The first thing that came to mind as I began to post #747 was the Boeing 747 that has taken us many far away places. It’s Thanksgiving and time to watch Planes, Train, and Automobiles again. We’re in a Marriott TownePlace Suites after a slippery drive to Bend, Oregon on winding mountain roads, something you don’t have to deal with when you’re traveling by plane or train. It would have been much less stressful to get here if I had “left the driving to someone else.” The good news is that we got to take the dogs with us. They love a good “ride in the car.”

It was not raining or snowing when we finally arrived at the hotel. Experts say that 263 days a year it does not rain here in the high desert of Oregon, but unfortunately, we happened to pick a weekend with little sunshine expected. At least I didn’t have to get out the tire chains to get here, and there was a small patch of blue sky when we arrived after four hours of watching the windshield wipers swipe back-and-forth.

Naturally, I’m using Marriott Rewards points to offset some of the expense of being away from home. I got here on less than a tankful of gas and we brought Thanksgiving dinner and wine with us. Breakfast is free and some daily “Schnauzerthons” will keep us busy as we explore the area. The only thing I’m really worried about is an abundance of quaint little stores in the downtown area that will attract my wife’s credit card like a magnet. With the additional exception of fancy dinners, where the dogs will have to stay in the car, we should be well under the $1000/day average of most of our travel outings. The same should be true about next week’s travel to Disneyland, although pet-sitting costs, admission tickets, souvenirs, airport parking, cabs/Uber, and dining will come into play. Once again, the hotel costs, in this case, SpringHill Suites, are covered by points. Plus, I used Alaska Airlines rewards to pay for my ticket, while my wife is simply extending an expensed business trip into the weekend with the permission of her boss. I’m thinking we can get by for 3 days on less than $2,000 or $667/day. 

There will then be one final excursion remaining for this year that involves cash outlays for pet sitting, airfare, parking, rental car, gas, tolls, and meals. It will truly be a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles excursion through Chicago’s O’Hare and seven nights in Indiana. There will also be shuttle buses in the mix, and some unavoidable shopping in Indianapolis. Despite lodging points, a guest bedroom stay, and less expensive family dinners, we’ll manage to keep below budget because an extended stay like this spreads the airline costs over more days. It will still easily average $600/day because of additional pet care expenses – the longer we’re gone the more it costs to have someone stay with them.  

It’s a good thing that one of us is still working – and that’s not me. After the New Year, I will have to withdraw some more money from my hard-earned retirement account, before leaving on more jet planes to Phoenix and Thailand. The stock market has not been cooperating, so I’m starting to fret over how long this nest egg will ultimately last? At least, I was saving it for a rainy day – like today!