Do I have your attention? Looking for a good laugh today? Great, keep reading.

The Situation

There are lots of things I do for my job. Some I don’t enjoy, but others are really great. Among the latter is a student organization (Collegiate DECA, iykyk) I’m the faculty advisor for. What a great organization and group of students! One of the things they get to do is participate in a series of competitions, largely based on business cases. And as it turns out, their national competition this year is in Bourbon City (Louisville, Kentucky). Fantastic.

In years past, the competitions were far enough away that the students needed to fly to compete. That’s not really an issue, except, for reasons I’m not able to explain, they seem to always find themselves in the midst of flight delays and cancellations. That’s stressful, because if they’re delayed too long, it seriously impacts their ability to participate in their competition.

So, when they announced this year’s competition would be in Louisville, they immediately told me they were driving. Great. And the plan was for me to drive with them, until I realized I’d double-booked myself and needed to come home the day before they were. Okay, no problem, they take the cars, and I’ll take a flight.

Trouble is, our university just renegotiated our rental car agreement, so I wasn’t really sure the students would be able to pick up their cars without issue. So I was glued to my phone all morning, just waiting for someone to tell me they had a problem (fortunately, my student organization is fantastic at getting itself out of a bind, so I really had no reason to worry). Then, finally, it came: a text message from one of my co-Presidents telling me…everything was fine. They got their cars and were already headed back to campus to pick up their colleagues and head to the land of bourbon. Excellent.

A few hours later, I was off to the airport. It was a beautiful morning: cool, a few clouds, no bad weather, and the slightest hint of a breeze (read: Zara was living her best life). I even made it to the airport a little earlier than I’d expected because there was almost no traffic (the week before, when I was going to Chicago, there was some traffic as a semi pulling a load of clementines had fallen over into the shoulder…random, I know). And I got a parking space closer to the terminal. Amazing. As ours is a fairly small airport, we’re usually through security (with Pre-check, obviously) and to our gate in about 10 minutes. This was also true today. Everything is going so well.

Where it Went Wrong

And all was well, as I sat at the gate waiting for the plane to arrive. My itinerary took me to Chicago first, with a very quick 55-minute layover (I know, I know), and then from there to Louisville.

So there I was, drinking my coffee, looking out the massive window, and just waiting. And…waiting. And, waiting. Finally, we heard our plane had landed – about 10 minutes before we were supposed to take off. You’ll recall I had a 55-minute layover.

The gate agent was very calm and collected, reassuring us that they’d get the plane unloaded, cleaned, and ready to go in about 10-15 minutes, so we should take off approximately on time. We were further reassured that there was a strong tailwind that should help us get to Chicago on time, if not a little early. Cool.

Delays 1 & 2

Shortly thereafter, we assumed our positions as our boarding groups were called, dutifully lining up and heading down the jet bridge. Weirdly, everyone seemed to understand we were dancing on the precipice of being late, and so they just did what they were told, and we were on the plane in no time. Once fully boarded, the flight attendant closed the door and told the captain we were ready to go.

And then we sat there for what seemed like an eternity. Okay, fine, it was probably more like 10 minutes, but it felt like forever. Then, mercifully, the captain came on and said we were ready to go. So we did the usual taxiing thing and headed for the runway.

And then we sat. WTF, mate?

With as much as we travel, I’ve heard a lot of reasons for flight delays. But when the captain came over the intercom and told us they’d put too much fuel on the plane, I was…well, I’m not sure what the right word is. Surprised? Shocked? Confused? How does that happen? Isn’t this all measured? You know all of the variables involved in this equation: the type of plane, the distance to travel, current weather conditions, and how many people will be on the plane. I suppose they don’t know how much each person weighs, but we can use some population information to get a reasonably good guess, right? Wrong, evidently.

So, rather than take off, we had to sit close to the runway – just close enough to see it – and run the engines for 20 minutes to burn enough fuel to avoid being overweight at takeoff. We all looked around at each other, thinking the same thing: can’t they just…pump…it back out? Nope.

Delay 3

Finally, we heard the engines whine as the captain pushed the throttle and told us we were light enough for liftoff. So off we went, climbing into the sky and heading toward Chicago.

One of the unique things about Chicago’s O’Hare airport is that no matter where you land or which terminal your connecting flight departs from, you’ll inevitably taxi along the runway for what feels like the rest of your natural-born life. I keep saying I need to time this, but I always forget, likely out of frustration and pure rage every time I’m there. But honestly, am I wrong? I legitimately think we taxi for the better part of 20 minutes each time we’re there. It’s unreal.

And of course, when you’re already concerned about missing your connection, that taxi situation really does seem to take forever. Honestly, O’Hare, get it together.

Delays 4, 5, 6, and $%^&!

This part might be slightly exaggerated, but this is my story, so I’ll tell it how I like.

After touching down and finishing the taxi process, or so we thought, we came to a stop. Thinking we’d reached our gate, the plane full of people, most of whom had tight layovers, got up and started reaching for their things.

‘The captain hasn’t turned off the seatbelt sign, please stay in your seats, ‘ our friendly flight attendant said over the intercom. I was sitting in seat 1B, so literally the entire plane was behind me, but I can only imagine the looks sent toward the front. We were never told why we’d stopped (it was for about 5 minutes), but all of a sudden we started moving again. Yes! Nope. Stopped again about 20 feet later. Then moving. Yay! Nope, stopped again. This time there was another plane in our way, which is fair, because it’s not like they’re ABSOLUTELY HUGE vehicles, nor do our pilots have AN ENTIRE WINDSCREEN they’re looking out of.

It’s fine. Everything is fine. The other plane moves, then we do, too. Finally! We’ve arrived at our gate. Only, not. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL H*LL?! No ground crew at the gate. But, of course, there isn’t.

As we’re sitting there, I look at the flight attendant who seems to be anticipating my question. ‘What are my odds of making my 2.10 flight to Louisville?’ I ask. ‘What gate are you out of?’ she replies. ‘E6, just a 3-minute walk from our gate, so says the United app,’ I said. ‘Oh, you should be fine. Or well, I think you should be fine,’ she says with a slight smile. Sure. I look at my watch, and that’s about 25 minutes from now.

My Remedy

I put a lot of faith in my flight attendants knowing what they’re doing and saying, but at this point, let’s just say my faith was in serious question. As I stared at my watch, all I could think about was there being no plausible situation where I was getting on that plane.

Rather than get frustrated, I leveraged the magic that is the United app. I pulled up my itinerary, said I wanted to change my next flight, and was immediately presented with a list of flights from Chicago to Louisville the same day. The next flight was about 3 hours later, which was fine, because I’d just head to the lounge and have a beer (okay, maybe two).

