2023, books, Mysteries, Travel

Hurry Up and Wait

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My mother trained me well.  Get to the airport with PLENTY of time.  My travel career cemented this for me.  2 hours for a domestic flight, 3 hours for an international flight, 1½ hours for a connection – this is my general rule.  Too many variables, too many possibilities for things to go wrong (flights late, long lines for security, people behaving badly, etc.)   I will admit that I do make an exception for flying out of the Humphrey Terminal – usually just 1½ hours prior is OK for me. 

Last week as I was heading to Nashville it seemed as if every employee at Humphrey was in a hurry.  I stopped at a check-in kiosk to get a paper boarding pass (just in case) and when the attendant saw that I had my phone with an electronic pass, she tried to shoo me through (unsuccessfully).  At security, where you normally have to wait behind the line until it’s your turn, they were pushing folks up in line – like social distancing had never been a thing.  Then the TSA folks were practically putting your stuff into the plastic bins themselves.  They did still make everyone take their shoes off (except the man in front of me – not sure he could have stooped down to take them off anyway) but they were gung-ho in arranging your stuff and if it was too crowded, THEY were grabbing an extra bin to accommodate things.

Of course it meant we all got through check-in, security and TSA in record time.  In time to sit at the gate for 1½ hours!  Oh well, I had a good book. 

Tell me about your travel habits!

32 thoughts on “Hurry Up and Wait”

  1. The day before, get Pete’s oil changed and safety checked. Get cash at the bank. Check Mapquest. For a two day event, extra feed for The Birds. Leave home at 6 AM.

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  2. Flying: Always have a book, a Sudoku and pencil w/eraser, and a water bottle (empty till you get through the TSA).

    Driving: Add a cribbage board and favorite to-go cup. And have a small bag with overnight essentials so you don’t have to take the huge suitcase into a motel.

    Rail: Much more relaxed. Bring more books, and maybe drawing materials. You can access your luggage if you need to; wear comfy clothes. Bring paper/pen to dining car in case you meet someone you want to stay in contact with.

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  4. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    My “getting to the airline” gate habits are similar to yours, VS. Early is less stressful and leaves fewer things to go wrong. In December when we go to AZ for a long weekend to visit our kids there, I plan to wear a mask on the airplane just because I have often contracted various bugs on airplanes and why not just take that measure?

    Trips of any kind always include an audiobook, but these are especially enjoyable in the car. I get carsick in the car if I read a book, so these has become the answer.

    This winter, in February, we will go east by car to Savannah for two weeks where we will meet Lou’s cousin, then on our way home mosey up through Virginia to visit Monticello, Mount Vernon, Washington DC, and my childhood friend who is a retired army nurse. I am sure that trip will requite a library of audio books. By the time we return in early March we will be at risk for hitting snow, ice and rain. So maps and weather apps tracking weather will be loaded and ready. This will be Phoebe’s first trip with us, so the dog paraphernalia will probably take more space than our stuff.

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  5. I’m new to travel, so I’m just going to read all of your sage advice and learn from you!

    My friend and I are going to Ireland (with some other women) at the end of April. We’re going to have a planning meeting on Sunday, at which time we’re going to look for flights and possibly buy tickets. We want to have them all together. Colleen wants nonstop flights and she wants to leave from Rochester. I’m not sure that’s possible, but we’ll see.

    I’m new to international travel so I will probably lose sleep prior to departure, lose more sleep on the flight, lose more sleep once in Ireland, become constipated and dysfunctional, and have an amazing time! I am really scared of being on the plane. There are so many dangers – unruly people, COVID, crashes into the North Atlantic… I know I will have myself worked into a state. So why would an avowed, stay-at-home bookworm and introvert do this? Adventure! I need to try this. I hope you experienced travelers will help me. I’ll need to have an audiobook and something to work on with my hands for the flight. It will have to be small. I like to keep my hands occupied – it really helps me with anxiety.

    Someday I would really like to go out to Washington State on a train. I don’t even know how to do that. It’s something I feel I could do alone but if a friend wants to do it with me, that would be fun. I think that would be a great way to travel.

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    2. Amtrak Empire Builder goes from the Cities to Washington State. It goes through the northern tier of ND and Montana. We have done that and it was a lovely trip.

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        3. You cannot schedule the train to make a special stop for you, but there are all kinds of ways to “go this far, get off, poke around, and get back on the next time the train comes through that station. Go to Amtrak.com and look around. Lots of things are possible.

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  6. When we travel to Brookings, always in our van, we always bring goodies, home canned goods, home-made pesto, etc, so we have to pack a large cooler. Our flight behavior is similar to VS’s. Get there early and prepare for the worst.

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  7. Amtrak. There’s a station here in Holland, MI with a daily round trip to Chicago. From Chicago, the entire system is at your doorstep. I went to Virginia last week, starting here, and returned to be picked up in South Bend, IN. It really helps if you can sleep sitting up, because sleepers are pricey and very tiny. For that kind of money, I want a bigger room (and better food). BUT travel by Amtrak avoids airports, which is worth a lot. It also eliminates driving, which is worth a WHOLE LOT more.

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      1. I’ve done a fair amount of international travel. My advice is just stop after getting off any transportation. Stop. Look at the signage. Look again. Look twice more. If it doesn’t seem to help you toward where you want to go, turn right. Walk slowly. There will be a kiosk on the left with an English language speaker to assist.

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        2. Sleep as much as possible on the way to Ireland. Set your watch for the current time as soon as you land. Stay UP on the way home.

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        2. Yes. But you have to know ahead of time. You can’t just say “oh this looks pretty I’m getting off” and then getting on the next train. At least that was my experience when I went from St. Louis to Chicago and then to St. Louis years ago with YA.

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  8. i’m the worst responder on earth
    i answered this 4 different times but they didn’t get listed

    i’m going to prioritize this going forward
    love this blog

    thanks baboons

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    1. It happens to me too. All the time. My comment doesn’t get published but then I look the next day and there it is. WP is playing games with us.

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