Flights and Vegas Lessons

Looking crazy at Surrender Nightclub

Vegas was like my practice trip for travelling, simply because it was a much shorter vacation and I was going with someone who knew what they were doing. Here are some things I learned that may help me in July:

People are not very helpful at 7am. My younger sister Dominique and I went to pick up Danielle before heading to Vegas, and we decided to be helpful by watching her dog as she went inside to grab the last of her belongings. Well, we turned our backs—helpful, right?—and that tiny, scruffy monster disappeared. Turns out he had slipped through the fence onto the main road and was sniffing around the 7-eleven parking lot. We were calling him and calling him, trying to figure out where he had gone and feeling embarrassed that we might be waking people up, while at the same time being observed with mild interest by people sitting across the road on a bus bench. When we finally spotted him in the parking lot we couldn’t get through the fence. The bus bench people could have gotten him, and they certainly saw the whole thing. Thanks so much for simply watching the little dog in a parking lot instead of directing him back to safety or telling us where he went. As a result, I had to get my authority voice on and holler “ROSKO!” for the whole morning world to hear. At least he responded to that. I’ve made a note to be helpful or at least friendly on the way to Ireland, and I know this means I’ll need food regularly. That particular morning we didn’t have enough time for it. When going on trips, something always seems to come that puts breakfast even further off.

Eventually we got on our flight and I stumbled on an interesting trick for dealing with turbulence. The bumps were mild, but I barely even paid attention to landing because I was writing. I brought along a notebook to work on my novel and the level of concentration it takes to create a scene carried my mind elsewhere. On the way back I was too tired to write, so I learned another trick: doodling! I made a dumb little design on the back page of the notebook, and while this drew the attention of some bathroom-goers, I was too focused to care. It was plenty bumpy on the return, so I had to concentrate even more on keeping my hand steady. You would think, then, that drawing would be a less workable distraction, but I actually found it better. I often stop when writing to think about what’s next, which allows me to look around and be more aware of my surroundings. With doodling I was fully absorbed and calm.

Our flight flew from Bellingham, Washington (it is typically cheaper to fly from the United States than it is to fly from Canada). So after we drove across the border we stopped at an ATM to grab some American money. Guess whose card wouldn’t allow it? Once in Vegas, I went to use my credit card instead. It didn’t work either. I had alerted my bank via email that I was going to be in Los Vegas, but my credit card is often another matter. Even at the Eatery the week before it hadn’t worked. After a drunken Shania Twain concert, a wild nightclub/pool party at Surrender, and the crisp memory of Danielle running down the strip barefoot while the three of us attempted to grunt like Tim Allen, I tried my debit card again before we left. This time the message must have gotten through to the bank and I was able to draw out some money and pay Danielle back. So I learned that I need to get a new Visa credit card before we leave for Ireland. I have already alerted my bank regarding what dates I will be away, so that should be early enough this time. Looking further into banking, a friend recently suggested this website, which gives some information on accounts in Ireland. I should be able to apply from home for a bank account. The other option may be sharing a mutual account with Dale. However, we aren’t sure if SWAP could help us with this yet. What I do know is that taking money out of my current account while in Ireland would result in my dealing with a fee every time.

Danielle, who booked the hotel in Vegas online, had to confirm her credit card number when we arrived. Booking hostels has become another problem considering Dale’s credit card will also expire while we are gone. This means whoever buys the beds needs to have the same credit card when we arrive. We have a hostel for London in mind, so now we need to sort out our credit cards before the cost goes up or the hostel fills up. The higher price is what we get for travelling in the busy summer months.

I say London because we booked out flights nice and early to Heathrow.  I figured we should start with London because we are going to want to travel there at some point considering Dale has never been. With a little research I found a website that allows you to purchase a dual train and ferry ticket to Dublin, Ireland for approximately $60 Canadian. Weirdly enough, this flight was cheap without departing from the States. Danielle actually alerted me to the deal on Kayak back in January. Booking flights earlier often means better deals on the summer months, so we snagged our one-way tickets before Dale even had his VISA. Which he still doesn’t. Danielle found the flight through Kayak, but Kayak found it through airfare.com, where it cost us $714 Canadian each. That is with tax. If we’re lucky it will only cost us the same amount to travel home again, making our flights about $1400. Flights to Europe can be up in the $2000 range so I am happy with this arrangement.

Another thing I made note of in Vegas, apart from some tactics to get rid of irritating sellers and flyer-forcers, was that I may be in charge most of the time. I went along with everything for most of Vegas, which was quite nice. But Danielle won’t be around to find me flights, help with directions, or lend me money this time. I better get my shit in order!