Travel Home From Spain

Delta got me from Paris to Detroit to Omaha ... but not my bags.

It seems getting home from a trip to Europe is never easy. And when you are traveling near the holidays, it becomes even more complicated.

Today's venture home started off OK. I actually got a good (five hours) amount of sleep at the Valencia airport hotel before heading out at 5:45 a.m. Thanks to the tiny taxis in use there, my travel party of three (Ted McDonald and Amaël Moinard were also making the flight to Paris with me) was immediately split up. But I waited for Ted outside the terminal so he could check in with me, like last year.

Even arriving more than an hour before my flight, I sensed things weren't going to go as planned. For starters, the line to check-in was long. Thankfully, I have Sky Priority status. The line at security was equally as long – and there I had no Sky Priority line to speed me through. In fact, Amaël arrived much later than Ted and me and took a different line to breeze through before us.

Our flight took off more than an hour behind schedule, turning my one-hour-and-50-minute layover into one much tighter. And that's where my bags must have had a problem. Because when I landed in Detroit, my bags were nowhere to be found. This put a bit of a damper on the special "Sky Priority" baggage claim that Detroit has installed. Also at baggage claim: several Omahans who would be on my next flight.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that a rather large man sat next to me (in Economy Comfort) on my nine-hour flight from Paris to Detroit. Sitting next to me was more like sitting a third of the way into my seat. It was rather uncomfortable having his sweaty body pressed against my leg and shoulder. So much so that I complained to Delta and received some complimentary miles, which was nice.

My final flight from Detroit to Omaha was slightly delayed but we still arrived on time in Omaha, completing about 18 hours of travel. Here's the day in photos:

It was pretty foggy before 6 a.m. in Valencia.

This is what I faced when I arrived at security: a line that wasn't moving.

The line at security was absolute chaos.

It was still pretty foggy in Valencia more than an hour later.

I don't think everyone made the flight, even though we were delayed.

Photo with travel partner and lululemon yoga guru Ted McDonald.

The in-flight monitor on my flight from Valencia to Paris.

Getting from the terminal to the plane is always an adventure in Europe.

I love having Sky Priority status.

Here's the aircraft for my flight from Paris to Detroit.

Seeing the window open reminded me of TWA Flight 847, which was hijacked in 1985.