For The Love Of Travel

I think everyone that has traveled has some weird, funny outrageous story they can remember.  If you recall in my Eat, Pray, Love (Paris edition) post my friend Tel accidentally left her passport in a plastic bag during our flight to Paris and by the time the plane was checked after we landed it was tossed out with the trash and compacted into a tiny little cube. SMH.  If you haven't read the post yet please do you'll definitely get a chuckle out of it.

Back to the story.... It was mid July and work was hectic as it always is around that time.  I hadn't been on vacation since Hawaii in February.  I was overdue for some rest and relaxation.  Me and a childhood friend who I recently reconnected with met up for lunch one day and surprisingly enough she was feeling the same way.  So we decided that a trip was needed.  Within a few days we booked our mini vacation to Negril, Jamaica.  As the days and weeks went by we began to get more and more excited.  I was all packed and ready a week before we were scheduled to leave.  I meant to check into my flight online the morning before our trip but got caught up at work so I didn't get around to it until around 8pm that evening.  This is where things started to get hectic.  

While entering my passport information I got an error message.  To my disbelief my passport had expired just a few weeks prior.  What was I going to do????? I started panicking.  How in the world was I going to get a new passport in the matter of 13 hours? I called Sharmaine and broke the news to her.  At first she thought it was just an expensive joke, but then realized it wasn't even-though I was laughing.  After reassuring her that somehow I would make the trip and insisting that she still go I started looking for a solution.  I found a few sites online promising next day delivery if I payed up to $400.  I only payed around $500 for the entire trip.  Did I really want to spend an additional $400? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  There had to be a another way.
A friend stopped by and told me that the Passport Agency was just down the block from his office.  I looked into it and found some great information on Yelp about that specific office and their service.  I called and spoke to a representative who giggle when I told him I needed a passport in time for my 9:45am flight.  He gave me the number to the Department of State in Washington DC where I spoke with someone who then gave me a series of phone numbers and instructions on how to get through to someone that might be able to assist me.  The last person I spoke with directed me to the Passport Agency site where I had to complete a renewal application and call the automated system to make an appointment.  Just my luck the next available appointment was two weeks away😟.  I decided to take a chance and go to the office anyway first thing in the morning without an appointment.  I was determined to go to Jamaica.  Some of my buddies had doubt, but I knew it was possible.  After all the calls I made it was about 12am and time to get some sleep.

I woke up around 3:30am, looked for a Duane Reade where I could take some new passport photos and once I did called a cab immediately.  I was in and out of Duane Reade within 15 minutes. As I walked out, the manager and a few employees cheered me on👏.  Next, I needed to find some place to print out my application so I looked online and discovered that The Dream Hotel was right around the corner.  I explained my situation to the front desk manager and he happily allowed my to email the documents to him and he printed them out.  I arrived at the Passport Agency around 5am and was the fourth person on line.  While I waited for the agency to open I called the airlines to figure out what could be done should I miss my flight.  The task was very daunting.  One representative said I would have to pay a cancellation fee of $200 on top of whatever the rebooking fee was, another said I would be able to get rebooked for only $75 and another was no help at all.  

At 7:30 am the line was around the corner.  The doors opened and people piled in.  I went through security then to the the first line of the day which then led me to a waiting area.  My number was called within 10 minutes.  I explained my situation to the clerk who told me there was no way I was making my flight especially being that the pick up window didn't open until 10am and my flight was scheduled for 9:45am.  He asked his supervisor if she could expedite the process and she agreed; however, there was no guarantee it would even be ready.  I went to the pick-up area and waited for an hour and a half.  During that time I was able to speak with one of the clerks and let her know what her supervisor had already agreed to.  I received the same response from her as I did the first clerk, "you'll still have to wait until 10a.m".  At 9:55am I was the first person on line.  10am on the dot the same clerk comes to the front and says "If you submitted your application this morning your documents will not be ready for at least a few more hours, except you".  She then calls me over to the window has me sign my release form and hands me my passport.  I grabbed my suitcase and hailed a taxi to the airport.   

On the way there, I continued to try and get rebooked on another flight.  Luckily for me I was switched over to a supervisor who really helped me out.  She told me to go to the counter and ask to be placed on standby. Mind you someone I spoke with earlier told I wasn't able to be placed on standby.  I get to the airport and for the umpteenth time I explain my story.  Although I told the attendant that I never made it to the airport earlier during the day she tells her supervisor otherwise.  Not only did the supervisor put my on standby for the next flight, she made it priority (#1on the list).  Eventually I made both flights and landed in Montego Bay around 7pm.  After waiting an hour for a ride I arrived at my resort.  It just so happens that Sharmaine was right outside when I got out the van.  

When you want something bad enough make it happen.  Believe it!





Comments

  1. Great story!!!!! God opened those paths.

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  2. Hi!
    My name is Sequoyah and I am traveling to Abu Dhabi and came across your name on the travel noire google doc, just wondering if you'd like to hang out/explore some parts together? If so, I can be reached via email at ssherrill06@gmail

    ReplyDelete

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