March 11th, 2009
Well, I survived the initial leap. The flight to Orlando went off without a hitch. My lovely husband kindly dropped me at the curb at Des Moines International 2 hours prior to my flight and I was on my own. Considering it was a Wednesday afternoon and I was flying out on a discount carrier (Allegiant Air) on their only flight to Orlando that day, check in was a breeze!
After spending maybe 10 minutes in line and checking in, I was off to explore the airport. I was exploring for two reasons, 1-I haven't been to Des Moines' airport for years and 2-just for the purpose of movement, exercise, whatever . . . I just can't handle sitting around for two hours! Well, come to find out, Des Moines International can be walked from the furthest check in through all terminals in approximately 25 minutes, and this was just a notch up from a snail's pace. So, I walked it all again but this time took a few detours to check out the gift shops and such. I would say that airport gift shops have to be the ideal place to buy that corny gift that speaks to the place you're visiting . . . there were the "Corn Fed" t-shirts, cow pies, corn nuts, if it spoke to anything corny or stereotypical about the state of Iowa, they had it. And I loved it. You can hardly ever find such a plethora of fine giftage all in one place!
I have to hand it to Allegiant, they promptly start boarding half an hour before take-off and that paid off with no delays or issues. I selflessly gave up my window seat for a pre-teen little girl and her mom (because they were already there) and had a smooth flight. A short couple hours later and I arrived at Orlando Sanford airport. . . and was shocked to find another airport possibly smaller than Des Moines' airport in a much larger city. Of course, this isn't Orlando's primary airport and I did like coming in during the evening to an airport that wasn't swamped!
15 minutes after landing in Orlando I had my bags in hand and walked my first wonderful steps out into the balmy and breezy night.
It was after 9 o'clock by the time I got to our hotel and settled in so we headed down the street to Kobe, a Japanese steakhouse. My friend mentioned that she had never been to a restaurant like this so we had to try it out. To our amusement, we were seated at a table full of Japanese tourists. What a hoot! They were having a blast and we were having a good time watching them!! The food and the service were excellent by the way.
A great start to a wonderful trip!
Showing posts with label Travel Discussion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel Discussion. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Roughing It
I just saw this article in the TravelPod forums and loved it!! The author puts really good perspective and definition to roughing it and pushing our boundaries. http://www.travelpod.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4027
I like the idea. Especially as I look down the road and to potential solo trips, it would be good for me to start getting outside of my comfort zone and also simplifying things. My upcoming trip to Orlando is hardly what you might consider roughing it but I'm trying to think of some ways to scale back . . .
**Our suite has a kitchenette so we'll only likely be eating dinners out at local restaurants. Once we get there we'll be able to hit a local grocery store for lunch and snack items since the hotel does provide breakfast; we'll see what that amounts to!
**We've made the decision to rent a car (much more cost-effective than cabs and I've heard Orlando's public transportation isn't great). Now, while having a car handy is convenient this will definitely put us in a position to bust out a map, figure out the city and GO WITH THE FLOW.
**I do have one rule in place when I travel and that's that I won't visit any chain restaurant than I can have at home. This forces me to open up to new menus and I'm also hoping on this trip to get to some great local fare . . . thinking seafood, mmmm!
**Ok, well this might be a big one but I am going to totally trim down my cosmetics and toiletries!! Ahh, what can I chop out? Maybe one of the 3-4 creams/serums/moisturizers I slather on every day? Maybe the option of 4 interchangable eyeshadows? This one will be a challenge.
I like the idea. Especially as I look down the road and to potential solo trips, it would be good for me to start getting outside of my comfort zone and also simplifying things. My upcoming trip to Orlando is hardly what you might consider roughing it but I'm trying to think of some ways to scale back . . .
**Our suite has a kitchenette so we'll only likely be eating dinners out at local restaurants. Once we get there we'll be able to hit a local grocery store for lunch and snack items since the hotel does provide breakfast; we'll see what that amounts to!
**We've made the decision to rent a car (much more cost-effective than cabs and I've heard Orlando's public transportation isn't great). Now, while having a car handy is convenient this will definitely put us in a position to bust out a map, figure out the city and GO WITH THE FLOW.
