October 28, 2025 • 14 mins
Get in Touch with Dan by Texting Now
The plan was simple: Tampa to Cincinnati with a quick hop through Charlotte. Then came the cascade—late pushback, mysterious reroutes, a gate occupied, and a connection that closed two minutes early. What followed wasn’t just a scramble for rebooking; it was a reminder that travel is made of people as much as planes.
I walk you through the airport chain reaction every traveler knows: the long customer service line, the gamble between an all night drive and a dawn departure, and the consolation prize of a hotel voucher and a sleepless room beside roadwork. And then the tone shifts. A brief, tense exchange at the front desk leads to an unexpected moment of grace: meeting Jean, an older passenger with a bad knee, a big heart, and a flight to Akron. We team up to secure a wheelchair, navigate the terminal, and trade stories over a cinnamon roll at Dunkin’. She shares a grandson’s wedding and a life in education; I share family memories and the habit of helping. It turns a wasted morning into a good one.
Importantly, we explore how small kindness travels farther than any itinerary. The story ends with a surprise thank you—a box of Akron chocolates and a handwritten note—that seals the lesson: when plans fall apart, connection can still come together.
If you’ve ever watched a plan unravel, this one’s for you. Press play, share it with a traveler who could use a smile, and leave a quick review to tell us about the best stranger you’ve met on the road.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host Dan, and each weekwe'll embark on a new adventure,
discovering memory and lifelessons of our incredible
guests.
From everyday travelers tothrill seekers and everyone in
between, this podcast is yourfront row seat to inspiring
stories of passion, resilience,and the pursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:30):
This episode today is just me,and it's about travel and how
sometimes your plans for travelcan change.
Now, if you've traveled at all,and I don't care if it's by air
or car or train or bus, there isalways the chance of a delay and
a change in your plans.
A couple of weeks ago thishappened to me.
(00:51):
My wife Linda and I werevisiting family in Florida.
She was going to stick aroundfor a few more days, but I was
going to fly home on a Sundayevening.
I was flying out of the TampaAirport.
Unfortunately there were nodirect flights other than on
Frontier.
I like Frontier.
We like Frontier.
But the problem with Frontier isif the flight didn't take off on
(01:13):
Sunday evening, I might not gethome till Tuesday.
So I opted for, let's just sayone of the major carriers,
American Airlines, let's justsay.
But that flight took me throughCharlotte.
Now, the Charlotte Airport issuper nice, but I really don't
like to fly through therebecause it is super busy and a
(01:34):
lot of American planes gothrough there.
So I'm thinking, well, if I missthe flight, there'll probably be
another one.
Now I was scheduled to leaveTampa around 8 PM and arrive
home shortly before 1 AM.
Not terrible, and hey, I wouldbe able to make it to work the
next day without a problem.
Linda drove me to the TampaAirport.
My plane was listed as being alittle bit late, but not
(01:55):
terribly late, so I'm thinking,okay, I could still make this
connection in Charlotte.
Well, then we get on the planeand there's more delay and a
little more delay.
At one point I think theyactually mentioned the
government shutdown.
Could be an issue.
Then they decided they werererouting us for some reason.
And they're supposedlycommunicating with somebody in
Dallas.
(02:15):
And I think Washington, DC evencame up.
So they're rerouting us.
And now all of a sudden, we'regoing to need fuel because
they're changing our route.
Like changing our route.
Charlotte's kind of a straightflight out of Tampa, but hey,
I'm not a pilot, gonna stay inmy lane.
Still looking okay on thatconnection.
(02:37):
We get to Charlotte, we land, Ilook out the window and I can
see the terminal.
It doesn't look that far away.
I'm like, okay, we're going tomake it.
And by the way, my connectingflight, two gates away.
So now I'm not even gonna haveto run very fast or very far.
Then all of a sudden it seemslike we took the long way around
to the terminal.
(02:57):
We kept going and going andgoing, and then the terminal
just kind of disappeared fromsight.
Now maybe that's the only way toget there.