A few clicks later, I was rebooked, had a new boarding pass, and instantly felt my stress disappear. All the while, my fellow passengers continued freaking out in the general direction of a flight attendant who was completely unable to move our plane to the gate, despite her best wishes.

One More Delay

We finally got to our gate roughly an hour after we were supposed to. The flight attendant asked everyone with longer connections to remain seated, as there were several folks with very tight connections. Amazingly, people actually listened, so our panicked friends could make their best attempt (some futile, of course) to make their connecting flights.

And as I got up to grab my backpack and leave the plane, I was immediately happy that I’d moved my flight. As I walked off the jetbridge, I was met by a crowd of people, the very same people with those very tight connections, who were now waiting for our valet-checked bags to get to us. Thoughts and prayers, friends.

Concluding Thoughts

Why am I writing this? What’s the point? Truthfully, I’m not sure. If you’re laughing, I assume you’ve been in a similar situation. You’re going to miss your flight despite doing everything you were supposed to do. It isn’t fair. But what is there to do? Two answers come to mind.

First, use technology to your advantage. We’ve mentioned this before, but it really does pay to use the tools the airlines make available for you. I was able to use their app to rebook my flight before I even left the plane. That meant I was less stressed because I had a good Plan B, which involved a trip to the lounge for refreshment.

Second, we’ve also mentioned this before, but be nice to your flight attendant. They’re probably stressed, too, both because they also have another flight to get to and because they’re legitimately ill-equipped to help resolve your tight connections and missed flights. Ask them for suggestions, but don’t expect them to fix the problem right then and there.

And remember, traveling is stressful for everyone, even the pros, so be nice.

P.S.

After a layover in the closest United lounge, I headed to my new gate. Once there, I glanced at my boarding pass to see which group I was in. Group 1. Weird, that’s reserved for…First Class. I hadn’t realized that when I changed my flight, it must have upgraded me to the First cabin.

Touche, Travel Gods. I see you.

The post Drat! The Travel Gods Strike. Again first appeared on The DeBode Way.

If you’ve been following the blog over the past few months, you’ll know we’re on a mission in 2026 to do more adventuring a bit closer to home. Don’t worry, we’re still making plans to hop the pond and spend some time in Europe. But we also know there’s so much to do and see around the US in general and the Midwest in particular, so let’s gooooooooooooooo!

The Dilemma

Thus far, our domestic travel agenda has taken us to Weston, Missouri, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, both of which we highly recommend. And all was going well with our goal of visiting one new place each month. And then it was suddenly the end of March, and we had no plans. Zero. Nadda. Zilch. What to do? At that point, planning a weekend away wasn’t really in the cards (no, not those cards, they’re still here…sitting on our bookcase…), and so instead we looked for something local, and that didn’t take much planning. Also, we were a bit strapped for time, because we had house things to do on Saturday and our regular agenda in Springfield and Nixa on Sunday. Sound familiar?

The Parameters

Fortunately, there’s loads of stuff to do in Springfield, even on Sundays, and even stuff that doesn’t take a ton of time. More specifically, we had about a 2- to 3-hour window late Sunday morning after the bells played in church and before Tasha had to be to another rehearsal. So, we had a day, a time window, and a general area figured out. That window of opportunity also happened to coincide with what classy folks refer to as ‘brunch.’ And there it was, our adventure for the day.

So, we started looking around for brunch places in Springfield, and it’s a short list. To be fair, Springfield’s Sunday brunch scene is becoming more robust, but many places really just serve the same breakfast options for a little longer, or the usual lunch menu a little earlier. Folks who know brunch will tell you this isn’t brunch. But we’re getting there, as more restaurants are coming up with new, more specific brunch menus.

Okay, so we started looking around, and most places were already booked (you know…last-minute planning and all). Fortunately, a familiar spot still had openings, so we booked a table at The Ozark Mill at Finley Farms. We’d been there a handful of times, but just for brunch, though we know the grounds of Finley Farms have lots of different things to explore. And now we have a local adventure.

Our Adventure

We ended up getting to the Mill about an hour before our reservation, hoping they’d be able to seat us early. No such luck. Bummer. As we headed back out the door to explore the small farm area right outside, the hostess asked if we wanted to do the tour. The tour? What tour? But also, of course we do. It turns out, the Ozark Mill is called the Ozark Mill because it’s…well, it’s in a mill. That mill has been around for more than a century, and there’s tons to learn about, so they’ve created a tour.

So, we headed to the counter to pay the $5 per-person fee, and then they pointed to a staircase leading to the lower floor. Thinking it over, one of the employees ended up taking us downstairs, showing us the way.

A Restaurant in a Restaurant

As soon as we got to the lower level, the manager pointed off to the left at what was a HUGE old molasses tank, on its side, with the ends cut off, making one of the coolest tunnels we’d ever seen. He asked if we wanted to go in. Um, of course we do, but why? What’s there? So in we go to find a restaurant and speakeasy. You guys! What?! Wild. Such a cool vibe in the restaurant (which was closed; they’re open for dinner and drinks), with rich wooden tables and leather upholstery, thick, heavy velvet curtains, and a feeling that takes you back to the days of the Wild West or something. So cool. We got a quick personal tour and saw the menu before heading back out of the molasses tank and onto the main tour. And what is this gem called? The Garrison – it’s giving me Peaky Blinders vibes. Who wants to go for dinner and drinks sometime?

A Historical Tale

The tour itself was highly interactive and told the story of the history of the mill and the importance it played in the area. There was, a while back, a competing mill that eventually ended up closing, so the Ozark Mill was the only one around, and it really was the center of life back then. The tour was really well done, with lots of videos (the kind that are motion-activated, so they start playing when you talk to each new area) and places to interact with some of the parts and equipment that used to run the mill.

We learned about some of the characters (employees, but so much more than that) who became legends, some of the struggles, and overall Ozark ingenuity that saved the mill over the years. For example, when the current owners took over the property, the foundation was crumbling, as it’s too close to the river and the river floods, as rivers do. That needed to be fixed, so they moved the building. Yep. Put it on rollers and rolled it over, replaced the foundation, then rolled it right back. We were today’s years old when we learned that a building that big could be moved like that. Neat.

The tour ended back in the general store, at the front of the restaurant. It took about 45 minutes to walk the whole thing, but we weren’t in a hurry, so it’s possible we could have sped it up if we needed to. Around that time, our table was ready, and so off we went to stuff ourselves at the brunch buffet before rolling out and onto our next thing for the day.

Adventures: Think Local

And there you have it. A new adventure, right in our backyard (okay, maybe not right in our backyard, but pretty close!) and even at a place we’ve been multiple times. Just goes to show there’s lots to do all over, but don’t overlook the places closest to you; you might be surprised by what you discover.

