Booking a holiday or trip usually comes with its fair share of potential mishaps.

Maybe it’s forgetting to pack something essential or facing flight delays, it’s all part of the travel experience unless fortune is particularly smiling down upon you.

Yet, nothing could have prepared me for how my travel plans utterly crumbled after booking a Paris-bound Eurostar trip.

Back in January, enticed by a Eurostar sale, I seized the opportunity for a quick getaway to the French capital with a friend, scoring return tickets at a mere £100 each – quite the bargain, I believed.

Buoyed by visions from Netflix’s Emily in Paris, dreams of striking a pose before the iconic Eiffel Tower in my red beret and soaking up the elegant aura of Paris over sumptuous coffee danced in my head.

However, the reality struck hard while I was languidly packing my bags and later sipping coffee at a train station cafe. An unexpected email landed in my inbox from Eurostar, setting off alarm bells.

“Hello, We’re contacting you about your journey with us from London St Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord,” it read.

My excitement met an abrupt end with the next line: “Due to the discovery of an unexploded bomb from the Second World War near Paris Gare du Nord, we’ve had to cancel your train.”

Utter astonishment was an understatement. My luck couldn’t have been worse; a remnant from a war 80 years past exploded into my present, derailing my eagerly anticipated Parisian escape.

My friend and I exchanged looks of disbelief, scrambling to find an alternative route after seeing the news that had everyone buzzing on social media. We explored flights from nearby airports, but with everyone hastily booking them, we realised it would cost us around £400 for just a day in Paris as we’d have to return early on Sunday.

Being located in Portsmouth, we also considered taking a ferry, but the logistics were too complicated as we weren’t sure how we’d get to Paris without a car or where we’d park if we had one.

By this point, we’d missed our train to London, so we decided to retreat to a local pub to ponder our next move. There was no way I wanted to spend the weekend at home when I was supposed to be in Paris, so we quickly brainstormed potential UK destinations for a swift getaway.

Initially, we contemplated the Lake District but eventually settled on Cornwall. We swiftly found a charming cottage with a pool available for £250 for two nights – roughly the amount we were refunded for the Eurostar.

Once that was sorted, I reached out to the Paris hotel where we were supposed to stay to inquire about a refund, even though it was supposedly non-refundable.

Fortunately, due to the unusual circumstances, they assured us we wouldn’t be billed for the room. This was a relief, especially considering the hefty sum we’d paid for a view of the Eiffel Tower – it certainly wasn’t a bargain.

After hastily repacking and swapping my beret for several hoodies and trainers, we set off on the four-hour journey to Cornwall.

Upon arrival, we were delighted to find the cottage was absolutely charming, boasting a scenic view of undulating hills and a communal swimming pool for a refreshing dip. Conveniently, we were just a 10-minute drive from the Eden Project, so we decided to explore it on Saturday and hit Newquay beach on Sunday.

I was also able to bring my son along, who was originally supposed to stay with my parents while I was in Paris (as I didn’t think he’d enjoy it), so I had the chance to spend more quality time with him.

Despite the initial hiccup, it turned out to be a fantastic weekend, proving that fun can still be had even when travel plans go awry due to unforeseen events.

I managed to secure refunds for almost everything, so I’ll be rescheduling my trip to Paris soon. My beret will see the light of day this year, mark my words!