I have no clue.
I'm not the pilot.
I didn't look at the airport, soI don't know.
We're finally near the terminal.
I can see it, looking at thewatch, still okay.
And then the flight attendantcame on and she mentioned some
cities, she mentionedCincinnati, she mentioned other
(03:18):
cities, and then she made thestatement, these flights are
either on time or delayed.
I'm like, well, okay.
Be nice to know if mine wasdelayed, but I guess we'll find
out.
So we get closer and closer.
The pilot then comes on andsays, I'm sorry to say, but our
gate is occupied.
And you could hear the groans inthe cabin.
(03:40):
And I'm thinking, a lot of thesepeople have a connection.
I'm thinking, didn't they knowwe were coming?
Couldn't they have found usanother gate?
Still got time.
And then the flight attendantannounces, If this is your final
destination, please remain inyour seat because we have a lot
of people trying to makeconnecting flights.
Well that was great.
But then I realized about 80% ofthe planes stood up, and now
(04:01):
we're all hoping to make ourconnection.
We managed to get off the plane.
Oh, I should say this.
Early Sunday morning, I waschecking in on the app and it
said, Hey, you want to upgradeto a first class seat for$50?
I'm like, okay, it's a shortflight.
I really don't need a firstclass seat, but I would have
been one of the first people offthat plane.
Several of us run two gates awayto the Cincinnati gate, and the
(04:26):
display says, Flight is closed.
I look at the app, it had lefttwo minutes early, and we were
one minute past when it wassupposed to depart.
So we all missed that plane.
My first thought was, with allthe technology, couldn't they
have simply seen that there wasa whole bunch of us trying to
get to that plane?
But they left.
(04:46):
We asked another person at acounter where we should go.
He directed us to this customerservice counter just down the
way.
I ended up in line with a youngcollege student from the
University of Cincinnati, andhe's like, I have got to get
home.
My instructor does not likeanyone to be absent from his
class.
I looked at him, all my years ofwisdom, and I said, I hate to
(05:08):
tell you this, you're notgetting home tonight unless we
rent a car and drive.
Now he was 19 and I'm thinking,I'm very tired, and I cannot
possibly drive through thenight.
And for those who know me,that's a little bit unusual
because there's a little bit onme that wanted to go rent that
car and drive home.
While I'm standing in line, andit was a long line, because
(05:29):
there was a lot of peoplerebooking their flights, they
rebooked me on a flight.
Now get this.
The flight would take me fromCharlotte the next morning at 7
a.m.
to Washington, D.C., where Iwould remain for nine hours,
then catch a flight home and behome by around seven.
Now I am thinking, I'll rent acar and drive home.
But then I thought, hey, mydaughter Lauren's in Washington,
(05:51):
D.C., and I could spend thewhole day with her.
But the more I thought about it,and I love my daughter, I just
wanted to get home.
So I wait my turn in line.
The young fellow from UC isscouring the internet, trying to
find a flight, and I've said,There are no other flights.
It's 1130.
This is where we're going to betonight.
(06:12):
And I could just see by the lookon his face, he was bewildered.
They sent us some hotelselections while we were waiting
in line.
One was Red Roof Inn, one wasMicroTel.
Now I've stayed in some badhotels, motels over the years,
and I'm like, okay, that's fine,whatever.
So I get up, I tell thegentleman behind the counter my
situation, and I would reallylike to get home a little sooner
(06:32):
than 7 PM tomorrow night.
He's clicking on his keyboard,he's rubbing his eyes, he's
telling me how long he's been atwork, and I just continue to
thank him and encourage him, andhe's clicking away, click,
click, click.
It felt like forever.
I glance over, my young newfriend from UC, he's doing the
same thing, and they're tryingto get him on something.
Don't know where he ended up.
So my guy, he prints out somethings and says, I did find you
(06:56):
a flight, and he goes, I got youa really good flight.
He said, You'll leave in themorning, direct flight to
Cincinnati.
You'll be home by lunch.