Get out there and have some (local) adventures and let us know what you discover!

Until next time, happy adventuring, friends.

The post Discovering Missouri: Finding the Forgotten Secrets in Your Backyard first appeared on The DeBode Way.

In case you’ve missed it, we’ve dubbed this the year of quick overnight trips close to us. It started with a deck of “Missouri Adventure” cards from my in-laws for Christmas and continues, but on a bit of a side quest, because we have family living near us for the first time EVER! Ever. Wild.

Two weekends ago, we took a 3-hour jaunt to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to meet up with one of Jason’s cousins. His cousin is in Tulsa for work for the next few months and is taking full advantage of all the cultural differences from NYC (we keep asking if she’s bought a truck, boots, and a cowboy hat yet). Her sister flew in for the weekend, so we obviously had to join them. Cousin meetup! Let’s just say there’s a slight generational gap between us, and they tried their best to get us to relive our younger days.

Our boutique days had previously taken us to Tulsa. In the past, we’d participated in massive shopping shows at the fairgrounds, but hadn’t spent much time in the inner workings of the city – work and all. But this time, in true-ish go-get ‘em attitude, we found ourselves in some unexpected places.

We dropped our stuff at the hotel upon our arrival – Residence Inn Midtown by Marriott, definitely recommend for the space/location. After a quick change of costume, we picked the gals up for dinner at 3 Tequilas in Brookside to get the party started. Let me just say, we had absolutely no idea what we were in for. The margaritas at this place were literally as big as your head! I’m not joking. The food was also great. I’d say there was a risk it was the margaritas talking, but I managed to get a “tiny” one, so I wasn’t hunting down the facilities all night. Ha!

Once properly fortified, they BEGGED, literally begged us to go dancing with them. Let me just say, neither one of us dances without much “encouragement.” Since we were in charge of transportation services, we agreed to go observe what the kids call dancing these days. Enter Whiskey 918 Dance Hall & Saloon in the Blue Dome District. A bona fide country dancing night club. Line dancing, two-stepping, the whole deal. We had a phenomenal time watching all the people who knew what they were doing, those who didn’t, and the brave cousins trying their best to keep up. Well done. Did I know ANY of the music they were playing? One song. One. And I grew up on country music. What in the world?? It was truly the best time, and I would recommend it for legit dancing AND some great people watching. It was very tempting to give it a shot…maybe next time, after I do extensive YouTube research. Why does every song have its OWN dance!?

We collapsed into bed in the wee hours with plans to meet again at a museum later in the morning. Somehow, that turned into coffee and tea before the museum. These DeBodes (not this one, gentle reader) have an unworldly ability to function on no sleep. We were off again before I had my eyes open. Much more to pack in on this short adventure!

Next on the agenda was a visit to the Philbrook Museum of Art. This turned out to be such a fun bit of culture from around the world, right in the middle of Tulsa. The main part of the museum was an Italian Renaissance-style mansion built and owned by the Phillips family of Phillips 66. Yep, that Phillips 66. I believe they lived there for 9 years during the oil boom in Oklahoma before they gave it to the city and moved on in 1938. The art museum opened in 1939 and added an enormous wing in 1990, turning it into a massive complex. The beautiful gardens were renovated in 2004, and I hear they do movies on the lawn periodically. How fun!

We were able to enjoy a short tour with a docent that mostly covered information about the house itself and not so much about the art. But no worries, I was still able to hang back and enjoy some of my favorite art pieces. The museum is full of paintings, sculptures, photography, native art, and decorative arts. It’s such an interesting mix of art from all over the world, right in little ole Tulsa.

By now, we were starving, so we headed downtown for lunch at Misfit Kitchen in the Arts District. Let me just say, they make a mean BLT (and now that’s all I can think about – yum). Great, fresh food, vegetarian friendly, another highly recommended restaurant on our short trip.

After lunch, we needed to head back home to get there in time for chores (no extra farm help on these short trips), but we had one more stop on the list of fascinating things to experience. We walked around the block to the Center of the Universe. Did you know the center of the Universe is in Tulsa, Oklahoma? Us either. Actually, it’s this unique architectural phenomenon that allows you to hear your own voice echoed back to you when standing exactly at the center of it. BUT, no one else can hear that echo. It’s crazy! Take one step away from the center, and the echo is gone. Wild. It’s not the ACTUAL center of the Universe – obviously – but it definitely was other worldly.

We had to leave the cousins after that and head back to our home duties, but somehow, I think there are plans for more DeBodes to gather at our house this summer for Chickolympics. We’re letting that one work itself out. City cousins are hilarious. Just tell me when I need to make beds for the basement slumber party. There was also mention of tent camping in the yard. You’ve been warned – maybe stand by for a hilarious tale in a few months, but also probably don’t hold your breath.

So there you have it, not quite 24 hours in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A whirlwind of experiences, all of which we recommend for a step outside of your daily routine and a quick little getaway from Springfield, MO.

Next month, I think we’ll be back to our Missouri Adventures, but who knows, life is funny.

See you out there!

The post An Unexpectedly Unique Weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma first appeared on The DeBode Way.

In our last post, we mentioned a neat gift we got for Christmas from Jason’s parents: the Missouri card deck from the Adventure Bucket List. Not wanting to let 2026 get away from us (at least not yet), right after the New Year started, we put together a plan to visit one new place each month until we run out of cards. Great plan, right? The next thing we knew, we were staring at the last weekend in January and…you guessed it…hadn’t gone anywhere.

Picking Our First Adventure

So, to the couch we went (everyone makes their serious plans from the couch, right?) to figure out our first Missouri adventure. Fortunately, the cards themselves make this pretty easy. At the bottom of each card is a series of icons, letting you know when to go, the activity level, cost, and a few other things. So, our first order of business was to narrow the cards down to the ones applicable to the Winter: 3 cards. Great. One of the cards was for November/December, which we assumed would be more Christmas-themed, and since we were already past Christmas, we took this card out. That narrowed our options to two. Tasha closed her eyes and randomly picked a card, and the next thing we knew, we were planning a quick weekend getaway to Weston, Missouri. The idea was to leave after Jason left work on Friday, drive to Weston (about 3 hours away), stay the night, and come home after our activity the next day.

Home for the Night

First order of business: find a place to stay. We’re fans of the Hilton family of hotel brands (always remember: the more you stay with a single hotel brand, the faster you accrue points and gain status), so we headed to their website and found a grand total of zero properties in Weston. Bummer. Fortunately, there were plenty of options in Leavenworth, Kansas, about a 15-minute drive from Weston. Hotel booked!

We should also say that a quick search on your favorite hotel booking website will bring up a ton of really neat-looking B&Bs and smaller hotels, many of which are in or very close to Weston. Some of those weren’t open during the winter, and because our planning was last-minute, not available, so we opted for a more familiar hotel chain instead.

