My United loyalty started when I lived in Wyoming, with a teensy airport that had commuter flights that partnered with United. Back in the day, it was much more difficult to book flights on unconnected airlines, so we ended up flying United.

I stuck with United, more or less, across the years as they consistently had service where I needed to go. Including Wyoming. But as I traveled to Wyoming less and less, I realized my loyalty was habit rather than function. Plus, I'm still feeling the nostalgia for the amazing McDonald's happy meals, complete with awesome airline-themed toys, they used to serve. Those were the days.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the US Air and American merger. Living in DC, and flying frequently out of DCA, we almost always were on US Air, so it's switch from Star Alliance to OneWorld made me really reconsider our Star Alliance loyalty. 

Soooooooooo I'm a big proponent of flying whenever possible. DCA makes it so easy to get in and get out and not spend hours at the airport. But we drove to upstate New York for Thanksgiving.

Two words: the dog.

I don't think anyone goes to Bhutan, at least the first time, and doesn't hike to the Tiger's Nest, which is more correctly called Paro Taktsang Monastery.

For many visitors, hiking to the Tiger's Nest is the most strenuous thing they will do during their visit and as such, a source of some apprehension.  So here are some FAQs from our experience climbing to the Tiger's Nest.

Do you need hiking boots?
Absolutely not. Even if it was really muddy I think hiking boots would be overkill. There are not boulders or rocks, and the hardest part of the whole hike is the set of stairs at the end, close to the monastery. DH and I both hiked in lightweight trail running shoes, and though we are both fit and active, we still feel like hiking boots are really unnecessary. If you are particularly concerned, you can get hiking shoes.

Are there tigers?
Uh, no. But if you see one, you might want to sit down and make sure you aren't about to faint.

While there is more and more information out there about Bhutan, when I was planning I found much of it was out of date as things change quickly. I also had some questions that weren't really answered until we arrived in Bhutan!  So here are some things that would have been helpful to know before our trip.

I've been getting admittedly cranky lately with some of the bashing I've seen from travel bloggers regarding organized tours. I get it, not all tours are for every traveler, and I'll be the first (and have been the first) to complain about the annoying throngs of rude tourists who push you out of their way. I'll also be the first to say that taking a tour with 60 or 100 people is pretty much my worst nightmare, as I'm not a people person, and I hate being treated like a sheep (unless it's the black sheep...).

That said, the general bashing of tours, of the people going on the tours, and constant repeating of how independent travel is the only  "right" way to travel is really frustrating to me. 

When I say organized tours, I'm talking about multi-day tours with transport, guides, food included.

Here's why:

I think I've alluded to it before in a few posts, but if not, here is what you probably didn't need or want to know for the day: I have horrible motion sickness.

I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't have motion sickness. When I was younger, traveling with my parents, I constantly dreaded flying and early morning car rides because I knew I would get sick. Also?  There is evidence this is genetic (for example, here). Thanks Mom and Dad (...though neither of them have significant issues).

Sure, sometimes it was worse than others, and not having food in my stomach (i.e. mornings) certainly seemed to exacerbate the problem.  I'm also one of those people who isn't really ever hungry in the morning, so that doesn't help. I've been that way since about 5, when my mom says one morning I woke up, and out of the blue told her I wasn't hungry for breakfast.  Twenty-five years later and not much has changed.

When I say "bad", I'm sure my "bad" doesn't compare to people with actual medical problems that cause extreme motion sickness, so I don't want to exaggerate. Yes, on large, commercial planes I am ok probably 70% of the time. But I know I'm not the only one that dreads certain forms of transportation because on a good day, it makes me feel like crap for a few hours, and on a bad day, there will be throwing up. I'm sure the anxiety of getting sick doesn't help the actual motion sickness, either.

We were in Bangkok for a little more than 48 hours...which isn't very long for a city that is THAT big, THAT varied, with THAT much to see.  It was our very first trip to Bangkok, a necessary but also desired stop on our way to Bhutan.

