Journey to Alicante (May 8, 2022)

Our journeys began in several places as most of our group flew out of Tampa, I came from Orlando, with one participant traveling all the way from California. With travel came many layovers and for some unexplainable reason a myriad of misshaps. My journey started with little to no sleep the night before take-off, because I was so nervous about traveling that I couldn’t stop packing and repacking my bags. As a chronic over packer I thought just this once I would be able to travel carry-on only with no issues, but I was wrong. With my first flight came a missed opportunity to utilize TSA precheck and a last minute checked bag. I had managed to get through security with four small bags, but once I got to my gate I had to check one bag and consolidate before boarding my flight; I was the last to board, but I made it. My second flight had a four hour layover,  and was the most uncomfortable flight. Upon arrival in Madrid I quickly realized that I was not going to make my next flight. After a lot of running around and confusion about where my bag had gone, I found out I needed to rebook my flight. All was well until I went through security, and listened to what I can only assume was a conversation in which the security guards were trying to determine if I had taken something from the plane. After much deliberation, they decided to believe me when I said I had purchased the item on Amazon due to the lack of airline markings.  After traveling solo for an entire day, I relieved to be reunited with my group members. Seeing the group was a relief, especially since this flight would be the final stretch on our journey to Alicante. We had traveled halfway around the world, for nearly 24 hours, and to say I was exhausted was an understatement. After a long day of travel we finally made it to Alicante, and tomorrow is when the real fun begins. I can’t wait to see what awaits us as this long held dream of visiting Spain begins to unfold. – Julie Wynn