Weston: Day 1

Before drawing the card, we’d never heard of Weston, Missouri, much less what there is to do there (well, Jason hadn’t anyway, due to his illness in Scotland and not participating in activities where his cousin was talking it up, and then Tasha’s cousin mentioned it too, so she investigated). But gosh, the more we looked, the more interesting the town seemed! We decided to make the most of our adventure and so kept ourselves pretty busy, but we’ll highlight our favorite stops.

We arrived in Weston around 5 pm, so our first stop was at the Pirtle Winery. This small winery is currently housed in what was a Lutheran Evangelical Church built by German immigrants in 1867. When you arrive, there’s an imposing staircase taking you from street level up to the front door. Walking into the large, open space, we were greeted by the friendly barkeep who did our wine tasting. And we tasted so many wines! From reds and whites to meads and fruit wines and even bourbon, we tasted nearly everything on the menu. We even tasted Norton-based wines. If you haven’t had Norton wine before, let’s just say it’s an acquired taste, and one we typically don’t reach for. However, after much encouragement from our wine guide, we tried a few and had to admit they were pretty…ok. Better than we remembered, anyway.

Having thoroughly explored their menu and bought our favorites to take home, we headed back out and, yes, down the same steep staircase we’d come up (seriously, why are these stairs so steep?!). But before taking off, we asked our barkeep, a Weston native, for dinner recommendations, and we are so glad we did!

Dinner that night was at Avalon Cafe. From the outside, the cafe looks slightly out of place, as if it belongs in the Deep South near a plantation somewhere. Walking up to the large front porch from the street, you’re greeted with window views of the white tablecloth-clad tables inside and tons of candlelight vibes. Walking in, you’re immediately greeted by a friendly hostess who takes you to your table. The menu looked good, but it’s always good practice to ask for recommendations, and they did not disappoint. Tasha had a mahi-mahi, and Jason had the steak (with coffee butter sauce – what!?); both were specials of the day and came with mountains of vegetables – yum! Our only regret of the night? Not getting dessert. Sigh. We were both so full from dinner, dessert was the last thing on our minds, even though they all looked amazing. Oh well, it’s a reason to go back, right?

After dinner, we did a quick drive around Weston, but as it was now dark, we couldn’t see much. So we headed off to our hotel, about 15 minutes away, to call it an early night to be fully prepared for our main adventure the next day.

Weston, Day 2

Before heading off to our main adventure, we stopped in for breakfast at The Depot in Leavenworth, a place we can’t recommend enough. Hearty breakfasts, super friendly staff, reasonable prices, and oh my gosh, the cinnamon rolls! They’re nearly as big as your head, and everything you want in a cinnamon roll: light, warm, oozing with cinnamon, and topped with cream cheese frosting that melts just the right amount. That alone is reason enough to visit the area (available Saturday and Sunday ONLY).

Fully satisfied with our breakfast, we rolled out of The Depot and back into the car, heading off for our adventure. But one more quick stop first. We poked our heads into Weston Coffee Roastery to grab a coffee to fortify Jason for this adventure. We love a local roaster!

So, what was the main event? The thing that brought us to Weston in the first place? Snow tubing! Truthfully, this isn’t something we’d have picked for ourselves, but looking back, we’re so glad we did, as it was some of the best fun we’ve had in a long, long time. The weather was about as perfect as you can ask for: cold (about 20 degrees, eventually) and sunny, albeit with a slight breeze, though that calmed down throughout the day.

Our tickets were good from 11 am – 1 pm, and we made the most of it! The slope had about 6 different tube runs, though two were closed for minor repairs. From 11 am – noon, the course was pretty packed, but around noon, most of the crowd disappeared, leaving only a few of us to enjoy the runs. And gosh, it was like being a kid again. Racing down the different runs, running over to the large conveyor belt that took us back to the top (whoever developed these is a genius), and speeding down again – so fast! Rinse and repeat…and repeat…and repeat. Our 40ish-year-old bodies might not have appreciated the abuse the next day, but it was totally worth it for the fun we had. We slept like absolute rocks that night.

Our time on the course ended at 1 pm on the nose, and after handing in our tubes, we headed for the car and home. We’re intentionally not sharing the name of the slope we visited, as this is one of the reasons to get the card deck! But, suffice it to say, we had a great time and are already looking forward to our next visit to Weston; we’re told they have lots of wineries and distilleries that are lots of fun to visit during the Spring and Summer. Noted.

Do you know what the funniest part of this whole adventure is? Snow tubing was one of the first dates we went on, way back sometime in 2006-2007 (we’re terrible about remembering actual dates)! I guess you just never know when those little glimmers are going to pop up in your life. You’ve heard it here first, folks: the couple that goes snow tubing together, stays together!

Adventure Local

And there you have it, friends: our first Missouri exploration is in the books, and we’re really looking forward to the next one. We’ve been saying for years that we need to do more exploring closer to home, and we finally have an easy way to do it. This just goes to show that, as much as we love spending time in Europe, there are plenty of adventures and (not so) hidden gems much closer to home, too.

Happy travels, friends!

The post Discovering Missouri: An Amazing Journey to Weston first appeared on The DeBode Way.

Why We Travel

As you know from following our blog, we’re big fans of traveling. For the most part, other than the handful of trips to Iowa we take, most of our traveling is international, and we love it. The thrill of exploring a new place, new people, new food, new transportation systems…all of it. We’ve said it before and will say it again: in an increasingly disconnected world, traveling is one of the major ways we meet new people, learn and experience new things, and generally get a chance to connect and grow. It’s fantastic, and we highly recommend it.

International Travel Headaches

Still, international travel isn’t without its hurdles. Trans-Atlantic (or…gasp…even Trans-Pacific?!) flights aren’t for the faint of heart. It’s true that long-haul planes (the Boeing 777, 787, or the Airbus A380, for example, though there are lots of others) have made considerable strides in fuel efficiency, noise levels, and the like. However, while they’ve also made strides in steerage class (alternatively known as economy) seats, it remains a stretch to call them comfortable. They’re also getting more expensive each time we fly, and free upgrades to premium cabins are increasingly rare (though you can read about one of our upgrade tricks here).

Of course, then there’s always the decision about whether to check your luggage or only travel with carry-on bags, as we do. Additionally, depending on the state of global economics and the US dollar’s performance against other currencies, food, souvenirs, car rentals, and tours may also become more expensive. These aren’t reasons that’ll keep us from traveling, but they do have the nasty habit of limiting how much we can travel, as do our jobs. Lame.

Travel Closer to Home!

