So, here I sit. I’ve
been home now about 10 days and I’m just getting over the cold I picked up in
Florida. I had such a great time in
Florida and made so many new acquaintances.
I even picked up several followers on Instagram. I enjoyed taking the camera and going out to
a new adventure every day for three weeks, and I find myself missing it.
So, I started thinking.
Of all the places I visited in Florida, the ones I had the most fun and
enjoyment at were Disney Animal Kingdom and Gatorland, which I went to
twice. I loved the Kennedy Space Center,
but in a different way. The more I
thought about it, the more I wanted to do it again. Not go back to Florida but go somewhere I
could photograph a wide and varied assortment of animal species.
Where better to do that than the world-famous San Diego
Zoo. It’s rated as one of the top zoos
in the world. In order to photograph
that many species in the wild, would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, not
to mention the physical toll on my body.
The best compromise I can think of is San Diego. So, the planning has started.
I narrowed the choice down to there and started to research
online. From there I progressed to using
various travel apps and narrowed that further to Expedia. I came up with a great deal on a return
flight and hotel accommodations. Even
booking the flights flying Business Class, it came out to a total that I can
afford and live with. Even so, because
my travel agent did such a great job on this past trip to Florida, I thought I’d
give her a chance to equal or beat the deal I found.
Unfortunately, her deal, using the same flights and hotel
that I found, came out to just over double what I found. I think the difference is that I have been a
member of Expedia for over a year and even used it in Florida to book my
shuttle up to Kennedy Space Center. As a
result, I keep getting emails offering 50% off flights and/or hotels and I don’t
think my agent can get those deals.
I’ve checked with a bunch of different people who have used
Expedia and they find it great and more importantly legitimate. It just seemed too good to be true, and you
know what they say about that. I’m still
in the seriously considering stage, but I’m about 90% certain that I will go. I just haven’t “pulled the trigger” on the
trip yet.
As much as I loved Florida, I found that three weeks was
just a little bit long. By the final
week, especially with the weather having gone bad, I was less than enthusiastic
of going out. I even took a couple of
rest days and just hung around the hotel.
So, the point of this is that I will reduce my time in San Diego to ten
days or maximum two weeks. Ten days
would reduce the overall cost considerably as well. Having said that though, for that long a
flight, almost 9 hours, it’s not practical to do a shorter trip.
San Diego is only 2.5 to 3 hours away, so a much easier
jaunt. I, however, am hooked on business
class. I don’t have enough points left
to cover it this time, but with the shorter distance is within my budget. I really like the perks that come with it as
well. Not the least of which are
avoiding lines when getting to the airport and my Nexus cards allowing me to
avoid the long lines for security as well.
Being able to board the aircraft first plays into it as well
as the awesome meals on the aircraft.
Having access to the Maple Leaf Lounge at Vancouver airport makes the
lengthy wait before the flight far more pleasant as well. Last time, I was sick and could not enjoy the
food in the lounge. This time I intend
to be healthy.
Just for a laugh, I also investigated a flight to
England. On a flight of that duration, I
would absolutely have to fly business class, because I know my poor body would
never stand up to that long a time cramped in economy. The extra leg room, even on the two flights
without the pods, was a godsend.
Unfortunately, the cost was way out of what I could afford. I’ll have to build up more credit card
points, or frequent flyer miles to consider it.
So, this is where I sit.
The travel bug has hit me hard, and I really want to get
going. I have my dates picked, April 2
to April 16 or 12th if I go with the 10-day option. Yet, for some reason, I sit here, hesitating
to pull the trigger and make the trip a reality. I’m sure I will, and it’s probably good that
I am hesitating and really thinking it through.
Stay tuned, I’ll keep you posted.
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