2024, Mysteries, Nature, Travel

Getting From Here to There

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It’s never a great sign when they close the plane doors, the walkway pulls back and then the plane just sits.  When I was headed to St. Louis it was pretty cold here.  Pilot came online to let us know that we had to get in line for de-icing.  I’m still not sure why we sat for an additional 45 minutes before we headed over to de-icing.  Then after de-icing, we also waited another 15 minutes before heading to the runway for take off. 

Not the end of the world… it was a direct flight so no anxiety about missing a connection and I had a good book.

On my return trip it was really cold and a lot of flights out of St. Louis were cancelled.  I’d checked all the flights to Minneapolis (my direct flight and all the connectors) and while most of the connectors were cancelled, my flight was still showing on time.  The plane wasn’t towed to the gate on time then a water hose was frozen.  They made us de-plane at that point for about an hour.  Then they put up back but we still sat.  Apparently hose was in running order but the computer had to be alerted that the maintenance was finished.  Then it turned out the plane had been put “out of service” and only somebody in Houston could correct that.   When we were finally all unlocked the pilot came online again to tell us that unfortunately due to the extremely cold weather, the drinks pod had sat outside too long and all the various pops and juices were frozen; they’d made the executive decision to forego beverage service so we wouldn’t have to delay longer.

There were audible groans heard throughout the plane at that point.  Me?  I laughed out loud. 

What do you consider a necessity when you travel?

34 thoughts on “Getting From Here to There”

  1. I am having trouble sending emails from here to VS as they are returned as undeliverable. I will have a post ready for you, VS, by early afternoon that tou can put up tomorrow. Is something wrong with your email system?

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      1. My email is working just fine. But I am not completely over my cough yet and have been using that as an excuse to not communicate well with anybody in the outside world. Apologies. Jacque I’ve gotten all your emails. Renee — I have not gotten anything from you.

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        1. Microsoft is having issues with Hotmail, live MSN, and outlook. Microsoft has an open ticket on this and is trying to fix it. There is a post up for you, by the way.

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  3. Money, ID, insurance cards, phone. I have this irrational fear of either getting into some sort of emergency and needing to call 911, or keeling over from a heart attack and wanting the authorities to be able to contact my wife.

    Other than that, on driving trips, I like to take my pillow. Most pillows in hotels or guest rooms are too soft for me. I almost always take reading material too–usually a book, but sometimes magazines.

    Chris in Owatonna

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    1. When I packed for my St. Louis trip, I had three books in a pile next to my bag. At the last minute I added a fourth. I always do this; I completely overestimate how much I will read when I am with other people. Except for both flights I read nothing in St. Louis.

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  5. Rise and HIt the Road, Baboons,

    I have found myself less motivated to travel via air these days because the conditions are uncomfortable. Now with bolts falling off various parts of planes I am just that much more reluctant. The first air trip in a year was the one in December to Phoenix. It was crowded and we got sick afterwards despite wearing masks. So for air travel now I carry a mask, extra water (I have seen other trips with no beverage service), a snack, and a change of clothes in my carry on luggage if I check a bag.

    This summer we are considering a road trip somewhere–maybe Yellowstone. And in the autumn we are hoping to travel to Nashville with our grandson who is a musician.

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      1. And to be perfectly clear, the flights themselves were just fine. Calm and smooth, and quick. It was just the waiting for the flights that was a pain in the patoot

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  6. I guess I’m about to find out.

    Some things that I have already deemed necessary, and that have been set aside for packing are ID, passport, a flat, light-weight RFID bag to wear under my clothing for phone, credit cards, ID, and passport; British-style outlet adapters; pajamas, socks and undies; and a packable rain jacket. Also a new pair of Birks for long days on my feet.

    The news stories about Boeing jets are really unnerving for someone who has never traveled overseas.

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    2. I’m here…. Not sure why your emails are bouncing. Sorry I wasn’t on the trail much this morning. I’m all caught up in a book that I’m not even enjoying all that much but I’m dying to know how it ends.

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  10. Charger cords and I pack a lightweight extension cord too.
    I pack flavor packets for water since it always tastes bad unless i buy a water bottle somewhere.

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  11. We were planning a 3-day drive to Florida starting on January 6, but husband ended up in the hospital over Christmas with RSV and pneumonia. I called 911 on the Friday before Christmas when he was disoriented and his blood oxygen reading was 73%! They took him away in an ambulance and I followed in the car. We spent the day in the ER, mostly waiting for a room to become available, and he was finally admitted about 4:30 p.m. after leaving home at 6:00 a.m. He was in the hospital until 2 days after Christmas and sent home with a huge oxygen concentrator and a portable tank with 3 cylinders if he had to leave home. So, that’s why we didn’t travel to Florida on 1/6. Instead, now that he is doing well, off supplemental oxygen, and with medical approval, we will fly to FL next Wednesday. Our grandson picked up our car and dog yesterday and is driving down as I type. I spent an inordinate number of hours on Monday and Tuesday packing the car like a Jenga game to get all the stuff I had planned to bring down to the 1973 mobile home we have in Tarpon Springs but keeping out the things we would need to use in the week before we leave. I think we will have just one carry-on between us. We are not experienced or confident travelers/flyers, especially my fairly high-anxiety husband. He likes to travel light, with as little as possible to keep track of. I like to get to the airport with an abundance of time to get through security, locate the gate, etc. Once I’m sitting at the gate with a book, I’m good until I get to the other end and have navigated the airport to whatever mode is in place to get me away from the airport. What was the question?

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    2. I am my mother’s daughter… getting to the airport way too soon is in my genes. Most of the time it means I have a lot of time to read in the gate area. On my flight to St. Louis, the TSA line was the longest I’ve seen in years. People all around me were losing their minds… but I still had time to read when I finally got through.

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    4. OC, you have my sympathy. Personally I can no longer consider travel by air. Any length of time on a plane, with four toilets to serve in excess of 300 passengers, is simply too long.

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  12. YA is having travel struggles right now. Her flight from Albuquerque to Dallas is delayed four hours… in fact that flight gets to Dallas AFTER her connecting flight would have gotten her home. Looks like she will be overnighting there and coming home tomorrow.

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  14. i was surprised that for a week long trip to florida i required an overhead carryon and a back pack full of electronics and paper stuff

    i like to travel light and was better at it when i traveled 40% of the year

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