So, what’s a person to do who wants to travel but has limited means to go abroad? This may seem obvious, but it’s something we frequently overlook: there are lots of neat things to do here. Trouble is, there are so many things to do that it can quickly get overwhelming trying to decide what to do. Fortunately, a recent Christmas present from Jason’s parents has helped make this easier.

Have you discovered the Adventure Bucket List yet? We had seen this occasionally on social media, but knew nothing about it otherwise. It turns out, the good folks at Research International Outfitters have done much of the heavy lifting for us. We’ve only just started exploring ours, but the company has a Bucket List for 48 of the 50 states (nothing for Alaska or Hawaii, at least as of now). Jason’s parents got us the Bucket List for Missouri, and our Bucket List has 50 different adventures.

Each is a scratch-off card, which adds to the adventure/surprise feel of this. To help with your selection, the bottom of each card has hints: indoor/outdoor, Spring/Summer/Winter/Fall, price, time of day, duration, active/relaxed, and meals. The general area or town is also listed at the top of each card, so you’ll know where you’re heading, just not what you’ll be doing.

Oh, the Possibilities!

We’re excited to get started with this! Despite having lived in Missouri for almost a dozen years, we’ve done very little exploring here, which is why it’s at the top of our list of 2026 resolutions. We’re also close enough to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Iowa that we might add a few more Bucket Lists to our collection.

As of now, our goal is to do at least one adventure each month. So, a single Bucket List box – which has 50 adventures – could easily last us a few years. Each Bucket List sells for $64.99, which, if the List lasts us 4+ years, is about $16.25 per year. Not too bad, and WAY less expensive than planning our trips to Europe (which are still happening, just to clarify).

Is this something you’ve seen or, even better, used? If so, let us know your thoughts.

Whatever your 2026 resolutions, and however much progress you make at achieving them, we wish you luck. Our best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous, and adventurous 2026!

The post A New Year, a New Type of Adventuring first appeared on The DeBode Way.

This time in London, we spent loads of time walking and just seeing where our feet would take us. At the last minute, we decided to visit Westminster Abbey in Westminster (fun to search for famous tombs and effigies), Saint Paul’s Cathedral on Ludgate Hill (what an absolutely stunning building!), and walked across the Millennium Bridge to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the South Bank on Thursday. On Friday, we took on the Victoria and Albert Museum and Harrods before our show. We stayed at the Lost Property Saint Paul’s Curio by Hilton (on points!) and had a lovely time being within walking distance of so many things to do. We even walked to our show on Friday night. We were also able to meet up with Jason’s cousin on the DeBode side for dinner at The Ned one night before she moved back to the US. Lots of things checked off our list this time!

By Saturday morning, we were ready to get out of the city. It’s a good thing we had a 6 am train out of Euston Station to do just that – time to head to Scotland! On our way North, we had to take the Avanti West service up the west coast of England due to maintenance on the east coast lines. This meant the journey took 6.5 hours rather than our usual 4.5 hours, but it was a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep.

Once we reached Waverley Station in Edinburgh, we hit the ground running. We checked in at the Hilton Carlton (which is finishing up a stunning renovation) and met up with the rest of the group that was there that day. Once we had a plan, they headed off to a comedy whisky tasting and we headed off to find some local friends (it’s so cool to have ‘local’ friends around the world). We spent the evening with our friends and their kids at the Christmas Market – what a busy place! It reminded me of the Iowa State Fair with the mounds of people, rides, foods, and things for purchase. We had a great time checking out all the stalls and watching the kids do some of the rides. Afterwards, we headed to The Dome on George Street for drinks and a gander at the Christmas decorations – they were phenomenal. 

Later we found ourselves at the Inn on the Mile for dinner (always a top choice for us) and then we met up with the rest of our group at Whistle Binkies next door for live music and a pint. That was a great time! It’s always great to rub elbows with locals and learn about each other.

On Sunday we all did our own things all day. The Palace of Holyrood, shopping, ghost tours, etc. Jason scored TWO great coats while we were shopping – he’ll be very stylish this winter. I may have found one for myself as well. We all met up for dinner at Howies (always a favorite) and then went to the rooftop lounge at the W Hotel for drinks before bed. What a great view of the Christmas Market and all of Edinburgh!

Monday morning, we had a train to catch to Stirling, so we walked the group down to the train station with our luggage and headed there for one quick night. After checking into King Street Aparthotel (which was amazing), we had the BEST tour of a castle we’ve ever encountered. Our tour guide, Joanie, was phenomenal and knew darn near everything about Stirling Castle. It’s always such a bonus when someone can make some dry history exciting – that’s the entire reason I studied history in college, I had great teachers. We all agreed that, if only we’d had history teachers more like Joanie, we’d probably like history more now. After we poked our heads into all the grand spaces preserved and original, and inquired about the price to rent the great hall for a wedding (haha), we had a bit of a surprise on our way out of the castle. Cousin Ashley’s boyfriend got down on one knee in front of the castle, and she said yes! How absolutely magical! I guess there was a reason he was asking about the price to rent the great hall (starts at £10,000 by the way)!

After a very exciting lunch at No. 2 Baker Street, we split up for a bit before dinner. Some went for naps, but J & I went with the excited couple to Church of the Holy Rude only to find it closed for the season. Bummer. So instead, we wandered the surrounding graveyard and got some fun photos of it and the castle beyond. I love a good cemetery wander – I’m so weird. We decided to tour the Old Town Jail and learned quite a lot about the penal system in Scotland and its advances throughout the years. Let’s just say I wouldn’t have wanted to be in trouble before the prison reform came through!

A quick dram with most of the group at Nicky-Tams followed by dinner at Maharaja Indian Restaurant rounded out our evening – we were so tired. But the rest of the group went back to Nicky-Tams for the live folk music and had a great time. We crashed in our King Street Aparthotel (which was fantastic) to prepare for the next day. We were catching another train in the morning for Inverness.

If you’ve never taken the train through Scotland from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Inverness, I highly suggest you do. The views are stunning as you go through the Cairngorms National Park. So many snowcapped munros (mountains), streams, sheep, and quaint villages keep you staring out the window the entire time. I often find myself saying I’m just getting off at the next station and staying. Scotland is just so dreamy.

We arrived in Inverness early in the afternoon and got moved into our apartments at Mansley Highland Apartments – right on the River Ness. We had fantastic views of Inverness up and down the river. After we threw a few things into the washing machine quickly, we headed to a late lunch with the group at Johnny Foxes. We had just a couple of hours to spare before dinner, so we wandered through some shops, and I got lost in Leakey’s Bookshop for a few hours while Jason went to get some cough drops and ibuprofen. Uh oh.

