Why not?!

Alex called me on Monday and said, "Hey! What are you doing on Sunday?" I thought about it for a second, and replied, "Nothing major...just some cleaning and laundry. Why? What's up?" She replies with, "Well, do you want to go to Madrid with me and Leslie?!" What!?!?! Madrid?!? As in Spain?!?! I thought for a brief second, before I said, "YES!! Why not?!"
I had to work that week, so I didn't have much time to do any research about Madrid. I really didn't know anything about it! The only thing I knew was that we were going to be there on Sunday! Just 6 short sleeps away! So excited!

So Sunday morning rolls around and we park our car at the best little hotel near the airport for the 4 days we will be gone. This cool place is only $10 a week! And the guy at the front desk only charged us $5 since we would be back on Wednesday. Airport parking can be such a pain....it is so worth it to find a nearby hotel that offers a free shuttle to/from the airport. :)

We are on the 7am stand-by flight to Atlanta, to meet Leslie for our wonderful trip to Madrid. Just about 1/2 hour before our flight, Les calls and says that it doesn't look good. Looks like Alex can get on and I will not. :( She gives us a back up plan of flying to JFK and then catching a different flight to Madrid....and we could just "meet her in Madrid". Who does that? Who just meets their friend in Madrid for 48 hours? Well....we do! So, anyways...it comes down to the last few minutes before take off, and they actually call Alex and I up to the desk! We got seats!!Yeah! We were so relieved!

We meet Leslie in Atlanta. We got in first and went to meet her at her gate, holding a sign with her name on it for her arrival. She thinks we are nuts! We grab some lunch and talk about our fun plans for Madrid. We did plan to do a bike tour -- which we are all excited about. She leaves for her check-in and Alex and I head to our gate for another waiting game. While sitting there, we look back and notice the gate across the hall is boarding...going to Dublin! There was a brief moment that we both looked ate each other and thought...let's go to Dublin! :) But, Madrid was calling our names!We actually got on this flight to Madrid without a hitch. Getting 1st class seats! This way to fly is an experience within itself! Someday, I really think I could just sit my butt down in one of those first class seats, and fly completely around the world! No need to land! Starting with the Mimosas on take off, then the warm towel to wash with before dinner and the w

armed nuts to eat while waiting! Wow! So fun! And the non-stop movies!

So, 9 hours later (Monday morning in Madrid)...and my 2000 calories consumed for the day, we land in Madrid. What a beautiful city! The history! The old cobble-stone walkways!The incredible Mercados with those yummy Tapas! Amazing! We had a wonderful time in our 48 hours we were in Spain. The first day, we familiarized ourselves with the subway system, the Metro.

In no time, we were 3 beautiful Americans finding our way around a fun, new city! We ended up on the best bike tour of the city. This is truly the best way to see a new city. We saw all of the important tourist-y things in a 4 hour bike tour! So fun! I highly recommend going on a bike tour!

Wednesday morning came way too fast! Up early and to the airport to fly home. :( We actually had great luck again flying stand-by. We got one of the new planes with the completely lay-flat seats. These seats were even more amazing than the other ones! Awesome! Again...non-stop eating, drinking and movies.

We landed in Atlanta in just enough time to head to our departing gate to Phoenix. Waiting...waiting...waiting. Last minute, Alex got on the flight home, but I was stuck in Atlanta. :( The new plan...I was going to catch a later flight to Tucson with Leslie, and Alex would drive down and pick me up, after she picked up my car at the hotel. This ended up working, and I arrived in

Tucson at 11pm on Wednesday night. And to my surprise, my husband (with sleeping kids in tow) was there to pick me up at the airport! Wonderful way to end a wonderful trip!

Flying stand-by is not for the faint of heart. It is a complete guessing game. But, it is a wonderful way for us to see the world. One stand-by flight at a time! Until next time! ;0)

~Christi

Our Standby World

Standby... it is not for the faint of heart. You must possess a strong sense of adventure, patience, an ability to pack lite, and most importantly a sense of humor!! You never know where you are going to end up. You might be trying to get to Paris via Phoenix, and end up Paris via Phoenix, LA, Salt Lake City. That is where the adventure lies. If you are a nervous flyer...steer clear of the Standby experience, even if your friend that works for an airline offers buddy passes to you...it is not worth it. If you are going to fall into the fetal position when the door to the gateway closes and your name is never called,just book a full fair ticket. You can't handle it:)

My dear friend Leslie has bestowed on my the privilege of a companion pass. I fly with employee status. This has enabled me to fly first class to many destinations. It is really quite the racket, when she has a good trip, I just tag along and stay with her. It might be only Dublin for 24 hours, but heck, its Dublin!!! You have to think to yourself...WHY NOT!! People ask me all of the time why I would do such a crazy thing...WHY NOT!!! Last time I checked, life is short and unpredictable. Standby is just a way to seize the day! I have to admit, I like seeing my name on the standby screen in the airport. It is like gambling in Vegas. Watching how many open seats are available, and where my name is on the list... it is thrilling! Once, Christi and I were in ATL trying to get home to PHX and since my seniority was higher then Christi's buddy pass, I got the last seat on the PHX bound flight. Christi just picked up her carry on and headed to the TUC flight. You have to be flexible, and you can not blame the one that gave you the buddy passes.

One more good pointer for using the Buddy Pass is... never, ever, ask the ticket agent a question if they are still trying to get your flight boarded! Especially in ATL!! They will bite your head off! The best thing to do is wait, scoop them out, see if they look pleasant, and then go in with the biggest smile you can muster. Never get overly excited with them.. this will lead to a lashing and if they are really put off, your buddy pass provider could loose their privileges. Don't risk it.. you will get there!

Christi and I were in London one November. It decided to snow.. a lot! The day we were to leave to ATL from Heathrow, England shut down Gatwick, the other major airport. Still not a huge problem..our flight looked good. While we were enjoying some coffee, we noticed that our flight was cancelled. Not a good sign for the Stand by traveler. You see, the airline does not care about you... you will not get the coupons for free hotels, food, etc. You get squat! Still..no need to panic. Christi and I ended up finally getting on a flight to the States... of course we had to ask the flight attendant where we were going, but we made it back to the good ole USA!

So, stand by travel is not for everyone, but you thrill seekers will love it. Just relax and enjoy the adventure. Oh...and pack deodorant, you will need it:)

Welcome to our blog!

Alex and Christi have begun traveling the world by flying stand-by. It is quite an adventure from the very beginning of the trip. Watching the stand-by screen with the anticipation of getting on a flight...or being stuck in a foreign city. And then...finally making it to their destination...and only staying there for 48 hours! Follow along on their adventures!