This time last year we were in a complete whirlwind unlike any my family and I had ever experienced. While moping in our hotel room in Hanoi we received word that Ella’s visa had been issued and we were free to go home! Our scheduled flight to the US was for the next day, but we were so desperate to get home that we went a little crazy to make it happen.

Two of our agency staff members and my husband jumped on their respective phones in different rooms of the hotel and scrambled to try and get our plane tickets switched so we could get on the next flight to Bangkok from Hanoi, which was scheduled to depart in the very near future. My husband was able to reach out agency’s travel agent in the US (it was the middle of the night there!) and she quickly switched our flights for us. We were thrilled for all of about ten seconds before we realized that we had twenty minutes to shower, dress, pack, check out and get in a cab to make it to the Hanoi airport in time to catch our new flight!

We moved and hustled like we never had before and practically flew to the airport. We were greeted by lovely people and had no trouble at all with our itinerary changes. Having a super cute baby strapped to your chest tends to make people act nicer to you ;)

The first leg of our journey was a short flight to Bangkok. We were still worried about our connecting flight (due to the changes that had just been made,) so we weren’t able to really relax on that flight. During our long layover I was able to call my mom and tell her we were in Thailand! There was no time to call anyone before leaving Viet Nam, and they had to rearrange their plans to pick us up at the airport. My mom had actually scheduled to take a personal day off of work the day before we were scheduled to come home; just in case :)

Once settled on the long flight home we realized that because of our flight changes, our meal preferences could not be accommodated. My husband and I had a protein bar, bread and fruit for that whole leg of our trip. But the baby was fed and happy, we were able to get a bulk head seat so we were all comfortable and we were on our way home!

photo credit: Rebecca Hess

More Reading:
How to Fly with a Little One
View of Viet Nam - US Embassy in Hanoi
How Not to Over Pack for Your Trip to Viet Nam