Dinner was at Hou Hou Mei across the river and it was excellent, even if Jason didn’t touch his dinner [Jason says: not because it wasn’t good…keep reading for the details]. I knew then we were in trouble. As we were trying to leave, he started shaking uncontrollably with cold and I had to drag him back to the apartment and put him to bed [Jason says: except remember we stopped halfway AT THE RIVER to take a family picture. Never miss a good photo opp!], where he remained for the next 2 days. Usually when he’s sick, he can rally, but this knocked him out flat, as it did for me 3 weeks prior. Nasty thing. The group went in search of live music and found some fantastic musicians. I was glad they sent me some videos. How fun!

While Jason was catching some serious zzs on Wednesday, I went to catch a train to Huntly with the rest of the group for a daytrip. This was the day the entire trip was built for! Jason’s Huntley family (his mom’s family) hails from the area of Scotland in Aberdeenshire called Huntly. There is a very cute village also called Huntly where there is a castle ruin that is always great fun to visit.

Do we know if they have any connection to those who once resided in the castle? Mmmm…not 100% sure [Jason says: pfft, lies! It’s ours.]. Lots of people have spent more time researching the connection than I have (I have piles of Huntley research books from them), but we at least know they’re from the area and I know when they came to the United States, they were coopers (barrel makers) in Lyme, Connecticut. The Huntley last name most likely came from the area where they lived since it wasn’t common to have a last name in those times. I have more research to do. Surely all this DNA work can help me out in a big way one of these days.

We had lunch in Huntly at The Bank Cafe and it was great! There aren’t a ton of options in that small town, but that one is definitely at the top. After lunch, we walked to Huntly Castle for a self-guided tour and poked around the castle grounds for over an hour. Once we were thoroughly chilled, we headed back into the village to warm up with a pint at the Crown Bar. But first, I stopped at Orb’s Book Shop to find a book to help me with that further Huntley research –  The History of Strathbogie, The Story of the Lords of Strathbogie, Their Castle and the Town of Huntly Which Grew Up in its Shadow by Patrick W. Scott (who may be an ancestor of mine – wild!). I’ve been waiting to grab the new edition for 2 years. Nerd.

Six of us headed back to Inverness and the other two stayed behind to meet a cousin from Aberdeen for dinner. Jason was no better when I got back (worse, actually), so I headed to dinner with the group to River House Restaurant – the best food we had on the entire trip! It was a tiny restaurant, but they had the freshest seafood, the best staff, and we got a table right next to the kitchen so it was fun to watch them prepare everything…including the half pound of butter that went into each steak and shrimp dish! Wowsa.

The next morning we had to move to a hotel due to a scheduling snafoo. I packed everything up and hauled it and Jason a couple of blocks down the road to the River Ness Radisson Hotel. I tucked him in bed and set off to locate a cake for an engagement party and some buns to feed Jason with medication. Tour and wife duties.

Once I had those things found and dropped off back at the hotel I decided I was going on a long walk.  Everyone else was off on adventures to Ullapool and Culloden Battlefield and had a fabulous time. So jealous. So instead, I set off down the river towards the Ness Islands for a bit of nature in the city. It was very windy, but so nice to walk amongst the trees for awhile. I was back just in time for everyone else to start reappearing and get ready for dinner.

By now it was Thursday and Thanksgiving Day! We had Thanksgiving dinner in an old church called The Mustard Seed. It was such a fun building, complete with a wood burning fire, a vaulted ceiling-height bar and Christmas trees. Very festive. We surprised the newly engaged couple with a Victorian Sponge cake with a firecracker candle on top – so fun! I pulled the sick husband card after dinner and went to check on him while the rest of the group went looking for live music again for their last night in Inverness.

Friday morning we packed up and headed back to the train station for our journey back South to Edinburgh. Our trip back was a little more eventful than it otherwise would have been as we’d all coordinated before to bring Adidas track suits. Each couple chose a different color, and of course we were the only ones on the train in track suits [Jason says: they were all jealous!]. The ScotRail staff member found it as entertaining as we did, and seemed to make repeated stops to our car. Our photo opp at the station in Stirling brought equal confusion and laughter from the other travelers. We’ll call this a win, and one heck of a good fashion statement! We stayed at the Norton House Hotel & Spa just a few minutes from the airport. This gave everyone a chance to relax before their trips home or on to Ireland. I booked myself a massage and facial, which I never do on trips. It was nice to have a moment to try to clear my mind. Some others had massages, spent time in the pool, or went back into Edinburgh city center to find some more adventures.

We met in the hotel Brasserie for our final dinner (Jason included this time!), group photos, and lots of hugs and goodbyes. In the morning we parted ways for Glasgow, Dublin, and London. It turns out there is a whopper of a snowstorm blowing across the northern United States, so it could be a interested trip home for most of us. I’m just hoping we make it state-side. I can figure it out easier from there.

So here we are, on a train to back to London to catch our plane home tomorrow morning. The plan for tonight is to repack more intelligently so we can check a bag or two and hopefully call it an early night. Jason has been a trooper with moving around the past couple of days, but he still feels pretty poorly and has a wicked cough. I’m hoping that the snowstorm doesn’t hold us up too much and we can sleep in our bed Sunday night (spoiler: we didn’t make it until late Monday night).

There you have it, a wee glance inside what a group trip to Scotland with us looks like (ok, maybe a long one). We like to have a good mix of group activities we schedule to do together, and also leave you lots of time to explore on your own to make sure you see all the things you want to on your trip. I also hope many of the activities, hotels, and restaurants I mentioned could be options to add to your own trip – either with us or on your own.

We don’t currently have any further group trips scheduled for sign-up, but we are taking inquiries about private trips (gather your people), and I will be working on setting up preplanned itineraries this winter that you can book yourself. We want to help you find the courage and support to get out there!

The post The Huntleys Take on Scotland – A Look into a Group Trip first appeared on The DeBode Way.

What we haven’t talked about very much is how to make your actual flight better. Mostly this is because we didn’t learn about it until recently, but now that we have, we wanted to share. If you’re like us, when you board the plane, you immediately head to the right, back in steerage while quietly wondering what it’s like to turn left. And, like many of you, we always assumed business-class seats were well beyond our financial reach, instead hoping – in vain – for the complimentary upgrades your friend of a friend of a friend got that one time. Or at least that’s the rumor.

Certainly, we’ve shared the products we use to help make our flight experience better, but wouldn’t it also be nice to fly in relatively more comfortable environs? Lay flat seat, anyone?

Booking for Business-Class

We can’t be the only ones who have been on an airline’s website looking for flights and, just for fun, told the engine to search for business (or higher!) class seats. And despite our most fervent wishes for one of those enigmatic ‘fluke’ fares (when the airline accidentally lists a really low price for an upper-class seat), our hopes are always dashed. You want how much for that seat?!

