Portland Bound

I decided I needed to take a few personal days from school, and this weekend fit the bill. I usually play co-ed soccer on Fridays, but we have a bye. In addition, I am committed to teaching my Sunday school class each week, but this weekend our congregation is joining others at a different location. That meant I wouldn’t be missed. So, I packed my bag and looked for a good place to go. Turns out the Pacific Northwest became my best option—not too cold, plenty of lush landscapes, and trolls.

While I’d been watching the flights, I made the decision to fly to Portland first and drive to Seattle. The flights looked pretty open, and despite the travel worries, it looked like I would find my way to Portland by midnight. As the day progressed, however, the flights began to tighten up. I fly standby, so if other travelers are rebooked to my flight I get bumped.

Sitting in Kansas City, I could see everything was open to Salt Lake City. However, the Portland flight looked to be just out of reach. However, as I watched the board of availability at the gate for Portland, I sensed I’d make the flight. Twelve seats left. I listed at number four on the board. Turns out, I even scored an emergency exit row with an empty middle seat. By the time we arrived in Portland, Kansas City would be 2 am. Exhaustion hit hard!

I tried sleeping on the plane, and maybe I managed it for moments at a time, but plane sleeping isn’t my strength. Overall, both flights were great, and I silently cheered when my feet hit Portland International Airport.

Things to know for late check-ins:

1. Cars—Car rental places will often accommodate you if you let them know your flight number/arrival time. I checked the airport website, and it said rental car companies stay open two hours after closing if needed to accommodate delays.
2. Accommodations—My hotel said I had to be in by one am. I noted on my online reservation that my flight got in at midnight. When I arrived, the hotel had everything ready. I went to my room minutes after walking through the lobby doors. Even if I would have been a little after one, they’d have known I was on the way.

My last thing before I go…for those who have followed my recently painful journey toward healing, this is the first trip in nearly two years that gave me nothing but excitement. I felt ready to travel solo, and I planned activities that fill me with joy. In my next few blogs, I’ll share my adventures and offer my observations on traveling solo.

For now, I’m so happy to be resting in my hotel room thinking about the days I’ve had and preparing the things I will share with you!

***Note: This year I invested in a Capital One Venture X card. While it costs $495 yearly, I receive several perks. The biggest perk is a one time 100,000 points if you spend $10K in 6 months. That will cover an overseas trip. Additionally, you receive $400 yearly for travel expenses. Just as an fyi, my car rental was no cost to me because I used my travel money. In addition, I’m enrolled in Priority Pass. While I’ve mentioned it before, Priority Pass allows the card holder and two guests to rest in a variety of lounges worldwide. These lounges provide free food and drinks as well as more comfortable seating. Other lounges have showers and sleeping areas. If I use a lounge three times in a year, that and the $400 travel vouchers pay for the card. It’s totally worth it for me!