TPOL Forgets How to Travel is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report, where TPOL leaves the basement. It’s finally happening despite inconsistent policies, interruptions, and human stupidity as explained in these posts:
- 11 Reasons Why I Still Don’t Want to Travel
- North Korea – Level 4: Do Not Travel
- We’re All In This Together, So Long As You’re Miserable
- Air TPOL Retiring From Travel
- Kayak Answers, “Can I Travel to…?”
- Don’t Route Via Panama
- Breakthrough Infections: Another Reason Not to Travel
- COVID Test for Return Travel Is Stupid
My trip to Colombia was my first in almost two years. And it showed. While I knew where my passport was after ‘misplacing it’ earlier in the year (see Misplacing My Passport Without Traveling), everything else was disorganized.
First, I could not find my Schwab card, despite turning the house upside down. I sadly will encounter ATM fees as a result (see Charles Schwab Debit Card: Use As Instructed). Second, I did not have my Priority Pass configured because I had cancelled all premium cards and had just received my Amex Platinum Business Card (see Approved! Amex Business Platinum). Unlike Schwab, I had wisely contacted Amex ahead of my trip to enroll in Priority Pass. Even with the number in hand, I did not have the enrollment pin and could not activate my membership prior to taking off. Luckily, I won’t need access to a lounge on my outbound flight.
TPOL’s TIP: it takes 3-5 business days for Amex to generate a Priority Pass number. Contact them via chat to set it up.
The disorganization continued when I realized that I did not have Uber installed on my new phone (see Samsung Z Flip Was a Flop). I downloaded that and added my new credit card.
The easy part was supposed to be packing as my standard checklist (see What to Pack: “Take 1/2 the Clothes, Twice the Money”) was saved on Evernote. Of course, my new phone doesn’t have Evernote, so I had to download that and change access to the new phone.
TPOL’s TIP: Use OneNote. Evernote’s basic service is only for 2 devices. OneNote is unlimited.
The convenient part, per the airline, was using the VeriFLY app. That was terrible (see VeriFLY: What’s My Favorite Word? “Stupid!”).
And finally, to add further insult, I did not check the routing to Medellin. It turns out, AA flies a 787 with lie-flat seats from Miami. That’s only 22k on Avios. Here I was thinking I got a good deal flying coach for $50 using my AA voucher (see AA Refund!…7-20 Business Days).
Overall
I had this much trouble before even getting to the airport. What will happen next?