The thing is, when you book a flight in an upper-class cabin, like business-class, you’re booking your full itinerary in that class, or at least insofar as those cabins exist on the planes you’re flying on.

For example, when we leave from Springfield on United Airlines, we almost always head to Denver, Houston, or Chicago before jumping across the pond. That flight out of Springfield is almost always on a small, regional jet (commonly with a 1×2 seating configuration). Those planes don’t have a business-class cabin, so there’s little point in booking the full business-class ticket when some of our flights don’t have business-class seats. Especially at those prices!

We’ve also learned that we’re more interested in business-class seats on the way to Europe, but not as much on the way back. Why? Our flight to Europe is always overnight, meaning that we land first thing in the morning. That means if you don’t sleep on the plane, you’re awake for nearly 48 hours, and the older we get, the harder this is to pull off without any embarrassment. If you can sleep sitting up and your legs don’t throb after being under you for a few hours, kudos to you; it doesn’t work for either of us!

Upgrading to Business Class

If you’re following along, this means that what we’re really interested in is an upgrade to business class on our trans-Atlantic flight on the way to Europe, only. This next part is important: I *need* the airlines to understand that we’re fully prepared to accept complimentary upgrades to business- or first-class as often as they’re willing to give them to us. This conversation is only about the upgrades we must pay for.

To make this happen, we’ve found this process works best for us:

1. Book your flight at your regular ticket class. We’ve previously discussed how, especially on long-haul flights, we prefer the Premium Economy seats, so this is where we usually start when booking flights to Europe.
2. After your ticket is confirmed (usually, we wait a few days), log into your frequent flier account (if you don’t have one, you should; they’re free) and find your flight. Where these are located depends on the airline, but for United, they’re referred to as ‘Current trips’.
3. Then look for the ‘Upgrade Cabin’ option, which, again for United, is in the same area as seat changes, insurance, and ways to change or cancel your flight.
4. Click on the Upgrade Cabin button and in the new window it’ll give you the option to upgrade your flight using either money or miles. At first, we only ever looked at the Money option, which was frequently in the thousands of dollars. Nope. But then we started looking at the Miles option and things changed.

For example, on our upcoming flight to London, we can upgrade (to business-class) for $6,016 per person. This is just for the flight from Newark to London, not the flights from Springfield to Chicago or Chicago to Newark. Again, nope. OR we can upgrade using miles, in which case it’s 20,000 miles per person for our entire itinerary. There is also a fee of $425 per person, but that’s considerably more reasonable than $6,000, right?

Other Important Details

There are a few things we want to be clear about:

• First, this is our cost to upgrade from the Premium Economy to Business-class cabin. If you purchase a regular Economy ticket, the upgrade miles + fees might be different, and they won’t let you upgrade at all if you buy a Basic Economy seat.

• Keep in mind that in this scenario, it’s 20,000 miles + $425 for each side of our itinerary. In other words, we’d have to pay this on the way to Europe and the same on the way back, meaning that our total upgrade cost would be 40,000 miles and $850 per person. But again, we’re mostly focused on the upgrade to Europe and will then roll the dice and hope for some kind of complimentary upgrade on the way home. A person can dream.

• We recently learned that if you pay for the upgrade (either with Money or Miles) a while before you leave, you might get put on a Waitlist. You will still be charged, but they’ll wait to upgrade you until closer to your flight, often 24-48 hours before you leave. That’s frustrating but know that if the upgrade ends up not being available, you’ll be refunded for the upgrade charge.

We know $425 per person is still a hefty price to pay, especially when flights are getting more expensive. However, it’s much less than paying directly for the upper-level cabin, so we’re okay with it. Especially since we’ll arrive at our destination ready for a great time instead of with painful legs, desperate for some rest, and seriously jetlagged. Remember, all this time we’ve talked about ways to save money so you can either travel for less, or be more discerning about where/when you splurge; this is one place we see the value in splurging when we can.

Not sure you have enough miles? No problem. You can purchase miles, but we never go this route. Instead, if you have a credit card that accrues points and is a partner with United (check your credit card portal for details), you can transfer points from your credit card to your United account. Alternatively, if you know where to look (we always leverage help from our friends at 10X Travel), you can find great sign-up bonus deals for a new credit card. As always, if you decide to open a new card, we always advocate for knowing your spending limits and never going beyond that. In other words, when we open new cards, it’s for the bonus, and we already know how it fits into our current spending and how to offset any annual fees with the benefits the card brings. Always spend responsibly!

We hope this is as helpful for you as it has been for us. Again, we don’t do this every flight, but for the long-haul flights, those lay-flat seats and quieter cabin really do make a difference.

Whatever you do, get out there and live your best life! See you out there!

The post The Hidden Secret to United Business Class Upgrades first appeared on The DeBode Way.

Is it acting like autumn where you are yet? It’s not here. I’m staring at a deck refinishing project (x2) and wishing it would quit being 90˚+ every day! Come on, winter! I have a massive pile of books to read, sipping tea while it gently snows. A girl can dream.

This blog is going to be a bit different. At the beginning of the year, you may remember us mentioning that Jason took on a new position at the University that put him in charge of his whole department in the business school. Plus, he somehow landed on the strategic planning committee for the entire University. What!? Well, that means he was suddenly very NOT available for group travel, only work travel. Womp, womp. For reasons I’m not going to get into, I can’t really do our big group travel trips without him, currently.

So.

As is the usual course in our household, I have been talking with folks and brainstorming for months. I have concluded:

1. Y’all want some help planning your trips!
2. I happen to LOVE planning trips.
3. So, I’m going to begin creating custom itineraries this winter for trips that you can book yourself. I’ll plan out all the details and make all the recommendations for you to choose from; you just need to do the booking from an easy little checklist!

Isn’t this what a travel agent is for?

This is a little different than relying on a travel agent. We are not licensed travel agents; therefore, I cannot do the booking FOR you without us being physically present on a group trip. But that’s no problem, you’ve got this!

Why would you want to go this route instead of hiring a travel agent to do ALL the work for you?

Personally, I believe the more involved you are in your trip planning, the more you will get out of your trip. In a house full of academics and knowledge seekers, we’re always looking for ways to expand our minds. This is a simple way to build confidence (anxiety sufferers unite!), problem solve, and just learn a ton about where you’re going.

Some benefits to booking yourself:

• You can pick and choose what you want to do without being stuck with a pre-set package.
• You have control of your budget. We’ll share our tips and tricks for getting the best price.
• You can make last-minute changes and spontaneous decisions as you go.
• You’ll build confidence in yourself while developing skills.
• You get to read all the reviews before you make your choices.
• You’ll be able to choose from a much wider range of options for your trip.
• You’ll have us throughout the planning process. We’re always happy to answer questions.
• Plus, a HUGE bonus: you get to keep all your points and miles so you can benefit from the massive savings through the brand’s booking portals!

