A Last-Minute Switch

Having to rebook a flight for factors outside of your control is never fun, especially under circumstances where you're competing with your fellow travelers for open spots on alternate flights.

I'm writing this from the airport, having just rebooked my flights to Palm Beach and, luckily, waiting for my new flight which will still get me there tonight. But that's my happy ending. Let's back up to the beginning.

I time my airport arrival with the precision of a drill sergeant. I know exactly how early I need to depart my home or office based on airport, time of day, weather, and whether or not I am checking bags. Today was no different - I was on track to arrive at my gate, water bottle in hand, just in time to board. The metro even cooperated and delivered me on time. So imagine my disappointment as, right as I walked into the airport, I received a text message notifying me that my first flight was delayed by over an hour - a delay that would cause me to miss my connection on the last flight of the evening to Palm Beach.

Immediately, I dialed United's customer service line and started walking to the ticket counter. I never settle for one option for help when I have multiple at my disposal. Surprisingly, there was no line at the United counter. With a smile on my face I slowly and clearly explained my situation and asked to be rebooked on another flight. The gate agent wasn't aware of a delay, but she was happy to help, confirming my dilemma and researching alternatives. As she worked, I thanked her, explained that I was willing to depart from another airport in the area, and resisted all urges to check my phone, keeping my focus on her. I was rewarded with a direct flight from the same airport on a competing airline.

There are a few reasons I was able to get rebooked so easily, and luck and status are barely relevant:

1. I knew about the delay before many of my fellow passengers. Text message alerts are annoying and can be expensive when you travel abroad (I turn them off when I travel internationally), but I often receive alerts about flight delays and cancellations before an airline's app, website, and terminal displays have been updated.
2. I acted quickly. The flight I was rebooked on was the only option to get me to PBI tonight and it had very few available seats - as I received my confirmation I overheard two other travelers with my same itinerary trying to get rebooked. I hope there was space for them.
3. I presented the gate agent with a problem and a solution. If you tell someone how they can solve a problem, they're able to do it a lot more quickly.
4. I was calm, composed, and nice. People seem to forget that not only are gate agents people, they aren't their therapists. I've been stranded in some pretty awful places, stressed to the gills and wanting nothing more than to lose my cool, but I kept it together. If a gate agent has to spend time calming you down, that wastes time they could spend doing their job and getting you on another flight - and during that time other travelers could take the last seats on a flight you could have been on. Additionally, the more pleasant you are, the more a gate agent will want to help, which can make the difference between being told "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do" and getting their boss to help with a creative solution.

Is there anything I missed?

Gouda

In early December I traveled to The Netherlands for a week and stayed in Gouda, a very small city about an hour by train from Amsterdam.  There isn't much in the way of sightseeing there, but there is a beautiful Gothic 15th century city hall.

I had a few good meals while I was there and had a couple of opportunities to try Gouda's famed cheese soup.

Restaurant Heinde & Ver
I had a really good veal chop here, but the menu was a touch pricey for what it was.  It usually annoys me when restaurants charge for bread, but in this case it came with a lot of delicious spreads and a tiny serving of cheese soup.  They presented the check in a green wooden clog, which was a cute way to end the meal.

L'Angolo Divino
The Mediterranean sea bass was delicious, as were the sides it was served with.  My coworkers got pastas, which they really enjoyed.  The food was worth putting up with the service, which was decidedly unfriendly.

Koeien en Kaas
This restaurant came recommended by a coworker and with a name that translates to "steak and cheese" I knew I'd enjoy the meal.  Everyone ordered the same thing - cheese soup to start and the "daddy steak."  The cheese soup was incredible and the steak was cooked to perfection.  While not inexpensive, I thought the food was reasonably priced.

When I left, I flew out of the Rotterdam airport, which was surprisingly nice.  Geared at business travelers, the entire airport is styled like a sleek, modern hotel lobby.  There's unlimited free wifi, plenty of comfortable seating areas, and lots of places to charge your laptop.  If you have a chance to fly though here, I recommend it.

Here We Go Again

For the past two months I was operating under the assumption that I wouldn't be traveling for work again until mid-February. For the first few weeks I relished the thought of staying home and taking time to finally finish decorating my condo, pull donations for the Junior League rummage sale, and generally tackle my constantly growing to-do list. Then I realized how bored I would get and booked back-to-back weekends out of town with friends.

So, of course, first thing Tuesday morning my boss let me know that I need to be in Dusseldorf right in the middle of those weekends for a three day training. I get one more weekend at home (spent squeezing in last-minute hotel stays to keep my status), then my schedule becomes:

Fri-Mon: Palm Beach

Tues-Sat: Dusseldorf

Sat-Sun: NYC

Nothing like a whirlwind travel week to kick off a busy year!

