I think we have all managed to get on the wrong bus, or even train, before. But it takes a special kind of person to book a flight to the wrong country.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Lynne Mazouz and her friend Kira Smith had planned the perfect Central American getaway. They were going to fly down to Costa Rica for a Latin American week in the sun. They had their Airbnb booked, a list of adventures to do, and their bags all ready and packed.
They both boarded their flight to San Jose from New York's LaGuardia airport. But Mazouz got a little suspicious when her seat neighbour started talking about his reasons for relocation to their destination. He was calling San Jose the 'Tech startup center of the world,' which was a little odd.
But, she let it slide, and they came down to land in San Jose. However, it wasn't the one they were expecting. They had somehow both managed to book the wrong flight and hadn't even left their country. They had instead landed in San Jose, California.
A Last Minute Scramble To Land In The Right Country
Quite quickly, the two women realised they had landed in the wrong country. You would have thought that, flying domestically and not having the passports checked once, they would have twigged. But you live and learn.
Now, miles from home and even further from their desired destination, they needed to rearrange. They considered flying to Hawaii, but they would have lost a ton on all the booked hostels and Airbnbs. So, instead, they took a cab down to San Fran and hopped on the next flight to Costa Rica.
It didn't come without its discomfort, though. They had to spend the night in the airport, and on landing had to use the famed chicken buses of Central America. As a 5 foot 9 man who has spent literal days on those things, I can guarantee they didn't climb out feeling all that great.
The journey on the other side consisted of multiple buses and ferries, but they got there in the end. Despite initially booking flights to the wrong country, they managed to get to their destination within 24 hours of messing up. They even treated themselves to an extra week in the beautiful tropical country.
