Topsy Turvy...
I booked my trip to Berlin!
...and then cancelled it within 13 hours. :-/
As I kept watching the flight prices go up and then down quite a bit, my anxiety levels about whether I should go kept climbing. One day, I was all the way to the purchase point when I broke down in tears and closed the window. That's how much anxiety I felt. So, I reflected on it to try and determine what exactly was causing so much anxiety. It seemed the most likely culprit was going away a bit longer than I had to Amsterdam as well as going to 2 different countries. I decided that dropping Denmark and just going to Berlin for 6 nights would be enough. My anxiety decreased significantly. I could go to Denmark on another trip - perhaps Amsterdam and then a train to Copenhagen.
I found a place on Airbnb that I loved in Amsterdam. The host was Swedish, vegan, and a yoga instructor. Perfect, right? And it was in a neighbourhood that was close to the majority of things I wanted to see/do. I got confirmation from her that I could stay with her. Great!
So, I went ahead and booked my flight. That nagging anxiety was still there and I felt like vomiting. What was going on? I didn't have this much anxiety booking my trip to Amsterdam even though there was a strong possibility that I would be unemployed at that time. I simply had a trust that my Amsterdam trip was going to be fine. So, what was happening here?
That's when I realized I fucked up my flight booking. I booked the wrong return date. I started freaking out - crying, throwing things, yelling, swearing, putting myself down. KLM has 24 hour customer service via Twitter and thus began the painful process of trying to determine if my return flight could be changed without being dinged $300 penalty fees. Meanwhile, I had booked my Airbnb room with the Swede. I asked KLM what would happen if I'd simply want to cancel. They informed me that if I cancelled within 24 hours of booking, I would be entitled to a full refund. That made me feel better and I started thinking about doing that, even if it meant that I would just rebook with the correct dates later on. They also let me know that I could change the return flight without the $300 fee, but there would still be a charge due to wanting to fly back on Thanksgiving. As it was already late into the evening, I decided to sleep on it.
When I woke up in the morning, I felt better. And then I opened my email. The Swede cancelled my booking. She apologized and explained that between confirming I could stay and my booking, she had been offered a job in Thailand for the month of October.
Fuck. This.
I'm superstitious. 2 things going wrong before I even get on the plane? Nope, fuck that noise! I filled out the cancellation and refund request form for KLM. Cancelling, the calmness came back. I'm still waiting for my refund from KLM, but they said it may take a couple of weeks.
I'm not entirely sure why all this anxiety leading up to booking, but I think I need to trust in it. Maybe it's not the right time. But, who knows, maybe next month things will feel right and I'll go ahead and book the trip for October.
...and then cancelled it within 13 hours. :-/
As I kept watching the flight prices go up and then down quite a bit, my anxiety levels about whether I should go kept climbing. One day, I was all the way to the purchase point when I broke down in tears and closed the window. That's how much anxiety I felt. So, I reflected on it to try and determine what exactly was causing so much anxiety. It seemed the most likely culprit was going away a bit longer than I had to Amsterdam as well as going to 2 different countries. I decided that dropping Denmark and just going to Berlin for 6 nights would be enough. My anxiety decreased significantly. I could go to Denmark on another trip - perhaps Amsterdam and then a train to Copenhagen.
I found a place on Airbnb that I loved in Amsterdam. The host was Swedish, vegan, and a yoga instructor. Perfect, right? And it was in a neighbourhood that was close to the majority of things I wanted to see/do. I got confirmation from her that I could stay with her. Great!
So, I went ahead and booked my flight. That nagging anxiety was still there and I felt like vomiting. What was going on? I didn't have this much anxiety booking my trip to Amsterdam even though there was a strong possibility that I would be unemployed at that time. I simply had a trust that my Amsterdam trip was going to be fine. So, what was happening here?
That's when I realized I fucked up my flight booking. I booked the wrong return date. I started freaking out - crying, throwing things, yelling, swearing, putting myself down. KLM has 24 hour customer service via Twitter and thus began the painful process of trying to determine if my return flight could be changed without being dinged $300 penalty fees. Meanwhile, I had booked my Airbnb room with the Swede. I asked KLM what would happen if I'd simply want to cancel. They informed me that if I cancelled within 24 hours of booking, I would be entitled to a full refund. That made me feel better and I started thinking about doing that, even if it meant that I would just rebook with the correct dates later on. They also let me know that I could change the return flight without the $300 fee, but there would still be a charge due to wanting to fly back on Thanksgiving. As it was already late into the evening, I decided to sleep on it.
When I woke up in the morning, I felt better. And then I opened my email. The Swede cancelled my booking. She apologized and explained that between confirming I could stay and my booking, she had been offered a job in Thailand for the month of October.
Fuck. This.
I'm superstitious. 2 things going wrong before I even get on the plane? Nope, fuck that noise! I filled out the cancellation and refund request form for KLM. Cancelling, the calmness came back. I'm still waiting for my refund from KLM, but they said it may take a couple of weeks.
I'm not entirely sure why all this anxiety leading up to booking, but I think I need to trust in it. Maybe it's not the right time. But, who knows, maybe next month things will feel right and I'll go ahead and book the trip for October.