MY #1 Travel Must-Have

My absolute must have travel item isn't actually an item.  It's a service.  I have a lot of good gear that I  recommend, but the thing that saves my sanity, trip after trip, is Global Entry.  Frequent travelers can feel free to ignore the rest of this post - you already have Global Entry and PreCheck and know how wonderful it is.  It's occasional, recreational travelers that need to read this.

Global Entry allows you to bypass the customs desk and use a kiosk to re-enter the country.  On a large flight this can add up to over an hour of time saved going through customs!  As part of the program, travelers with Global Entry also receive TSA PreCheck, which saves you time going through airport security.  Even in airports with short security lines I find it nice not to have to remove my shoes or take out my laptop and liquids.

Global Entry costs $100 for 5 years.  I signed up long before I traveled for business, figuring I could derive $20 of value from the program each year pretty easily.  These days, it's invaluable to me.  After years of watching me fly through security, my sister, who flies 3-4 times a year, just signed up as well.  I think this program is a good fit for anyone planning on going through large customs areas at busy airports at least twice a year and/or flying domestically at least 4 times a year during peak times at busy airports.

Lovely Lyon

Fontaine Bartholdi

Last month I had the good fortune of traveling to Lyon for work.  My French-speaking coworkers functioned as my interpreters during the week, but the weekend I arrived I was on my own.  I'm embarrassed to say I returned without any noticeable improvement in my French, but I ate incredibly well and got to experience Fete des Lumieres.

Below is my experience and lessons I learned.

Book early.  During Fete des Lumieres Lyon's population triples, making it nearly impossible to get restaurant and hotel reservations if you don't book far in advance.  By the time I booked my trip there were no hotel vacancies, so I stayed at my first ever AirBnB for the weekend.  The location couldn't have been better, the price was much more reasonable than that of a hotel room, and this allowed me to cook dinner the first night I was there.  For these reasons, I recommend you consider renting an apartment over a hotel room.

Eat everything.  I got in mid-day Saturday and immediately went to Les Halles de Lyon for lunch and to pick up ingredients to make myself dinner.  Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of the world and Les Halles is said to be where the top chefs in Lyon go to stock up on premium ingredients.  It has the most impressive assortment of food I've ever seen - I wanted to try everything, but settled for oysters on the half shell and sea urchin for lunch and a foie gras and fig terrine and escargot for dinner.  I'm still quite proud of myself for cooking the escargot properly.

Dinner. I need to work on my food photography skills.

Plan your nights around Fete des Lumieres. After dinner I set out to see Fete des Lumieres.  The origin of the festival was when the plague struck Lyon in 1643.  The town councillors promised to pay tribute to the Virgin Mary if the town was spared.  Luckily, Lyon was spared and a tradition of lighting candles and giving offerings in the name of Mary (Marie) on December 8 was born.  These days, the city puts on an impressive array of light shows and art installations for three days to celebrate.

These displays are all over the city, so comfortable shoes are a must.  It's also worth noting that many major streets are closed to vehicles, so the only ways to get anywhere at night are the metro and walking.  The city distributes maps of all of the attractions and recommends routes for people to take, making it relatively easy to see everything.  I am a bit crowd-averse and found only the Place de Terreaux to be overwhelmingly crowded.

Check out local landmarks during the day.  On Sunday I did some sightseeing and got a chance to see the beautiful Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere, Vieux Lyon, the Roman Ruins, Cathedral St. Jean Baptiste, Place Bellecour, and Croux-Rousse.  I walked everywhere, which was about 7 miles spread out over the day.  If that seems like too much, all of these areas are easily accessible by Lyon's metro system, which I found to be quite reliable.

Clockwise from top left: front of Notre Dame upper sanctuary, back of Notre Dame upper sanctuary, looking out over Vieux Lyon, Cathedral St. Jean.

Learn basic French before you go.  France is not a country where everyone speaks, or wants to speak, English.  When I arrived in Lyon I knew about 5 words in French and had to rely on google translate wherever I went, which might have been ok if my pronunciation wasn't horrible.  Next time I'll make sure to master some basic phrases to help me get around.

Overindulgence is part of the deal.  Monday I started work and quickly learned that my American metabolism wasn't ready to handle French meals.  Every lunch was a sandwich and a massive pastry.  Dinners were three course affairs accompanied by good wine.  Between all of this food and the lack of a gym in the hotel I must have gained 5 lbs over the course of the week.  I'd happily do it again.

I loved my time in Lyon, despite the language barrier, and can't wait to return.  If you have recommendations for next time I'd love to hear them!

Welcome

Five months ago I had a stereotypical cubicle-dwelling job which was short on excitement and long on vacation days.  Now I have a job that keeps me on the road about 50% of the time and a schedule that makes it hard to take time off.  The one thing that hasn't changed is my desire to explore new places - whether it's a local landmark after a long day of work or a weekend in a far-flung city.

Some people think my life consists of jet-setting to global metropolises but the truth is a bit less glamorous.  It's a crazy life I'm living - welcome to the madness.