For the month of April I am participating in the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. For more information on the challenge and its creator:
My theme this year is Keep Moving Forward
Today’s Letter is: M- Moving Forward
It seems like such a simple phrase yet so many people find it so hard to do.
This weekend I traveled from Philadelphia to Las Vegas to attend and to also speak at one of my favorite conferences, BAM. It is a conference for midlife, women bloggers. This was the second year and it was fabulous!
Getting anywhere seems to be getting more and more difficult. Blogger and friend Barbara
Hammond { http://www.zeroto60andbeyond.com/} was my traveling companion. We left for the airport at 5:30 am. It didn’t much matter that it was pre-dawn, we were so excited. We breezed through security with TSA pre-check clearance and then boarded early because we purchased priority boarding. (Not so sure it was worth it.)
Much to our surprise our nonstop flight to Vegas made a pit stop in Phoenix. We were not happy about getting off the plane and taking our carry-on bags with us. One thing after another frustrated us but two hours later, we were back in the air and on our way to Vegas. Our forward motion took a side trip.
We spent almost two hours on the phone with an airline representative trying to make sure that our red-eye flight from Vegas to Philly was not going to make that same side trip. We were planning to sleep all the way home.
The young woman believed and had asked several colleagues and they all agreed, we were going straight to Philly.
It is so difficult to remain positive and to go with the flow when the unexpected happens while travelling. It feels like our hands and feet are tied. We cannot complain these days. We take the chance of being thrown off the plane and arrested.
I really miss the old days of travelling forward. Those days the airline employees truly cared about their customers. We were given delicious meals with real silverware, real glasses and real smiles.
Today we are throwing away shoes and our least favorite clothes so we can fit all the swag from the conference in our one carry on and one tote.
It wouldn’t be so bad if this felt like progress, if it felt like moving forward. Instead it feels like we are going further and further backwards.
How do you handle air travel frustrations?
I am so happy to be part of A.J’s team…
2 thoughts on “Moving Forward…”
I think sharing this ridiculous fiasco on social media and our blogs is a good way to shine a light on it. That post is in my queue as well! All the agg aside, it was one of the most amazing and enlightening experiences I’ve had since I started blogging over six years ago. “Oh, the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet!” to quote Dr. Seuss!
It was a pleasure sharing this experience with you, Doreen!!
xob
Travel have become such a chore. Getting there used to be part of the fun, the memories. So depressing what it has become. You made it bearable, I had so much fun traveling and rooming with you!