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A to Z Challenge: Day Eleven – “K”

Retirement Reflections

‘K’ is for ‘4101 Kilometers to Travel’

Today we fly 3696 kilometers from Vancouver to Montreal followed by a three-hour airport stopover. We then fly another 405 kilometers from Montreal to Boston. Trying to stretch our dollars to include as much travel as possible, we (read here “I”) always choose the most economical flight possible….often foregoing direct flights, check-in luggage, advance seat selection and extra legroom. After such flights, Richard and I always swear we will never travel that way again. So far….we always do. Today’s flight is no exception.

To share a smile, here is one of my favourite Seinfeld clips on air travel.

And here is another:

We’ll keep you posted from Boston. Please stay tuned!

Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

52 thoughts on “A to Z Challenge: Day Eleven – “K””

  1. I hope you are pleasantly surprised by your flight. Not likely, but I can hope, can’t I? Have fun in Boston. That’s where I went to college–and it is the best place to be when you are a young adult.

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  4. Love that Seinfeld episode. The older I get, the more I dislike flying, it is such a hassle these days. Enjoy the marathon, good luck to your son.

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  5. We mostly are economical in our flight selection, but when the flight is long we try to go comfort economy or something that is a reasonable upgrade in price. Having said that in our later flying life we did start to go business especially on Turkish air where they really spoil you.
    Have a great flight!

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    1. Thanks, Fran – When we worked overseas, Richard and/or I sometimes received free upgrades to Business Class (Richard more often than I). Funny, that doesn’t seem to happen for us in retirement! Thanks for following.

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  6. We always fly cattle class and I’m tall so find it all a bit squishy and “people-y”. I want to be wealthy and sit up with the rich people in 1st class – or at least slumming it in business class. Maybe one day I’ll win lotto – until then I opt to fly as infrequently as possible.

    Leanne | http://www.crestingthehill.com.au
    K for Keep Trying

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  8. Everyone has their quirks. My husband will only fly on the first flight of the morning because he is convinced it’s less likely to be delayed. While that’s true it means being at the airport at like 4 a.m. Have a great trip!

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  11. Hi, Jessica –
    YES! There is Wi-Fi on the plane…even in Economy! This will give me a great chance to catch up on all of my blog reading. I look forward to discover what has been happening for you.
    Thanks for following. I will definitely pass on that hug!

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  13. That’s a seriously long flight! Can you do like Elaine and sneak into first class? – on the way back? Worth a try? I’m used to 2 hour flights and can manage economy ok but omg do they squeeze you in … I think it’s sado-masochism on the airline’s part …

    O and have fun!!!

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  14. Hi, Susan – I am on said-flight now. The good news is that the addition of Wi-Fi in Economy Class, as well as brand new offerings of David’s Tea, have made the long, economy flight much more bearable. Then again, I am currently only part-way through as I type! 🙂

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  15. I like your clever choice for the letter ‘K’, Donna.

    I did so much flying for work for so many years that I had a truckload of Aeroplan points. That meant I was able to fly first class to Hawaii and California and BC. Each one of those trips wasn’t just first class but was first class with the sleeper beds. Nice would be a bit of an understatement.

    The problem now is that I don’t want to fly any other way… and the points are being whittled away by $500 Costco cards. Groceries for summer BBQs being a much more pressing concern than a flight that I might, someday, take.

    As for all those people encouraging you to sneak into first class? When I was on those flights, we never once allowed that to happen. There was a bit of a Lord of the Flies mentality that kicked in , along the lines of “Do you know what I’ve gone through to get to this point? You only get to be here if you’ve suffered for it!”

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    1. Hi, Karen – That’s my absolute favourite line in the first Seinfeld clip. Now every time that I fly, and the attended closes the first class curtain, I smile to myself and say “I should have worked harder” ! 🙂
      I had my airmile points with Singapore airline which I personally would not recommend. Live and learn! On a positive note, today’s bare bones economy flight was lovely — and I had David’s Tea and fast, non-interrupted Wi Fi!

