Copyright Business Insider
When our flight was canceled, my sister and I frantically searched for a last-minute hotel — only to find limited options. To make matters worse, it was Japan's Golden Week, which is a national holiday period and one of the busiest times for travel. And on top of that, Japan is already one of the most expensive countries I've visited. In total, we spent around $500, which included the cost of our hotel, meals, and transportation. Fortunately, I have an annual travel insurance policy that protects all my trips throughout the year. It's more cost-effective for me because I travel frequently. Since the airline didn't reimburse all of our expenses, I was thankful my insurance policy covered the remaining $144. Getting stranded in Tokyo wasn't part of my carefully curated itinerary, but my sister encouraged us to make the most of our extra time. Instead of letting my frustration overshadow the end of our trip, we used our additional time to explore the city and treat ourselves With few hotel options available, we decided to splurge on a five-star hotel and ordered room service after a long day at the airport. The hotel even upgraded our room, where we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the Tokyo Tower twinkling in the night sky. We fully embraced the experience by indulging in the hotel's luxurious amenities, including the marble shower, plush robes, and a lounge with breakfast, snacks, and drinks. I have a handful of premium credit cards with lounge access, and this made our airport experience exponentially better. Between my Amex Platinum, Delta Reserve, and Chase Sapphire cards, my sister and I could visit several lounges at Tokyo Haneda Airport. This meant access to complimentary food and drinks, as well as extra comfortable seating while waiting for our flights. Since we ended up spending more time in the airport than we expected, retreating to the Delta Sky Club was a lifesaver. Instead of sitting at a crammed gate and paying inflated prices for airport snacks, we were able to relax in a quiet, comfortable space with food and drinks included. The highlight was trying authentic ramen for the first time, which was prepared by a local chef. It was so good that I went back for a second bowl. By the time our flight was canceled, we were exhausted after hours of sitting on the plane. Between the chaos of deplaning, collecting our luggage, and scrambling to book a hotel, my brain felt like mush. When we were finally heading to the hotel, I was so tired that I forgot to ask the taxi driver for a receipt. The next day, I made the same mistake by tossing out the receipts from our lunch at the Tokyo Tower. Without these receipts, the airline wasn't able to reimburse me. I tried submitting my credit-card statement for the expenses, but I was stuck paying for these out-of-pocket costs. Now, I'll prioritize asking for receipts and immediately take photos of them for my digital records. Because we were traveling on separate reservations, my sister and I were automatically rebooked on different international flights for the following day. Instead of trying to rearrange for us to head home together, we decided to keep our separate flights. Even though her flight departed on time, mine remained stuck on the runway for another three agonizing hours. I sat with tears streaming down my face as I literally watched her flight take off. I was frustrated and scared of possibly being stranded alone. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief when my flight eventually took off, but I won't make this mistake again. We should've at least asked if we could be placed on the same flight home. It might not have worked, but I would've preferred it if neither of us risked being left alone in a foreign country.
