travel thrills

wonder | wander | women aspire to an itinerant lifestyle surrounded by globe-trotting family and friends. Yet even the most seasoned traveler can easily succumb to boredom or weariness, worry or stress. 

Pandemics, extreme weather, over-crowded long-haul flights can easily be an aggravation. Leaching the spark and joy out of any adventure. 

view from the airport lounge before takeoff - Manila, Philippines

Determined to keep our outlook and journeys fresh, we practice beginner's mind and mindfulness to help us ease off our comfort zones and provide some new travel experiences. 

Our latest flight on Turkish Airlines has renewed our faith in traveling once more. Flying out of the Philippines and heading to New York via Istanbul we were rerouted due to a passenger emergency. 

the largest international airport in the world - Istanbul, Turkey

A guy in business class lost consciousness and all we could do was watch mesmerized as the flight crew valiantly worked on him right there in the aisle next to us. 

They managed to resuscitate him after close to thirty minutes, but we were forced to offload him at the nearest airport which was in Bangkok.

Suvarnabhumi Airport - Bangkok Thailand

The Thai doctor who came on board and our plane's captain determined that the passenger risk to continue on the flight was too great without taking more medical tests. 

As a result, we were delayed a few hours and had to refuel before we could take off again. Many on board had connecting flights in Istanbul that needed to be rescheduled and accommodated. 

Istanbul coastline

When we landed, we were seamlessly whisked through and fast tracked to our different gates. There were group carts and individual Segway chairs already assigned to take us to our departure gates. 

All we needed to do was show the ground staff our boarding pass and they efficiently got us sorted out and moving pronto. 

early morning cloud cover

Those who missed their connections were quickly placed on the next available departing flight. Luckier ones like us made it by the skin of our teeth - the last to board as plane doors were closing. 

In an unforeseen emergency such as ours it was wonderful to feel so effectively and efficiently cared for by such capable folks. 

coming in for landing - New York, USA

Kudos to you all at Turkish Airlines Flight TK 085 on July 17 - you are a great team of extra ordinary heroes. 

It's not often that we get to witness a life saved as we soar high above the clouds heading off to various destinations. An astounding experience and incredible surprise indeed. 

An added bonus was meeting new friends and forming lifetime bonds of kinship. What a delight!