We are experienced travelers. 30 different countries…some multiple times. Our recent flights to New Mexico included a 16 hour layover in London. Legoland Hotel was 11 miles from Heathrow. The best rate for a taxi was $75 round trip. A rental car was only $19. I have planned lots of trips and booked lots of flights, hotels, ferries, trains and car rentals. I knew that Brits drove on the “wrong” side of the road. I love an adventure, doing something unusual and think my family would do fabulous on the Amazing Race…or at least I did!!!
I booked the car {which clearly said it was located at the Heathrow Airport}. We arrive, find the car reservation computers, but no option for Ace Rentals. The sign said that if you had already booked your car, go to the designated area. We went to the location, but none of the drivers knew anything about Ace Rental. We returned to the reservation area and I call the first reservation company listed. The lady was so sweet and so helpful, but it took 30 minutes for her to locate a phone number for Ace Rental…which we discovered is actually called Green Motion. I phoned Green Motion and were given direction…which included a $17 shuttle fare!!! I reassured myself that we would in the end still be saving $22 and would have a fun adventure.
We arrive at Green Motion at 8:15PM {2 1/2 hours after landing}…it is dark, pouring rain and we are tired, stressed and ready to go swimming! I promised Keith I would and could drive a stick shift on the “wrong” side of the road…he just had to tell me were to go. The “oh-so helpful” Green Motion agent printed us off directions and assured us we would have no problems. After orientating myself to our new mini car, checking our map and reading the directions, we headed to Legoland. My knuckles were white, my fingers were gripping the stirring wheel so tightly they left indentions and my stress level was at an all time high, but after lots of honking, curbs and comments of “Don’t hit that…” we arrived at the Legoland Hotel…just as the pool was closing.
The kids were so excited to be in the midst of so much fun, they quickly forgot about swimming. They explored, played and completed secret codes to find treasures…all while I stressed about how we were going to get the car back to its rental location, catch the shuttle that only runs every 30 minutes, make it through security and to our gate while managing to eat the free hotel breakfast and take a dip in the pool.
I managed to sleep a few hours, verified our terminal and gate and requested an early breakfast. We woke-up in plenty of time, ate a bite of breakfast and headed back to Heathrow. The plan was just to follow our printed directions in reverse to return the to the Green Motion Office. It soooo did not work. Halfway into our return trip, we realized we had no clue where we were, were quickly running out of time…and it was still pouring rain. After the millionth round-about and random selection of directions, I stopped in the middle of a highway division, got my phone out of the trunk, plugged in the address and prayed that my 20% of remaining battery would last until we arrived at our destination. Driving a manual transmission on the “wrong” side of the road was challenging enough, but having to make split second decisions…in the rain…on the “wrong” side of the road was horrible. I missed our round-about exit…adding 5 miles and then veered the wrong way on the highway…adding 8 more miles and taking us passed Gatwick and into Kingston {South of London}!!!
Finally we make it to the Green Mile Exit and see the hotel where it is located as my phone dies. We still have hopes of making our flight…if everything else goes smoothly. We can see the Hotel and the location of the Green Motion, but there is no visible sign of entry. We try one way…which was wrong and required us to go through a tunnel and passed our terminal!!! We try again with no avail. When we pass our terminal for the 2nd time, we make a split-second decision for Keith and the kids to try to still make the flight {thinking if we have to rebook flights it would be cheaper to only have to pay for one}. I drop them off, they grab their stuff and toss me my passport and boarding pass and run into the terminal.
This is when I lost it and the tears began to flow. Not pretty, nice streams, but sobbing, ugly heart wrench tears. I had no idea how to return the rental car, I wanted to be with my family and just wanted to be in America. I was standing in the rain, clueless. Without even thinking, I knocked on the door of the car in front of me, with tears streaming, I told the man my problem and said, “I need you to help me. I need to follow you to this address.” Without even waiting for his agreement, I return to the car determined to follow this stranger wherever he went. He tried to find the entrance to the hotel and we will just say “the third time is a charm”…or in my case 5th!!! He had to contact the hotel, go a totally illogical route through a little community…but lead me to the correct destination. He waited for me, transferred my bags to his car and tried to contact the airlines, while I walked into the packed lobby, sat my keys on the counter and between sobs said, “I needed to get to the airport as soon as possible.” An employee excused herself from her customer, brought me the contract to sign, asked if I had transportation to the terminal and said that I was free to go. The sweet man drove me to the terminal, refused the few pounds I had and just said, “Run!!! I hope you make your flight!!!”
NO…the story did not end here with me being reunited with my family!!! I arrived at the airport at 10:15, totally missing my 9:45 flight. Went to the ticket counter…still weeping…and began my story. The ticket agent smirked {not really a laugh, but more of a I would never be that stupid smirk} and my tears stopped. I grabbed the counter, looked him in the eye and said, “Sir, nothing about this is funny!” He assured me that he was not laughing and would do whatever it took to get me to my final destination. I got on the next flight to Dallas 4 hours later requiring an over night in Dallas and arriving the following day in Lubbock. I discovered that Keith and the kids had also missed the original flight…by seconds. {Keith told me later that they made it through Security, ran through the airport and arrived as the gate was being shut. Since our bags had already been removed, they would not allow them to board, but rerouted them through Chicago to Dallas and arriving in Lubbock at 7:30…only 1 1/2 hours late.}
I spent my layover drinking Starbucks, charging my now penniless phone, trying to connect to the Internet and dreaming of flying to Dallas in First Class. I found internet for a fee and in my allotted 10 minutes tried to get a message to Granny and Keith through Facebook, managed to somehow get locked out of my account and quickly sent off an email before my time expired. Even though I did not get a seat in First Class, I was so thankful to get a seat!!! I had a sweet neighbor and got lots of sleep on the flight.
I arrive in Dallas 40 minutes early and some how manage to fly through Passport Control, Customs and Baggage in 10 minutes {OK…I cut every line} in an attempt to try to see my family and get on the flight to Lubbock with them {which departed in 40 mintes}. My plan was working flawlessly until trying to reenter Security with no Boarding Pass. In London, they only issued an itinerary and not a boarding pass. I was so tired and frazzled it took me almost an hour of running scenarios to realize that I could print my boarding pass for tomorrow at the ticket kiosks and enter security. When I tried to print my ticket, I discovered that Keith and the kids missed their connection to Lubbock and were booked on a 9:30PM flight. I went to the ticket agent and begged to be placed on the same flight. It was full and after much persuasion, she agreed to print me a stand-by ticket…only to discover that the computer issued me a seat by mistake!!!
I found Keith and the kids at T.G.I.Fridays near the gate about to order dinner!!! We began and ended the 45 hour journey together and made it to Granny’s at midnight…only 5 hours late!!!
It is sooo good to be here!!!
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