Hello and welcome to episode 206 of Travel Stories from the Back Again And Gone podcast.
This is being recorded in the beautiful home office of Chateau Relaxo, FL. If you are a new listener, welcome; if you are a returning listener, welcome back. Tonight, it’s the December roundup.
I am enjoying a New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Tropic Force IPA at 9% ABV tonight. I’ve yet to have anything terrible from the Voodo Ranger series.
I've taken one road trip in the last few weeks: down to South Florida and then back North, past Chateau Relaxo to Ocala, FL.
Lunch in South Florida was at Rotelli’s. Five of us stopped in for lunch, and it was terrific. I started with the garlic rolls, which were done exactly like a garlic roll should be. I went with a cheesesteak, which was delicious and huge—so huge that I took half it back to the hotel for dinner. The other four in my party had been there before and knew what to order. It was off the lunch menu, and it started with soup or salad, followed by half a sub. If that wasn't enough, a slice of pizza closed out the food trifecta.
I had lunch in Ocala at Harry’s Restaurant. I had MAHI MAHI, grilled with lemon cream sauce.
New Orleans heavily influences Harry’s, from food to service.
Dinner in Ocala was at the District Bar & Kitchen. Make sure you begin your meal with a DBK smoked old-fashioned—that is, if you are of legal age and not one step away from a 12-step program. My meal was the District Burger—brisket and short rib combined into classic smash patties. Add cheese and caramelized onions, and finish it off with sweet, hot pickles. Try to sit at the bar if you can, as you won’t be disappointed.
The hotel in South Florida was the Hampton Inn Deerfield Beach, FL. I’ve been staying here off and on for 15-plus years. It’s a Hampton, so there were no major surprises.
The hotel stay in Ocala was at The Avid. I have never stayed at an Avid property. The staff was friendly, but the rooms seemed barren. The desk was not very deep, and the electrical plug was centered on it, making it hard to open my laptop. The breakfast came up short, with premade sausage biscuits. It's a solid three stars.
Let’s open with high-functioning, and not as in a high-functioning alcoholic, but a high-functioning traveler.
According to the Huffington Post, these are the four signs that you are secretly a high-functioning traveler.
Extensive Planning
Arriving (Too) Early
Avoiding Certain Types Of Transportation
Overpacking
Extensive planning means spending excessive time planning trips and researching destinations, accommodations, and activities in great detail. This extensive planning helps them feel more in control and prepared for any potential challenges that may arise. I am OK with my extensive planning, is to ensure the dates of my hotel and flight are correct. When it comes to activities, I can always find something to do.
Arriving too early at the airport is my jam. In the words of Ryan Bingham, aka George Clooney, from the movie “ In the Air,” All the things you probably hate about traveling -the recycled air, the artificial lighting, the digital juice dispensers, the cheap sushi- are warm reminders that I'm home. I embrace the airport; I know that if I’m at Love Field, there is a What-A-Burger, BWI has a Dog Fish Head brewery, and Atlanta Hartsfield is home to The Varsity.
Avoiding Certain Types Of Transportation - I’m not a fan of taxis since ride-share has come into being.
Overpacking, we talked about this last episode. You don’t need to take everything with you. Besides, every town has a Walmart or Target in case you under-pack.
"Traveling with high-functioning anxiety is like being a duck—calm on the surface, but paddling like crazy underneath!"
It’s that time of year when road warriors consider mileage runs. A mileage run is a trip to earn frequent flyer miles or achieve elite status with an airline. This can lead to benefits like complimentary upgrades, bonus miles, and lounge access. Often, these are flights for meetings that could’ve been handled with a Teams meeting. These aren’t as common as they were 20 years ago, as most companies have strict travel rules in place.
How about a mattress run? Mattress runs are similar to airline mileage runs. A mattress run is when you book and check into a hotel to gain loyalty benefits, like elite status or bonus points, without necessarily staying overnight. The practice used to be more lucrative, but changes in hotel loyalty programs and increased room rates have made it less rewarding. And with so many hotel-branded credit cards, most will automatically grant you loyalty status.
Combining mattress runs with mini-vacations or using credit cards to earn elite status are alternative approaches suggested as modern strategies.
It comes down to that head in a bed.
I’m not a massive fan of the Ticky-Tock unless the CEO sends me something to watch. Recently, she came across this Ticky-Tock hack. Side note: Not everything in the world is a “hack.” Sometimes, it’s just a good idea. For instance, applying for TSA Pre-check isn’t a hack; it’s a good idea.
The hack involves texting your flight number to yourself on the morning of your flight. For iPhone users, this creates a clickable link that provides real-time updates on your flight status, gate number, and baggage claim information. A flight number consists of a 2-letter airline code and a series of numbers that will help you differentiate your flight from others flying that day. You will see the flight number in your booking confirmation or your boarding pass. If you are confused about your airline code, you can also quickly look it up in the International Air Transport Association’s search engine.
This method, notice I didn’t say hack, helps travelers avoid the hassle of constantly checking airport screens or airline apps.
"Who knew the secret to stress-free travel was just a text away? Siri, book me a flight and send me a reminder!"
Let’s talk about Spirit Airlines. Everyone knows that Spirit is on the edge of bankruptcy with Ted Christie, Spirit CEO, being in favor of $5.3 million in retention bonuses that Spirit disclosed it will pay five of its top executives, which was disclosed in the bankruptcy filings — $3 million for Christie and $850,000 for Chief Operating Officer John Bendoraitis in particular, not sure about the other three.
