My friend Kanako is visiting from Hong Kong this week and today we just discovered that my mom has six buddy passes that will expire at the end of this month.
For those of you unfamiliar with my life and therefore most likely thoroughly confused with that last sentence, let me fill you in. My mom works for a major airline and every year she gets 24 free airline passes to give to whomever she pleases. Normally those babies go faster than free tequila shots at a college bar, but this year she’s managed to hold onto a handful.
As I work for an airline as well and therefore have flight privileges, I don’t consider this such a big deal. But for my friend, who isn’t accustomed to using a fleet of planes as her own, personal air taxi service…this is HUGE. The sky is quite literally the limit, as we now can go anywhere that our five-day time frame (that’s all we have off from work), allows us.
We haven’t decided where to go but we’ve narrowed it down to a few cities. We’re limited for time and therefore anywhere far like Europe or Australia is out of the question and my mom’s airline doesn’t fly to the Caribbean so that’s not an option either.
We’re therefore left with the following possibilities:
1. New Orleans (According to the Lonely Planet, a visit to New Orleans is the closest you can come to visiting a foreign country without leaving the US).
2. Chicago (My friend has a friend there that we could crash with).
3. Anywhere in Mexico (because it’s not America and I love tacos).
So…what do you think? Where should we go?
Where would you go?
The beauty of a buddy pass is that it’s made with the impulsive, procrastinating traveler in mind. We don’t actually have to make a decision until 30 minutes prior to departure. So it may very well turn out that we show up the airport tomorrow all packed to go to Mexico City and then change our minds and zoom over to New York instead.
Um, can I just say that I’m in love with my life at the moment?
Wow, that’s definitely lucky!! I’d probably go to Mexico or Arizona…stay south and warm instead of the cold North.
Where did you end up going?
Haha, not to be a blast from the past. I’d go to Japan. I’ve yet to go and even though you went through some mighty trials and tribulations, it still sounded like a great place to visit. I’m saving up for a ticket matter of fact. I’m really hoping to go!
I forgot if you went to Korea, but you could think of living there. Cost of living is cheap and $3000 is a good sum over there. Plus american money is worth more? Also there’s no ‘key’ money over there + people let you move in without paying everything up front and all. THey are pretty relaxed about it, especially if you rent from an individual owner, even high rises have individual owners ( people buy their apartments and rent them out). You don’t have to sign a lease for a year and can go month to month. I liked Korea very much. Very friendly to americans ^^
Lucky about the tickets >..> Anyways best of luck!!
Oh yah, btw I hear Philipines is super cheap to live, but there are kidnappings there? Before I get flayed for saying that, that’s what a few philipinos said to me about their own country..
@ Melinda – Yes, I’ve visited Korea. My cousins taught ESL there and I visited them for a week last year. It’s true that it’s cheaper there and schools pay for your housing and airfare and if you have teaching experience, you can get a university job…but I think Korea would be a tough place to live. The dating scene for Western women, for one, is virtually non-existent! It’s worse than Japan, from what I hear….and I found it really difficult to date in Japan.
About Japan…I miss it there sometimes, I really do. But I don’t think I’d live there again any time soon…it’d feel like too much of a step backward. But if I had a lot of money, I’d love to go back for a few months to study Japanese. I really feel bad that I left before I really mastered the language.
wow– I am incredibly jealous. i haven’t flown anywhere in 10 years (I travel a lot, but all short trips by car), but this would get be back on a plane for sure.
glad i found your blog! just saw it on the 20sb staff recommendations page 🙂
Hi Maxi and Tina,
Thanks for visiting…and commenting. That was so sweet of 20sb to write that…But you guys shouldn’t be jealous. If you want to travel, then you should! It’s really not all that difficult.
I’m in love with your life too–so very jealous, actually! I’m also glad I stumbled here from 20sb.
I work for the airline industry too.. and I also LOVE the free travels I get!! Altho… nonrevving isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be.. I’ve spent a few nights sleeping in airports and have missed my fair share of flights.
But you’re right!! BEST. PERK. EVER.
jamaica
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