Our Memorial Day Road Trip

What a day.  I love Memorial Day – aside from being the “official” beginning to summer, it reminds me of when I was a little girl.  One of my favorite memories (and I have no idea which holiday it actually was) was when we were with my Dad for a weekend and we were in a small town somewhere.  I don’t even know what state we were in.  But there was a parade – not a big city, crazy long, overly impressive parade.  Just a “normal” parade – with veterans waving flags, marching bands with the big “Boom Boom” drums (you know, the kind that feel like they are beating inside your chest), and Lions club members handing out flags to everyone along the parade route.  People threw candy, fire trucks wailed while my little sister covered her ears, and Shriners drove little bitty clown cars around in circles.  The whole town seemed to be there and while I truly don’t even remember how old I was, the memory is burned into my mind.

(photo — Geneva, IL parade — photo credit Rick Nagel, Geneva Patch)

Today, however, was not about parades for my family.  We had decided to spend the day at one of our favorite state parks, Starved Rock, just south of Utica, IL.  My daughter bought her first car on Friday – a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and so we thought we’d take that to give her a chance to get more familiar with it, drive it in some different environments than usual, and honestly, because we’re bored with our own cars.  So at 7:30am on Memorial Day, we all piled into her Jeep – our two dogs in the back, me and my two youngest in the back seat, hubby in the front passenger seat, and my oldest, driving.  A quick stop at Sam’s Club for $20 in gas (because we live in the Chicago burbs, we put a minimum in here – it’s always cheaper away from here) and we headed down Rt 47 towards our destination.

Since I was in the backseat, I let my husband and daughter navigate and just tried to keep up with the chatter coming from my fourteen year old.  Soon enough, I realized that rather than turning right on Highway 71, they had continued on Rt 47 and now we were too far east and wouldn’t run across the park … no worries, we’re “on vacation”, even if it’s only for one day.  So we crossed the Illinois River and then turned right and drove along whatever random road we had just turned down, weaving our way towards the park.

(my youngest snoozing on the shoulder of my fourteen year old during a rare moment of silence on the drive)

Along the way, we passed a parade staging area, where a high school marching band and a bunch of flag-carrying veterans mingled in the park as they prepared to step off.  We passed a couple of little beagles, just trotting down the road.  They moved over for us to pass and then happily chased us down the road, tails wagging.  We passed farms with corn that is already about knee-high, homes with flags flying, and cemeteries where flags and flowers were freshly planted, and over sections of gravel road.  The Jeep, by the way, drove like a dream with a smooth ride for all of us.  The only thing we were sad about later in the day is that the A/C doesn’t work – but that morning it didn’t matter.  We had the windows down and were enjoying the ride.

Eventually, we made it to the turn to Starved Rock.  We came in from the east, along the Illinois River and looked for a turn off to do an initial hike.  At the second trail head, we pulled in and parked.  The dogs were wiggling all over the place, they were so excited.  We all clambered out of the Jeep, clipped a 20 foot lead to the lab and the extendable leash to our old girl (a greyhound, whippet, Rhodesian ridgeback mix) and decided to head towards Illinois canyon.  We gave the dogs some water, and then took off down the trail.  About five minutes later, we came across … a parking lot.  It was the first trailhead lot that we’d missed the turn for.  (not marked well …)  But we saw the sign for Illinois Canyon across the lot, so headed on down the trail.

(planning the route)

(at the trailhead)

About our dogs – they have very different personalities, but one thing they have in common is that they LOVE to go walking in the woods.  Of course, they both want to be in front, which is why it’s helpful to have two different lengths of leads, otherwise they tend to get all tangled up and then we don’t get anywhere fast.  The lab – by nature – loves water and seems to be able to smell it from a great distance.  Chili, my other dog, used to hate water – but since we’ve had Tyson, she is now much more open to it and will go in up to chest deep on occasion.  It was obvious to me that Ty knew there was water up ahead.  He charged forward and as soon as we got to the spot where the trail began running next to the stream, leapt into the stream and started walking through the water beside the trail.  Chili actually followed him in and gingerly picked her way along the creek bed.  Eventually, she got bored and came back up on the trail, while Tyson continued leaping up and down from trail to creek, splashing and wagging his tail, giving us his great big doggy smile and an occasional slurp to show us he was happy.

(Ty in the creek)

The woods were shady, cool, and beautiful.  We could hear the wind through the trees, the birds singing, and my fourteen year old chattering away.  I had to remind her (and my eleven year old) several times that if they wanted to see any wildlife, they’d need to quiet down.  They didn’t, but we did have a blast climbing over “trip roots”, jumping over fallen trees, and scrambling up and down the banks of the stream as we crossed over it on logs, rocks, and trying to keep our feet dry.  The dogs had no such worries and happily splashed across.  The kids caught a couple of frogs (catch and release, of course) and Tyson even got in on the action and caught a frog, then quickly spat it out – evidently it wasn’t what he expected.  He saw something move, grabbed it and then dropped it and looked very confused (before anyone feels the need to comment, the frog was unhurt and we made sure it stayed that way).

(Betsie with the frog)

(Becca fording the stream)

(where the frog lived)

We eventually reached the end of the canyon (it’s a dead-end hike) and after the kids climbed up a fallen tree branch that arced over the path for a photo op, we turned and headed back towards the car.

(up a tree)

(the falls at the back of the canyon)

By the time we got back, it was about 11:30 and we were hungry, so rather than heading up the path in the other direction towards the Council Overhang, we decided to drive up to the lodge area and have lunch.  We’d packed a picnic with ham and cheese roll ups, chicken salad sandwiches, chips, bottled water and lemonade.  The dogs slurped up another bowlful of water, we loaded back into the jeep, and found a picnic spot near the lodge.  After lunch, we hung around there for a while as Chili, our old girl, was limping a little bit (she has arthritis) and we figured she needed a bit of a rest.  The kids broke out the whiffle ball and bat and played an impromptu game of whiffle ball with imaginary runners while I wandered the area and took pics of the carvings, cabins, and lodge.

