Oh boy, this is not a post I ever wanted to write or thought I would be writing. So today was my big day, I was going to fly from Florida to India and spend three and a half months exploring Asia. I packed, I printed my itinerary, passport in hand and headed to the airport with my mom and boyfriend. I was pretty vocal with my friends prior to leaving that this was a trip that I had not had time to plan. Due to my busy work schedule I was just hoping for the best, winging it, and being spontaneous.

I arrived in the airport and started the check in process, everything was going fine until the self-checkout screen directed me to find an attendant, so I did. The attendant checked all my information went into the system and asked if I had a visa. “A visa?” I replied, “No I don’t need one I am getting a visa upon arrival.” The woman told me I might need a visa for India and I assured her I checked the website and it said it was fine to get it on arrival.

The woman walked away and made a phone call, as she walked towards me my stomach knotted up in anticipation for her response. She said, “You do need a visa for India.” My heart sank, I felt helpless, in total disbelief. Did this mean I wasn’t going to be going to India today? Yep, that is exactly right, no international trips for this gal, not today.

The chaos began, calling my travel partner who was already waiting for our flight in Newark airport to ask for advice, calling my father for help with the visa. I even had to contact priceline to see if they could change my flight day at a lower cost, as my airline wanted to charge me U.S. $2,700 to go 5 days later.  I was crying and looking all together pretty pathetic. I think the airline felt sorry for me, not to mention it was probably pretty bad for business to have a girl crying in front of their checkout line for 2 hours, and they changed my ticket, free of charge.

My Indian visa picture after crying all day 🙂

I left the airport feeling relieved, things worked out, not perfectly, but they worked out. There were several other complications pertaining to my ticket, and I am still not in India and probably won’t be for at least another week but the point is, planning is crucial. I don’t mean you have to plan every second of every day but a little knowledge of where you’re going and what is needed for each place is important. Don’t be like me, missing your flight, eyes puffy sitting on the sofa watching House of Cards crying , and eating chicken wings like a slob. Plan ahead and go to the Taj Mahal and explore India peacefully. Namaste.

Do you have any bad travel stories? Share below