A woman whose flight home was canceled on December 23 because of a cyclone recruited three strangers to accompany her across the country in a desperate attempt to get home in time for Christmas Day.
Natalie Kulka, 23, wanted to go back for the vacation, but her $400 flight from Tampa, Fla. to Cleveland, Ohio never took off, leaving her 1,000 miles from home. After joking in the plane queue about going home, she was surprised to find three other people who wanted to join her.
She teamed up with Sarah, Kevin and Nick to fly to Nashville, Tennessee, and the four rented a car to drive to Ohio in deadly conditions — and they weren’t the only group to resort to it after one another foursome was revealed shortly after Christmas they had done the exact same thing.
After posting a video on TikTok on Christmas Day about her mammoth efforts to get home, she received thousands of likes – and a few weeks later she finally caught her breath to reflect on the hurricane trip.
Planes, trains and cars! Natalie Kulka (front left), 23, was stranded after her flight home to Ohio was canceled on December 23 – but recruited after she joked with other passengers that she needed people to ride home with her three traveling companions, Sarah, Kevin and Nick
Natalie, an expressive art therapist, said, “You never know when you might need the help of those around you.
“I hadn’t seen my family in over two years and wanted to go home for the holidays, but I couldn’t have made it.
Sarah, from Cleveland, Ohio, recruited four strangers to fly to Tennessee and then drive the remaining distance from Nashville to Ohio, her final destination
The four became best friends after meeting at the airport and made plans to board a plane from Tampa, Fla. to Nashville, Tennessee
“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.”
After her flight to Akron, Ohio, was canceled while she was on board, Natalie recalled joking with other passengers that anyone was welcome to accompany her on her mission home.
Natalie’s journey
09:45 am – Flight from Tampa to Nashville
2pm – They drove to Elizabethtown in a Toyota Carolla and traded it for an SUV
The group continued north through the storm, but got no further than Cincinnati, Ohio
1 a.m. – They had to change route and find another way to Cleveland, they were going south toward Kentucky
Despite rocky conditions, they got back onto 65 North Highway and reached Kentucky
They continued north and reached Indianapolis, Indiana and headed east
10:00 am – They finally made it to Cleveland, Ohio in time for Christmas
Sarah, 23, was the first to join the team and as they headed back to the airport they recruited two other members, Nick and Kevin, to join the road trip.
Kevin announced that he had booked a trip to Nashville on a flight that departed within 45 minutes and would get them closer to Cleveland, Ohio.
The quartet boarded the plane and arrived in Nashville at 2 p.m. – they then rented an SUV from the airport, but were given a tiny Toyota Corolla (costs $185) that wasn’t equipped for the heavy snowy weather.
“We were just starting to ride, but the ice was awful, we had to go 5-10mph,” Natalie recalls.
“The further north we got, the worse it got.
“We called the rental company and asked if we could switch cars, but they were all booked.”
Eventually, the foursome found a rental car shop in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where they could snag an SUV (which cost $400).
After driving the 4×4, they reached Cincinnatti, Ohio, 20 miles south of their final destination, but then the only route north was closed.
Natalie said: “The whole street was an ice rink, there were so many accidents.
“We had to go back the way we came and try another way.”
The group decided to go back the way they came, but got stuck at the end of a Kentucky road.
Natalie (left) and Sarah were the first to bond after their flight was canceled before recruiting Kevin and Nick
The team secured a rental car, a Toyota Corolla, but had to switch to an SUV in Kentucky when the smaller car couldn’t make it through the snow
After a full day of traveling 10,000 miles, Natalie (centre) finally came home on Christmas Eve (pictured with her brother Ryan, sister Emily, godfather Michael, mother Donna and father John).
“We had to get out and push the car up the hill and help other people.
“It was a relief when we finally booted up the car.”
By this time it was 2am on Christmas Day and the new friends were on the last leg of their long journey home.
They drove through the night to return to Cincinnati before taking Highway 65 north to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Natalie said: “We had a driver and co-driver system while the other two slept.
“The adrenaline got us through and we got to know each other along the way
“We were very wary of not having proper snow gear and we had the approach of taking it slow and steady.
“A lot of people got into their cars and a lot of people froze to death, it was terrible.”
After a planned eight-hour 20-hour drive, everyone arrived home safe and sound on December 24th. They received a full refund for their canceled flight and also for the Toyota Corolla.
“We were so determined to get there and we met on the journey. It was such a coincidence that we were all in our twenties and we hope to see each other again.
The flights cost about $400 each but were all reimbursed, the first rental car was $175, which was also reimbursed, and the last SUV rental was $400.