(whiffle ball)

(carvings – there are 30 different ones scattered about)

Starved Rock Lodge was constructed back in the 1930’s as part of the effort to put people back to work during the Great Depression.  Young men from the area would be paid about $30 per month.  They were allowed to keep $5-$7 for themselves and sent the rest back home for their families to live on.  The lodge is built in very much the same style, although on a much smaller scale, as the grand lodges in the national parks out west.  The lodge has rooms, a couple of restaurants, a nice swimming pool with hot tubs, a fire ring where story tellers come at night to weave stories of the area for the fascinated guests, and a trolley that can take you back and forth to the river, runs tours of the area, and is a fun way to get an overview of the area.  There are also cabins for rent, some more rustic, some more luxurious.  All of them have air conditioning.  The more rustic ones have no TV or phones … which I prefer.  Before kids, my husband and I spent a few romantic weekends here (and our oldest daughter is living proof of how much we enjoyed our time here).

(one of the cabins)

(the lodge)

(inside – check out the huge log beams.  This place is awe-inspiring)

After our lunch and whiffle ball break, we decided to take one more hike before heading back home.  It was my sister’s birthday, so we were planning on heading back to be at my Dad’s house by about five.  It was about 90 degrees out, too, so knowing we had no A/C, we planned on an ice cream stop, too.  Four on board with this plan.  My youngest was not happy.  She wanted to stay and keep hiking and hiking and hiking.  I promised her another trip soon and that placated her … after reviewing the map near our whiffle ball spot, we decided to head to Saint Louis Canyon, but to drive to a trailhead rather than making the 5 mile round trip hike.  That would allow us to still see the canyon, but only have to hike about a mile to do it.  I knew the falls would not be as robust as usual, since there hadn’t been much rain lately, but was not prepared for the sheer number of people we found in that canyon.  Nor were we prepared for the number of mosquitos – holy cow!!!  It’s like someone told them it was a holiday weekend and that they should prepare for a feast!

(the stairs down to the canyon)

A few years back, there were major floods in the park, and many of the trails and stepping-stones across the river were washed away.  Now, there are stairs, bridges, and platforms to help the masses find their way back to Starved Rock’s most popular hiking destination.  This is good for safety, but I really think part of the adventure in hiking and exploring is the risk of getting wet or the thrill of navigating a narrow trail.  Hard to do, though, when there are over one hundred people in the same small canyon.  I was honestly shocked … my advice, don’t try to hike St. Louis canyon on a weekend, especially a holiday weekend.  Instead, if you can, try to come on a weekday – especially after a recent rainfall.  The falls at the end of the canyon can be spectacular, and much more so if you’re not jockeying for position to view them around people who seem to have no true appreciation for what they’re seeing.

(the falls on Monday – barely a trickle)

After making it back to the car, we headed back north, through Utica, and got gas for $.47 cheaper per gallon than we could have back home.  After topping off the tank, we took the “shortcut” of I-80 back to Route 71 and then headed back north towards home.  Before we’d been in the car fifteen minutes, my youngest was out cold (so I guess hiking until dark probably wouldn’t have been the best idea).  We drove about an hour and then stopped at Culver’s in Yorkville for the promised ice cream (actually, frozen custard) and then made it home in time to shower and make some homemade blueberry cobbler before heading over for our Memorial Day BBQ/birthday celebration.

It was a great day – and we learned a few things that will help us out next summer.

Lesson One – sometimes “getting lost” is a heck of a lot more fun than driving straight to your destination – in fairness, we knew this already, but this trip was a nice reminder.

(Tyson checking out one of the statues near the lodge)

Lesson Two – we packed food, we packed water, we had tons of sunscreen, but we (facepalm) forgot the bug spray!  We need to make sure we have a ‘supply bucket’ with everything we might need in it, in case we get into a situation where we have an opportunity to take a side trip/hike/etc.  This bucket should definitely have bug spray, sunscreen, and first aid items – and should probably have matches, dry socks, and pony tail holders/barrettes just in case they’re needed in a pinch.

(poison ivy – another thing it would be good to have ointment for – fortunately, we all know what it looks like and none of us got into it)

Lesson Three – we have to remember to run at the pace of the slowest in the group.  This day, it was our old lady dog.  But it could have been any of us depending on the circumstances.  Also, it’s important to take time to rest and talk and just be together.  That whiffle ball picnic break was just what the doctor ordered – it was a great break, and while we had planned on the picnic and had the toys along, we really didn’t anticipate that we’d spend that much time just hanging out.

(Britt, hanging with the dogs during our picnic break)

Memorial Day 2012 is history.  Where will the road take us next?  Tune in tomorrow to find out what we’re thinking of as possibilities for this summer.

Memorial Day Memories

Memorial Day!  It’s the official start to summer and a great time for that first family road trip of the year.  I say first because weekend trips, in my opinion, should be sprinkled throughout the year.  They provide a nice respite from your everyday life, let you connect with your loved ones, nature, a great book, a good glass of wine, or whatever else you need to reconnect with –

 

This weekend, unfortunately, is a little different than I had hoped.  There are a few reasons for that – first, money has been excruciatingly tight for our family over the past few years.  Second, my hubby, my oldest daughter, and I all have to work during some portion of the weekend.  So, while we won’t be doing a long weekend away, as I had hoped, we will still do a one day road trip.

