My Travels: A Retrospective Part 9

The day I received the news of my cousins passing, I truly felt lost. I wasn’t so much sad or hurt but empty. I knew that it had really happened but it all felt like a dream. Something that only happens in the movies and yet it was actually happening in my life. I honestly didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to drop my life in Barcelona after all it was just starting to get good, but I also knew my family needed me back home. In the end all I could really do was wait for more info, and that was causing me to nearly lose my mind. Just sitting around waiting would do me no good the eight-hour time difference would ensure I most likely wouldn’t receive any further details until the next day or later. I wanted to get out of the house but I really had no where to go and it was at that moment that I was truly grateful for my friend Michelle.

I had totally forgotten that a few days earlier we had agreed to put together a Thanksgiving feast for all our international friends and truly introduce them to a small piece of American culture. It was in this small get together that I found my sanctuary from everything that was falling apart around me. To this day I am not sure what I would have done without it, and I think it’s why I put so much effort and energy into making it a perfect event and why I tried so hard to find all the little things that aren’t readily available in Spain that just make Thanksgiving the day that it is.

Taking a Break

Although things weren’t perfect the event was an amazing two-day event. The first day spent with Michelle trying to find and buy everything, and the next spent cleaning, cooking, and drinking while guests slowly arrived. Most of that evening was a blur and in my mind I can only pull out a few moments from it, but from the bits that I actually do remember clearly I had a wonderful time. It was my perfect escape from the madness, and although it was a madness all its own it was just what I needed to not only get away from my troubles but also provided perfectly timed insight into what I needed to do.

I realized that I needed to go home to be there for my family and spend the time that I could with them, but on that night I was reminded of how much more I had left to experience in Barcelona and everything I still needed to see and do. For the first time since I arrived in London I actually had a concrete plan once again. I knew that no matter what, no matter the cost, I needed to return to Barcelona as quickly as possible. However, after a quick look around for airfare prices it was obvious that the price would be considerable. Even with the help of family I felt like it was too much, until I decided to give a site that I discovered along the way called flightfox.

The Plan Was Set

If you’re an avid reader of the blog you’ll know I have promoted this site several times on many occasions, and here’s why. When every other site or service I found was charging at least $1300 USD for a one-way home the crowd at flightfox found me a flight for $600. They were able to save me half and really they were able to make it possible not only for me to return to Europe but also have some cash to actually start up a life in Barcelona. In short, because of that, they will have a customer for life.

Although I was able to find a flight home for a reasonable rate it was a bit of a roundabout journey, requiring a quick trip to London for one night before heading back to the States. Part of me simply thought of staying in the airport overnight, but I thought if I am going to get on night in London I will make the most of it. So I quickly booked a night through Airbnb and hopped for the best. Initially it started to feel like I had made the wrong choice as we had to quickly re-arrange a place for me to stay several times, as the place I booked the heater had gone out and most likely I would have frozen to death over the night. However, they quickly agreed to simply have me stay at their personal residence and led me out on one of the wildest nights I’ve ever had in my life.