Travel Tips

This is the first writing that has nothing to do with fantasy since I started writing again. It is inspired by my recent trip back to my hometown and the struggles I faced doing it. I guess there is some background in order to explain everything.

I am originally from what was a small town in the DC/Metro area. I moved out of that area when I was eighteen when I enlisted in the Army out of high school. I spent a total of a year and a half in the service before the drawdown discharged me. I decided to travel to the Pacific Northwest in an effort to make a living before I met my wife and decided to move back to my hometown to start our new life together.

After some family issues, she moved back to the Pacific Northwest before I followed a month later, driving cross country. There we stayed for the next twenty-two years except for two trips I took to visit my hometown. The visit I am speaking of now is the one after all that happened. The trip I was on recently was for a couple of different reasons.

It started at Christmas time when my wife and daughter bought me the trip for Christmas. Their motives were simple. I was to visit family and friends I hadn't seen in at least ten years. I was to attend a high school reunion. I was also to relax and enjoy myself. All this was done solo. There was no chaperone or tag-along for this trip.

I spent the six months prior to the trip preparing for it. I consolidated my credit card debt, so I had them at my disposal if needed. I started planning for things such as a room at a hotel in my hometown for the week I would be spending there. I also needed to rent a car for the subsequent trips to different locations. I also started planning for time with some of the folks I was meant to visit as well. I tried to allow enough space for anything that came up while also planning events at certain times to simplify things.

Everything was going well. Then my first hurdle came up. My daughter, when purchasing the trip, had it planned for me to leave on midnight on a certain day and arrive after two flights to my destination. It would be ten hours total either at an airport or in flight. A few months prior to the trip, it was switched so I flew out of my home airport at noon, then had a thirteen-hour layover prior to the second flight to my destination. This posed a couple challenges and caused some issues.

The first issue was what to do for thirteen hours at the airport. I ended up finding a spot to "camp out" for the night at the gate I was leaving the next morning. I would take my carry-ons with me to get food, water and to use the restroom. I didn't sleep much. I was on the flight the next morning and arrived on time. Then came the second issue.

When I arrived at the baggage claim, my bag did not finish the trip. A look at the airline app told me it stayed where my layover was. I discovered later that if there was a layover of more than twelve hours, they remove the bag in case a traveler wanted to stay at a hotel for the night. This was not communicated to me when I was camping out. So, there I was in my hometown with only the clothes on my back as well as the one outfit I packed in my carry-on.

While I was staying with my sister for the first night, I was on the phone with the airline trying to get them to bring me my luggage. The first person said it would be delivered to the hotel I was going to stay in that Friday. The second said it would be brought to the airport and I could pick it up. I went ahead and went to a local store to get a few things just to tied me over, making sure I kept the receipts.

I then took the rental car to my second destination, running over a small road obstruction when I was almost there. Luckily, I had insurance on the car. And the car was still drivable. I made it to my second stop and spent the next two nights there. During this time, I kept getting updates on the app letting me know where the suitcase was until they stopped. I had to spend two hours waiting for someone again. This time, I was assured the luggage would be at my hotel the next day. I went to bed with that thought in mind.

It was when I woke up the next day and checked emails that I found out the worse. My suitcase was headed to my home. This meant all the clothes I packed including my tennis shoes would be at home while I was in my hometown. I went ahead and drove to the hotel before going to the local mall and picking up a few more things including a new suitcase for the stuff I bought. Again, I kept my receipts. I then made plans to do laundry the next day so all the clothes in my possession would be clean to get through the rest of the trip.

Every day, I double checked my balances for my credit cards and my debit card to determine what I would be doing and to make sure I could be covered through the trip. I also bought a few staple items for the room in case I stayed in versus going out. It was a decent trip overall with only a minimal amount of waste prior to checking out of the hotel prior to driving the rental back to airport. I also allowed enough time to get back to the airport, especially since I had to complete an accident report for the piece that fell off the car.

So, I am currently sitting at a table in front of the gate to go home. Thankfully, they have Wi-Fi and a place to charge my phone while I am typing this out. This is a summary of the things I learned on this trip.

• Double check all information regarding your trip prior to leaving. I had the opportunity to change the flight a few times which would have resulted in no layover. This would have made sure I had my suitcase.

• Don't be afraid to take their deals if they give you a better situation: I had the opportunity to take a third flight which would have kept me busy prior to my second flight that would have been no extra cost.

• Make sure you have a baggage tracker. If I would have checked it while on my layover, I could have had my suitcase and rechecked it in prior to my flight. Plus, I would have had access to some items in the bag, such as my tennis shoes.

• Try to allow for stuff you buy on the trip when packing. I am currently traveling with a laptop bag, a backpack and my new suitcase. I'm thankful I bought the suitcase for the clothes I had to buy on the trip.

• Plan for your trip, but don't over plan: I intentionally built-in solo time on the trip. It was good for recuperating, especially on the days I did too much. I also worked in time to take walks since I wanted to stay physically active during my trip. These were all lifesavers in the end.

• Don't be afraid to eat locally. In my hometown, there are plenty of places that do not exist where I currently live. I took every opportunity to eat at these places only because I wanted to stay away from the same old stuff my home offered. I confess I did do Taco Bell once and McDonald's twice just because. But I enjoyed different places on the whole trip.

• Just because you are on vacation doesn't mean you can get off your diet plan if you are on one. I stayed to my plan as much as possible, watching my portion sizes and not over-indulging. At the same time, I am currently working on weight-reduction to help alleviate my pre-diabetes. So, mine is probably a special case.

• Vacation doesn't mean you can be a jerk. I ensured I treated all the folks who waited on me or provided services with respect. Many were visibly shaken just because of the timing and such. I still was courteous anyway. There's never a good reason to be disrespectful to people. I also ensured I tipped well for the same reason. Folks in the service industry deserve to be treated better.

I am hoping what I typed is helpful. I am not an expert on travel. But it's one reason I have friends who are.