Our destination of choice?  New Orleans!  Our actual destination?  Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL.  Starved Rock is a gorgeous location to spend a day, a weekend, or even a week.  If you enjoy hiking, canoeing, camping, antiquing, wine tasting, old fashioned divey drive-in diners, and need or want to go someplace fairly close to the Chicago Metro area, only a few places fit the bill – since we want to take the dogs with us, Starved Rock wins the day!

The first time we went to Starved Rock together was back in 1991.  We had just bought our first home and adopted a dog from a shelter.  Tabitha was a great dog – she was a shepherd mix and when we saw her sitting quietly, looking a little anxious, in the shelter (as opposed to all the other dogs, who were barking away madly or trying to get our attention) she drew me immediately.  I walked over to the front of her cage and she came forward and licked my hand – that was it.  She was ours – we took her home that day, but realized instantly that Tabitha had a problem.  She was terrified of riding in the car.  I’d never had a dog that was afraid of riding in a car – it just didn’t compute.  She had other weird phobias, too – we had to get rid of a broom we had because she would cry and run away whenever she saw it – but when you adopt a dog with a past history, you never know what happened before.  But not being able to ride in a car?  That was too strange for us – so we had to fix it.  But what to do?  We decided on a road trip – and Starved Rock was the perfect distance away from our home – about 90 minutes – long enough for her to figure out that the car was not her enemy, close enough that if she couldn’t deal, we could turn around and go home without enduring a panicked dog for too long.

We coaxed Tabitha into the car early in the morning and drove from our home all the way to the Fox River before she panicked.  A total drive time of about 3 minutes.  No worries.  We’d planned for this.  We snapped her leash on, took her for a nice walk on the river trail, coaxed her back into the car, gave her a treat, and were back on the road.  About half an hour later she started to get anxious again.  We made another stop at Shabbona Lake.  Same routine.  We walked around the lake, but this time when we got back to the car, there was no coaxing needed.  She jumped right in.  We then got to Starved Rock and spent the day hiking, picnicking, splashing in the river and playing fetch.  When our day was over, she jumped right into the car, fell asleep in the back, and we drove all the way home.  She never had a problem with riding in a car again.

(Tabitha with my hubby)

I wish all problems could be solved so easily – I understand that most dogs aren’t quite that easy to break of their phobias – but Tabitha was a special dog.  And that was a special day.  Since that day, I’ve been back to Starved Rock many times.  From romantic weekend getaways with my husband, to hiking trips with my Girl Scout Troop, Starved Rock has provided us with all kinds of fun, relaxation, and memories.  This weekend won’t be any different. 

Wishing you all a happy Memorial Day – and please don’t forget to take some time to remember the sacrifices made for you by our troops.  Because if it wasn’t for them and everything they’ve given for us, our lives most certainly would not be what they are. 

Memorial Day Memories

Memorial Day!  It’s the official start to summer and a great time for that first family road trip of the year.  I say first because weekend trips, in my opinion, should be sprinkled throughout the year.  They provide a nice respite from your everyday life, let you connect with your loved ones, nature, a great book, a good glass of wine, or whatever else you need to reconnect with –

 

This weekend, unfortunately, is a little different than I had hoped.  There are a few reasons for that – first, money has been excruciatingly tight for our family over the past few years.  Second, my hubby, my oldest daughter, and I all have to work during some portion of the weekend.  So, while we won’t be doing a long weekend away, as I had hoped, we will still do a one day road trip.

Our destination of choice?  New Orleans!  Our actual destination?  Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL.  Starved Rock is a gorgeous location to spend a day, a weekend, or even a week.  If you enjoy hiking, canoeing, camping, antiquing, wine tasting, old fashioned divey drive-in diners, and need or want to go someplace fairly close to the Chicago Metro area, only a few places fit the bill – since we want to take the dogs with us, Starved Rock wins the day!

The first time we went to Starved Rock together was back in 1991.  We had just bought our first home and adopted a dog from a shelter.  Tabitha was a great dog – she was a shepherd mix and when we saw her sitting quietly, looking a little anxious, in the shelter (as opposed to all the other dogs, who were barking away madly or trying to get our attention) she drew me immediately.  I walked over to the front of her cage and she came forward and licked my hand – that was it.  She was ours – we took her home that day, but realized instantly that Tabitha had a problem.  She was terrified of riding in the car.  I’d never had a dog that was afraid of riding in a car – it just didn’t compute.  She had other weird phobias, too – we had to get rid of a broom we had because she would cry and run away whenever she saw it – but when you adopt a dog with a past history, you never know what happened before.  But not being able to ride in a car?  That was too strange for us – so we had to fix it.  But what to do?  We decided on a road trip – and Starved Rock was the perfect distance away from our home – about 90 minutes – long enough for her to figure out that the car was not her enemy, close enough that if she couldn’t deal, we could turn around and go home without enduring a panicked dog for too long.

We coaxed Tabitha into the car early in the morning and drove from our home all the way to the Fox River before she panicked.  A total drive time of about 3 minutes.  No worries.  We’d planned for this.  We snapped her leash on, took her for a nice walk on the river trail, coaxed her back into the car, gave her a treat, and were back on the road.  About half an hour later she started to get anxious again.  We made another stop at Shabbona Lake.  Same routine.  We walked around the lake, but this time when we got back to the car, there was no coaxing needed.  She jumped right in.  We then got to Starved Rock and spent the day hiking, picnicking, splashing in the river and playing fetch.  When our day was over, she jumped right into the car, fell asleep in the back, and we drove all the way home.  She never had a problem with riding in a car again.