But that isn’t what this is about; it’s about Spirit Flight Club, or as some call it, Spirit Fight Club. If you click the link to watch the video, be warned: It is NSFW. Spirit Fight Club is usually between two passengers; in this case, it isn’t. I present: ‘I’ll Drop Kick You!’ Spirit Airlines Agents Bump, F-Bomb, and Check In Passengers—All at Once—talk about multitasking. This came to us from View From The Wing.
In a now-viral video, two Spirit Airlines check-in agents—yes, check-in agents, not even on the plane—can be seen fighting. At the start of filming, they can be seen bumping while one says to the other, “Do not play with me.” She continued, “Do not play with me, 'cause I’m not the one nor the two. ..just go, you ain’t gonna do nothing. Like I said, keep my f’ing name out your mouth, b*tch.” Then she begins dropping f-bombs, telling the other employee to go away. My favorite is “I’ll drop kick yo’ azz” as she prints a passenger boarding pass like it’s just another day. Like I said, multitasking.
"Spirit Airlines: Where the check-in agents might just check you out!"
It's time for some controversy. Does the toilet paper go over or under? Is Ginger or MaryAnn hotter? Is cheesecake pie? These are things that can divide a crowd. How about this? Imagine meeting your soulmate and finding out they stand up as soon as the plane lands. Ouch.
Since I typically sit in a window seat, if I happen to stand up when the plane lands, I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll be hunched over. Personally, I don’t care if you stand up or stay seated. What I care about is that as soon as it’s time for our row to exit, you need to be “Johnny On The Spot” and move.
It's time for another NSFW work video. There's a r/KarenGoBrrr sub-reddit where this was the post's title “It wasn’t the message, it was the delivery of the message”.
The plane lands, the bell chimes, indicating that it is ok to undo your seatbelt and this gentleman immediately stands up. Several rows back, this young lady unleashes a verbal rant of threats and cuss words. The only thing safe for work thing, she yelled, “ I’m not getting up the plane any faster. You trying to hop over people that that.” I have no idea what she meant by this, but you be you. Short of that sentence or two, everything else she yelled made her look trashy, not the person who stood up. Again, I don’t care if anyone stands up, but I wish every person who takes an aisle seat would do as one of my traveling buddies does. He turns to the middle and window seat passengers and says, “If you have a connecting flight, I will stand up as soon as we get the all-clear to let you get out.” Simple and considerate. Honestly, it wasn’t the message; it was the delivery of the message.
How about another employee versus employee story? From One Mile At A Time - Delta Flight Attendant Stabs Colleague, Charged With Attempted Murder. This story was all over the travel blogosphere.
A 36-year-old Delta flight attendant has been arrested following a spree of violence that happened during a layover in New Orleans on Monday, November 25, 2024. This was in the downtown hotel where Delta crews stay during their layovers.
Several Delta crew members had gone out for the evening. When returning to the hotel, one of them began acting strange. The primary victim (a female) reportedly escorted the suspect (a male) to his room, at which point an argument began.
The suspect then started stabbing his female colleague twice in the arm and once in the neck. The victim then fled to another floor for help, following the suspect. A security guard then intervened and was stabbed in the process as well. Next, the police arrived and arrested the suspect. Lots of questions with this one. How did the flight attendant travel with a knife? Did he buy it during the layover? It is New Orleans, after all. Was there more than alcohol involved? Finally, the motivation behind the violence, I have my thoughts, but it will be interesting to hear what the victim says.
I don’t spend much time on Twitter, sorry, X, but I came across this tweet from KyleMatthewsCEO.
Business tip;
Whenever you are flying commercial, especially in business/first class, always wear your best business suit & tie combo (business formal).
Kyle goes on to add: Combine the professional clothes with a clean shave, combed hair, and I hate to admit, yes a nice watch helps, at minimum you will get looks, and in all likelihood the person sitting next to you will have to ask… “hey, what do you do for a living?”
The comments on this were stellar.
Heidi wrote I've never once thought "I wonder what they do for a living" about anyone on an airplane.
Andrew posted, I wear basketball shorts and a dirty t-shirt in first class so people don't ask questions.
EconGiggles added, Obviously, you’ve never flown the 15-hour flight from LAX-MEL.
Generally, people did not support Kyle’s business tip, and one reader suggested that this should be Kyle’s last tweet.
Here’s my take: all my trips begin and end at Orlando International Airport MCO. Half the people I see wear pajamas or sweatpants with slides and hoodies, and don’t forget the BOSE noise-canceling headphones. Personally, I don’t care if you look like you rolled out of bed and headed to the airport. What I care about is you not being an asshat on the flight, especially if you are sitting next to me.
When I was a Delta Sky Miles member flying out of Atlanta, I always wore dress slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie. The jacket was optional, especially if I didn’t have a first-class seat since there weren’t any closets to hang it up in coach. At the time, I was flying back into Atlanta during the evening, so I often came from a client site and didn’t have a place to change clothes.
The other reason for dressing up was, at that time, it made it easier on Delta to get a first-class upgrade, or if my flight was delayed or I needed to change flights, I looked a bit more professional than someone who looked like they got their clothes out of the hamper.
I understand some people dress down who are millionaires; think Sam Walton. However, people make assumptions based on first impressions.
"Who knew that trading sweatpants for a suit could turn your flight into a networking event? That’s my business tip.
Well, there you have it, Episode 206, The December roundup.
For long-time listeners, thank you for your comments and emails. For new listeners, I hope you return.
If you want detailed show notes, links, and pictures, head over to substack at travelstories.substack.com/
You can also leave me a message on Anchor or email me at TravelFrick@gmail.com.
As I always say, travel safe, stay safe, and thanks for listening.
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