I made a huge travel mistake trying to save money by booking my own transfer flight. When my first plane was delayed, I ended up stranded at the airport.

• Earlier this year, I traveled from my home in Scotland to Sicily for a work trip.
• When booking my travel back home, I realized there were no direct flights.

I can't stand long waits in airports, but sometimes direct flights aren't an option.

This was the case when I was booking my travel home from a work trip in Catania in Sicily, Italy, to Edinburgh in Scotland back in April.

My main objective was to find a connecting flight that would get me home quickly and that was affordable. After searching Skyscanner, I realized my best option was to book two separate flights with the budget European airline Ryanair.

The first flight from Catania, Sicily, to London, UK, on April 19 cost £89.77, or around $113, and the second flight from London to Edinburgh cost £14.76, or around $18.80.

The only problem? Ryanair only offers non-protected, self-transfer flights. Unlike connecting flights, which fall under the same booking reference, non-protected transfers have to be booked separately and aren't protected by the airline if there are any delays or cancellations during your journey, according to Skyscanner.

I had never booked a self-transfer flight before, so I was a little hesitant.

But there was an hour and 40 minutes between the two flights, which I thought would be more than enough time to get through airport security and to my next gate. Not to mention, it was far cheaper and had a much shorter connection time compared to options offered by other airlines.

Avoid booking self-transfer flights if your layover is less than 2.5 hours

My first flight from Catania to London ended up getting delayed by around an hour, which meant I missed the next flight to Edinburgh.

Given what I'd read about self-transfer flights, I wasn't sure what my options were when it came to getting booked on another flight.

I spoke to Ryanair's customer service desk in London, and a member of staff told me I wasn't eligible to get put on another flight for free because there were less than two-and-a-half hours between the intended arrival and departure times of the two flights I booked.

"In accordance with Ryanair's T&Cs, which this passenger agreed to at the time of booking, Ryanair is a 'point to point' airline and we do not transfer passengers to other flights whether or not they are operated by us," a spokesperson for Ryanair said in a statement in response to this story.

Next time, I'll splurge on a more expensive ticket

I ended up having to pay an additional £100, or around $126, for a flight home using a different airline.

That flight ultimately got delayed, and I was left stranded at the airport for several hours.

The experience was tiring and stressful. I was mostly annoyed with myself, not Ryanair, because I knew this entire situation could have been avoided if I had booked a more expensive ticket from a different airline in the first place.

I highly doubt I'll book a self-transfer ticket again in the future, unless there is at least a day between the two flights. That way, I won't have to worry about short-term delays and I can stay at a hotel rather than facing long, uncomfortable wait times at the airport.

The situation taught me that cheaper shortcuts aren't worth it when it comes to airline travel. A ticket that appears more affordable could end up costing you more money in the long run if things go wrong. And just because one mode of transport appears more convenient, it doesn't mean it is.

Next time, I'll splurge on the more costly option for a stress-free trip.