(Tabitha with my hubby)

I wish all problems could be solved so easily – I understand that most dogs aren’t quite that easy to break of their phobias – but Tabitha was a special dog.  And that was a special day.  Since that day, I’ve been back to Starved Rock many times.  From romantic weekend getaways with my husband, to hiking trips with my Girl Scout Troop, Starved Rock has provided us with all kinds of fun, relaxation, and memories.  This weekend won’t be any different. 

Wishing you all a happy Memorial Day – and please don’t forget to take some time to remember the sacrifices made for you by our troops.  Because if it wasn’t for them and everything they’ve given for us, our lives most certainly would not be what they are. 

The “Mother” of all Road Trips

Summer is here – well, almost – and a favorite American tradition is the ROAD TRIP!  Whether you have great childhood memories of your summer road trips, or not so great memories, packing today’s version of the station wagon with the kids, snacks, and luggage and hitting the open road is something every family will do at some point.  So if you’re going to do it, why not go big!

                       

My oldest daughter is graduating from high school next year.  We’ve been talking and talking about what she’d like to do to celebrate her graduation – and while what she’d really like is a trip to Australia or the Galapagos Islands, the budget doesn’t allow for that right now.  So, instead, we’ve decided to do the mother of all road trips – on the Mother Road, Route 66, followed by a jaunt up the PCH, turning right, through Yosemite and Yellowstone, and back through the Black Hills.  We mapped it – it’s 4 straight days of driving if we never stop to pee, get gas, eat, or look at anything – totaling about 5100 miles round trip.  Ambitious?  Yes, but if we can save for it, budget it right, and pull it off, it will be the trip of a lifetime and something none of us will ever forget!  My hope is to budget a month “off work” (I can work from the road a bit) and just soak in that time with my girls.  An even bigger hope?  That their Dad will be able to fly out to California and make the leg back through Yosemite and Yellowstone with us, maybe flying back to Chicago from Montana.

How do we go about planning such an ambitious trip?  We’ve done countless trips and treks through the South and Southeast, and my kids and I all love those driving trips.  There is something soothing about the sound of the wheels on the road, when the I-Pod isn’t cranked up with all of us singing crazily at the top of our lungs.  Seeing the landscape changing as we move across country is kind of cool, too.  As are the unexpected finds – like the giant donut we found somewhere we’ve never found again – or that little country store with icy cold bottled pop in a cooler – a real bit old fashioned gas station cooler – with ice and water inside and pumps so old I had to get the kids out there to show them “how things used to be”.  And those stranger moments – like the time we were driving down an old back road and wanted to stop at a store, but the kids who were on the porch were “barking” at us, which freaked my youngest out, so we didn’t go in (instead, my oldest squatted “like a bear” beside the road to go to the bathroom and we waited 30 more miles for something to drink).  Knowing that we all can handle a road trip – because it’s important to know that first – we made some lists.  What things did we all want to see that we hadn’t seen yet?

Yellowstone was at the top of the list for one of the girls.  One just wanted to go – anywhere was fine.  One really wanted to go back to California.  Two haven’t seen the Grand Canyon yet.  We live in Chicago – Route 66 starts here and meets most of those requirements – traveling through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and ending up at the corner of 7^th and Broadway in Los Angeles, it travels through multiple different climates and geographical areas, allows for a few kitchy totally tourist stops and some more serious stops as well.  But it didn’t really give us much of California – or beach time – and not Yellowstone.  Plus, we didn’t want to come back the same way we drove out, so a loop seemed to make the most sense.  Since all of us wanted to go to Yellowstone, the decision was easy.  Here is what our eventual loop will look like:

(hand drawn approximation)

The basic idea is to follow Route 66 with a detour to Vegas, then the PCH to San Francisco, then head back east through Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Black Hills and the Badlands, make a stop at the Ingalls Homestead in South Dakota, head north to the source of the Mississippi River (north of Bemidji, MN) and then follow the Great River Road back to Galena, IL and then finally back home.  All in all, it’s about 5100 miles.

We plan to do a mix of camping, low budget roadside motels, a couple of more “luxurious” stops, and to let the road dictate our schedule.  There are a couple of things we’ll have to book in advance, but once we decide on our “go date”, it should be fairly easy to guesstimate when we’ll make it to those locations.  If we’re ahead of schedule, we’ll slow down – if we’re running behind, we’ll have to forego some of the two lane roads for interstate highway time – and chances are, we will run behind.  There are too many cool things to see and we’re really good at “wasting” a lot of time in places others don’t seem impressed by.  (like the time we spent 3 hours at a round tower in Ireland on a drive from Dublin to Killarney – we had no idea how long we’d been there until we got back in the car.  But the historian on site was so chatty and interesting – and my kids, who were 5 and 8 at the time, weren’t bored or asking “can we go yet” – so we didn’t)

Over the course of the next year, I’ll be posting about our planning process, and then we’ll blog it from the road as we travel.  In the meantime, we’re taking a series of shorter road trips, a couple of vacations, and you’ll get to share in those adventures.

I hope your “Bags R Packed”, because it’s going to be a phenomenal year!

The Adventure Before Your Adventure – Navigating the Airport

I live in Chicago – ok, I live in the Chicago area (I understand that a suburb is NOT the city, but who knows where Geneva is?  Nobody – so I’m not claiming Chicago to make myself sound cool, but for purposes of geographical awareness – city dwellers can relax).  That means that I often travel through the most hated airport in the US.  O’Hare.

Some are terrified of O’Hare.  My mother-in-law, who is a wonderfully intelligent, independent woman, begins quaking in terror at the thought that she might have to navigate it alone.  Why?  She’s not alone in this.  I’ve heard from friends that they’ve paid extra to “avoid O’Hare”.  I don’t understand it.  But then, I like airports.

