So yesterday was the day.
We woke up at 2:45am. Knowing the flight was taking off for 6:30, we wanted to get there with plenty of time.
The morning went as smoothly as I could hope for. I have a lot of experience flying out of Logan Airport, in Boston, so I felt prepared going into it.
We got to Thrifty Parking around 4:00am. Armed with a carry on suitcase and a small day bag each, we left the car with them and checked in. It wasn’t more than 10 minutes before the shuttle came and picked us up. It was really nice not to have to deal with navigating parking at the airport, and they dropped us off at the door near our gate! It was super simple.
We had already had our tickets uploaded right on our phones and JetBlue allows you to check in online prior to getting to the airport, so we skipped the counter lines and went straight to the bag check lines. While waiting in the line, we both commented on how we should look into TSA Precheck. This is basically a background screening that allows you to go through an expedited line when you get to the airport. Both my parents have it and it’s made this process much simpler for them. It’s around $85 a person to get the TSA Precheck but, with the amount of trips we plan to go on this year, the cost seems justifiable.
The line wasn’t awful, since we were flying so early in the morning, there weren’t a ton of people there. We got through in under 30 minutes. We had plenty of time to stop and get some breakfast before getting on the plane. While JetBlue does offer complimentary snacks and a carries a few snack boxes for purchase, there aren’t a lot of options for purchasing actual meals while on the plane. I highly recommend getting food before, especially on a flights that will be over 6 hours.
Our flight ended up being just under 7 hours because it’s been very windy lately. The good news is we have been told our flight home could be as short as 4 hours because the wind will be pushing us towards New England.
We landed at LAX at 11 am and immediately got into our rental car and proceeding to drive 300 miles across the desert to Los Vegas. This wasn’t part of the original plan, but we found a last minute deal on Hotels Tonight for the Luxor, at $32 a night. This alone saved us a $100 on the hotel compared to spending the night at the hotel we chose in Long Beach. And we figured we might as well since we were already on the West Coast, so we made a last night decision to detour to Vegas.
The drive itself was actually pretty incredible. We don’t have anything like the desert where I am from. The highway are long and straight. People drive between 70 and 90 mph (112 and 140 kph) the whole time. Make sure you have plenty of gas before hand though because, even though you’re going nearly 300mi(482km) in total, you’ll barely pass any gas stations the whole way.
There’s not much out there except for lots of mountains, sand, and cacti. It was so incredible. We also saw a lot of trains driving by because there are many railroads that travel through the same area.
We got to Vegas around 5:30 and went right upstairs to take a nap. Not being able to sleep much on the plane and having waken so early, I knew I needed to rest if I had any hope of finishing off the evening strong. We’re in California for the whole week and I knew the best way to adjust to the 3 hour time zone change is to stay up until your normal bed time so that you’re more likely to wake up at a reasonable time.
Because of the nap we were able to be out long past midnight, enjoying the night life. We mostly do penny slots when we gamble because you can play for a while on a small amount of money. We didn’t have much luck this time around, but we had a good time and it was a fun way to kick off our vacation. Also, you drink for free if your sitting at a machine, so that’s always an added bonus.
The hotel was nice. There weren’t a whole lot of frill in the room itself, but the decor in the lobby and casino was pretty unique. The hotel is themed like a pyramid and is decorated with statues and artifacts. If your interested in seeing some more of the decor, check out my Instagram @welivefortheadventure for some pictures.
I am currently writing this on our journey back to Long Beach, California, where I am learning that the desert sun can feel hot through your windshield even when it’s only 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12.2 Celsius). I’m excited to check out where well be staying the rest of the trip!
Tomorrow we tackle the San Diego Zoo!
Have you ever taken a surprise detour on a trip? Where did you end up?
Travel When You’re Young 