I'm like, thank you very much.
He then tells me he put me inthe embassy suites, and I'm
thinking, okay, better than RedRoof or MicroTel.
He also gives me a voucher foran Uber.
It's a$55 voucher, but I look atit and it says you can only use
(07:18):
it once.
He does tell me there's ashuttle, gives me a gives me a
food coupon, and I'm on my way.
I go out, the line for theembassy suites van is very long.
So I'm thinking, okay, I'll usemy Uber voucher to get there.
I'll take the shuttle back inthe morning, and that's exactly
what I did.
I had a great Uber driver, gotme there.
But as we turned into the streetby the hotel, there was all
(07:41):
night road construction goingon, it appeared.
I'm like, hmm, maybe it ends atmidnight.
I walk into NBC Suites, the lineis very long, obviously a lot of
people miss their flights.
Finally I get to the front ofthe line.
By the way, I checked my bag, Idon't know why.
So I have no toothbrush, notoothpaste, no razor, no
nothing.
(08:01):
She checks me in, I ask her forthose items, and she gladly
hands them to me.
I make my way to my room.
Let's just say throughout thenight I constantly heard the
construction noise outside andthe sound of beep beep beep.
I didn't sleep much.
I booked the shuttle for 630.
It gave me some time to do somework.
(08:23):
I thought I'll get up, I'll do alittle work here, I'll catch the
shuttle, and then I'll be to theairport.
I go downstairs, it's 530.
Well, it's actually about 520.
The shuttle's coming at 530.
I walk up to the young man atthe desk and say, hey, I'm
booked on the six thirtyshuttle.
Is there any chance I could goahead and get on one now?
And not such a nice tone, norbody language, you will go when
(08:47):
you signed up.
I'm like, okay, fine.
There's a nice table in thelobby.
I'll go over, get my laptop out,and I'll do some work.
I'll sit here for an hour, andthen I'll catch the shuttle when
I booked it.
I'm guessing I was about tenminutes into my work and I see
this older woman approaching thetable where I'm sitting, and her
immediate comment was that isthe rudest young man over at
(09:09):
that desk, and I don't want totalk to him anymore.
And I said, I couldn't agreemore.
Then for some reason she thoughtI was the manager of the hotel.
I said, Nope, I'm just a guestwho missed his flight last
night.
I think the manager had walkedbehind me and maybe the young
man pointed in my direction.
She said, I just can't deal withhim.
I have a really bad knee.
(09:30):
I'm supposed to have awheelchair from the curb to my
gate, and I just want to getover to the airport to get that
squared away.
About that time the shuttle busdriver walked over, and he said
he was kind of questioning us,and she again went through her
story of the young man and howrude he was, and that we shared
we had signed up for the shuttleat six thirty, but we would like
(09:53):
to get on over to the airport soshe can get squared away with
her wheelchair.
He leaves, he comes back in acouple minutes, and he says,
Hey, I've got a seat on theshuttle.
Well, she says, I'm not goingunless he goes.
I said, Well, do you have twoseats?
And he says, as a matter offact, I do.
And I said, Well, off we go.
Now remember, she has a badknee.
(10:14):
She had been to her grandson'swedding in Orlando.
She had been on two planes thathad malfunctioning doors, so it
had not been a good trip for herback home.
She was headed back to Akron.
So I put my arm out, as everygentleman should do.
She grabbed my arm and we walkedto the bus.
We got off the bus, we proceededinto the airport.
(10:36):
Now, I really don't know whereyou go to get a wheelchair, so
we walked over to a TSA agent,and she quickly directed us over
to a counter, where some verynice young people proceeded to
help her get her wheelchair.
As it turns out, I went throughthe airport with her, along with
her wheelchair assistant, andshe and he had a great
(10:58):
conversation all the way to thegate.
She did ask him, where is thisgate?
And I think we must have been atthe very end because it took us
a good while to get there.
I just figured I'd drop her offthere and be on my way back to
my gate.
But she said, Would you like tohave coffee?
