The final leg of my North American "tour" was meeting up with a couple of college girlfriends (including my bestie!) for a long weekend of fun and catching up. I think it's been about 3 years since I last saw Candice and Lizzie, so there was a lot to talk about. Unfortunately, the start to my journey was not the best. The line of storms that ravaged the midwest and deep south was on its way through the east coast, which apparently shut down JFK for a while. So, my flight from DC had a two hour delay, AFTER they had already boarded us on the plane. They made us wait at the gate because they didn't know when - the bar was not far away and I seriously considered getting another drink, but contained myself. ... read more

I had booked business class again on my red eye to Geneva, via Atlanta on Delta. I had forgotten that domestic business did not automatically come with lounge privileges. I decided to purchase it for $25 to give it a whirl; it was not worth it. However, the flight itself totally was. I purposely booked another airplane with lay down seats, even though it took me to one of my least favorite airports (Atlanta) instead of my favorite airport (Detroit). That was worth it. I was able to get a solid three hours of sleep on the flight, immediately laying my bed down once we took off. So by the time I landed in Rochester, I felt refreshed. I always love getting to the airport and seeing my parents greet me - it makes me so ... read more

Due to the long flight I had planned and my much needed real vacation time, I looked into flying Business Class... just on a whim. Lo and behold! I saw great deals on Emirates! Not only that, the deals were on the A380 - the largest passenger jet in the world! The price was just a little more than twice the price of Economy, so I went for it - 16 hour flight on Emirates in business? Yep - made total sense! (I've been unable to find the same deal for any time recently - I'd love to fly my parents in, but I can only splurge so much!) Can I just say - wow! Wow. Wow. WOW! Was it totally worth it! From beginning to end. I was able to check in pretty quickly and ... read more

Today is the day. I'm so excited! I've been wanting to see Petra for ages and I was so ready to get this adventure started! We had a good breakfast at Bait Ali Camp, where they baked us bread, made me eggs, and allowed me to sip some good tea in peace. Then it was time to high tail it to Petra! We chugged our way up the big grade out of Wadi Rum area and into the hills, where we veered left for the road to Petra. Holy crap - I knew there were some mountains, but this road reminded me of the Santa Monica Mountains between the 101 and the Bu. And we were going 100 kph (Matt was driving...) There was a cool sign where there is an incline and a car heading ... read more

I have lived in the Middle East for almost two years now, but coming to Jordan is the first time I feel like I dove headfirst into Arabic culture. From start to finish. First was the plane ride from Doha. I was seated near the back of the plane wear a Qatari man was traveling with his hooded falcon. A falcon!! Not in a cage! Just chillin... Apparently he was $26,000 and one of only five falcons that can catch a certain type of bird, so he was going on a hunting trip to Jordan. Then we arrived at Queen Alia International Airport - not too shabby. But it was funny to see that the many lines for Jordanians far exceed the three small lines for all other nationalities - this is one of the first ... read more