Inaugural Flight

Greetings and welcome aboard!

I'm glad you've taken some time to stop by this little venture of mine. I'm sure you're a bit curious as to what this whole blog thing might be about, so I'll do my best to catch you up to speed....

Way back in the days of parachute pants and Hypercolor t-shirts, I was nothing more then a little boy with a big dream. The world was an exciting and enthralling place, and I wanted nothing more then to lace up my Keds and find a way to see it. Every night before bed my parents would tuck me in while quizzing me on the cities of the world: Tokyo, Paris, London, Delhi. The world seemed like it was endless and I couldn't wait till I was old enough to buy a ticket and immerse myself in it.

In my early adult life, I wasn't the most financially secure and ambitious person. I still sat around daydreaming about far away lands, but the idea that I might one day actually get to see them was not a reality. I was content to browse airline websites and travel blogs, forever gazing at what might be. I honestly believed that I would never leave the country, let alone the Midwest each and every time I looked at my bank account.

December 31st of 2008 was a historic benchmark for me. I was settling into what has now become a solid and stable career, finding my legs in what has now become a solid and stable long term relationship, and it felt like it was about time to settle into a childhood dream as well. So when January 1st finally rolled around, I made myself a New Year resolution I knew it would be easy to keep: get off your ass and get on a plane.

Since that day I've come to embrace and love everything that is "travel". Airports, airlines, frequent flier programs, travel websites, geography, airline routes, hotels, and the stories of awe, wonder, and disappointment that go along with it - all of these things pique my interest like few other subjects in my life. I've been able to see and do some amazing things in the past year, and I wanted to find a way to both document and share those experiences with friends, family, and anyone else who wanted to take the time to read a few paragraphs a week.

So here I am. Writing to anyone who will read about everything that encompasses "travel" in the 21st century. You can expect some of the following from this blog:

Trip Reports - My travels hasn't come close to stopping for the time being, and I've seen quite a bit in the last year as well. Whenever I have a trip I'll be documenting the location and journey on this blog with a traveler's eye view of the airports, flights, hotels, destinations, and cultures. I'll also be taking some time to relive some of my favorite trips from the past year. Pictures will clearly be shared.

Airline News - I'm no where near an expert on airlines, but I do have a mild fascination with what makes an airline tick. So from time to time I might make some musings about airline alliances, airline quality, airline route offerings, and airport experiences in general.

Travel Websites - There are a lot of resources out there for an individual who wants to see the world. When people hear about my travels, they often ask me a lot of questions. "Where do you find cheap tickets?" "How do you know what to do and see?" "What travel tips do you have?" I use a lot of different resources and websites to plan my trips, and I'm still learning quite a bit from them. I'll take some time to detail what tools I use to make the most out of my trips.

So there you have it. The maiden voyage of what I hope will be an enjoyable writing experience for this 20 something guy from Chicago. I maintain another blog for personal reasons, and I've always stated that what I write is for me first, and I maintain that mantra here. If someone decides to read this, that's good to know. At the end of the day, I want this to be something I enjoy though, and hopefully you do, too. So let's all get set to jet set....

Safe Travels,

Leo