When we travel, I find that I spend a lot of mental energy playing endless versions of “how to beat the airline” in my head. It starts with trying to decide which flights to pick and which ticket options we need. I only have a few requirements: the tickets must be affordable, we need to be able to select our seats at the time of booking (to make sure that no one is stuck in a middle seat during a long haul flight), and our connection times need to be reasonable to prevent missed flights. While these sound like perfectly reasonable and simple requirements, they are not always easy. Why you ask? Different airlines and different ticket types provide different amenities and fees. What looks like an affordable flight may not be if you have to pay for bags, pay to select a seat, pay for meals, etc. And, after you select flights to meet your requirements, the airlines at their discretion often make changes.

On our recent trip to Lisbon, the airline changed our flights as well as the type of aircraft. They changed our seat assignments, and they changed our ample connection times (that we had carefully selected) to very short lay-over schedules. This meant that I had to re-consider our packing options. We decided to check our luggage, rather than risk running through the airport with carry ons.

This trip required some extra planning as I needed to be at a meeting in the morning, prior to an afternoon flight departure. We spent the night in a hotel near the airport. After a short drive to the meeting location and an eventual short drive back to the airport hotel, we were off. We arrived at the airport unexpectedly early, so we asked if we could take an earlier flight to Newark in order to eliminate our tight connection. The United airlines staff at STL were wonderful. After a few changes in ticketing, we walked directly on a plane and arrived in Newark with three hours until our next flight. It never hurts to ask about a flight change, and in this case it paid off!

With plenty of time before our next flight, we were looking forward to finding our gate and then enjoying a leisurely meal. We walked to our departure gate (it was the farthest possible from our arrival gate) and headed to the food court. The food station informed us that the only way to order was to use an online app and the only way to pay was by credit card. We stood for awhile processing the situation. There were people at each station, but the couldn’t take your order or your money. You could download an app, pay by credit card through the app, get an electronic receipt, and collect your food from the appropriate food station. As we stood there we watched a college student (who didn’t have a credit card) turn away with no food, an elderly couple (who didn’t have a smart phone) turn away with no food, a foreign visitor (who didn’t understand the complex directions) turn away with no food, and countless others (who didn’t like the system) turn away with no food. They had no cashiers, but individuals were there to “help” you do everything yourself on your own phone. These individuals were mostly just standing around and looking at their own phones and ignoring people who were obviously confused and hungry. I won’t take up extra space in this blog expressing my feelings about this “cashless” airport system other than to say that no public airport in the U.S. should refuse to accept U.S. currency. Not everyone has a smart phone or a credit card, and travelers are at the mercy of the airport vendors. The expectation that everyone should be able to use the internet to order by credit card on a personal device was an unwelcome surprise and resulted in many travelers not being able to eat.

We finally ordered through the app, paid a ridiculous amount of money for two slices of pizza and a soda and sat down to await our flight. We just got seated when we received notification that our gate had changed. Of course, the new gate was next to our original arrival gate on the other side of the airport! So we walked back to our starting point. Once at the gate, the boarding process was chaotic. The elite passengers were unable to board first, because their cabin had not been cleaned. They did not get out of line. Instead all other passengers were weaving in and out of the cluster of upset individuals, to board the aircraft as their numbers were called. As a result, the boarding process took much longer than normal. Once on board the aircraft, we were informed that we were not able to leave because the aircraft had not been catered. There was no food for the seven hour flight on board. So we waited and then waited some more wondering if we would be able to depart.

Finally we took off. Lisbon here we come! I relaxed and sat back to enjoy some movies. Those moments right after take off are the best. We conquered the airline obstacles. It registers that we are going to arrive at our destination as planned. We did it! Portugal awaits. I can feel the anxiety leave my body.

Dinner was served…at least something was served that I am told was food. I received noodles smothered in something that tasted like brown gravy with random vegetables on top. There were a few spoonfuls of couscous and a small square of what I can only describe as a fruity pebble rice Krispy treat. (I was actually thankful that we had purchased the overpriced pizza slice back at the terminal.) Other than terrible food options, the trip was uneventful. Shortly before landing we got a container of plain greek yogurt (nothing says glamorous travel like peeling open a plastic bucket of sour yogurt and trying not to let it explode on the outfit you have been wearing almost 24 hours because it already smells bad enough without a sour yogurt shower).

Entry into Portugal was easy with a simple border passport check. Luggage was collected and we approached the taxi stand. We don’t speak Portuguese and we had never been to Lisbon. With address in hand and google translate at the ready, we made our request. We secured a driver, who told us a little bit about the area. He assured us that his part of Portugal, the Douro Valley, was better and prettier than Lisbon and suggested that we might want to go there instead. We told him that we were staying in Lisbon for the month. He shrugged and then made some suggestions about locations in Lisbon. Within 15 minutes, we were in Alfama, our new neighborhood.

Arrivals are interesting. You are tired from flying all night. You are in unfamiliar territory. You are not quite sure of customs, language, currency, etc. The streets looked a little dirty. The buildings were tagged with graffiti and were clearly centuries old. The streets were narrow with one way traffic. Sidewalks, when they existed were uneven with holes. I had to laugh at myself for reacting to the neighborhoods age and unusual street formations. We picked the Alfama district precisely because it was the oldest and most historic part of the city. Its character and environment were what we were there to experience. We wanted something outside our norm. So we took a deep breath, exited the car, and tried not to panic that a tram was directly behind us ringing its bell in protest of the time it was taking to remove the luggage and pay the driver.

After hurrying off the street and onto the narrow sidewalks, the next adventure was trying to get inside the apartment. Our key had been left by the owners for pick up in a neighboring restaurant. My husband went to retrieve the key while I stayed with the luggage on the street corner. We located our outer door and entered the hallway. It was dark and the hall lights would not turn on. While he made his way up the stairs in the dark. I piled our suitcases into the very tiny elevator, sat on top of one case in order to fit in the elevator, and began the very slow ascent to our floor. By the time I arrived, my husband had found the apartment and was trying to use the unfamiliar key type to unlock the door. We tried several variations of twists and pulls and pushes. Finally the door opened and we entered our new home.

The apartment was lovely. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. The decor was quirky and playful. We had window seats, a piano, and patio furniture in an enclosed courtyard. Multiple bedrooms meant comfortable sleeping, dressing and office areas for the duration of our stay. We each had a bathroom and large closets. The kitchen was well appointed and ready for us. I was already feeling at home. It seemed sanctuary in an unfamiliar land. We had arrived!