Maybe I’m strange, but I miss the days before 9/11 when you could actually pass through security without a ticket and watch the planes take off.  We used to take the kids on the Metra, catch the Blue Line and ride it out to O’Hare.  Then we’d pass through security to look at the departure boards, gaze at the planes, and watch them take off.  The kids enjoyed it, too, and their love of flight allowed me to pull off the BEST SURPRISE EVER on my middle daughter right after she turned five.

Before she started kindergarten, I took her to the airport one day “for breakfast”, to “watch the planes”.  She chattered excitedly the whole way there and never noticed that I had a carry-on bag with me.  After we went through security and ate pancakes at McDonalds, I asked if she wanted to “see inside” a plane.  She jumped for joy, and we got on – when the plane took off, she was in a minor state of panic thinking we were trapped, but I got her a Sprite and she forgot all about it.  When we arrived in Orlando, I said “since we’re here, we may as well look around a little bit”.  She agreed, so we rented a car and drove to the Walt Disney World Swan, where we checked in for a 5 night stay.  She had a ball, but cried because her sisters were missing out and she wished they could be there.  I’d never been so happy and frustrated as I was with her at that moment – but those days are gone.  She’s going to be a junior in high school next year, and the days of wandering airports are over as well, unless you have a flight booked – in which case, you’d best not be wandering, but moving with purpose.

Here’s why O’Hare freaks people out:

It’s freakin’ huge and it can be confusing if you don’t know where you’re going.  But it’s also simply laid out.  I think what confuses a lot of people is the lack of a terminal 4.  Really, O’Hare is a lot like the rest of the Chicago area – busy, bright, noisy, but pretty simple to navigate once you understand it.

There are 3 terminals here plus an international terminal.  You can be dropped off by a friend, family member, or hired car, take a train or bus, or park right on site or in long term parking.  The CTA trains come in underground and you then walk through a tunnel to your appropriate terminal.  Cars drop off right in front of your specific terminal – to get to terminal 5, you can take a moving walkway on a tunnel lit by changing neon lights that runs from terminal 3 to terminal 5.  Complicated?  A little bit.  But if you know which terminal your airline flies from, you just have to find your way to that terminal and you’ll be golden.  Since they’re all “in a line”, you can easily walk from one terminal to another without having to go in and out of security – if you have time to kill, love spending time in line or with the TSA, or just love airport trains, you can exit security and take the train from terminal to terminal.

The first key to moving through an airport – any airport – is to make sure you know where you’re going before you leave home.  Most, if not all, major US airports have websites that contain maps of the terminals, listing of which carriers operate from each terminal, and a list of restaurants and shops available in said terminals, before and after security.  O’Hare, unfortunately, has nothing before security – so if you’re dropping off a loved one and were hoping for a last cup of coffee together, stop at Starbucks first.  You can’t sit and chat over coffee near the departure gates at this particular airport.  Google also offers android apps that will give you airport terminal maps, so if you have a smart phone, download the apps and maps before you go to aid you once you arrive.

The second key to getting to your gate quickly is to organize your tickets, identification, and itineraries in an easy to reach/locate format before you leave home.  I carry a laptop bag with me when I travel – it has an outside zippered pocket that is perfect for my passport, cell phone, a few dollars in cash for that last minute snack at the airport shops/restaurants, and my boarding pass.  There is a second pocket that holds all my paperwork on rental cars, hotel reservations, an extra copy of my boarding pass (just in case – I’m compulsive like that) and directions to my first destination upon landing.  When I get to the check-in area, I can scan my e-ticket and passport into the kiosk without setting anything down because the pocket is easy access.  Or, if I’m checking bags and need to go to the agent for a claim receipt and to have the bag weighed before heading for security, the laptop bag has a nice “grip” that will keep it from sliding off my shoulder when I heft that large bag onto the scale.  Then, as I go through security, the laptop bag unzips to lay flat, holding the laptop secure in its own compartment so I don’t have to remove it.  This saves time going into the scanner, but more importantly, saves time on the other side, where dangerously inept travelers often back the line up as they try to sort their change, cell phones, shoes, and hats out, backing up the line and causing frustrated business travelers to shove past muttering things I can’t type without blushing.

Key number three – dress appropriately.  Yes, it’s lovely that you’re going to Hawaii.  We know you want to look cute (insert stay warm, carry everything you own in your pockets, name your own pet peeve) when you get there.  But there’s a time and a place for everything.  Don’t dress to impress anyone but the TSA.  They don’t care what you look like.  They’re worried about more important things.  To make your life easier (and their life easier) there are a few simple things you can do.

***** Layers – if you’re going to wear layers, strip ‘em down before you get into line for the x-ray machine.  Tuck your jacket, sweater, sweatshirt into your carry-on bag and don’t think about it again until you’re on the other side and have moved AWAY from the conveyor belts.  If you’re chilly, put your sweater back on where there isn’t a group of impatient travelers, some of whom are late for their flights, behind you.  My favorite thing to wear for a flight is a thin long or three-quarter length sleeved shirt.  I also wear pants that don’t require a belt (most belts must come off for the scanners – if you need a belt and your pants will fall down without it, the pants are a bad choice), don’t have a lot of pockets (less chance of forgetting to take my cell or change out of the pocket), and cover my legs (capris or long pants).  Shoes?  No flip flops, no tie shoes, no heels.  Simple, good for walking, slip on and off shoes.  Why?  Easy on and off.  Plus, if the plane needs to be evacuated, would the shoes on your feet and the rest of your clothes make it easier or more difficult for you to get out safely.  Always plan for the worst case scenario.