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  16. When I think of sneaking into first class I think of the movie Bridesmaids: “Help me, I’m poor.” I rarely fly anywhere, but when I do I like to be comfortable. Not first class comfortable, but direct flight comfortable. Connections screw with my mind.

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    1. Hi, Ally – I’ve never seen the movie ‘Bridesmaids.’ Now you have me curious. Direct flight comfort definitely make sense. If only I could hold onto that thought long enough to make a better choice when booking my next flight!

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  19. Love the Seinfeld clips, Donna. And welcome to New England! The weather is supposed to be nice in Maine tomorrow. I can’t speak of Boston’s weather but I hope it is nice for you. How special to see your son running in the marathon! Sounds like you have a great itinerary. Boston is a fun place to visit.

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  20. That’s a lot of kilometres! I hope your journey was better than expected. I confess, we do all our transatlantic travelling business class, courtesy of John’s airmiles. I am so spoiled I’m not sure I could do it in economy now.

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    1. Hi, Anabel – I did rack up a bunch of air miles (Singapore Airlines) when I was working. I have found them difficult and annoying to use. On our 2016 Camino Trip, (after much frustration)I booked my flight through my air miles and Richard booked the same flight (seated beside me) through regular online booking, without using any air miles. By the time that I had finished paying the ‘extra special fees’ that SA charges, my ‘free flight’ was not much cheaper than Richard’s. SA air miles also expire very quickly…unless you pay to retain them. I draw the line there. Thus, economy class for me! 😦

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  22. Hi, Janis – Richard and I are currently waiting for our final flight (Montreal to Boston). We haven’t booked extra leg room, but it is a smaller plane, shorter flight and mid-day. I also have chocolate with me….so all should be good! 🙂

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  23. Seinfeld, the best at making us laugh. I remember a story on a viewer who had to be rushed to the hospital, unable to stop from laughing during Seinfeld.
    Sounds like a fun trip, and hope a great one all around.

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    1. Hi, Heather – Having 2-3 day layovers is a great idea. We had originally planned to do that on this trip (Vancouver-Toronto-Boston) but the people that we were hoping to visit in Toronto are currently in Paris. Those darned retirees — they just don’t stay put anymore! 🙂

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    1. Hi, Shirley – I agree, flying no-frills can certain provide ‘unexpected adventure’! Most importantly, the money saved quickly adds up to another trip. I have a long bucket list so I try to stretch my travel dollars to accommodate as much of it as possible! Thanks so much for stopping by – I appreciate your comment.

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    1. Hi, Sue – It’s funny how we make those declarations — and then reality enters back into the picture! Our flight to Boston (via Montreal) was actually quite comfortable (despite it being the most basic economy available). Fingers crossed that we have a similar experience on our way back home!

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  27. I’ve found that I don’t do as well on longer flights as I used to. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m getting older or because when we traveled with children they kept me busy and moving around. I hope you are enjoying your trip!

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    1. Hi, Marcy – Having something to keep you busy on long flights can help the time speed by more quickly. For me on this flight, is was catching up on my blog reading. Looking after young children could also do the trick…but it may not always be as restful! Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to visiting your site as well.

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  28. Flying from Australia we have decided that stopovers, although expensive, are part of the holiday. I’m trying not to fly for more than 10 hours in one stretch. So our trip to Alaska will be 10 hours to Hawaii with two days rest and then about six hours to Anchorage. A similar route home from Seattle to Hawaii with three days rest on the way back should give us a good economy flight.

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    1. Hi, Linda – Hawaii sounds like a brilliant stopover! As you said in a previous comment, that trip gives you the challenge of packing for very mixed weather. I look forward to reading about that trip (and seeing your photos).

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  29. That’s exactly how we plan and fly as well. But, we never swear we won’t do it again afterwards, as there is just no other way we’d ever be able to afford plane travel. Enjoy your stay in Boston!

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  30. Fun and games Donna! I’m getting closer to our long haul flights from Australia to London – it’s always difficult as it’s sooooo long but it’s worth it in the end 🙂

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