September 2024
Just my husband and me!

Miami was just our pit stop before the South American adventure — think of it as my dress rehearsal for jet lag and a chance to avoid turning into a human pretzel during a 14-hour flying marathon. Plus, who doesn't want to spend a few “complimentary” days in the US? (Granted, politically it's got more issues than a reality TV show, and there's plenty I could rant about — but that's a whole other blog post waiting to happen). Our Miami agenda followed my depression holiday spirit perfectly — no structure, no plans, just going with the flow.

Table of Contents - Costa Rica Trip

If you get cold easily, dress in layers like you’re getting ready for an Arctic expedition inside a metal tube at 35,000 feet. Embrace the onion philosophy—just without making your seatmates cry! Those airplane blankets they hand out? They’re basically just fancy tissue papers pretending to be useful (as you can probably tell from the picture).
Flying and I have a bit of a love-hate relationship (mostly hate when it comes to sleep), which is why you won’t see any Instagram-worthy flight selfies from me. Instead, picture a sleep-deprived giraffe trying to fit into airplane seats. Being tall means I’m always playing ‘Empty Row Roulette,’ scanning the cabin like a hawk for that precious extra legroom. Don’t get me wrong—I know I’m lucky to be travelling, and I’m not trying to come off like I’m auditioning for ‘First World Problems: The Musical.’ But when mental health issues tag along, even the best experiences—ones you really want to enjoy—can feel like you’re carrying your emotional baggage and your carry-on up Mount Everest.

1. Flight details

Details	Information
Airline	British Airways (Oneworld Alliance)
Route	Stuttgart (STR) ✈ to London Heathrow (LHR) ✈ to Miami International (MIA)
Flight Time	1 hour 45 minutes ✈ 9 hours 50 minutes
Price per Person	528 euros (return, including carry-on and checked baggage)

2. Airline Mayhem: How we (Almost) Didn't Make it

This was one of those flights where Murphy’s Law wasn’t just working overtime—it was gunning for Employee of the Month. I should probably write a separate blog post on all the mistakes you should 100% avoid when travelling. We were lucky, though. In the end, everything turned out fine (spoiler alert: we didn’t end up living in an airport like Tom Hanks in The Terminal).

But let’s start from the beginning. Our original plan was a late-night flight from Stuttgart to London, followed by a 15-hour layover at an airport hotel—plenty of time to rest before our long-haul flight to Miami. (Side note: I’ll write more about “day hotels” in another post. They’re basically time machines for jet lag, minus the potential paradoxes.) But on the way to Stuttgart Airport, we got a text: our flight was cancelled. Instead of departing at 8 PM, we’d now leave at 6 AM—with an extra stop in Frankfurt.

Getting to Stuttgart Airport at 4 AM was about as practical as finding motivation on a Monday morning in winter. No buses, no trains, and parking for almost eight weeks would have cost about the same as a small island in the Caribbean (which, in hindsight, might have been easier). Asking family to wake up at 3:30 AM just to drive us wasn’t ideal either (even though my parents would have done it without hesitation—they’re basically superheroes in pajamas #loveyou).

Since we were already on the bus, we just went all the way to the airport. And in a shocking turn of events, an airport staff member offered us a free night in an airport hotel—something that basically never happens without some serious effort. So, trying to embrace the change of plans, we walked over, dreaming of a soft bed and some (overpriced) hotel food.

But nooooo… It took hours to check in because the airline hadn’t sent a booking confirmation. Eventually, the hotel staff gave up and just let everyone from our flight in. Not sure if it was out of pity, because we’d been staring at them for hours while they tried to work, or if we were scaring away other customers with how desperate we looked.

The night next to the airport was fine, but the 4 AM wake-up was not—the exact opposite of what my body needed. Our original plan had been so much better: land in London at 10 PM, check into a hotel, sleep until 10 AM, have breakfast in bed, and then head to the airport feeling human. Instead, we were now running on fumes before we’d even left Europe.

Side note: We did get reimbursed for the London hotel we never actually stayed in (#travelinsurance for the win). But the universe wasn’t done with us yet.

Arriving at Stuttgart Airport, still half-asleep, hungry, and very over it, I tried to check in—only to find out I didn’t have a ticket. BA had rebooked us, but only Sam’s ticket worked. Mine, apparently, had just… vanished. And, of course, BA doesn’t have a check-in desk in Stuttgart (Lufthansa handles it, even though they don’t actually work together—make it make sense).

So, our options:

1. Wait three hours for the BA office to open and hope they could fix it—which sounded about as fun as listening to elevator music on a loop.