These are NOT ok for traveling (for partying in South Beach – yes)

I find myself amused while standing in line with people.  I used to get annoyed.  Now I try to get there early enough that I can be amused instead.  Women wearing huge jewelry (earrings, necklaces, gazillions of bracelets), heels high enough to give me a nosebleed, and designer duds totter through the line next to parents who have brought the Cadillac of strollers complete with the bottom bin full of everything they may possibly need for Junior at some random time in the next six months.  Backpackers who haven’t showered in months wear earbuds and nod randomly at the screeners when asked if they are carrying bombs or if someone else packed for them.

***** Speaking of packing – remember the 3-1-1- thing.  It’s important.  Don’t think you can fly with a carry on if you’ve bought all the sunscreen you’re going to need for a week in Mexico in that carry on – unless you don’t mind buying it again.  I have learned to just leave everything at home and stop at Walgreens for shampoo once I get there (unless I’m at a hotel that provides shampoo – then I shop for toothpaste and conditioner).  Yes, it takes a little more time when you arrive, but it saves time in line, weight in your suitcase, and the amazing thing about the US is that you can get toiletries almost anywhere.  If you must pack them, use the sample sizes and have a one quart ziplock bag or a clear plastic bag with a zipper.  Your powdered eye shadow doesn’t need to be in that bag.  Your liquid foundation does.  Your mascara – no.  Your hand lotion, yes.  Check the TSA website before you pack to make sure that you have the most recent rules in mind to speed your way through.  Here’s the link.  http://www.tsa.gov/311/  You don’t want your stuff to end up like this:

“Funny” TSA story, as promised – the first time we had to do the 3/1/1 thing was on a trip to Napa Valley.  Just our luck, some jerk put together a plan to spoil my plan to buy a bunch of wine and bring it home.  The good news is that we found out BEFORE we got to Napa that the rules had changed.  The bad news is that we had to pay to ship all our wine home.

When we got to the airport, I had a chat with the TSA agent who was screening the passengers at SFO.  There were giant bins all over the area and I asked him what they were for.  He let me come back and look and they were FILLED with wine.  Bottles and bottles of wine.  He told me that passengers still weren’t aware of the rule (which had changed between our arrival and departure) and that at the end of every shift, you could see TSA agents and airline employees going through the bins to select bottles to take home.

OK, not funny, but it does underscore the importance of knowing what’s going on in the world.  Just because you’re on vacation does not mean that you shouldn’t at least check in on the news – maybe even just the day before you head back to the airport.  Shipping my wine wasn’t fun or cheap.  (some wineries did pick up the cost, not all)  Leaving it at the airport for a TSA screener or nasty gate agent to enjoy would have been even less fun.

Specific tips to make life easier when you get to the airport:

1.  Anything you will want or need while you are seated on the airplane goes in a bag that goes under your seat – NOT in the overhead bin.  Otherwise you could end up sad and sorry.  Sad because the pilot may never turn off the seatbelt sign and then you can’t get to it.  Sorry because your bag may not be easy to get into once you have it in the overhead compartment.  Plan ahead – it makes life easier, more relaxed, and keeps things from inadvertently dropping on your neighbor’s head.  Do this BEFORE you get to the airport.  Don’t try to repack once you get there.  Lines can look like this – do these people look happy?  Would they if they had to wait for you to try to reorganize yourself?

2.   Pay attention.  Don’t have your earbuds in – don’t be taking on your cell phone.  When you do this, you screw up the line.  Going through security would be so much faster if everyone just paid attention.  Have your boarding pass and ID ready so that when you get to the first screener, they don’t have to wait for you.

3.  If you have to take off a jacket, shoes, belt, jewelry, etc. do it.  Don’t wait until the last minute.  That just makes everyone behind you mad and could stress you out if they start letting you know they’re mad.  Make sure you know where your cell phone is – and those earbuds?  They aren’t a permanent attachment.  Take them, and your i-pod, off before going through the scanner.  Also – if you pay attention, you can see which line the scatter machine is in.  I avoid that if at all possible.  It slows me down and the idea of someone else seeing through my clothes is creepy.  I’d avoid that machine – unless, that is, you’re a terrorist.  Then don’t pay attention to anything I just said – please go through the scatter machine.  And may your undies explode in your backyard.  Rant off.

This is a little excessive – you don’t need to strip down this far, although depending on whether you’re built like Adam Levine or Jennifer Lopez, it could be entertaining for those in line with you.

OK.  You’ve made it through security.  Now what?  Got time to kill?  That’s great – but before you go looking for McDonalds or Starbucks, make sure your boarding pass and ID is safely back where it belongs, then check the departure board to make sure your flight hasn’t changed gates. Nothing sucks more than walking all the way to the end of the terminal – all six miles – only to find that your flight is now departing from gate 1, right next to security.  It happens more often than you think.  Locate your gate, know where it is, THEN go find your coffee.

If you’ve allowed yourself plenty of time, you can shop at Brookstone, get a foot massage, drink coffee, find a new book to read, check out all the gossip magazines on the rack, buy a snack and a bottle of water, and still get to your gate with time to spare.  Airlines typically start boarding 30 minutes before the flight takes off.  Be there when they start.  Sometimes it goes really fast and smooth – and you don’t want to be the last one through the door.  Maybe you like being the last one through the door.  At least be at the gate so that your ticket doesn’t get handed to someone else because the gate agent thought you were a no-show.

4.   This is my last tip – and my major pet peeve.  Boarding should NOT be a nightmare.  When they call your group, go to the gate.  Don’t go up there as soon as they open the door if you’re in the last group to board.  You’re not more important than me.   I paid for my ticket, too.  Blocking the way or sneaking in ahead of your actual group is just … well it means you’re an icky person.

