Vanuatu Update #3

My time is Vanuatu, at least for the foreseeable future has come to an end. After to 3 months of DTS Lecture Phase, 2 months of DTS Outreach Phase and 2 months of serving on the M/V Pacific Hope, I am making my way home.

I arrived in Auckland on the 25th but, did not get to my hotel until after mid-night. I have a total of 5 nights here in Auckland before contenuing on my journy home. The 25th, happened to be the cheapest day to fly back to NZ from Vanuatu... at least prior to my August 30th flight back to the States.

I will have layovers in Melbourne, Sydney and Dallas respectively before arriving back in Orlando. The Sydney to Dallas flight will be my longest yet at just over 15.5 hours of flying time.

So far, I have been having an amazing time back in Auckland. God has blessed me with some really good friends here who have gone out of their way to make me feel at home.

Home Again!

Woke up in Florida this morning for the first time in almost three weeks. Though I was only suppose to stay in Ohio for 12 days, a last minute extension (at the behest of my aunt) of one week was added to my trip. It was totally worth it and she really needed my help.

All in all, I had a great time in Ohio! Considering that I am going away for school in January, I will probably not visit again till Heart Camp in September 2016 (will post pics in a future post).

Well, time to move on to the next chapter in my life! :D

Save Cash Flying Into These Alternative US Airports

My personal addition to this list would be to fly into the Sanford International Airport (SFB) in stead of the Orlando's main airport (MCO). As I have mentioned in a previous post, I like to fly with Allegiant Airlines which has its' largest East-Coast Hub at SFB. You can use the airport code "ORL" to get results for both SFB and MCO on most flight search engines.

Also, this works for others cities with multiple airports. Example: For New York City, USA and London, UK area airports you can simply enter "NYC" and "LON" respectively.

-Save Cash Flying Into These Alternative US Airports-

"Traveling is so much better when you can make it both cheap and easy. And sometimes all you have to do to kill both birds with the same stone is fly into an airport that’s near where you really want to go. We’ve looked at some of the biggest cities in the United States to see what airports you should fly into, and some of the information might surprise you." See the list here!

Back to Ohio

Next month I will be traveling up to Ohio for Heart Camp, as I usually do every September. I have been attending Heart Camp every year (excluding years 2012 and 2013 due to other travels) since I was 7 years old, first as a "Camper" then as a "Counselor" when I turned 15.

While Heart Camp and family/friends are the reason I want to go up, Allegiant Air is the reason I can go up. Allegiant Air is my favorite domestic airline as I am always able to get REALLY cheap flights. Their main East-Coast hub is about an 1hr north of me in Sanford, FL (SFB). They have direct flights from SFB to Asheville, NC (AVL) and Columbus, OH via the Rickenbacker Airport (LCK).

The key to keeping costs low while flying on Allegiant Air, is to NOT use any of their paid features. Such as, skip their online seat selection (I let the computer assign me at check-in), do not have any checked or carry-on bags (I only use a school sized backpack which they consider my free "personal item"), skip priority boarding (a really pointless waste of money) and most recently check-in online via their phone app to get a digital boarding pass or online via a link they send to your e-mail and print out your boarding pass (they now charge $5 for check-ins as the airport and boarding pass print outs). Oh, I almost forgot, use a debit card! They will charge a fee for credit cards and even with a good rewards card it is NOT worth it. Also, I guess this does not need to be said but, I will say it anyway: DON'T buy snacks and drinks on the plane, so NOT worth the costs. They will give you a free cup of ice if you ask though.

So, those are some tips for saving money on airfare. I strongly suggest that you see if Allegiant Air flies to an airport near you. Do remember that they do not do connecting flights, only direct flights.

My Favorite City!

This is probably not what many of you, who don't know, might be expecting. You probably think that with all of my travels, my favorite city in the world is some far off exotic destination. Well, not exactly.

My favorite city is Asheville, North Carolina. I had lived in the area for a good portion of my life. And though I am hanging my hat in the Orlando, Florida area right now, my heart is still truly in Asheville.

I do fly up to visit Asheville at least once a year sometimes more, Allegiant Air has direct flights, I will post about them later. However for the time being, I have not planned-out a "return to the promise land" strategy.

Here is a YouTube video that will help you see part of the reason why I just love Asheville so much. You might just decide to live there yourself!

#florida
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carolina
#carolina
#pathers
pathers