Planes, Trains and Orthotics: A Middle-Age Woman's Guide to Travel

 I arrived safely in Sacramento and have already seen a great deal of it for two reasons: my overall cheapness and my inability to sleep due to the three hour time change.  My hotel, right across the street from the State Capitol is lovely, but regardless of its niceties, my regular room inspection immediately took place.  This includes a bed bug check, a wipe-down of all handles and bathroom fixtures and a good dose of Lysol spray on the pillows, whether used or not.  Although my husband is not with me on this trip, he did ask me on the phone if I had completed “the inspection.” When answering in the affirmative, he gave me his usual response, “Crazy.”  I also checked to see if any bottled water was available in the room and learned that there was…for $8.00 each. I don’t care how fancy the bottle is or what waterfall in Maine that it comes from, it’s still water. I would be damned if I was paying that much and though I was tired, I put my jacket back on and started walking to find a r

 As I continue to age, I am realizing that air travel is not for the faint of heart. No question, this is a young man’s (or woman’s) game.  Nearly 40 years ago, I remember on our honeymoon flight to Europe, wearing a lovely skirt and blouse set, coordinating heels and carrying on a toiletry bag that matched our checked bags.  This was all before my skin had yet to really age, and now, I can’t for the life of me remember what I needed or included in that cute little case.   The whole experience seemed so civilized.  Now, I’m wearing comfortable jeans, a scarf, regardless of the weather because of the varying airplane temperatures, running shoes for my inevitable sprint from one gate to the other for my connecting flight, and of course, carrying all my bags on the plane with me because standing near those luggage carousels waiting anxiously for my bags at the end of a long journey is often too much for me to handle.   This morning was no exception.  Even though I retired at the end of la