The Devil is in the Details

Planning a sabbatical was not a small task; it initially felt insurmountable. Even when we had committed to the trip, many details were hanging over our heads. Some things we learned by trial and error. Perhaps someone out there will find this information helpful; regardless, I am sure I will revisit this information the same way I do with my climbing trip packing list.  

• • • 

Flying with Crash Pads


Many people have asked us about our experience flying with crash pads. They are huge and cumbersome, after all. The first time we traveled to South Africa during the summer of 2023, we flew out of Las Vegas. The Delta agent checked our luggage (including two double-stacked crashpads) and immediately said, "You're all set." We did not pay any additional luggage or oversized baggage fees.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2024. We arrive at the airport after 3 hours of sleep with identical crash pads and luggage. The Delta agent pulled out a measuring tape (never a good sign) and measured the dimensions of the crash pads. After about 20 minutes at the counter, she says, "That will be $800... what do you want to do?" Running on so little sleep, I exclaimed, "What the hell?" Zane side-eyed me as he dealt with it, perhaps more professionally. She eventually suggested we open a Delta American Express credit card for $400 off the luggage fee. 

Regardless of the airline policy, the charges depend heavily on the agent at the counter. We met one climber who said he went to the airport the day before with his bags and spoke to the agent to confirm the fees and expectations. He also recorded their conversation.

Summary:

  • Plastic wrap (got it at Lowes or Home Depot) and then within the airport. We also didn't always do this, which seemed okay.
  • Go to the airport the day before to confirm your expectations regarding flying with crash pads. Look at the airline policy before booking. 
  • Flying Delta, specifically out of Salt Lake, might have added fees. They may have caught onto the climbing community. What are your experiences?  https://www.reddit.com/r/delta/comments/1biquue/delta_and_climbing_crash_pads_a_story_and_a_plea/
  • We had a great experience with Qatar Airlines.  
  • We flew with one attached big and small asana and one attached big asana and blubbers. 


• • •

Electronics gone wrong 

We brought voltage converters but still shorted out our electric toothbrushes & coffee grinder (yes, we flew with one) in South Africa. We almost shorted the Ryobi fan battery in South Africa, but we got lucky, and our friends lent us a heavier-duty voltage transformer. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to Switzerland, Zane absent-mindedly plugged into the Ryobi battery, shorted the charger, and caused a power surge that turned off many lights in the apartment.  Don't be like us! 

• • •

Budgeting

We didn't do anything specific to budge despite my best efforts. We are generally frugal people, though, which goes a long way. We do not go on extravagant vacations (many of our trips over the years were spent car camping); we try to not eat out too often; and we value using our belongings like technology or clothes to their entire life span. In addition, this trip motivated me to continue working full time during my 3-year doctorate program, so I have been working full time for 10 years.

Canceling accounts while we were traveling also helped and significantly decreased our expenses. We were no longer paying for: 

  • Rent
  • Utilities
  • Car insurance
  • Gym membership

• • •

Travel credit cards

I am not an expert on this subject at all. We did end up signing up for a Chase Sapphire credit card. I mainly wanted this for travel points and travel insurance in the case of delayed or canceled flights or lost luggage. I used to use a Southwest credit card and had a lot of points from this account, which we could use for four different weekend-long trips to Cape Town. We used the points for a nice hotel in a nice part of the city. 

• • •

Flights

I was initially looking at two different one-way flights due to our itinerary. It was so expensive! My sister-in-law suggested we buy two separate round-trip flights, which worked great (besides flying for 40 hours on our way to South Africa). We booked one round trip flight from Salt Lake City to Geneva (Leave in June, Return in November) and one round trip flight from Geneva to Cape Town (Leave in June, Return in September). Essentially, we left Salt Lake and flew to JFK -> Geneva. We exited the flight and went through customs and baggage claim to check back into the next flight 4 hours later. That next leg was Geneva -> Doha -> Cape Town. I don't know what we would have done if our luggage had not arrived from the SLC to Geneva leg, but it worked out! 

• • •

 

Belongings 

My parents moved to Salt Lake City several years ago and have a couple unoccupied bedrooms in their condo. They were gracious enough to let us use a room for storage. We also stored my honda civic there and our truck at my brother-in-law's house. My mom also allowed us to stay with her until we found a place to rent again upon coming home. 


• • •

Phones 

We purchased data at the Cape Town airport through the local Vodacom server. However, when our credit cards were blocked at the beginning of the trip, we couldn't successfully make international calls with this plan. Thankfully, we had guests who had the Verizon International plan for the first couple weeks of the trip, which we needed to use several times to deal with accounts. While we were in the airport, upon arrival, a fellow passenger told us to use Roamless, an app. After our data was out with Vodacom, we downloaded Roamless, which was easy to use. We added money to the app and were conscious about using airplane mode while out at the crag. This app worked great for texts, GPS, calls, and all our phone needs in South Africa and Switzerland. 


• • •

Pets 

We decided to find another home for Misty, our pet bunny. Zane adopted her after working in the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary bunny house. He initially was not allergic to her at all, but over time, he developed a worsened allergy which also triggered his asthma. I emailed people at work, posted signs, and posted on social media looking for a home. We found her a great home thanks to a friend and social media. She is now living with a lovely family in Summit Park. The family who adopted her has sent pictures, and she seems to be doing well. We still miss her, though! 

Misty Bun: 





Comments

Popular Posts