Mrs. ItchyFeet When I made my reservation for flights back to the States six full months ago, I planned on a three-hour layover in Dallas, TX, USA. That would allow me enough time to depart the plane, collect my luggage from baggage claim, go through customs, recheck my bags, head from the international terminal all the way to domestic (DFW is massive!), maybe get some dinner, and finally make my flight. Three hours is a decent amount of time.
WTF!?!
Then (a month later) my airline sent me an email alert that my layover had changed to two hours, I figured I could still make it… even if rushed. No worries. Fast forward to two weeks before the flight. I get a lovely email enticing me to log in and pay to upgrade my seat. ¿Cuanto cuesta? How much will this wonderful upgrade cost me? Upon logging in, I immediately see an alert that my layover is too short.
I totally agree! Two hours is a short layover for an inbound international flight! Alas, no. There was another change. Surprisingly, they again reduced the layover to just 14 minutes, without any prior notice. They close the airplane doors 15 minutes before departure. This leaves me with negative one minute to arrive from my international flight, collect my luggage, go through customs, recheck my luggage, and make it to my onward domestic flight. It’s simply not possible! WTF?!?
Here’s the dilemma. If I do nothing, I will miss my connecting flight, and the airline will be obligated to provide me with hotel and food accommodations until my subsequent flight the following day, all at no cost. But… but… but… what if the connecting flight is full? Then what? I’m left in limbo. And who knows where or when my luggage will arrive? I don’t want to waste a whole day driving from Moab back to Colorado to retrieve wayward luggage. My parents are driving several hours to pick me up at my hotel in Colorado, so I have to know when I will be there. Naturally, I’ll cancel that hotel reservation in Colorado since I’m certain I won’t be able to make it.
Isn’t the customer always right?
After texting back and forth and finally calling the airline, they put me on the next flight out the following day. No free hotel. No free meals. Not even an upgrade or free checked luggage or even offering the bare minimum of a seat selection. Apparently, it’s totally normal for airlines to change your flight without notification… well… USA flights. You can’t do that in Europe. They have consumer protections against that kind of behavior. Sigh.
Surprisingly, my hotel in Dallas is more affordable than the one in Colorado! It’s practically inside the airport, with a complimentary shuttle service, eliminating the need for a taxi. Moreover, I can utilize my points from my fancy travel credit card to further reduce my expenses. Unfortunately, the restaurants in the hotel are very expensive, and received only mediocre reviews. I’ll have to order takeout, but that’s doable. On a positive note, my flight departs the following day at 10 am, allowing me to enjoy a leisurely sleep before my journey. Now, to pack!
Packing is the absolute worst! I hates it. The challenging aspect is that each airline imposes its own weight restrictions for baggage. For each flight, I must visit the specific airline’s website to check the weight of my bags. These restrictions can vary depending on whether it’s an international or domestic flight. I was always going to have to collect my bags upon arrival at the US customs, but they rarely weigh them twice. With the new flight schedule, it feels like I’m taking two entirely separate flights. Fortunately, I carry a luggage scale!
Don’t make me carry this
So I’ve got a lot of stuff because it is practically everything I own. I’m staying at the top of a hill and it just rained during the rainy season here in Sámara, Costa Rica. It’s 8am and the driver of my private shuttle to the airport can’t get his van up the dirt road to my front door! It’s too muddy. Crap! Luckily, my apartment manager was there helping me with checkout, so she could chat with the driver while I was dealing with my luggage and agreed he would meet up at the bottom of the hill.
Guess I’m lugging all this heavy luggage down all those stairs. Being on a hill makes for amazing views of the ocean (I saw whales from my balcony!), but it’s a lot of stairs. And they are slippery. My apartment manager was so nice to help me out! We made it, but I’m going to be hurting tomorrow!
The drive to the airport in Liberia is just a couple of hours away, but traffic can be horrible as there is only one major road. The drive is really pretty, and we got to the airport in no time at all. I planned on getting to the airport four hours early, just in case. You do not want to be late! Liberia has a very nice airport with a lovely lounge. Lots of food options and people to chat with. Is it too early for wine? Never!
Easy peasy
The flight to Dallas was quick and uneventful. I picked up my luggage and headed through the line for Global Entry. It took like five minutes. Well worth the cost. That’s where it got tricky. After customs, they were taking bags for onward travel. If I give them my bag now, I don’t have to haul that heavy thing to the hotel. Do I need anything in there for tonight? I have my swimsuit and change of clothes in my carry-on. What about toothpaste and toothbrush and anything else!?! And where does my bag sit overnight? Is it secure?
After much questioning, my tired brain finally just handed over my bag and hoped for the best. What could go wrong? I had a bit of a problem finding the shuttle stop for the hotel, as that airport is freakishly massive. Finally figured it out and five minutes later, I was checking into the hotel. What a gorgeous establishment! Those last-minute deals, combined with my credit card points, really got me a nice place here.
I was fully prepared to order from some delivery service for food, but I ate too much at the lounge and on the plane. With no need to eat, I headed immediately to the pool! Oh, swimming pool! How I missed you! I swam in the ocean loads in Sámara, but it was always a constant battle with the heavy surf. Swimming pools are so nice for relaxing after a long day of travel. I could get used to this. I’m pretty sure that is why I hardly ever stay in a fancy hotel. It’s hard to go back once you’ve experienced the expensive life.
More travel
The next day was filled with another shuttle, more airports, and more travel. My parents picked me up in Grand Junction and lent me a car to drive to Moab, Utah. That drive is absolutely gorgeous for entirely different reasons than the drive in Costa Rica. I traded lush tropical rainforest for magnificent desert vistas. What a dramatic change in scenery! I went from 90% humidity to 30%! My nostrils hurt!
I had a fabulous time with family in Moab. You should check out those stories. It was so nice of my parents to lend me a car for the week. It helped tremendously. I only have one fun story from my travels to Seattle, WA. Somehow, while packing up the kitchen in my shared Moab lodge, my masarepa flour (that I used for morning arepas) ended up stashed in my Yeti cup in my carry-on. I had planned on giving it to my parents for them to use.
Do you know what TSA does not like enclosed in a metal container in your carry-on!?! White powder. All I could do was laugh and say sorry as the TSA agent swabbed it down for explosives. None found. The Grand Junction airport is extremely small and there was thankfully nobody behind me, so I didn’t feel too bad holding up the nonexistent line. Sorry, TSA! Next time, I will leave the flour at home. It’s an adventure!
