Back in Action

Weekend Challenge:

Last night we got back into challenge mode after taking some time off. We've got 8 unique destinations completed so far, with 6 more planned for this weekend. We started with a positioning flight—not exciting, but necessary to set us up for better routing.

Since we were both working—Angie in the City and me on the Island—we planned to meet up for the late JFK → PVD flight. I took the usual train to JFK, which was uneventful and straightforward.

Angie's trip was a different story and a good reminder of what not to do when you're cutting it close. She took an Uber from Manhattan, which was a mistake. Traffic was terrible, and the driver passed right by Terminal 5, so they had to loop around again. By the time she got to security, TSA PreCheck was already closed.

Important note: TSA PreCheck at JFK typically closes at 9pm. If you're on a late flight, plan accordingly because the regular security lines can be brutal in the evening. That's exactly what happened to Angie—she got stuck in the standard lines, which were packed and slow-moving.

She made it through with about 10 minutes to spare, and we caught our 30-minute flight to Providence without any other issues.

PVD: Simple and Functional

When we landed in Providence, the airport was pretty much empty—a nice change from the JFK chaos. We stayed at the Fairfield by Marriott that's connected to the airport. You just walk through the parking lot and you're at the hotel lobby. Nothing fancy, but it worked perfectly for what we needed: quick sleep, free breakfast, and coffee in the morning.

For positioning stops like this, you want simple and functional. The hotel did exactly what we needed without any complications.

Today's Plan: Balancing Work and Travel

Today we're both working from the hotel until around noon—one of the benefits of the extended challenge timeline is that you don't have to put your entire life on hold. After noon, we're heading to Tampa and Hartford. We've got some time in Hartford tonight, so we're planning to explore a bit and have a proper dinner together.

It's about finding the right balance between making progress on the challenge and actually enjoying the places you visit, even if it's just a good meal in an unexpected city.