We knew, more or less, what we wanted to see in our two days.  We didn't want to go out, a la Hangover style, and waste our days being lost and hungover....and we aren't big on clubbing, so we were able to spend early mornings out seeing the sights before the hoards. And I mean hoards...the Grand Palace was still incredibly crowded with visitors.

We wanted to see most of the sights you read about in things entitled "Top 10 Sights of Bangkok".  It would be a bit of a long day, but totally worth it.

What made it all easier was hiring a guide for the day.  Her name was Mandy (@Mandyguidesmile), and she was awesome (totally unpaid endorsement...we hired her)! She's a registered tour guide, and helped us navigate the insanity of Bangkok with ease. No haggling with taxi drivers about turning on the meter, no getting lost (though DH is admittedly fantastic with a map...I....not so much), no wondering where to go in each of the temples, and with plenty of information and history to go along with each stop.

Some people reveal the sex of their baby...I reveal our first destination for 2015!  I'm scheduling this post for when we are away in Bhutan and Thailand, as I have a feeling that the internet may be a bit slow for blogging in Bhutan.  But I could be wrong...in which case, you might get Bhutan updates, too.

You may remember the destination triage post from a few months ago...the first reveal is....

Vamos a Costa Rica!  January 2015.

Costa Rica was an easy choice for us to start off our year. It's relatively easy and close to get to (about 6 hours with one stop), no significant time is lost due to time changes, and it's relatively inexpensive--even when we (well...I) don't really try to travel inexpensively. Now, I can hear people out there groaning already, but we opted for the Caribbean coast rather than Arenal or Guanacaste.  I know, I know. I am aware how popular those places are and how much there is to see. But...

We are interested in seeing cool tropical wildlife and hopefully finding some decent snorkeling around Cahuita.  We realize snorkeling can be hit or miss, but that's ok. We know it's not like Belize or other reefs, but it is supposed to be decent around the National Park. I also reallyreallyreally want to see a sloth; DH really wants to see tree frogs and other jungle fun. We didn't want a resort--we wanted a more glamp-like environment. We might do some rafting, but are going to focus on wildlife on land and in the ocean. Have I mentioned I think zip-lines are borrrinnngggg? There I said it. I'd much rather watch animals.

As you might remember in the first installment of destination triage, we had narrowed down a short-list of places where we wanted to travel in 2015.

I'm happy to report we've planned two trips, already--one in January, and one in June.  Both destinations were on the original list, too, which considering my ever-persistent capriciousness, is refreshing.

I'm writing about this as a normal person (with a perhaps overly analytic personality), with other obligations, a husband, a dog, working within time and budget constraints, and trying to maximize miles, points, and good travel deals. I also like to avoid things like typhoon season, disease outbreaks, super crowded beaches, and overly busy museums. When it really comes down to it, choosing where to go next is as much about practicality as it is about emotions.

So, here are the five things I (we) really consider when deciding where to go for our next trip.

Yup, this is a boring topic. But I think that part-time travelers really need to think about the pros and cons of travel insurance, and whether it is worth it to them.  To me the math is pretty simple.

Rudimentary, my dear Watson.

But really, here are our four guidelines we pretty much stick to for whether or not we purchase travel insurance.  Notably, we are young, healthy 30-somethings (well, I'm soon to be 30), that do have some cushion in our budget for the unforeseen.  However, neither of us have a significant tolerance for watching our money go down the drain due to the unforeseen.  So we do get travel insurance with some frequency. I also (unfortunately) have a terrible knack for having my luggage lost or pillaged, so trip insurance is good for that, too.

1. If the total trip cost is more than $3500, we usually get trip insurance.  This is pretty simple.  While trip insurance won't likely reimburse the whole cost of the trip, and while it's highly unlikely we'd ever have to completely cancel, it's nice to know that I'll get approximately 2/3 of that back, depending on the coverage that I choose.  Yes, losing 1/3 is still a lot of money, but it's better than losing it all.  If you have a lower tolerance, you might opt for higher coverage. If you can't afford to lose anything and still are going on a big trip...well, you are braver than we are! I should note, that while I'm relatively averse to risk, I'm not averse enough to pay for the "any-reason" cancellation coverage.