Our insane travel journey from the US to France
Sam, Nolan and I were very excited to start our journey to Europe. We were flying from Michigan to Nice, France and picking up our rented campervan immediately upon arrival. Our flight went smoothly from Michigan to Philadelphia. We arrived uneventfully around 1:00. We had a long layover there until our flight was due to depart for Nice, France at 9:15.
Flight change
At 6:15, we were notified that our flight to Nice was delayed until TOMORROW evening, 24 hours later. We were due to pick up our campervan at the Nice airport at 11am. We would be losing an entire day because of the delay. We rushed to the customer service counter (along with everyone else) to see what our options were. American Airlines did offer meal vouchers and a hotel stay, but we wanted to be in Europe, not Philadelphia.
While waiting in line, I manically searched for what other flights there were to Europe that evening. It was already too late to reposition ourselves to another airport and grab a flight. I found a flight to Milan, Italy that was leaving at 9:20. Initially, the customer service representative said she couldn’t put us on that flight because the only seats available were premium class, and we only had a basic ticket. I didn’t care what class they put us in; we just wanted to get to Europe. Finally, she did something to put us on the flight.
I was seated next to Nolan, at the very back of the plane. I was grateful to be on the plane, but those seats were horrible. It was right next to where the steward(esses) were, who chatted all night with bright lights shining. There was also a gap between the seats and the window, so you couldn’t even lean against the window. I was tempted to see if I could lie on the floor between the seats. Thankfully, Nolan was able to sleep, leaning on me.
Prior to leaving the United States, we had texted the driver of our campervan to let him know what was happening. When we arrived in Milan, we found out he had never received the message. Now we had to figure out how to get from Milan to Nice (about a 4-5 hour drive) and get our luggage.
Luggage
Despite being told that our luggage would make the flight/destination change, that didn’t happen. Neither bag made it. We had to spend a couple of hours in line waiting to file a lost baggage form. I always anticipate our luggage not arriving on time, so we came prepared. I have become an expert packer, so we all had what we needed in our carry-ons. While we had to replace our toiletries and some other things we needed immediately, we had our clothes with us.
With American Airlines, I have found they are good about reimbursing you for items you need to purchase when you don’t receive your luggage. (Unfortunately, this has happened twice to us). When you receive your delayed baggage receipt, you also get a File ID#. Make any purchases you need and save your receipts. When you get home, fill out the form online, and they will send you a check for what you bought. We were told there isn’t a set amount, just what you need and is reasonable.
Getting to Nice
Because we made such a last minute decision to fly to Milan instead of Nice, we had no idea how we were going to get there. Initially, I hoped that our driver could pick us up in Milan, but due to logistics, he couldn’t meet us there.
I looked into train tickets to get us to Nice, but due to the train schedules it would take us a long time to get there from the airport. (This really surprised me, as I thought it would be easy to grab a train).
After some back and forth, the campervan driver said he could meet us in Genoa, Italy, which was 2 ½ hrs from Nice. We just had to figure out how to get there from Milan.
Uber
We decided to take an Uber there. We ordered our first Uber. As we were getting ready to put our luggage in the car and getting rid of the lunch we were eating (as he understandably didn’t want it in the car), he just took off.
Several drivers would accept the ride and then decline after five minutes. A driver finally showed up. The Uber app said it would be 200€, but the driver came and said no, I’ll do 500€ cash. He said that no one would take the trip for the price given by Uber. We told him no thank you. He gave us very sleazy and uneasy vibes.
We ordered another Uber and the driver that wanted cash would not go away and kept talking to any driver that came up to us. Unfortunately, we found the Uber drivers at the Milan airport (MXP) were very shady and unscrupulous. At this point, we were exhausted, frustrated and feeling a little unsafe that this man would not leave us alone.
Taxi
We left the Uber pick-up area and went to the taxi area and asked a taxi driver if he would drive us to Genoa. He said yes, for 500€. This man did not give us a bad feeling, and we had to get there somehow. We loaded up the taxi and got on the road. The driver was very nice, he stopped when Nolan had to go to the bathroom and shared candy with us.
The taxi driver got us to Genoa and dropped us off at a supermarket where we could grab a couple of essentials while we wanted for the campervan driver to arrive.
For Nolan’s booster seat, we brought the BubbleBum inflatable car seat. It does do the job, but after using it for over two weeks, Nolan found it uncomfortable. I would recommend it for short trips, but not for touring around Europe for weeks.
Campervan
Our campervan driver arrived, and we made our way to Nice. It was a beautiful route along the Mediterranean. We enjoyed going over the bridges and the tunnels. Nolan fell asleep for most of the way – we had been traveling a long time. When planning, I had hoped to be at a campsite around 5pm so we could go to bed early, knowing that we’d be exhausted. We didn’t get to the campsite in Nice until 10ish, and we still had to make dinner!
Luggage
It took 6 days to get our luggage. We only had a few days until we were following the Tour de France. We were headed to the southwestern part of France, which is the opposite direction of Milan. The baggage company that reunites you with your baggage would only send emails, and not phone. They finally sent our luggage via air to Toulouse, France.
Toulouse
We happened to be driving past Toulouse between two stages of watching the Tour de France. We weren’t keen on visiting an airport in the campervan, but we had no other options.
We pulled into the airport, and as anticipated, most of the gated areas had height restrictions. There was one special lane that we could go through, so Sam pulled up there and the gate wouldn’t open. It was right by the airport entrance, so he said to go in, and he’d sit there until someone made him move.
Airport
Earlier in the day, I had twisted my ankle and sprained it. I am hurriedly hobbling through the airport, trying to find where I am supposed to pick up the luggage from. Thankfully, I somehow find the correct door, push the button, and they let me into another area. I find the counter where I am supposed to be, but no one is there. There are no phones, no buttons to push, doors I can knock on; nothing. I am getting very frustrated at this point. I even Google the number and try to call someone, but they were clueless.
I walk back down and find a set of offices with people in them. I ask if she speaks English and get teary-eyed when she says yes. I explain the situation and she calls the appropriate people. I go back to where I was and finally someone comes out and then retrieves the two bags.
Leaving
By this point, my ankle is throbbing, and I lug the two bags back through the airport. Surprisingly, I see Sam is still parked where I left him. I figure out how to call for assistance at one of the gates, and they end up just raising it for us to leave. We were so thankful to have all our belongings back and to continue on with our trip.
TIPS:
Always take pictures of your luggage, so you can show what it looks like if needed.
When packing, assume your luggage will be lost/delayed. Pack essentials that are hard to replace in your carry-on.
Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to take an Uber in Milan.
After much back and forth with American Airlines, they actually sent me a check for the taxi ride from Milan to Genoa. We had thankfully gotten a receipt from the taxi driver. I had checked with our travel insurance first, but due to the delayed flight and baggage claims, we had already maxed out that benefit.
If you enjoyed this reading about our adventure, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter and to my social media pages! I can’t wait to share more with you.