Lost in London & Wrong Airbnb address

I got lost in London with the wrong Airbnb address and a dead phone last week… that’s just such a typical thing to happen when you travel am I right?! Or perhaps that’s just me... haha. It happened last week when I went to London to surprise my dad for his birthday! I planned the whole thing with his partner and got an Airbnb close to theirs so I would be able to stay hidden until we surprised him!

I flew to London the day before they did - and told my dad I was flying to Greece for a holiday with my boyfriend and that I was sad to miss his birthday. Usually, the most adventurous moments happen once you get to your destination right? Well, not for me. My most adventurous moments are usually between my starting point and my destination… Canceled & delayed flights, missed flights, wrong directions, and being stranded in unknown cities are among the things that have gone wrong. The trip to London was no exception.

Firstly, I forgot my adapter at home (rookie mistake #1). Secondly, I was on my phone editing pictures for most of the flight and drained most of my battery in doing so. Thinking I had the adapter, I realized too late that there were no USB outlets on the bus either. (This wouldn’t have been an issue if I had my portable charger with me but it broke a few months ago and I haven’t replaced it. Rookie mistake #2) So I looked up my saved Airbnb address on my phone and put it on flight mode. Made it to the address with only 10% battery left. Realized I had to go back online to get the lock-box code in order to retrieve the key.. so I did. Found a lockbox that matched the description and tried the code… didn’t work… At this point, I had 5% Battery left and my boyfriend was about to land at the airport and meet me at the Airbnb. Luckily I had given him the address beforehand so I wasn’t worried he wouldn’t be able to find it.

To fix this I had to get a hold of the night manager... I turned my phone off flight mode for a second, and got the number! Now with 3% battery left I stopped an old lady on the street who lend me her phone so I could call the Manager. He said he would come over in about 10-15 minutes, so I waited.. and waited.. after 30 minutes I stopped another guy on the street who tried to help me open the lock box, and lend me his phone to call the number. That’s when I realized I was at the wrong address.. my dad’s Airbnb address...

Because my battery was low, I had tried to keep my screen time limited and in my attempt to be quick, I had accidentally clicked on their Airbnb instead of mine... It was a mere coincidence that the lock box description for their Airbnb matched mine! How crazy?

I can laugh at it afterward. But at the time this happened, it was 11 PM, My phone was dead and I had no idea where I was going… I was a tad bit (read; very) stressed. I got the correct address over the phone and the guy who lent me his phone knew the area so he showed it to me on a map. Luckily it wasn’t far because I had booked it nearby on purpose but it was still going to be a struggle to navigate in the darkness without a phone. The guy was so sweet and offered to order me an Uber - he even paid for it.

He wouldn’t take the money I tried to offer him and instead he told me his wife would be proud of him for doing something kind and that it was payment enough. I thanked him and got in the Uber. Luckily the address the 2nd time around was correct and I found the RIGHT lock box easily. Found my way inside, ran, and bought an adapter so I could charge my phone. If I only remembered which address I had given my boyfriend I wouldn’t have stressed to charge my phone but since he was on his way... hehe, no time to spare.

As it turned out, I had given him the right address (I did one right thing, score!) and we managed to surprise my dad at breakfast the morning after! The moral of the story, Doubble check everything before you leave and keep your battery level in mind. Strangers can be really amazing but you should try to avoid getting into this situation.

If you’re anything like me tho, chances are pretty big that something like this will happen and that is okay, we are not perfect! With that said, more often than not it always works out somehow! That was everything for now, and until next time, take care! xo Nathalie