Have your boarding pass in your hand and your items organized so you can stow them quickly and get into your seat and out of the aisle.  As you board, watch the overhead bins.  If they look really full, start counting ahead of yourself as you inch towards your seat.  If your overhead bin is full, rather than trying to backtrack now (or worse, when it’s time to deplane) slide your carry on into an empty space before you reach your seat.  You don’t want to be like a salmon swimming upstream when you’re trying to go back a few rows to retrieve your bag while the press of people is trying to exit.  You want your bag.  They don’t care – they want off the plane.  There are more of them than you – guess who will win?

Toss your under the seat bag into your seat, lift your bag (yes, YOU should be able to lift it – if you can’t you shouldn’t carry it on) into the overhead compartment, slide into your seat and get the heck out of the way.

To make your flight the most relaxing it can be, remember that the flight attendants are there for your safety, not as flying waiters and waitresses.  Don’t expect them to offer you great service.  Expect them to have your life in their hands in an emergency.  Prepare for your own needs, treat them with respect, and they’ll appreciate it.  Smile at them.  Say hello.  Don’t grunt and be rude – sometimes, in doing this, we’ve been offered better seats.  Don’t demand that, though.   Go in with the right attitude and your ‘airport adventure’ can be a lot easier than it otherwise would be.  There are 3 ways your adventure can end.  Your preparation and attitude determine which outcome you have.  What do you choose?

1.  Point A to Point B.  You’ve arrived at your destination.  Congratulations
2. Point A to Point A.  You forgot or lost your ID, boarding pass, or pissed off the TSA and they wouldn’t let you through.  Vacation over before it starts.  Oops.
3. Point A to interrogation – you said something stupid to a TSA agent (“yes, that’s a bomb”), irritated the flight attendants (“No, I’m not sitting down and I’m busy playing Words With Friends.  Go do your job and leave me alone.  I’m not a terrorist”), or stressed yourself out so badly that you had a mental breakdown on the plane and started screaming about the Taliban.  Not good.  Vacation over – you’re now on a “trip” through the legal system.

One last “funny” TSA story.  I swear this is true.  Three years ago I took a cruise with a bunch of the girls in my family.  My mom, mother-in-law, mom’s best friends, my daughters – you get the idea.  While on the ship, I bought about 8 watches.  The cruise was in October, the watch sets were cute and inexpensive, and I thought they’d be great Christmas gifts.  They were all still in their original packaging.  I had left room in my carry-on bag to be able to bring home gifts for people and had shopped intentionally to avoid bringing liquids and things that would stop me in line.  Yet, as we were going through the x-ray machines, my bag got pulled off for screening.  I figured it was a random issue.  Turns out, the screener had seen all the watches and it raised a red flag.  They thought maybe I was carrying detonation devices.  My entire bag was unpacked on the little white table.  Everything was swiped for explosives.  Even though the watches were clearly in their original packaging, they wanted me to prove that they worked (which would have meant opening them all, pulling out the plastic tab that keeps the battery from running and my gifts wouldn’t have looked new anymore).  I questioned the need for this, pulled out the receipt to show that they were purchased the day before, on the ship, and asked for a supervisor.  After a lot of head-scratching, the agent agreed to let me go through.  But before I left, she picked up one of the watches and asked if she could have it, because, after all, I didn’t really need 8 watches, did I?  She offered to pay me for it, but I was so flabbergasted by this that I’m not sure what I said.  The watch ended up back in my bag, we made it to the flight with time for a Starbucks stop, but you never know what will happen in the airport.  Prepare for anything – and if you buy 8 watches, you might want to check that bag.  Just sayin’.

Fees – I hate ’em!

Fees – I hate ’em!.

Fees – I hate ’em!

Fees – the taste of that word in my mouth makes me want to spit.  I hate ‘em.  Doesn’t matter what kind of “fee” it is – just the word is abhorrent to me.  But, these days, if you’re going to travel, you’re going to pay a fee – at least one – usually more.

Airlines are especially good at charging fees.  Here are some things that used to be free that you now pay for:

• Checking your bag
• Checking in with an agent
• Carrying on your bag
• Selecting your seat
• A soda or snack on a domestic flight
• What they call a meal
• Printing your boarding pass at the airport
• Booking with a “live” person instead of over the internet

 

Gee, now if only the TSA would charge us a fee every time they do a pat down or pull us over for an inspection, the joy of working your way through an airport would be complete.  There are, however, some tips you can employ to make sure you’re paying a fair fare (love word play) and that your trip through the airport is as painless as it can be.

 

First, when shopping for your airfare, keep in mind that some carriers charge for all of the above, some only charge for a few of them.  You need to have an understanding of what is included in the fare you’re paying so that you know that you’re comparing “apples to apples”.

Once you know what fees you’re likely to be paying on the bargain flights, you can assess whether they are actually bargains or not.  One of the most maligned airlines in the media these days is Spirit.  I find that kind of funny, because these days, no matter what airline you fly, the experience is not fun.  Since it’s no longer fun or glamorous, I look at it like a flying bus.  I’m using it to get from point A to point B.  Spirit Airlines has a PERFECT safety record.  You never hear that mentioned in all the media reports.  They’re too busy sensationalizing the fees.  But here’s my experience directly compared to what you’ll hear on the news.

1.   The news media says that Spirit charges $100 for a carry-on bag?  Myth or Fact?  It’s both.  What the media fails to mention is that this is for purposes of what I like to call ‘thinning the herd’.  If you’re a member of their “$9 fare club” and you pay for the bag before check-in, the fee is only $20.  If you’re not a member of the “fare club” and you pay in advance, the fee is $30.  At the airport?  The fee is $40 no matter if you belong to the “fare club” or not.  If you skip over all these opportunities to pay for your carry-on bag, it’s $45 at the gate.  November 1, the fees go up by $5 for the advance purchases, $10 for the “at the airport” purchase, and $55 for the “at the gate” purchase.  If you’re so unaware of what is going on with your travel that you wait until the gate to pay for your bag, in my opinion, you deserve to pay the freight.