I mean, we tried calling their international 24-hour number, but no one picked up — probably because “24-hour service” means "we'll think about answering sometime within 24 hours". This would have meant missing our Frankfurt flight, our London connection, and ultimately, our Miami flight. And because we are way too familiar with flight schedules (we checked BA’s website ourselves—because clearly, we’re the only experts here), we knew there was no other Stuttgart–London flight that would get me there in time. At first, I thought, Okay, worst case, we arrive a day late. No big deal. But then I remembered that our rental car would likely be cancelled, our hotel might void our booking, and rebooking everything would be a nightmare.

So, we did something desperate. And kind of stupid. But mostly desperate. At least me, not sure why Sam agreed to this — maybe temporary insanity is contagious?)

2. We booked me a new plane ticket to London—because what’s better than throwing money at a problem?

Of course, travel insurance doesn’t cover panic-induced ticket purchases. So, while Sam stuck to the original (and much cheaper) route via Frankfurt, I took a direct flight to London and waited for him.

Seems like everything worked out, right? Yeah, no.

Normally, if you skip the first leg of a flight (i.e., Stuttgart to Frankfurt), the airline cancels all your remaining flights faster than you can say wait, what?!. Meaning my entire trip—London to Miami, Miami back to London, and London to Stuttgart—should have been cancelled. And since Sam and I were on the same booking, his flights might have been cancelled too. For reasons we still don’t understand, this didn’t happen. Maybe we used up all our bad luck for the year.

At the BA desk in London, the staff looked at us like we’d just asked if we could fly the plane ourselves. Their first reaction was basically, Oh, you’re screwed—but in the most British, polite way possible. Yet, when we forced them to check the system, they somehow managed to print me a boarding pass. Whether it would actually work at the gate was another question. But miraculously, it did. Either the travel gods finally took pity on us, or BA’s system was just as exhausted as we were.

We made it to Miami. We got our rental car. We checked into our hotel. I spent the next few days recovering (mostly from the emotional trauma of getting there).

You’d think that was the end of the chaos, right? Oh, my sweet summer child. Flash forward eight weeks to our return flight. In addition to the mild anxiety of maybe not having a valid ticket home (haha, nervous laughter), Miami was about to be hit by a massive hurricane.

So, the hours before our flight, we were glued to the news in our hotel room, watching storm updates and wondering:

• What if we get stuck here?

• Should we book another hotel—far away from Miami?

• What if there’s no power for days?

• What if supermarkets run out of food?

Rebooking a flight wasn’t an option—every seat out of Miami was already taken by people trying to escape. Our backup plan? A rental car, ready to drive through the night if needed.

But, plot twist (an in short form because it feels like I've mumbled at you for hours - congratulations if you're still reading by the way!): Something actually went right. We got on our flight home.

Cost of the adventure: one extra plane ticket, roughly 47 new gray hairs (all named after different BA employees), and a story that makes most travel horror stories sound like complaints about getting the wrong flavour of complimentary peanuts.

What you should take from this: Things go wrong, and I know how frustrating it can be, especially on a holiday you’ve been looking forward to. Even as an experienced traveller, I’ve had my fair share of mishaps, far more than I can actually handle. It’s not just you—sometimes things don’t go as planned for all of us. I will definitely share more of my greatest moments while travelling as I am clearly an expert in getting stressed, overwhelmed and extremely sad about things and somehow end up in shit situations quite regularly.

3. Driving in the U.S.

What we did — because, when in America, do as the Americans do — was rent a car. But not just any car: we went all in and rented a massive Ram Pickup truck. Sure, we didn’t need a rolling fortress, but not only was it ridiculously fun, it also was the most affordable option for our stay (which, let’s be honest, was the real reason we chose it). I’m still trying to wrap my head around that bit of American logic (though, I must admit, the price tag was pretty hefty for such a short period).

Car Rental Information

Detail	Information
Car Model	Black Dodge Ram 1500 Quad SLT 4X
Pick-up & Return Location	3900 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL (MIA Rental Car Center)
Rental Length	2 Days (Sep 06 - Sep 08)
Fuel Policy	Return with the same fuel level as received.
Optional Services	Loss Damage Waiver: $34.99/day (Accepted) Supplemental Liability Insurance: $16.50/day (Accepted) Personal Accident and Effects: $9.95/day (Declined) Emergency Sickness Plan: $5.00/day (Declined)
Estimated Total Charges	$253.58
Insurance & Legal Info	Primary insurance as per Florida Statute. Check with your insurer.

