Tag: Flying

A Year in Review: Travel by the Numbers

To all the MVP and those in the million miles club, congrats! It takes a lot of travel to rack-up the miles. Those of you commuting to work by plane every week, I’m mildly envious you can claim the miles and fly free for vacations!

This was a year of great travel both near and far for weddings, leisure, bachelorettes, and football. Out of curiosity and a desire to throw things on a pie chart, I dug into my Alaska member account and reviewed itineraries for an overview of my airport adventures.

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The second half of 2017 was truly a whirlwind! Looking forward to 2018 with a few plane hops already in the works!

What was your favorite getaway of 2017?

 

Trip Planning

The countdown begins! In just over two months I’ll be returning from a trip to Croatia/Germany/TBD.

I found cheap tickets (we’re talking under $400) roundtrip from SFO–>DBV for either 8 days or 16 days. After some debate it was decided that 8 days is too short, so 16 days was the best option to create a full itinerary.  The website that I swear by to find cheap tickets is Secret Flying.com, this is only my first purchase, but we have friends on their 4th trip using this service.

At this moment, it looks like our flight change won’t allow us to experience Oktoberfest, but we may be able to catch the day after events. We’ll just have to return and see, drink, and eat Oktoberfest in full force at a later date. This allows us ample time to island hop around Croatia, visit a national park (like the image below), museums, and kayak around Dubrovinik.

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We’re still in the early stages of planning and sourcing tips from friends and co-workers that have recently visited the country.

Help a girl out!

  • If you’ve recently spent time in Europe, what’s a must-do?
  • Are there any Fall activities to scope out in October?

Long Flight Travel Tips

Flights are long, even the short 2- 2.5 hour flights can seem long if you aren’t prepared. Every person travels differently and has different needs to meet, but one thing we all agree on are the need for entertainment and snacks.

I spent 6 hours in flight from Seattle to Honolulu last week and had to adequately prepare to entertain myself for the duration.
Traveling with a companion is always my preference, but more often than not I’m flying solo in coach class.

This week I packed enough snacks to act as lunch enroute to Honolulu.

Beef or Turkey jerky, an apple, mixed nuts, and chopped veggies, and a Luna Bar for my departure. Pictured below are a few goodies leftover from my departure and a couple new items.

New Snack Find Alert!
Somersaults Dutch Cocoa are nut free, full of fiber, protein, and low sugar. A couple small handfuls of these baby bites will quiet a growling stomach and keep your energy level.

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When I don’t plan/pack snacks I opt for the Mediterranean Picnic Pack.
Hummus, dark chocolate, and olives are my jam.

Pre-download Music, Podcasts, and Movies.
Currently I’m listening to
Boss Girl Creative
Grammar Girl
This American Life
Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me

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Always test your downloads without wifi!

Entertainment:
Books: If you’re a reader books can draw you in and help to pass the time
Notebooks: Draw, doodle, write
Sleep: Sleeping is never the most comfortable on a flight, but a few zzz’s are a nice way to rejuvenate

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Traveling without a companion I’ll often times still get to know my seat mate, but rarely do we talk for the flight duration. It’s always interesting to hear someone’s story, where they’re from, going, and the in between.

Spark Notes Version:

  • Pack Snacks!
    • Include fresh food with your chips/cookies!
      Suggestions:Apples, berries, carrots, snap peas
  • Entertainment!
    • Podcasts, Movies, Music (pre-download and TEST!)
    • Books 
    • Sudoku, word searches
    • Notebooks for writing or sketching

Finally, if you want to do some last minute work, your tray table can be a temporary cubicle.I  don’t endorse this idea, but better to work on the plane than during vacation.

Happy Travels.

Cheers,
    Michelle