Skip to main content

Just another reason why I don't fly...

I hate traveling, both long car rides and any length of a plane ride. I am fairly certain I have mentioned that here, back in the height of my blogging days. Time, money, inconvenience, and, most of all, fear are the reasons. Unfortunately, my family is not close by. One brother is in TX, a plane ride away, and the other brother is in NC, a nine-plus-hour drive away. So, when a brother invites us for a holiday or other gathering, I rarely say yes (it helps that they do come to this area several times a year).

About a month ago, my NC brother suggested the three of us and our families along with Mom get together over Easter to celebrate Mom's upcoming 75th birthday in NC. Of course, my first selfish thought was that either I was going to have to suffer through a long drive in my crappy car, or I was going to have to shell out money for some plane tickets. I could not use work as an excuse, as I did last year when one of them invited me (I did not have enough vacation time at that point). But since Mom will be 75 only once, and I have blown off the last couple of family gathers, I decided to bite the bullet and buy plane tickets for me and J (I am not sure our car would make it that far, sadly). The hubby will be at home with our insane dog.

I watched flights online for a few days, and stressed about if I was waiting too long or not long enough. When the prices went up a few bucks, I panicked and bought our tickets. They weren't cheap, but we weren't spending four figures, so I decided to be okay with it. I had already (mostly) gotten over my bitterness about our little income tax return, so I figured I might as well spend that money on these tickets. 

Since our trip is now just four days away, I was considering what to pack. Then, I wondered if we would have to pay for baggage. I assumed you got one suitcase per ticket. Well, you know what they say when you assume. Apparently, US Airways charges $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second, which I find to be insane. I am not sure how I can fit five days worth of clothes for two people in one suitcase, but you can bet I will sure as heck try. SIL, it looks as if I will be doing laundry at your house!

I realize there is not much I can do about, and I probably should have read things more carefully (I could have sworn that when I picked my carrier, I read US Airways did not charge for the first bag, but clearly I was mistaken). But you can bet I will not be flying again anytime soon.

Here's hoping it goes well!

Comments

chris h. said…
You can do it with one suitcase! Mike and I went to the UK for 10 days with one suitcase! (And guy clothes are so big...) I never thought I could ever do it, but it was fine. I bought "packing cubes" which were great, but not necessary. Plan outfits and roll all your clothes tight instead of folding. Also, since you will presumably have access to a washer and dryer (we did, too), that will help, too.
Facie said…
Chris: We managed to fit our stuff in two large carry-ons, so we were able to avoid paying for baggage. Win!

Popular posts from this blog

What a year 2021 has been (Day 7)

I have almost no words for what happened yesterday at the Capitol. Protesting is one thing (though I truly think it is and has been time to move on). But to storm the Capitol? A friend on Facebook said, quite simply, " Almost 20 years ago a group of people on an airplane sacrificed themselves to protect the Capitol. How far we have fallen!" Indeed. And, yes, it IS storming the Capitol. I have seen numerous videos of people knocking down barricades/fences, pushing police officers, and breaking windows and climbing through them. That is beyond protesting. And even if a protestor did not do those things, if they followed those seditionists past those barricades and into the building, they are just as guilty. I did not support the violent protests this summer that resulted in damages to businesses and public property (I was in full support of the actual protests). But I also acknowledged as a white person, I cannot truly put myself in the position of a black person who is angry a

Melancholy and Gratitude

 A few days ago, I decided to do gratitude posts on FB. I was good the first two days. Day 3 I got a little snarky as I posted about "doing the right thing" in regards to Covid. The Covid cases in Allegheny County have been on the rise. For a while, we had daily counts between 50 and 100. After July 4, we saw a spike for a few weeks, and then cases were back below 100. Unfortunately, other than one "low" day this week, where "only" 288 cases were reported, we have had between 500 and 620 daily cases. Fortunately, only a few people have died this week. But of course, any death is too many. I started to keep track of cases, deaths, and hospitalizations on 6/12/20. On that day, since 3/12, Allegheny County had had 2,034 cases, 352 people had been hospitalized, and 172 people had died. On 11/19/20, the county has seen a total of 22,042 cases, 1,724 people have been hospitalized, and 465 people have died from Covid since 3/12. In just over 8 months, we have had

What, me worry?!

Although I don't like creepy, crawly things, I am not afraid of them and am perfectly able to kill them when I see them. I like the dark, heights don't bother me too much (though I don't love them), and ghosts don't concern me (not sure if they are real, but have not ruled them out either). So what worries me and sometimes keeps me awake at night (or infiltrates me dreams)? This first one is really, really strange, and kind of gross: overflowing toilets. This goes back to a time when I was in high school, and upon flushing the toilet in the "big bathroom" of our house, the water starting pouring over the seat. I freaked out! I can still picture it happening and my subsequent panicking as water flowed onto the floor. I don't recall who was at home who came to my rescue and, presumably, turned the water off. What I do recall is being afraid to flush the toilet when I was home alone after that for weeks if not longer. Fortunately, I have never overflowed a