Yay miles! Now I just have to fly...

[thistlechaser]

My credit card miles finally came through, so I was able to book my flight to see my mother. Round trip, California to Maine, ended up costing me $11. $11. Round trip flight across the country. How amazing is that?

The dates I had to pick weren't 100% perfect. I'll only be there five full days there, not counting two travel days, she wanted me to visit at least seven, but on thinking about it, I think shorter is probably better. I've not gone on a flying-away vacation in 20 years, and only one 'leaving home but not flying' vacation in that time. I'm already stressing out endlessly, and it's almost two months away. :P

What if I hit horrible traffic on the way to the airport and miss my flight? What if I read my ticket wrong and end up there on the wrong day/time? What if I pack something I shouldn't? What if my luggage gets lost? What if my apartment burns down while I'm gone? What if I get sick before I go? What if I get sick on the plane? Endless stupid 'what if' questions.

Amusingly, the only thing I'm not worried about is the flying itself -- I'm not worried the plane will crash or something like that.

Even though I get a free checked bag with my mileage card, I'm thinking I might be able to pack so light that I can just take a carry-on bag. That'd rock, I think.

It's going to be hard being totally offline for a week. I'm online nearly every waking moment, other than when I'm driving. The thought of being without a computer for a week is already making me twitchy. :P (Yeah, I have a smartphone, but it's not new and the screen is very small, so it's hard for doing online stuff.)

Though the first year is free, the mileage card is $90 per year after that. I was thinking I was going to cancel it after the first year, but now I'm thinking not. If I can get enough miles for a free trip like this, the $90 fee is still worth it. (It'll just be much, much harder to earn a free trip after this first one. Just opening the card gave me nearly enough points for the trip, I only had to make one big purchase to cover the rest. From here on out, it's going to be all purchase-based.)

Comments

[ashmedai.livejournal.com]

I'm sure everything will go smoothly! Me, I'd be a nervous wreck about flying itself since I'm so awfully phobic I can't even board a plane anymore without a panic attack. And then no internet for a week...? No way! That is a great deal you got with the points, though!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Luckily I'm okay with flying (once I'm on the plane and through all the hoops and such). But the week of no net is going to be rough...

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Sounds exciting! I always end up getting to the airport really early because I am paranoid about missing the flight. One of my favorite parts about traveling though, is exploring different airports. Kidlet's favorite part is eating expensive airport food. :P

Are you flying out of San Francisco? The security lines there look like the lines for a roller coaster at Disneyland. Give yourself plenty of time!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think I'm going to get there really early, just to be safe. Worse comes to worst, I can explore an interesting airport!

Eek, yes, going out of SFO. I looked into one of those TSA cards, but it's nearly a $100 fee to get one, so I had to pass.

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

TSA card is not really worth it, especially if you are not going to be doing a lot of flying.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly. If I had to fly lots for work, then I might.

How early do you usually plan to get there? Two hours? Three?

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Two hours should be plenty. They start boarding the plane 30 minutes before the departure time, so that still gives you one and a half hours to go through security and walk to where you need to go. If you are flying on a weekend though, you might want to get there a little earlier because the lines will be longer.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Wednesday late morning is the flight, which means we'll be driving up in rush hour traffic. I'm hoping a weekday will be slightly less crazy than a weekend, but the drive worries me.

Man, maybe I'll just go the night before and sleep there to be safe! :P

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

They do have wifi and cafes, but the seats are rather uncomfortable for sleeping! XD

One time my brother in law dropped us off on his way to work, way too early for our flight. We spent almost 3 hours waiting around. SFO is really, really, boring.

Now Seattle airport, I could happily spend a few hours in. They have a great food court, cool shops, and a nice sitting area where you can watch the airplanes.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Surprising to hear that SFO is boring! I'm googling now to see what rush hour will be like. While my flight is 11 AM, leaving 3ish hours early puts me smack dab into rush hour...

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Maybe it was just the section we were in. I like to get the security line over and done with first, so do not spend too much time at the area that is open to the public.

I am sure it will be fine. Husband has a friend in Maine and wants to go visit sometime, but the tickets are around $500 per person without those points. You got a really good deal.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Hope you're able to go soon, too!

And yes, got such a good deal. I'm really happy about that!

[kamalloy.livejournal.com]

I get really nervous before flying, too, and I usually fly places about three or four times per year. (Which actually works out to twice that number of flights most of the time since I'll usually fly both ways.) I'll generally calm down a bit after getting through security, and then calm down even more once we actually board the plane.

And ooh, Maine. I've only been a few times, but I really like it there. ^^

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think that's how it's going to go for me: Each step of the way, I'll calm down a little more. So right now I feel like I have knots in my stomach, cause everything's ahead of me still!

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

I put EVERYTHING on my credit card and then pay it off every month. For rewards points purposes. Usually I get a home depot card at the end of the year and continue my slow and patient fixing of all the things that were fucked up because I bought a foreclosure. I do not know if this would work for you!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

YES! That's exactly what I do too! I hate dealing with cash, so now I just put everything on this new card.

Oddly they only send out a bill once every three months, which is highly funky. I have no idea if there are fees beyond the first month (I suspect so), so I wish they'd bill monthly...

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's fantastic!

I usually leave for the airport excessively early because of anxiety about missing my flight. I would rather get there two hours early and have a coffee or three than be late!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

That's exactly my feeling. I'd rather be bored at the airport for a couple hours, than stressed out and pulling my hair out in worry that I'll miss my flight.