My flight got cancelled last minute, so I ended up on a one-way flight to Romania with no plan or return ticket – here’s how my unplanned adventure began.
My flight got cancelled last night and my long-anticipated trip to Dubai is no longer. I am going to Romania with no plans of what will happen after. Follow me on my adventures outside my comfort zone!
The Train: The Anxiety of the uncertainty and the Freedom I get from this
I am a control freak. I love planning. I am a bit obsessive over it, actually. And I have an anxiety disorder. I guess this explains why the last-minute cancellation of my most-planned trip caused me to be chatting with ChatGPT at 2am while listening to the new reports from the Middle East.
I had it all lined up: UK to Romania and then Romania to Dubai. Coming back home through Saudi. I planned for everything… but war. When the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised against all non-essential travel to the UAE, I hesitated, but decided to stick to my plans. WizzAir, operating the flight between Bucharest and Dubai assured me all was good and on schedule.
Until I received a cancellation email at around 10pm last night – just over 2 days before my flight! On top of having my plans ruined, I still have to deal with refunds, compensations and all the hustle no one tells you about when you happily book a flight. How I dealt with the cancellation of all my plans, got some of my money back and requested compensation (which WizzAir will never tell you about!), I will tell you later and link it here.
I still had a flight from the UK to Romania booked for today. So here I am – 11 hours after this heart-breaking email, I am on my way to Luton Airport.
I am now on the train and still have no idea what I am going to do. I know I am not going to the Middle East but where I am going to end up is a mystery to me. This is Day 1. Welcome to the territory outside my comfort zone. This is either going to be brilliant or an absolute disaster.
The rules:
- Beaches and sun take precedence
- Only countries I have never visited before
- Budget Travel and accommodation
- Add a new continent
- Follow my heart
The Airport: Not off to a good start
Luton Airport must be the meanest airport I have ever been to. No, not the staff, the clients. A man called me an “idiot” after he tried to run me over with his suitcase and a boy with a thick gold chain around his neck almost jumped me for going towards the counter at Pret. I miss Gatwick… and the type of people that use it. Nothing personal here – I use Luton Airport as well, but what is up today with all the aggression?
Security was chaotic. Almost all bags were manually checked. I was astonished that mine wasn’t. I feel like I won the security check lottery today!
Total chaos at the airport. It’s a random weekday, it’s midday, no school holidays, nothing special at all. The airport can’t handle the amount of people here. Not enough seats. Not enough toilets. Not enough water fountains. Massive queues everywhere. I feel like everything is against me going on this trip. This motivates me even more.
The plane a.k.a “my happy place”: Excitement intensifies
I had some time at the airport and I have been an industrious bunny. I have completely changed my itinerary. Ans surprise, surprise – I AM going to the Middle East after all.
I am still going to Bucharest, but then instead of Dubai, I am heading over to Belgrade, Istanbul and Dalaman. I think this itinerary is even better with less roaming fees, more cities to explore and beaches that I have been dreaming of! Let’s now hope it all falls on its place!
I am now in the place with all future swimming champions in the world! The babies on this flight have amazing lung capacity! Also, many people have downloaded their favourite shows to watch, but forgot their headphones at home. Yes, this is what I choose to believe.
Across the small Isle from me is a woman who has been praying for 20 minutes straight. I understand that this may help with nervous flyers, but at one point I got concerned she might know something I don’t.
I feel like this day is being far too long. I feel like it’s been a week since I left my home in a rush but this was only a few hours ago.
I have trips to plan and my favourite sandwich to enjoy. Airplane mode on and…. why is someone receiving a call on the plane just as we take off???
First Impressions: The people live where?
I arrived in Romania and the heat is unbearable. I seem to have forgotten how hot this part of Europe gets over the Summer. It took me a while to find the bus stop at the airport (spoiler alert – it’s in the basement), but I got the cheapest airport transfer ever (£0.50), so no complaints from me.
As I was starving, I decided to get off the Metro at Station Basarab and walk to a local Kaufland to buy provisions. I don’t know what locals would say, but Basarab did not give me a great vibe. It felt borderline dangerous and dirty. As I was trying to find my way around, I found people living underneath a slip road. I did see their… flats! I felt that using my camera in the area is probably a bit unwise but I still did.
3 times around the slip road, one trip to a corner shop and a walk through a greenhouse tram station later, I gave up and I am now back on the Metro, heading over to the hotel. Couldn’t find the Kaufland, but still got some provisions. I am boiling!
Nostalgia and tears
I saw a dog being walked just before I made it to the hotel. This was the breaking point for me. I got up in the room, recorded my vlogs and then I started crying. I called home and said that I was going back. I was ready to give it all up. What was I thinking? I bought some plane tickets, but I didn’t have anywhere to stay! I didn’t have any idea where the airports were compared to the towns I was going to. Where is Dalaman actually and how am I going to survive there on my own for 3 days?
I am missing Stitch. But this is fine. I am going to bed now, sleep on it and if I still feel like this tomorrow morning, I will be going back home.
On the positive side – the hotel is nice and they offer bathrobes. I like this!
Nerves and tossing and turning
This is me again, in the middle of the night, trying to avoid seeing what time it is because knowing that I will be very tired tomorrow contributes to my anxiety. I am nervous. I usually don’t sleep well in new places, but tonight I am just nervous about the trip. Alright, I am going to give myself one more chance to sleep!