And I said, Sure.
And so we walked back to Dunkin'Donuts.
I had seen a Dunkin' Donuts onthe way, and that's the only
(11:20):
coffee place I'd seen.
So we walked there.
We got in line, and I have tosay, all I could think about
during this whole time, I'dthought about my mom.
My aunt Betty, who I had thehonor to fly with on her very
first flight.
And I had guided her through anairport in Lexington and in
Houston, Texas.
So those are the people thatkept popping to my mind.
(11:42):
What if this were my mom?
What if this were my grandma?
What if this were my aunt?
I would want somebody to helpthem.
So here we are back at Dunkin'Donuts.
We're in line.
She orders her coffee, and wealso decided we'll have a
cinnamon roll.
And she asked me, What kind ofcoffee do you want?
And I said, Well, I don't reallydrink coffee.
And she said, I thought we weregoing to have coffee.
And I said, Well, we'll have acinnamon roll, and you have your
(12:04):
coffee.
And that's what we did.
We sat there for about an hour,just sharing with one another
about our families, about whatshe had done for a living, which
was an educator.
We shared about her grandson'swedding.
We shared about her other sons,one being a Navy fighter pilot.
We were basically sharing aconversation and building a
(12:25):
relationship in the CharlotteAirport.
I then walked her back to hergate.
If you look on the cover of thisepisode, you'll see a picture of
myself and my new friend Jean.
We said our goodbyes.
Bottom line, when your travelplans change, whether you get
stuck in a traffic jam forhours, whether you miss your bus
or your plane or your train,maybe just strike up a
(12:45):
conversation with somebody.
You know, it really makes thetime go by more quickly.
I do hope you've enjoyed this.
I hope it's made you reflect ontimes that you had
conversations.
I recorded a lot of this for myown benefit.
I just didn't want it to be astory that I forgot.
I did make it home, I did makeit to work.
I'd wondered why Jean asked mefor my address.
(13:06):
About a week after we got home,we received in the mail some
chocolates that I suppose arefamously made in Akron, Ohio.
She also shared a thank younote.
She addressed it to both Lindaand I, because I had talked
about Linda with her.
We shared that chocolate withsome very dear friends as we
played Euchre one night.
Let's just say that box ofchocolates was gone.
(13:28):
I hope this episode gave you alittle time to think back on
some memories.
And I do hope if you're stucksomewhere that you take the time
to get to know someone new.
That's it for today.
I'll see you next time.
Thank you for tuning in to Danthe Road Trip Guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your
own, I'd love to hear from you.
(13:50):
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring, and keep having
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels.
And remember, you can find me onthe internet at
dantherroadtripguy.com.
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host Dan, and each weekwe'll embark on a new adventure,
discovering memory and lifelessons of our incredible
guests.
From everyday travelers tothrill seekers and everyone in
between, this podcast is yourfront row seat to inspiring
stories of passion, resilience,and the pursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:30):
This episode today is just me,and it's about travel and how
sometimes your plans for travelcan change.
Now, if you've traveled at all,and I don't care if it's by air
or car or train or bus, there isalways the chance of a delay and
a change in your plans.
A couple of weeks ago thishappened to me.
(00:51):
My wife Linda and I werevisiting family in Florida.
She was going to stick aroundfor a few more days, but I was
going to fly home on a Sundayevening.
I was flying out of the TampaAirport.
Unfortunately there were nodirect flights other than on
Frontier.
I like Frontier.
We like Frontier.
But the problem with Frontier isif the flight didn't take off on
(01:13):
Sunday evening, I might not gethome till Tuesday.
So I opted for, let's just sayone of the major carriers,
American Airlines, let's justsay.
But that flight took me throughCharlotte.
Now, the Charlotte Airport issuper nice, but I really don't
like to fly through therebecause it is super busy and a
(01:34):
lot of American planes gothrough there.
So I'm thinking, well, if I missthe flight, there'll probably be
another one.
Now I was scheduled to leaveTampa around 8 PM and arrive
home shortly before 1 AM.
