Last weekend two very special people got married – one of them my future sister-in-law, and the other the only dedicated reader of this blog (besides James) – her new husband Jim.
Love...ain't it grand??
One thing I love about my future sis, Jennifer, is that she too loves to travel internationally. She’s been to New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Greece and a bunch of other fun places. We had a lot of fun talking about our respective honeymoon plans, and was happy to hear they chose Fiji (BULA!). I’ll get more details on their très exclusive resort when they get back, but for now we’ve only gotten a cryptic update through James’ parents that they arrived in Fiji fine, but…sans luggage.
SIGH.
Is that not the ultimate travel nightmare? OK, I guess it could be worse, but what a frustrating way to start out your (much needed) vacation on a tropical island…without your bathing suit! I know the experts say to pack spare underwear and a change of clothes (etc.) in your carry-on, but who really does that?? No one packs for a vacation seriously thinking their luggage may actually get lost – but it does happen. A lot. Sometimes you’re lucky and you get your bag in a couple of days, but sometimes your luggage is lost in a black hole (or on the black market?) and never to be seen again. The Wall Street Journal has a chart of different airlines’ baggage mishandling stats here.
Some experts recommend travel insurance. I did it once on a whim – not sure why – while at the airport waiting for my flight to Australia. Because my flight was ready to leave the airport, I was charged significantly less than my travel companion, who bought hers weeks in advance. Go figure. If you’re interested in some tips on decreasing the odds your luggage will get lost, check out this ABC News article. Hint – there’s no foolproof method!
On a happier note, I am sure Jen & Jim thoroughly enjoyed their Fijian honeymoon with or without their luggage…Congrats to the newlyweds!
New tagline they should consider: "Fiji...one of the few places you can probably get by without your luggage."
Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Travels 