Public Service Announcement

It was Thursday night and Brandon went into the office to finish a few things off.  I stayed home, checking out library books for my upcoming trip to London with Joseph.  Traveling with one child (when you're used to traveling with four and husband) is pretty much traveling alone and that means lots of time to read.

I had spent some time that day preparing for the upcoming trip to London.  The train tickets and visas were bought, credit card companies and banks notified of our travels, medical paperwork rounded up, and flight schedules checked.  It's always good to be prepared, and be prepared early.  I've learned that the hard way.

Around 10:45, Brandon called.

"Hey, I'm trying to get the car and expediter lined up for you, and I can't find your flight confirmation number.  Do you have it?"

I vaguely remembered an email from several weeks ago that had flights listed for Joseph and me.  Flying to London is so much easier that flying to the States.  Two flights, and you're there by three in the afternoon.  I scrolled through my inbox and found the email.  Listed were the flights - one from Dushanbe to Istanbul and the second from Istanbul to London.  But there weren't any confirmation numbers.

"I don't see any confirmation numbers," I told Brandon, "Maybe travel purchased the tickets and simply forgot to forward the final email on to us."

"Well, hopefully that's what it is.  But I'm sending an email to travel and visit them first thing in the morning."

Then he came home and we went to bed.

The next morning he called the travel office.  "Yes, this is Brandon Sherwood.  My wife and child are traveling to London on medevac next Tuesday [Monday is a holiday here], and we can't find the ticket confirmation numbers."  Talking talking talking talking.  Brandon hung up the phone and turned to me.  "Good thing I checked last night, because it turns out that right now you and Joseph have no purchased plane tickets to London."

In the end, things were sorted out.  Someone was waiting on someone who was waiting on someone who hadn't sent something that needed to be sent.  Thankfully, the things were sent or found or made again and by the early afternoon we had actual tickets with actual confirmation numbers and the crisis was over.  As crises go, it was a very short-lived and easily solved one.  I like those kinds.

But.  If Brandon hadn't decided to get things in order and double-checked about confirmation numbers, it would have been a much bigger crises.  Because Joseph and I would have showed up to the airport at 4 in the morning, marched our way up to the ticket counter and gotten blank stares for our trouble (that happened once in Athens, by the way).  I'm not sure what would have happened next, but I imagine it would be been quite troublesome.

So.  Next time you're traveling (and especially if you've entrusted your flight arrangements to someone else) make sure and check your tickets.  It might save you a lot of trouble.