My friends and I planned a Spring Break trip to Cancun back in October. We’d been anticipating it for months, and when we finally departed from Boston Logan last Saturday we were beyond excited. The weather was amazing, the views were beautiful, and our hotel was all-inclusive. We spent five days relaxing on the beach, sipping on piña coladas, and meeting new people. We also got the chance to go into the city and experience the nightlife, which was so much fun. Overall, it was an unforgettable five days and the memories we made were priceless.
Having that much fun with your best friends in a new place comes with the cost of not sleeping. Late nights at the clubs and early mornings by the pool resulted in 10 sleep-deprived individuals. By the time we were leaving, we couldn’t wait to be home. Five of my friends had a direct flight back to Boston, but the other five of us had a connection in Miami. Our layover wasn’t super long, and we were confident all would work out. However, our flight from Cancun to Miami was delayed 40 minutes. Then, once we got to Miami, the line for customs took an hour and a half. So, unfortunately, we missed our connecting flight.
We got through customs and security, and then immediately went to the customer service center to rebook a flight. We waited almost three hours to speak to an associate. At this point, we were delusional and unsure of what was to come. We were placed on the standby list for a 7 a.m. flight the next morning, but there were already multiple people ahead of us on this list. The associate told us we would have to sleep in the airport and try to check in for the flight as early as possible.
At this point, it was after midnight and we knew none of us would actually sleep. Although we tried, the ground was rock solid, the chairs were uncomfortable, and we didn’t have blankets or pillows. I probably would’ve been more comfortable sleeping on the roof of a car. The sleep deprivation really set in for all of us and there were many tears. By 5 a.m., we got Dunks and made our way to the gate. It was originally supposed to be gate D50, and the minute we got there it changed to D15 — the opposite end of the airport. We lugged our stuff all the way there, just to be told it was changed again to D42. The same place we originally were. It all felt like a sick joke. The gate was changed twice more before being finally set.
We talked to the associate at the gate and she told us that two of us made it off the standby list and onto the flight, and I was one of them. My three other friends still had to wait, and I felt so bad. The flight was delayed from 7 a.m. until 8:45 a.m. (which wasn’t at all surprising at this point), and after more hours of sitting around it was time to board. My friend and I had to say goodbye to our other friends and hope they made it on the next flight. By the grace of God, however, they were called off the standby list for our flight and were the last three people to board the plane. It felt like the happiest, most cliche ending to a movie.
Although this experience was mainly miserable and stressful, it was a good learning experience when it comes to traveling. It also didn’t take away from our trip at all; we’ll always have the best Spring Break memories to look back on. At the end of the day we all made it home safe, and sleeping in the Miami airport is now a funny story.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!