I celebrated my 39th birthday on Thursday. Honestly, I had a rough day. My friends and I were in Charlotte, NC for a wedding of mutual friends of ours. I had rented a car to have some mobility freedom.
I took a Lyft to pick up at 10am from the Airbnb and go to the hotel that has a Hertz desk. Turns out that location was “temporarily closed” for the past 2 weeks. A number was on a sign to call for any questions. I called that number 4 times. No answer. I called the official Hertz customer service, and after three transfers and an hour later, I finally had a new reservation at a new location. I got Lyft to the new location only to have the WRONG address! The agent on the phone switched the business number around. I typed the address into my Lyft account as the agent read it to me and never thought to verify it. So……. I ended up 5 miles away from where I needed to be!Not to worry, I found a coffee spot to take some deep breaths. The barista took pity on me and added an extra free shot of espresso. Bless.
It’s 11:30am now. The third Lyft driver was absolutely pleasant. We had a great chat, and found out he loves to write and started some scripts for pilot episodes. I told him about my Writers Retreat in Ireland. I told him “maybe I’ll see you in Ireland. Maybe I’ll see you with an Oscar!”.
I arrive at the next Hertz location around noon. They had a few customers ahead of me, so I just sat down and enjoyed my coffee and reflected on the conversation. My new Hertz confirmation hadn’t been in their system yet. I guess sometimes it can take up to an hour. So, I sat and chilled. The desk agent was really nice to me as well because they’ve been helping customers that came from the same location only to find a closed desk.
1:00pm, reservation is confirmed and the vehicle was getting cleaned. At least I was upgraded from a sedan to an SUV, plus that location’s rates were $15 cheaper, saving me money in the long run. I’m hungry and texting my friends about my status, all while handling all the birthday messages.
1:30pm, I am finally in the vehicle and on my way back to the Airbnb. Hangry and frustrated at the situation, I stopped at Starbucks for the free bday drink. Feeling better, I made my way back to the accommodations.
Snafus happen during travel. It’s who you become when the situation challenges you. I am also a firm believer that when one door closes, another opens. You are being kept from moving forward because the alternative situation is a better solution. I ended up saving money on the overall rental. I had a larger vehicle to hold three people. I had great conversations with locals along the way. Good people made the experience better, honestly. The rest of my weekend was great. I connected with friends and attended a fun wedding where I gave a speech toast. I got to practice my foreign language skills as well. My last decade of my 30s kicked off with memories that were wholesome for the heart and soul.
(ready for a wedding!)
