Scenes From My Life

Over the years, I have learned a number of tips about travel. Some tips I have picked up from friends and relatives. Others have come about as a result of trial and error. Here are a few of the pointers that have helped to make my travels smoother and more pleasant: General: Expect issues. Travel almost never goes as smoothly as you would wish. Seek the recommendations of people you know who have visited a destination. Utilize internet resources, including airfare-related search engines. Air: Arrive at major airports at least two hours early. If you are unable to reserve your desired seat when purchasing the ticket,            look again when checking-in for the flight. Join the airline’s loyalty program. Most are free and a great way to build            towards discounted or free travel. Purchase tickets online. Occasionally, airlines post lower fares on their websites          than can be found through other avenues. Avoid purchasing airfares over the

In December 2003, I thought my days of lost luggage were behind me. I had taken a number of flights with no baggage issues. I would arrive at my destination, and so would my suitcases. Given my history of luggage issues, it was a reassuring feeling to leave an airport, suitcase in hand. Then I flew to Seattle, Washington, for New Year’s Eve. I arrived in Seattle on the afternoon of December 30. My luggage, however, did not arrive with me. I had experienced such delays on past flights, so I did not worry too much. I gave my contact information to an airline representative and left the airport, confident that I would have my belongings in a matter of hours. It turns out that I had wildly underestimated the time it would take to retrieve my baggage. Late that night, when I still did not have my luggage, I made my first call to the airline. The representative assured me that it was an abnormal glitch and I would have my belongings shortly. The next

For a moment, I had to step back. I just wanted to take in what I was hearing. In the midst of the 1996 Summer Olympics, I was at a hotel in downtown Atlanta with a good friend. We were standing aside two other ladies, whom we did not know, listening to a speech on the highlights of Athens, Greece. My friend and I listened as the speaker, himself a native of Greece, spoke of Athens’ history, its culture, and its desire to host the Games. But, it was not the speech itself that caught me off guard. It was the fact that he was speaking in Spanish.   In the summer of 1996, I volunteered with the host committee for the Olympic Games in Atlanta. One of the benefits of volunteering with the Games was admittance into places and events otherwise off limits to the general public. One such area was the bid lounges for the cities competing to host the 2004 Summer Games. For the duration of the Games, the organizing committee of each city had occupied a room at a downt