Not terrible, and hey, I wouldbe able to make it to work the
next day without a problem.
Linda drove me to the TampaAirport.
My plane was listed as being alittle bit late, but not
(01:55):
terribly late, so I'm thinking,okay, I could still make this
connection in Charlotte.
Well, then we get on the planeand there's more delay and a
little more delay.
At one point I think theyactually mentioned the
government shutdown.
Could be an issue.
Then they decided they werererouting us for some reason.
And they're supposedlycommunicating with somebody in
Dallas.
(02:15):
And I think Washington, DC evencame up.
So they're rerouting us.
And now all of a sudden, we'regoing to need fuel because
they're changing our route.
Like changing our route.
Charlotte's kind of a straightflight out of Tampa, but hey,
I'm not a pilot, gonna stay inmy lane.
Still looking okay on thatconnection.
(02:37):
We get to Charlotte, we land, Ilook out the window and I can
see the terminal.
It doesn't look that far away.
I'm like, okay, we're going tomake it.
And by the way, my connectingflight, two gates away.
So now I'm not even gonna haveto run very fast or very far.
Then all of a sudden it seemslike we took the long way around
to the terminal.
(02:57):
We kept going and going andgoing, and then the terminal
just kind of disappeared fromsight.
Now maybe that's the only way toget there.
I have no clue.
I'm not the pilot.
I didn't look at the airport, soI don't know.
We're finally near the terminal.
I can see it, looking at thewatch, still okay.
And then the flight attendantcame on and she mentioned some
cities, she mentionedCincinnati, she mentioned other
(03:18):
cities, and then she made thestatement, these flights are
either on time or delayed.
I'm like, well, okay.
Be nice to know if mine wasdelayed, but I guess we'll find
out.
So we get closer and closer.
The pilot then comes on andsays, I'm sorry to say, but our
gate is occupied.
And you could hear the groans inthe cabin.
(03:40):
And I'm thinking, a lot of thesepeople have a connection.
I'm thinking, didn't they knowwe were coming?
Couldn't they have found usanother gate?
Still got time.
And then the flight attendantannounces, If this is your final
destination, please remain inyour seat because we have a lot
of people trying to makeconnecting flights.
Well that was great.
But then I realized about 80% ofthe planes stood up, and now
(04:01):
we're all hoping to make ourconnection.
We managed to get off the plane.
Oh, I should say this.
Early Sunday morning, I waschecking in on the app and it
said, Hey, you want to upgradeto a first class seat for$50?
I'm like, okay, it's a shortflight.
I really don't need a firstclass seat, but I would have
been one of the first people offthat plane.
Several of us run two gates awayto the Cincinnati gate, and the
(04:26):
display says, Flight is closed.
I look at the app, it had lefttwo minutes early, and we were
one minute past when it wassupposed to depart.
So we all missed that plane.
My first thought was, with allthe technology, couldn't they
have simply seen that there wasa whole bunch of us trying to
get to that plane?
But they left.
(04:46):
We asked another person at acounter where we should go.
He directed us to this customerservice counter just down the
way.
I ended up in line with a youngcollege student from the
University of Cincinnati, andhe's like, I have got to get
home.
My instructor does not likeanyone to be absent from his
class.
I looked at him, all my years ofwisdom, and I said, I hate to
(05:08):
tell you this, you're notgetting home tonight unless we
rent a car and drive.
Now he was 19 and I'm thinking,I'm very tired, and I cannot
possibly drive through thenight.
And for those who know me,that's a little bit unusual
because there's a little bit onme that wanted to go rent that
car and drive home.
While I'm standing in line, andit was a long line, because
(05:29):
there was a lot of peoplerebooking their flights, they
rebooked me on a flight.
Now get this.
The flight would take me fromCharlotte the next morning at 7
a.m.
to Washington, D.C., where Iwould remain for nine hours,
then catch a flight home and behome by around seven.
Now I am thinking, I'll rent acar and drive home.
