20 Feb

Day 1 – On My Way

I had an afternoon flight out of Denver, meeting Mukta in Houston for a 10-hour flight to Buenos Aires!

I bought a new camera bag for this trip that I’ve been eyeing.  I was very happy with it!  I do love red.  

I’m ready!

It was an incredibly cold week in Colorado, with many flight cancellations. I had a tight connection in Houston, and we were delayed over an hour. I had five minutes to get off and go from gate 40 to gate 7!

Mukta was texting me, and she said she was begging them to hold the plane. She said they had multiple meetings about holding it. They were asking her for updates on where we were. Were we at the gate, etc. They said she was a better source than United! Ha!

They announced they would hold it for 20 minutes! I was on row 20. I was having a heart attack waiting for my turn to get off. When I did, I ran past everyone on the gangway; I apologized, though! And then – As Forrest Gump said – “I was runnnning.”

The gate was soooo far away. But I made it! I almost had a heart attack, but I made it!!

I also have some travel tips for you.   Flying internationally in economy is brutal. Paying for an international first-class ticket is also brutal! Well, I’ve learned a few savings tips over the years.

First, if you are adding on a hotel at all, you can bundle a hotel with a flight on Expedia, and watch your price drop. It’s often cheaper to add a hotel then it is to pay for a flight alone. You read that right. For international air, it can be cheaper for hotels AND flights together than it is for flights alone. Crazy!

Second, international airlines often will let you bid on an upgrade. The main American-based companies, i.e., United, American, etc, do not, but airlines like Air Canada do if they aren’t full. I scored a $500 upgrade for a 9-hour flight to Europe in a lay-flat seat on Air Canada once. It was absolutely amazing!

Third, for the big American Airlines, if they aren’t full, they greatly drop their upgrade prices when you’re within 24 hours of a flight. I checked the upgrade price for my Houston to Buenos Aires flight a week before. It was $3600.  24 hours before check-in?  It was $800. If your flight isn’t full, you may want to take a chance and save a lot of money!

Mukta also upgraded at the last minute, and here we are after I made it and stopped feeling like I may throw up from running with a heavy backpack and suitcase.

These are amazing seats for our 10-hour flight!

Multiple flight attendants came by to ask Mukta if I made it. They were so nice!

I ate and watched Barbie, before getting a little sleep.

Buenos Aires here we come!

Antarctica At Last – January 13-24, 2024
Day 1 – On My Way 
Day 2 – Beautiful Buenos Ares 
Day 3 – To the Ship 
Day 4 – Drake Lake
Day 5 – First Penguins 
Day 6 – Two Landings! 
Day 7 – Penguins Again 
Day 8 – An Unintentional Polar Plunge and Camping on the Continent! 
Day 9 – To Plunge or Not to Plunge 
Day 10 – The Day I Did Nothing
Day 11 – Calm Waters Again
Day 12 – Ushuaia For the Day