Audrey VS. International Travel

My journey to Florence was… let’s just say, unforgettable — and not in the dreamy, romantic way.

It all started at 3 a.m. in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when I left my hotel and headed to the airport, fueled by nerves and zero sleep. I caught a short 2.5 hour flight to Atlanta, where I had a 3ish hour layover. So far, so good.

Next was the big one: Atlanta to Paris. A full nine hours of me overthinking how customs works and trying not to spiral because this was my first time flying internationally. Thankfully, right before boarding in Atlanta, I met a few girls also studying abroad in Florence. We stuck together once we landed, and honestly, the Paris airport was way more straightforward than I expected. The signs were clear, passport control was easy, and for a moment I thought, “Okay, maybe this won’t be so bad.”

LOL...Wrong

I was supposed to have a 2.5 hour layover in Paris but my flight to Florence kept getting delayed… and delayed again… until the layover turned into more than 4 hours of endless waiting. By this point I was exhausted, already stressed, and still had one more flight ahead of me.

Eventually, I boarded my final flight, Paris to Florence, and was supposed to land around 11 a.m. We’re descending, wheels almost on the runway, and then… we go back up. The pilot hops on the speaker and casually says it’s too windy and the runway is too short, so we’re being diverted to Pisa.

We land in Pisa and are told to wait for our bags, then a bus will take us to Florence. Easy, right? Nope. We sat on the airport floor for over an hour waiting for luggage. Out of curiosity, I checked my luggage AirTags. Well of course, all of my suitcases are still in Paris. At this point, laying on the Pisa Airport floor for almost 2 hours starving and exhausted, my main concern was to just make it to Florence.

Eventually someone tells us the plane was “too heavy,” so they left some bags behind. I was like okay, but did the bags personally volunteer for that or…? Because that doesn’t feel right.

We finally get on a bus and drive 1.5 hours to Florence Airport. When we arrive, chaos is in full force. Over 90 people are in line to file lost baggage claims. There’s only one person working, and she doesn’t really speak English. She hands me a paper to fill out but then didn't tell us what to do with the paper after and no explanation of what happens next. A few minutes later, she points at a group of about 10 of us and sends us to a random backroom, separate from everyone else. No one tells us what’s going on, just that we’re supposed to wait there until the next flight from Paris arrives because “our bags will be on it and should be arriving in 30 minutes.” Well I know thats not true because my airtags show that my luggage is still in Paris.

I tried to explain to the worker very politely that my bags are not on that flight. I showed her the AirTag info. She literally puts her hand in my face and walks away. I try again, and she ignores me completely, won't even make eye contact with me. All I was asking her was to give her the lost baggage claim form so I could leave, but she wouldn't listen.

Eventually, another flight from Paris arrives. And shocker ! My bags still aren’t on it. And neither are a bunch of other people’s. At this point, over 200 of us had lost luggage. The same woman who’d been refusing to help me suddenly decides to accept everyone’s forms... which, again, is all I wanted to do three hours ago.

By the time I left the airport it was 6 PM and I was supposed to get to my host families house at 11:30 AM. My driver took me to my house where (thank God) dinner was waiting. After being awake for about 30 hours, I passed out instantly after.

I didn't end up getting my bags until 6 days later... but luckily my roommate Jordan let me wear all of her clothes the whole week. Despite the stress and uncertainty, I stayed positive because I was in Florence, and my first week there turned out to be an absolute blast, even without my belongings. In the end, it was the most challenging travel experience I've had, but it was all worth it because I get to spend the next four months living in Florence, Italy!