Keep Calm and Carry On (in the event of Icelandic volcano eruptions)

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Back in 2010, I headed over to the UK to spend a few days working in Liverpool. It was a bit last minute and required a move that I’ve done all too often: the suitcase swap. When I have two adjacent trips, I’ll pack two suitcases and leave one in the car at the airport. Then upon arrival, run out, switch bags, and head back in catch the next flight. This time I was going to drop off the work gear, meet up Jenn, and catch a flight down to Costa Rica for my buddy Paul’s wedding. I had a few hours cushion, so it was tight but very possible. Unless of course, some freak accident occurred.

When I went to check out of my Liverpool hotel, the clerk asked if I was going to the airport. After I told him I was, he informed me that all flights out had been canceled due to the volcano eruption. “What volcano? There are no volcanoes in the UK.” It turns out that in the middle of the night, an eruption had happened in Iceland and the volcanic ash was preventing flights out of the north of England. Quickly understanding the implications of the situation, I asked if London was still operating. It was. I grabbed a taxi and took off for the train station. It was one of those mad dashes where everything happened in full sprint, and I slipped onto the train with a couple minutes to spare before the two hour ride to Heathrow. En route I changed my flight. If there were no flight delays, I could still make it to Houston in time to catch my flight to Central America.

The scene at the airport was chaotic. It seemed everyone had the same plan to try to get out of the country. I got to the entrance literally minutes just after they shut and locked the doors. The flight status board was completely full of red “CANCELED” messages. London was now closed. There was no way I was getting to Costa Rica that day. After I came to terms with that, I realized that another panic was about to ensue. The 200,000 people who expected to leave from Heathrow that day would need somewhere to stay. So, I jumped back on the phone with the travel agent. I was lucky enough to get a room nearby Heathrow so that in the event the airport reopened, I would be close. And maybe, just maybe, if it opened the next day, I could still get down to Costa Rica in time for Paul’s wedding.

Unfortunately, the next day brought even worse news. All of Western Europe had been grounded. There was concern of ash getting into the planes’ engines and causing a crash. In the morning I would get a message from the airline informing me that my flight had yet again been canceled and reminding me to call in to make new reservations. Since everyone was doing the same thing, this process usually took several hours. When it became apparent that I would not be making it to Costa Rica, I tried to call and cancel my pre-paid hotel room and flight. However, I was informed that there wasn’t a provision for refunds related to international volcanic activity; only Costa Rican eruptions. Awesome.

After about day three of what felt like Groundhog Day, the airline told me the earliest I could get out would be four days later. This was actually a huge relief. I was able to change my hotel from next to Heathrow to central London, and then it essentially became a work-sponsored vacation. And that actually was the life saver. London isn’t a cheap city, and I ran into a lot of people who were stranded there for over a week and had to cover the unexpected expenses out of their own pocket while dealing with the price gouging that was happening at hotels. I was a bit more fortunate. So, I made the best of the change in plans and spent time catching up with old friends, making new ones, doing some sightseeing, and shopping (hadn’t really packed for two weeks). I’m glad I didn’t get on a boat to try to escape from the south of Spain or take a train to Eastern Europe. After all, the most important thing to remember when traveling and things begin to happen outside your control actually reminds me of the old British propaganda slogan, “Keep Calm and Carry On”. Granted, that was in reference to Nazis, not Icelandic volcanoes, but you get the point.

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