 

2.  Michael Hess of CBS News states: “The problem with Spirit’s fee argument is that the extra-charge items make it virtually impossible for the majority of fliers to travel on the published fare. Even if you can find one of the “dirt-cheapest” fares, you’d have to travel without luggage — any luggage — in a seat chosen by the airline, with no snack or drink, to actually get that fare. That’s like a restaurant saying you can get a $2.00 steak, but with no plate, silverware or napkin — sure, it’s a steak and you can eat it, but it’s not a normal or realistic scenario and therefore, in my opinion, it falls under the category of come-on pricing.”

I disagree.  Recently, I priced out a trip to Ft. Lauderdale.  I checked multiple airlines and included the fee to check my daughter’s bag ($18 because I paid in advance), carry mine on ($20), and select our seats (we paid $20 per seat to have exit row seating).  Even with these fees included (and I budgeted $6 for drinks and snacks), the cost of our flight on Spirit beat the next closest competitor by $44 each – a savings of $88.

Spirit’s website reminds us “Remember, we always provide one personal item free of charge per customer. Personal items (e.g. purse, small backpack, briefcase, etc.) must fit underneath the seat, so the dimensions must not exceed 16 x 14 x 12 inches (40 x 35 x 30 cm).  Additionally, the following carry-on items are not counted towards a customer’s carry-on bag allowance and can be brought with you on all flights free of charge – umbrella, camera, infant diaper bag, assistive devices, outer garments (e.g. coats, hats, and wraps), stroller, reading material, and food for the flight.”

There have been cases where my family of 5 has flown, paid $36 to check two full-sized bags, and used the free personal item to carry on.  A decent sized backpack will hold clothes for a weekend if you pack wisely (see previous post), especially for an elementary school student, and who wants to lug a bunch of crap through the airport anyway?  In addition, a bag or small cooler with food, a diaper bag (even if you don’t have an infant – it doesn’t say you have to HAVE an infant), and stuff you buy at the airport doesn’t count.  Also, have you seen the size of some of the purses they sell?  Seriously, you could pack half of China into one.

Here is a link to Spirit’s baggage and other optional fees, just so you can see it for yourselves:

http://www.spirit.com/OptionalFees.aspx

The point of this blog is not to advocate for Spirit airlines – I used them as a case in point, and fly on AA, United, US Air, Southwest, Jet Blue, and others quite frequently.  You need to be fully aware of what you’re doing when you book a flight.  Also, you need to keep records of what you paid for in the case of these low-cost carriers.  I got into a HUGE argument with Spirit last time I flew them.  Why?  I paid for exit row seating.  I got exactly the seat I paid for, but on different equipment – they switched the equipment, which booted me from my paid for exit row seat.  A difference of $10 per ticket.  It pissed me off.  I don’t really care THAT much – at least I don’t care that much if I don’t pay for it.  I can sit in a non-exit row seat and be fine.  But I paid for it, so I should have gotten it.  Before the flight left, I called the 800 number and was given the company line of “no refunds”. I replied, “OK, no refunds.  Then give me the exit row seat that I paid for. “  I was not unreasonable.  I did not yell.  The agent told me that I had to speak to the flight attendant and take it up there.  I stated that the flight attendant had told me the equipment changed (because the original equipment had empty seats and the new equipment would fly full) and that’s why the exit row seat I paid for was no longer row 13, but now was row 9.  After speaking to two different supervisors, explaining my situation over and over, and letting them know I had kept screen shots of the seats I selected and that I knew the rows in front of and behind the exit rows were $10 cheaper to select than what I had selected and that they had therefore failed to live up to our contract, shock and awe, my money was immediately refunded.  (Oh, I also mentioned that I blog, have about 4000 Facebook friends and I’m a travel agent – but they didn’t check, so I could have just been saying it)

Here’s the point – airfare is a commodity.  Shop for it.  Frequent flier programs are a joke – the miles are harder and harder to use and customer service is non-existent on all airlines, with the possible exception of Southwest (at least their flight attendants have personality).  But, when you shop, know what you’re looking at and for.

**Do you want the convenience of flying on a major airline where all the fees are built-in to the cost of the flight?  (Except checked bags on domestic flights –you’ll pay for those on all but Southwest and Jet Blue)

**Do you need to go in and out of the largest airports or are you willing to fly into the smaller, secondary airports?  How much luggage do you pack and how heavy is it?

** Do you need to know that you can have a free soda on board or are you ok bringing your own or paying $2 for it if you save money doing so?

Using a budget airline, whether it be Spirit, Jet Blue, Southwest, Allegiant, etc. can be a great way to save money that you can put to better use once you reach your destination.  I’d much rather fly cheap and splurge for a massage on the beach ………. But if you don’t take the time to do your homework, you’ll be in for a shock when you get to the airport.  Shock is stressful.  If you’re traveling on business or to a funeral, you don’t NEED the extra stress and if you’re traveling for vacation or to visit family, you don’t WANT the extra stress.  Do your homework.  Know what the extras cost before you book.  And here’s a truly novel idea – buy travel insurance.  That way, if something awful happens and you miss your flight, get snowed in somewhere (unlikely in May, but could happen in January), or the airline loses that bag you paid to check, you’re covered.

 

Next time – quick tips on getting from curb to gate as fast as possible – and “funny” TSA stories.