Traveling to Alaska

Get ready, because it’s going to be a week of adventure! The first adventure began before I even left the house. My bags were packed last night. My outfit picked out for the next day. It should be an uneventful morning. We slept in and then I did the mostly normal morning routine things. Showered. Made a peanut butter banana smoothie. Woke up my son. One thing that isn’t always typical for me is drying my hair. Most days in the summer I air dry my hair, but today I’m going to be on a plane and wet cold hair and flying do not go together. I plug my hair dryer in and start the process. About 20 seconds into drying, I see a bright flash and hear a loud pop. Well, that can’t be good. My hair dryer is no longer working and upon closer examination it is literally fried. Luckily our breaker box did its job, and power was cut to most of the upstairs. I have no backup hair dryer, so I resort to using my straightener to get the job done. Not ideal, but it worked.

Our run to the airport was not an adventure. No traffic. Empty kiosks. Choice of bag drop person. No line at security. I like the lack of adventure at the airport. I enter the club and have a mimosa and snacks before my flight. It’s rare that I’m flying in the afternoon and can take advantage of the “free” alcohol. I have salad (hopefully that’s not a mistake), quinoa, and some cake then it’s time to go to the gate. The gate is packed!

United Airlines is not my favorite airline to put it lightly, but today it was the best option for this particular route. I hate when that happens. I’m flying to Anchorage where I will arrive late and then need to leave relatively early the next day. There will be no time for shopping if my luggage is lost. For this reason, I packed a carry-on bag with essentials in case my bag gets lost. I wait forever to board the plane because in my opinion United has the slowest boarding process. I don’t know this for a fact, but it certainly feels the most painful. I wait until Boarding Group 5 is called and come forward. The gate agent tells me I must check my carry-on. I ask if I can gate check it. She tells me it doesn’t work that way like gate checking is a completely foreign concept. WTH. I tell her my CPAP is in the bag, and she tells me to pull it out at the bottom of the ramp and gives me my tag for the roller bag. She tells me the cabin space if full. Ugh. Do you know what really grinds my gears? When I find my seat and the bin above the seats across from me are COMPLETELY empty. Liars.

We land in Chicago and I’m thankful to have landed roughly on time, but we aren’t moving when we land. We’re sitting there. It feels like a long time, and I look at the time. 30 minutes? They make an announcement about people having tight connection times and for those who aren’t connecting to wait. I feel bad for those people. We wait 30 more minutes, and those tight connection people have missed their flights. My normal connection is now in jeopardy. I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t have to wait for my gate checked bag. My feet step onto the terminal and muscle memory of at one point of my life running a marathon kicks in. Too bad that was ten years ago and my lungs are not remembering. I arrive to my gate while they are boarding group 4. Phew. I made it. But no time to stop for food.

I’m on the plane and excited to finish the movie that I was watching on the first flight. I’d tell you the name, but I don’t remember. I received a notification when I started the movie that I wouldn’t have time to finish it on the flight. It didn’t bother me because I can finish it on the next flight. I hate being wrong. This flight is equipped with the same seat-back TVs, but it is equipped with a completely different set of entertainment. The movies on this flight are newer and under normal conditions, I would be happy with this upgrade, but not when I’m emotional vested in the movie. Will they get back together? I may never know.

This particular flight is not a great one to miss the food stop. It’s a nearly seven-hour flight with one singular stroopwaffle offered. How come a six-hour flight to Iceland comes with a full dinner, alcohol, and breakfast, but a seven-hour flight gets nearly nothing because it’s domestic? I don’t know why I’m asking the question when I know the answer. The answer is that Europe has better airline regulations. United does have snack boxes you can buy. They make you think they have options, but in reality, no. Half the options are only available as a pre-order and they’re out of most of the buy-on-the-fly options. I buy one of the last snack boxes that is mostly filled with things I can’t eat. I do get some hummus and pita chips. Dinner of champions.

United Airlines

A long flight means that inevitably you need to use the facilities. I wait until there is a gap in usage. I walk to the back of the plane, and I’m surprised that both bathrooms show the green that generally means they are unoccupied. I thrush open the door and make eye contact with a panicked old lady. “Lock the door.” I want to scream, but instead “Oh, I’m so sorry” as a close the door as fast as I opened it. I carefully open the other door. It is actually unoccupied. As I do my business, I notice something strange. The sink carries a plastic bag filled with blue packets. I lift the bag and see the dreaded out of order sign. All these people using the restroom can’t wash their hands? I’m so glad I completely wiped down my area when I got onto the plane. I’m grossed out the rest of the flight. I’m in an aisle and several hands have touched my seat as they walk by. There is a 50/50 chance they used the bathroom with no sink.

We are about 30 minutes from landing, and I unglue my eyes from the TV. By the way, the movie and tv selection on this flight were great. I watched The Devil Wears Prada 2, Cold Storage, and a TV show about France. Something catches my eye out of the corner of my eye and I turn my head. WOW! The view is incredible. Snowcapped mountains. Glaciers. Pure beauty. All the hiccups of the day melt away as I appreciate the pure beauty of our planet from above. I stare out the window for the rest of the flight and soon enough we touch down in Anchorage, Alaska.

I’ve made it and so have my bags! I gather my stuff and find a place to work and wait. I have clients traveling today who had more of an adventure than me. A super delayed flight meant they needed to take new flights that weren’t ideal with a tight connection. They made it. Their bags did not. I called London from Alaska and rearranged their transfers. I also sent them all the details to help them get their bags in a timely fashion.

If you have read this far, here is a little treat for you. Tips on lost luggage. The first step comes when you pack. Ideally, lay all your items out before they go into the suitcase. Take a picture of everything. This will help in extreme situations when your bag is completely lost and you’re trying to get reimbursed for the contents of your bag. Next, take a picture of your filled suitcase. You should also have something unique on the bag to help separate it from the rest. A colorful luggage tag works. This picture helps airlines identify your bag when it is lost. Slip an AirTag into all bags as well. This can help you tell the airlines where your bag is when they tell you it’s lost. Issues typically arise when your flights change. If you fly on your normal itinerary, it’s unlikely to lose your luggage. If your bag does not arrive, the first step is to file a missing bag report with the airline. This needs to happen with the airline of your last flight. The second step is to read through your insurance policy. If you’ve booked with Travel Insured, they have a lost baggage service. You need to call the service within 24 hours of landing. This will feel unnecessary because the airline will have reassured you that your bag will be delivered in 24 hours. Call anyway. Next, call your insurance company to start your claim and ask about coverage. Many travel protection plans include “baggage delay.” Generally speaking, this means if your bag is delayed a certain amount of time, the insurance company may reimburse you for buying necessary items for your trip such as toiletries and clothing. There will be an amount listed and a max amount per item allowed. I recommend calling the insurance company to understand how much you can spend and what documents are needed to successfully file a claim. Travel protection is what turns a sour situation into a fun shopping spree!! Make sure to keep all receipts. Also, if more than one person in your household has lost luggage, you will likely need to give receipts by each person. Pay for things in separate transactions to help keep track of things better.

Crowne Plaza-Anchorage

Back in Alaska, I’m waiting for my friend to arrive. We are Distinctive Voyages hosts for the Celebrity Summit sailing departing from Seward. Actually, she is the host and I’m here for support. It’s way easier to be the support person! Follow me to learn more about Alaska.