This trip got started in the spring of 2007, when Lana and her Aunt Zena got bumped off of a Northwest Airlines flight returning from New York City.  They had gotten vouchers for a free trip anywhere in the US and Canada.  By the time they got back home, they had decided that they would use the tickets to go to Vancouver.  Lana and I had been there twice, both times for only a day or two, and loved the place.  Zena had never been, and none of us had ever been over to Victoria Island.

Gina is one of our best friends, and we knew that she had been to Vancouver many years ago, and wanted to go back.  We invited her to come with us, and she accepted.  So our group would be four.

Then it hit me.  I was going to Canada, for a week, with three women.

When it came time to book the flights, I found that using the vouchers was more difficult than I expected.  The flights that we could use the vouchers on were extremely limited.  It irritated me that Northwest would give a customer a voucher because they had overbooked flights, and then put severe limitations on the vouchers!  But then again, Northwest isn’t my favorite airline, anyway.  Don’t even ask me about the time they dumped me in Grand Junction…

We finally got the flights booked, earlier than we wanted (we wanted June, but there was nothing available then), and with a crummy schedule (3 flights with very tight connections). 

I used my frequent flier miles to book my and Gina’s flights.  We couldn’t get on the same flights as L and Z, and ended up flying Continental out of Ft. Walton Beach (about 50 miles from the house), leaving and arriving at about the same time as L and Z, but with only two flights.

As you will see as you read on, this trip involved 3 moves during the week, so I encouraged the ladies to pack light.  They responded admirably.  On the way out, none of us checked a bag.

NEXT