But then I thought, hey, mydaughter Lauren's in Washington,
(05:51):
D.C., and I could spend thewhole day with her.
But the more I thought about it,and I love my daughter, I just
wanted to get home.
So I wait my turn in line.
The young fellow from UC isscouring the internet, trying to
find a flight, and I've said,There are no other flights.
It's 1130.
This is where we're going to betonight.
(06:12):
And I could just see by the lookon his face, he was bewildered.
They sent us some hotelselections while we were waiting
in line.
One was Red Roof Inn, one wasMicroTel.
Now I've stayed in some badhotels, motels over the years,
and I'm like, okay, that's fine,whatever.
So I get up, I tell thegentleman behind the counter my
situation, and I would reallylike to get home a little sooner
(06:32):
than 7 PM tomorrow night.
He's clicking on his keyboard,he's rubbing his eyes, he's
telling me how long he's been atwork, and I just continue to
thank him and encourage him, andhe's clicking away, click,
click, click.
It felt like forever.
I glance over, my young newfriend from UC, he's doing the
same thing, and they're tryingto get him on something.
Don't know where he ended up.
So my guy, he prints out somethings and says, I did find you
(06:56):
a flight, and he goes, I got youa really good flight.
He said, You'll leave in themorning, direct flight to
Cincinnati.
You'll be home by lunch.
I'm like, thank you very much.
He then tells me he put me inthe embassy suites, and I'm
thinking, okay, better than RedRoof or MicroTel.
He also gives me a voucher foran Uber.
It's a$55 voucher, but I look atit and it says you can only use
(07:18):
it once.
He does tell me there's ashuttle, gives me a gives me a
food coupon, and I'm on my way.
I go out, the line for theembassy suites van is very long.
So I'm thinking, okay, I'll usemy Uber voucher to get there.
I'll take the shuttle back inthe morning, and that's exactly
what I did.
I had a great Uber driver, gotme there.
But as we turned into the streetby the hotel, there was all
(07:41):
night road construction goingon, it appeared.
I'm like, hmm, maybe it ends atmidnight.
I walk into NBC Suites, the lineis very long, obviously a lot of
people miss their flights.
Finally I get to the front ofthe line.
By the way, I checked my bag, Idon't know why.
So I have no toothbrush, notoothpaste, no razor, no
nothing.
(08:01):
She checks me in, I ask her forthose items, and she gladly
hands them to me.
I make my way to my room.
Let's just say throughout thenight I constantly heard the
construction noise outside andthe sound of beep beep beep.
I didn't sleep much.
I booked the shuttle for 630.
It gave me some time to do somework.
(08:23):
I thought I'll get up, I'll do alittle work here, I'll catch the
shuttle, and then I'll be to theairport.
I go downstairs, it's 530.
Well, it's actually about 520.
The shuttle's coming at 530.
I walk up to the young man atthe desk and say, hey, I'm
booked on the six thirtyshuttle.
Is there any chance I could goahead and get on one now?
And not such a nice tone, norbody language, you will go when
(08:47):
you signed up.
I'm like, okay, fine.
There's a nice table in thelobby.
I'll go over, get my laptop out,and I'll do some work.
I'll sit here for an hour, andthen I'll catch the shuttle when
I booked it.
I'm guessing I was about tenminutes into my work and I see
this older woman approaching thetable where I'm sitting, and her
immediate comment was that isthe rudest young man over at
(09:09):
that desk, and I don't want totalk to him anymore.
And I said, I couldn't agreemore.
Then for some reason she thoughtI was the manager of the hotel.
I said, Nope, I'm just a guestwho missed his flight last
night.
I think the manager had walkedbehind me and maybe the young
man pointed in my direction.
She said, I just can't deal withhim.
I have a really bad knee.
(09:30):
I'm supposed to have awheelchair from the curb to my
gate, and I just want to getover to the airport to get that
squared away.