If you’ve never been to the U.S., here’s the deal: public transport is as rare as me getting a good night’s sleep. To be technically accurate, Miami does have something they call public transportation — if you’re curious and want to give it a try, go ahead. But let’s be real: everything here is designed for cars — and by that, I mean massive Ram Pickup trucks like cars. The roads, the parking spaces, even the McDonald’s drive-throughs. Even if you’re not used to driving what feels like a small building, it’s surprisingly manageable and really the best way to get around by yourself.

Now, here’s where the U.S. outsmarts Germany (yes, I said it!) — they’ve come up with this revolutionary idea of placing traffic lights on the opposite side of the intersection. No more pretending to be an owl just to see when the light turns green! And forget everything you know about “right before left” — that’s not a thing here. Instead, they follow the principle of “first come, first served” (and I’m not joking). If you arrive at the same time, it apparently goes to whoever has the bigger car and the most confident “this is my road” energy (caution: this is actually a joke, even though, based on my personal experience, it seems to happen that way — I have no idea if there’s an actual rule). And, of course, the cherry on top: gas prices that will make any European weep with envy.

And here I am, posing next to our "budget-friendly" Ram truck, which somehow ended up being cheaper than a Fiat 500. Fun fact: This was taken right before I had to climb into the driver's seat using my newly developed parkour skills. Who needs a stepladder when you have determination and a dream of not embarrassing yourself in front of the rental car staff? 😂 And of course I also sat on the back of the car to test out the space we did not need!

4. Uber and Lyft

The joys of not wanting (or being able… wink wink) to drive! Let me introduce you to this magical company called Uber (or Lyft — they’re pretty much the same), which seems to be playing hide-and-seek with Germany. Picture a taxi service, but millennial-style — you just tap a few buttons on your phone instead of flailing your arms to hail a cab and POOF! — a ride shows up at your door. The best part? You know the price upfront, can pay with your plastic Monopoly credit card, and it finds you even when YOU don’t know where you are. Looking at you, Sam…who somehow got so lost that he Uber-ed ONE BLOCK to his Airbnb. ONE. BLOCK. I mean, we’ve all been disoriented, but this was Olympic-level confusion! Sorry, Sam, but since you constantly critique my sense of direction, I have to celebrate this glorious win.

And don’t even get me started on the food delivery! Back in Germany, we have these jack-of-all-trades restaurant services that try to cover every cuisine imaginable — Italian? Check! Chinese? Sure! German? Why not! Fifteen other cuisines? Toss ’em in! (Spoiler: Jack of all trades, master of none). Meanwhile, in the U.S., it’s like a 24/7 food festival with actual specialists. Craving spring rolls at 3 AM? No problem! Breakfast in bed? Your wish is their command! Just go on Uber-Eats, and they bring you what ever food you’re craving at whatever time you need it to what ever location you are at. Back home, though, restaurants treat mid-afternoon Sunday naps like a religious experience (closed 2-5 PM), everything shuts down after 10 PM anyway and some places randomly disappear for entire days. It’s like they’re all following some secret schedule that only German restaurants know about!

But hey, at least we’re efficient at… closing things?

*Glad you’re asking ☺️ yes they also deliver milkshakes 🥤 By the way, this was their smallest size 😂😅*

5. Accommodations

When you're planning a layover in London, choosing the right hotel really comes down to the terminal you’re flying to/from. We had a booking for one night at the Ibis Styles near Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport for €86. What makes this hotel extra special is the nearby pub – Three Magpies — perfect for sampling some British food and drinks, and my absolute favourite, Kopparberg's Strawberry and Lime Cider (they've got an alcohol-free option!). The airport holds your luggage overnight, so you don't have to wait around for your bags (just remember to pack your overnight essentials in hand luggage!).

While the Ibis would have worked great for the Miami trip, we actually have a couple of go-to spots for Heathrow stays.

The Thistle London Heathrow Terminal 5 Hotel isn't exactly luxury living, but it has this amazing little pod transport system that takes you straight from the terminal to the hotel door. Yes, there's a small fee, but honestly? Those futuristic little capsules make the whole experience worth it! Also, the hotel has a big terrace where you can eat while enjoying a very close view of the landing and departing airplanes. Would probably not stay there for any other reason then taking a flight early the next morning though…
Then there's Premier Inn – our reliable standby for UK stays. I book approximately 90% of all my accommodations through booking.com, but in the UK, Premier Inn is our go-to choice. It’s a basic hotel but hasn’t let us down a single time yet. (It is far nicer than the Thistle and the Ibis by the way!!!).

