Feeling Good

 "It's a new dawn,
It's a new day,
It's a new life
For me ...
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good"

Imagine Michael Buble singing this song as I tell you that few things make me happier than planning travel, or helping others plan travel. In the past 48 hours, I have booked trips to Houston and Orlando and helped my sister with travel to Seattle and to see me. I am also working long range on a trip overseas at Christmas, but may delay it till Spring.

Southwest Airlines is having a 50th anniversary sale in the Fall. If you purchase tickets in the next couple of days and travel from 9-15 ro 11-3, you can get 50% off your base fare. Both my sister and I had travel credits from cancelled 2020 trips, so that's also helped with expenses. So here are the trips that are confirmed:

7-4 to 7-11 Minneapolis to Houston. I am flying to see my BFF in Houston whose health is tenuous. Her birthday is 7-8. My gut tells me it's important to go. With a credit of $117, my fare of $227 RT cost me $110 above the credit. Staying with a friend.

8-1 to 8-6 Austin to Minneapolis: My sister is coming to visit me for the first time in Minneapolis. I've lived in Minneapolis and its suburbs since 2009 except for the two years back in Texas when I worked taking care of her son. It's about time. Her planned visits here were cancelled in 2019 and 2020. Her entire fare was covered by the credit from last year's cancelled trip. It had to be used by 9-1 or she would lose the credit.

9-10 to 9-18 Austin to Seattle: Late last night, I worked with my sister to book her airfare from Austin to Seattle. Colleen and her BFF Lane are taking a cruise on Holland America of the Inner Passage of Alaska. Making use of the sale on the return, Sis managed a RT fare of $250.

9-18 to 9-25 Minneapolis to Orlando: I've been corresponding with Tony Bruno and his husband Pete Martensen for years. Tony was a fixture on Live Journal for decades when Pete and he lived in Georgia. They moved to Florida two years ago. I've spoken to Tony on the phone over the past few years, but we've never met in person. I plan to remedy that with this trip. I'm hopeful I'll make it to Disneyworld during the visit. It will be my first time back to DW since 1999. (From 1980 to 1999, I was in Orlando more than a dozen times, but not since.) YAY! I'm going to Disney! RT fare using the Save50 discount was $123.38 RT.  Staying with friends.

10-23 to 10-27 Minneapolis to Colorado Springs: I hope to rendezvouz with my friend Maggie at the National Mill Dog Rescue and be able to do a few more touristy things than I did in March when I got snowed in. Maggie's daughter and son-in-law may be moving to Denver. If so, Leah's birthday is 10-23; we hope we can rendezvous and celebrate Leah in Colorado Springs. The fare was $99 RT.

12-13-21 to 1-5-22 Minneapolis to Austin to Italy to Austin to Little Rock to Minneapolis: Most, if not all of this trip, will happen. There are still a lot of moving pieces. I will drive to Texas and back for Christmas. The overseas portion is up in the air. The Little Rock portion of the drive will be to see my dear friend Steve and to do a house search. (Yes, I am considering relocating for the right situation.) I may postpone Italy till Spring of 2022 if that means I can see more people and I will have had Bella for a year (I'm reluctant to leave her with anyone else for that long). It's been over 4 years since my last trip overseas. That really needs to be remedied. What's the best timing is the question. UPDATE as of 6pm today: I am postponing overseas travel until Spring 2022. I'll still make the annual road trip and leave it at that.

So, "it's a new dawn, a new day, a new life and I'm feeling good!"