**I do have one rule in place when I travel and that's that I won't visit any chain restaurant than I can have at home. This forces me to open up to new menus and I'm also hoping on this trip to get to some great local fare . . . thinking seafood, mmmm!
**Ok, well this might be a big one but I am going to totally trim down my cosmetics and toiletries!! Ahh, what can I chop out? Maybe one of the 3-4 creams/serums/moisturizers I slather on every day? Maybe the option of 4 interchangable eyeshadows? This one will be a challenge.
Travel Books
An unseasonably warm winter afternoon coaxed my son and I out of the house and to our local Barnes & Noble store (to read up on blogging, yikes, the 11-year-old wants his own blog like mom!). While he's in the teen section to find some info geared for his age I, of course, head straight to the travel section. I'm incredibly disappointed with what's available for my upcoming trip but then remind myself that I'm going to Orlando to relax, soak up some sun and have a hell of a good time with my girlfriend! I am reminded that Orlando's identity is centered around the one and only Walt Disney!! Well, at least I know there's a plethora of information out there for when I plan a family trip to International Drive. I picked up a book "The Other Orlando" thinking, awesome, tell me something different than about the over-the-top theme parks . . .well, guess what, it was pretty much about the other parks that are not Disney!!! Good grief!
So, this got me thinking of some of my favorite travel guides, essays and books but also curious about what others read either to plan a trip or while you're on the road.
**I must say that I am a HUGE Bill Bryson fan. I've yet to make it through any one chapter of any of his books I've picked up without cracking up at least once.
**Falcon Guides puts out some good hiking guide books, even for Iowa, which is a quite a find since we're not really a typical "hiking" state.
**"Solo Traveler" is also a great book that I've found helpful in looking at pretty much any aspect of traveling alone.
**In general I never leave for a trip without at least two novels in tow and preferably one of them somewhat related to where I'm traveling, either the setting or the author (i.e. last summer in the Outer Banks I read Nights in Rodanthe, rather fitting I thought)
So, what are your favorites?
So, this got me thinking of some of my favorite travel guides, essays and books but also curious about what others read either to plan a trip or while you're on the road.
**I must say that I am a HUGE Bill Bryson fan. I've yet to make it through any one chapter of any of his books I've picked up without cracking up at least once.
**Falcon Guides puts out some good hiking guide books, even for Iowa, which is a quite a find since we're not really a typical "hiking" state.
**"Solo Traveler" is also a great book that I've found helpful in looking at pretty much any aspect of traveling alone.
**In general I never leave for a trip without at least two novels in tow and preferably one of them somewhat related to where I'm traveling, either the setting or the author (i.e. last summer in the Outer Banks I read Nights in Rodanthe, rather fitting I thought)
So, what are your favorites?
Random Roamings
Random Roamings . . . a discovery quest of everything beyond my front door.
I love to travel . . . all of it, every single bit! From planning, to packing, to hitting the road. There are invaribly those moments along the way that give me pause to reflect, appreciate and sometimes just laugh (or cry). But here's the skinny, I'm in my early 30's. I have a young son in 5th grade. I have a decent job but I'm not rolling in the dough and I don't yet have the luxury to pick up and head off whenever I like.
Yet, I still yearn to get out and see the world. And this is my outlet, my motivation, to get outside of my routine and forget about my comfort zone and be creative with my resources and see the world, even if it starts down the road or across the country. I truly believe there are beautiful moments everywhere!
I love to travel . . . all of it, every single bit! From planning, to packing, to hitting the road. There are invaribly those moments along the way that give me pause to reflect, appreciate and sometimes just laugh (or cry). But here's the skinny, I'm in my early 30's. I have a young son in 5th grade. I have a decent job but I'm not rolling in the dough and I don't yet have the luxury to pick up and head off whenever I like.
Yet, I still yearn to get out and see the world. And this is my outlet, my motivation, to get outside of my routine and forget about my comfort zone and be creative with my resources and see the world, even if it starts down the road or across the country. I truly believe there are beautiful moments everywhere!
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