Speaking of airport hotels, we chose the Radisson Red in Miami mainly for its location – just a quick 10-minute drive from the airport’s car rental area. At around 125 euros per night, it felt pretty steep to my European sensibilities, though I learned this is actually reasonable by East-coast US standards. While breakfast wasn't included, the hotel ticked all the important boxes: comfortable rooms, solid Wi-Fi, good air conditioning, parking, and even a pool (though we didn't get around to using it). The rooms came with convenient bedside plugs (remember your travel adapter!) and a fridge. Would I stay there again? Absolutely!

6. Everglades National Park

So, there I was, thinking I was awake enough and had some energy, when Sam suggested the brilliant idea to visit the Everglades National Park. "Let's see some wildlife" he said. "It'll be fun" he said. Well, we definitely saw wildlife — if you count approximately 10 million of nature's tiniest vampires!

Picture this: You know that moment in the Nintendo Game “Animal Crossing” when you innocently shake a tree and suddenly find yourself in a bee-pocalypse? That was us, except these mosquitoes clearly never played video games before because they didn't understand the concept of “safe zones”. The car? Just another all-you-can-eat buffet venue to them. Five seconds — that's all it took for our car to transform into Mosquito Party Central. At least in Animal Crossing, you can just reset the game when the bees get you (and yes, they even bite me on my f***** eyelid like what the?!). But I mean, if our Chancellor Olaf Scholz can rock that pirate-chic eye patch look, surely I can.

But hey, let's talk about the actual Everglades (you know, the part that wasn't trying to eat us alive). Was it nice? Sure! Was it the crown jewel of American national parks? Let's just say it's not getting that tiara anytime soon. Though I missed out (because of time) on one thing that might make it worth braving the mosquito army again — those airboat rides look pretty epic! You can book them via my GetYourGuide-link.

*That photo was taken before the vicious attack when life was still good…*

7. Sam's Hideaway Tavern

Miami — where even the pigeons wear designer sunglasses! We strolled down Miami Beach, where apparently even coffee beans come with their own trust funds (glad I don’t like it anyway). But thanks to some local’s suggestion, we discovered a very cool dive bar that didn't require selling a kidney to afford a drink. And Sam? Well, let's just say he performs his sacred duty of “quality testing” pubs with religious dedication — whether he's in Munich or Miami. It's not a hobby, it's a lifestyle! While some husbands create romantic photo albums of their wives, Sam's got an encyclopedic collection of… pints in various lighting conditions. And unfortunately I am not joking.

We went to Sam’s Hideaway Tavern, one of those run-down, old-looking bars that’s so authentic and special it feels like a really nice place to be (that is why it's called a dive bar…). Apparently, it’s the oldest southernmost tavern on the US mainland. We got into a conversation with the bartender (give Jessica a visit if you’re over there!) and a lovely guest. Absolutely recommend going there if you’re in Miami (and since a lot of cruise ships leave from Miami, there’s a chance you might end up there on a stopover, even though I tell you not to go there…). The older guy from the photo even gifted us a drawing of the pub, which is now hanging on the wall “of our office” and is in the background of every work call Sam takes. Absolutely lovely people, interesting stories, and just a great time spent there! It definitely made our day—and the whole trip—worth it!

8. So why not go to Miami?

Want my honest take? Head to San Diego for those beach vibes without the Miami price tag, or hit up New York if you're craving that east coast energy. We got so desperately bored in Miami that we ended up comparing IKEA furniture to German stores (very cool by the way, they have outdoor-barbecue areas to look at, we don’t have those…sad!). I mean, sure, we had fun. I shamelessly demolished bagels every morning (sorry Sam, but those circular pieces of heaven were non-negotiable), cruised around in our rental, and did the ultimate tourist move — watched American TV from our a hotel room bed. Living the dream, right?

There’s not much more to share in my blog about Miami, but I’d say that’s not because of the limited time we spent there; it’s simply that there wasn’t much to talk about. Quick disclaimer: I skip zoos (quite against the whole animals-as-entertainment thing) and usually dodge museums unless they're genuinely fascinating (London's got some gems I might blog about… eventually). During our visit, the event calendar was as empty as a beach during a hurricane (trying to take it positively), and some activities seemed priced for billionaires rather than normal standard travellers.

However! If you're the type who thinks sleep is overrated and clubbing is life, Miami might be your paradise! Also, you can check out GetYourGuide for some ideas — maybe you'll find something that makes more sense than my IKEA adventure.

You disagree? Got a different take on Miami? Potentially you found the secret sauce I missed? What would you do in Miami? Spill the tea in the comments below!

Stopover in Miami