About that time the shuttle busdriver walked over, and he said
he was kind of questioning us,and she again went through her
story of the young man and howrude he was, and that we shared
we had signed up for the shuttleat six thirty, but we would like
(09:53):
to get on over to the airport soshe can get squared away with
her wheelchair.
He leaves, he comes back in acouple minutes, and he says,
Hey, I've got a seat on theshuttle.
Well, she says, I'm not goingunless he goes.
I said, Well, do you have twoseats?
And he says, as a matter offact, I do.
And I said, Well, off we go.
Now remember, she has a badknee.
(10:14):
She had been to her grandson'swedding in Orlando.
She had been on two planes thathad malfunctioning doors, so it
had not been a good trip for herback home.
She was headed back to Akron.
So I put my arm out, as everygentleman should do.
She grabbed my arm and we walkedto the bus.
We got off the bus, we proceededinto the airport.
(10:36):
Now, I really don't know whereyou go to get a wheelchair, so
we walked over to a TSA agent,and she quickly directed us over
to a counter, where some verynice young people proceeded to
help her get her wheelchair.
As it turns out, I went throughthe airport with her, along with
her wheelchair assistant, andshe and he had a great
(10:58):
conversation all the way to thegate.
She did ask him, where is thisgate?
And I think we must have been atthe very end because it took us
a good while to get there.
I just figured I'd drop her offthere and be on my way back to
my gate.
But she said, Would you like tohave coffee?
And I said, Sure.
And so we walked back to Dunkin'Donuts.
I had seen a Dunkin' Donuts onthe way, and that's the only
(11:20):
coffee place I'd seen.
So we walked there.
We got in line, and I have tosay, all I could think about
during this whole time, I'dthought about my mom.
My aunt Betty, who I had thehonor to fly with on her very
first flight.
And I had guided her through anairport in Lexington and in
Houston, Texas.
So those are the people thatkept popping to my mind.
(11:42):
What if this were my mom?
What if this were my grandma?
What if this were my aunt?
I would want somebody to helpthem.
So here we are back at Dunkin'Donuts.
We're in line.
She orders her coffee, and wealso decided we'll have a
cinnamon roll.
And she asked me, What kind ofcoffee do you want?
And I said, Well, I don't reallydrink coffee.
And she said, I thought we weregoing to have coffee.
And I said, Well, we'll have acinnamon roll, and you have your
(12:04):
coffee.
And that's what we did.
We sat there for about an hour,just sharing with one another
about our families, about whatshe had done for a living, which
was an educator.
We shared about her grandson'swedding.
We shared about her other sons,one being a Navy fighter pilot.
We were basically sharing aconversation and building a
(12:25):
relationship in the CharlotteAirport.
I then walked her back to hergate.
If you look on the cover of thisepisode, you'll see a picture of
myself and my new friend Jean.
We said our goodbyes.
Bottom line, when your travelplans change, whether you get
stuck in a traffic jam forhours, whether you miss your bus
or your plane or your train,maybe just strike up a
(12:45):
conversation with somebody.
You know, it really makes thetime go by more quickly.
I do hope you've enjoyed this.
I hope it's made you reflect ontimes that you had
conversations.
I recorded a lot of this for myown benefit.
I just didn't want it to be astory that I forgot.
I did make it home, I did makeit to work.
I'd wondered why Jean asked mefor my address.
(13:06):
About a week after we got home,we received in the mail some
chocolates that I suppose arefamously made in Akron, Ohio.
She also shared a thank younote.
She addressed it to both Lindaand I, because I had talked
about Linda with her.
We shared that chocolate withsome very dear friends as we
played Euchre one night.
Let's just say that box ofchocolates was gone.
(13:28):
I hope this episode gave you alittle time to think back on
some memories.
And I do hope if you're stucksomewhere that you take the time
to get to know someone new.
That's it for today.
I'll see you next time.
Thank you for tuning in to Danthe Road Trip Guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your
own, I'd love to hear from you.
(13:50):
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring, and keep having
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels.
And remember, you can find me onthe internet at
dantherroadtripguy.com.
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