09/22/2026
**When travel goes from GOOD⌠to BAD⌠to WORSE.**
Sometimes, travel doesnât go according to plan. And sometimes, things can unravel FAST.
Saturday night, I was flying home from Punta Cana. Everything was going great⌠until we started approaching Atlanta.
**GOOD â BAD:**
A storm moved over the Atlanta airport, so we were placed in a holding pattern. After circling over Macon for about 35 minutes, we were diverted to Nashville because we were getting low on fuel and needed to wait out the storm.
Okay. Not ideal, but these things happen.
ThenâŚ
**BAD â WORSE:**
While sitting on the tarmac in Nashville, our pilots timed out.
And suddenly, no one knew what was happening.
Were we getting off the plane?
Were we going to be left in Nashville?
Would we have to find our own hotel?
Would we be put on standby for the next available flights â potentially over the next several days?
People were scrambling to figure out their options and trying to get ahead of what could potentially become a very long night⌠and an even longer journey home.
Thankfully, Delta made the decision to fly new pilots up to Nashville so they could get us back to Atlanta.
Sounds great, right?
Except it took **FIVE HOURS** for those pilots to arrive.
Five hours sitting on the tarmac.
No dinner.
No water.
No power on the plane because we were conserving fuel.
There were passengers who needed medical attention. Police had to remove passengers after things escalated. And an otherwise approximately 3-hour flight from Punta Cana to Atlanta turned into a **10-hour travel day**, with us finally landing in Atlanta after 2:00 a.m.
And this is exactly why I talk about the value of having a **travel advisor in your corner.**
Because when travel goes from good â bad â worse, you don't just need someone who can book your vacation.
You need an **advocate.**
When we were told we might be left in Nashville, the questions immediately became:
đ¨ Where are we staying tonight?
âď¸ How do we get home?
đď¸ What happens if we're put on standby?
đ Should we rent a car and drive?
đ° What expenses are we responsible for?
đą Who do we call when everyone else is trying to get through at the same time?
And let's be honest â airlines can sell out flights quickly, especially when an entire airport is dealing with weather diversions.
In that moment, having someone who already knows your trip, understands your options, and can help you navigate the chaos can make an incredibly stressful situation feel a little more manageable.
**I can't control the weather.**
I can't control mechanical issues, crew timing out, or airport operations.
But I *can* be in your corner when the unexpected happens.
Because vacations don't always go perfectly.
And when they don't, **you shouldn't have to figure it all out alone.**
That's one of the reasons I believe a travel advisor is more than someone who books your trip.
**I'm here for the journey â even when the journey takes an unexpected detour.**
