy long.

    All smiles because no matter how many hiccups along the way, I’m still living in Spain for the year!
  5. A good attitude 🙂 . Cheesy, I know, but it really works wonders. Don’t be that guy yelling at the airport staff. They aren’t out to get you and they didn’t delay your flight on purpose. By being extra nice to the woman I spoke to in Zurich I got to stay at a nicer hotel and was given an upgraded seat for my flight back to Madrid. Just accept that things happen (sometimes twice in the same week) and know that you’ll get home eventually.

2 Replies to “5 Must Have Items for When You Miss Your Connection”

  1. I would love to travel with you. You seem to find the best in ever situation and really enjoy yourself.! I am Enjoying reading about your adventure.

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