Ya, that sounds like a lot of work…

What if you just want to sit on the beach or ride on a boat for a week to decompress? Great! Get with a travel agent and go do that! That’s not what we’re doing here. *wink*

We all travel for different reasons, but if you’re looking for a deep dive into another portion of the world, let’s talk. We’ll ALWAYS tell you we have the most fun learning new things, trying to speak phrases in new languages (badly), and feeling really accomplished when we catch the correct train going the right direction when you really can’t read the signs. Ha!

Going forward

Be on the lookout for more details in the future. I’m currently thinking I won’t be able to set this up or give it the needed attention until after Christmas. I have a massive to-do list for home while the weather is still cooperating (kinda), a family trip to Scotland (woohoo!), and a few trips to Iowa to squeeze in before the end of the year. Plus, Jason lives on campus, so this little project is all me!

If you are interested in being one of the very first, send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, or email thedebodeway@gmail.com. We will first focus on locations we have visited, so check out our trip journals for ideas. We’re VERY familiar with the US, Scotland, and Spain, but also have a lot of knowledge in France, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Wales, and Ireland.

I’m so excited, guys. Let’s get you out there!

The post Our Secrets for Travel and Adventure at Your Fingertips first appeared on The DeBode Way.

I recently attended a conference in San Francisco and, not having been to this city before (which is weird, considering I spent nearly 6 years living in the state as a kid), I wanted to do a little exploring and to make sure I saw the major sites.

San Francisco Treats

The first thing I’ll say is San Francisco isn’t known for one thing. Or even for a few things. Instead, it’s known for a weirdly eclectic assortment of things.

Before I left, as with most of my travels, I did a quick TripAdvisor search to see what I should visit. As anticipated, the main results were the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, trolleys, and the wildly steep switchback streets that make up much of the city’s road system. Fortunately, much of this is in one broad area, so on my free afternoon, I hopped in an Uber and had them take me over to the famous Fisherman’s Wharf.

The Wharf is a long area that follows along the shore of the Bay, making for some excellent views. As I wandered along, there was such a variety of things to see and experience it was a bit much to take in.

The first thing I saw was what appeared to be a decommissioned battleship (SS Jeremiah O’Brien). The large ‘OPEN’ sign hanging off the back suggested it was open for tours, but I was on limited time, so kept moving. After this, I came across the Pier 39 area, which, at the time, was very busy, so I kept walking. A little further along I came across the world-famous Boudin Bakery, known for its sourdough breads. I wandered through their café and gift shop, and while the smells were amazing, the lines were out the door, so I kept wandering.

As I continued following the Wharf, I came across a small inner harbor area. Lots of brightly colored smaller boats were tied up for the day, and a few others were looking for their last few passengers to take on a cruise out to the Bridge area.

At the far end of the Wharf, you cross the street and find yourself staring at Ghirardelli Park, named for, you guessed it, Ghirardelli. Yes, the chocolate company. And, as luck would have it, there’s a Ghirardelli chocolate factory right in the center of the park. Obviously, I stopped in for a visit, looking for something exclusive to take home. Much of what I found was the same square chocolates I can find at home, so I settled for a mini sundae instead. It didn’t disappoint.

After my sugary snack, I walked around and found some of their famous vintage trolleys that continue to operate throughout the city. Turning my head, I was pleasantly surprised with a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Not looking to head back to my hotel just yet, I reversed my steps and headed back to the Pier 39 area. Wandering around, I found a wide variety of shops in the Pier. Lots of food stands and restaurants, plenty of souvenir shops, and some amusement-type places, too. All the typical things I usually find along an oceanside boardwalk, but mercifully without the sand.

After exploring the shops and Pier, I decided it was time to head back, so I called another Uber and headed to the hotel. On the drive back I had an interesting chat with my driver about the driver-less taxis (Waymo) I’d seen all over the Downtown part of the city. Yes, driver-less. It turns out, there have been around only for about two years, but they’re becoming popular, thought not quite to the point of disrupting the taxi/Uber industry…yet. I can see the appeal (no tired drivers in the middle of the night or early morning, as an example) but it’s still so strange to see the cars driving themselves around with no one in the driver’s seat.

In the end, I probably didn’t see everything San Francisco is known for. But then, maybe San Francisco isn’t really known for any one thing, or even a few things. Instead, maybe San Francisco is known more for its sheer variety of things to see. All cities have lots of things to see and take in, but it felt different in the Bay Area.

All that’s to say, the next time you explore a city, do your homework and make sure you see the main things you’re going to see. But also, be open to taking a walk and really exploring the area. Oh, and please don’t stare at your phone. This is both for your own safety and so you’ll see some of what others overlook.

Happy travels!

The post Appreciating the Uniqueness of San Francisco, in a Hurry first appeared on The DeBode Way.

Passport

Does your passport have at least 6 months from the end of your trip before it expires? Are there at least 2-3 blank pages left in your passport for stamps (not including the last 3 Endorsement pages)? Have you applied for visas where they are required?

REAL ID

Maybe you aren’t leaving the country but are considering a little trip within the States. Take a good, hard look at your driver’s license (or non-driver ID). Does it have the little star in the top corner signifying it as a REAL ID?

As of May 7, 2025, a REAL ID is requiredto fly domestically in the United States. Our IDs were automatically updated the last time we had to renew our licenses back in 2017, but if it’s been a minute since you did yours, you’d better double-check.

I know, I know, I can hear you groaning from here. Nobody likes to sit at the DMV all day waiting for them to call your number. Before you head there, ensure you have all the necessary documents to renew your license, especially if it has expired – there will be some extra hoops to jump through. You can find all the info you need on your state’s website. Just click the link below, then click on your state on the map to be directed to your state’s DMV.

• https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

If your ID isn’t REAL ID compliant, make sure to take your passport with you.

Even if you don’t have any travel plans this summer, it’s always a good idea to make sure your IDs are up to date. Letting them expire is one of my worst nightmares. I just checked, I’m good until 2027. Whew!

One more thing!

Another friendly reminder to check which countries require the new Travel Authorizations. I believe Europe has now pushed theirs off until 2026, but others are still being implemented this year. We highlighted them in this post in February.

Short and sweet this month, it’s been very busy around here as we gear up for travel, and I start everything rolling again at the acreage. Baby chicks are coming soon, my plant starts are thriving, it’s about time to plant outside, and our lawn is in full bloom for the bees. Spring is such a happy, hopeful time…we won’t talk about my allergies.

Have a great month! We’ll see you in May with a little trip tale!

The post Traveling Soon? Make sure you have your REAL ID! first appeared on The DeBode Way.