German Man's U.S. Vacation Goes Off The Rails After Making One Big Mistake

Once described as a friendly “roly poly,” Erwin Kreuz was your average beer-guzzling bachelor with a dream of traveling the world. And though he fantasized about one day seeing the glittering lights of San Francisco in person, that all changed when he finally boarded his flight. All it took was one sentence from a flight attendant to send Kreuz’s trip of a lifetime into a tailspin.

Going With The Flow

It’s safe to say that Erwin Kreuz was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. The German-born Kreuz had dedicated his life to working in a brewery, and he was definitely, um, passionate about his job. He felt more at home in a Frankfurt tavern than anywhere else, but as his 50th birthday approached, Kreuz pined for a change of scenery. 

Far-Fetched Dream

Since travel websites and Google didn’t exist in 1977, all Kreuz had to go by were travel brochures and what he’d seen on TV. He wanted to go somewhere new, exciting, and most importantly, far, far, away. As soon as he saw photos of the vibrant red Golden Gate Bridge, he was hooked.

Kreuz On The Move

With that, Kreuz put his entire savings account towards a plane ticket to San Francisco. Everything about the experience was new to the sheltered brewery-worker: the plane trip, the sophisticated flight attendants, and even the food was different. If he’d had any nerves about traveling solo, he drowned them all in beer on the plane. 

Feeling Foggy

The long flight, multiple beers, and restless naps on the plane resulted in a very foggy Erwin Kreuz. The next thing he knew, a smiling flight attendant was standing over him. When she told Kreuz to “have a nice time in San Francisco,” he grabbed his bag, said farewell to his fellow passengers, and got off the plane.