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Guest · 9 May 15, 09:52 PM

Hello!

Thanks for clicking on what is sure to be a waffly, oversharing second Florida pre-trip! Quick round up of the cast:

Sarah (me, 30) and Joe (28), into tax and electronics respectively, Finding Nemo fans and newly minted Florida converts from the frozen North! I am very much a holiday enthusiast.

I talk about them a lot. I think Joe likes that I come and post here as he isn't the type to get too excited about holidays until about 20 seconds before we leave for the airport!

However he loves going away too, just doesn't enjoy the same build up that I do.

I have finally finished my first trip report (insert shameless plug and link HERE), and caught up on a few of the trip reports I had banned myself from reading until I had finished my own, so being a jammy so and so I can now start a new pre-trip!

If you don't know (and it feels to me as if noone can NOT know as I feel like every post I've made on the Dibb has mentioned it in one form or another

), we went for the first time in November 2014 but sadly had to cut things short and hurry back due to an emergency back here in the UK.

We got back on the 9th December and with everything that was going on- family member in hospital over a hundred miles away, Christmas imminent, my 30th birthday, going back to work, it wasn't the most calm and serene of times. Routine was out the window, and we had a myriad of things to do and think about. I was a bit overwhelmed and in an almighty sulk for a short while, and didn't want to talk about going back, or write a trip report, or even acknowledge that the USA existed.

Joe did, more so than me. He even mentioned going back in January or February of this year! I think he perhaps needed a pleasant thought, a Mickey ear shaped light at the end of the tunnel to focus on.

My Florida denial didn't last too long though! Less than a couple of weeks later things had calmed down, I was now in my thirties and far too old to be sulking

and we both felt like, through nobody's fault, we had missed out on a bit of down time. Any relaxing and unwinding we had done in Orlando had been thoroughly undone in the days after.

Therefore, 22nd December found me, newly 30 and old enough to know better, perusing the BA Holidays website.

I can't recall what the thought process was, but I found myself staring at a price for a 14 night fly drive from Edinburgh in November 2015, flying premium economy both directions with a car the category above the one we had in 2014.

The all-in price was �1,903, which seems a lot now, but back then I stopped to think. Taking a budget of �500 each for economy flights from London, as we had last time, part of the extra �900 was getting us a regional connecting flight each with the all-important benefit that it was all on one ticket (unlike last time). If anything happened to the connecting flight, BA would be obligated to get us to the US, which we didn't have in 2014. Last year it was the best part of �200 to get down to Gatwick on easyJet, and the differing luggage allowance on the way home may have been a problem (we ended up on BA in the end with fewer souvenirs bought than planned so not sure how it would have panned out).

Anyway, back to my justification. We were also getting our two weeks car hire, which I put a value of about �250 on. This meant that the upgrade to premium economy was taking up the �450 remainder. About �100 each way each. Not cheap, but I could have maybe justified it...

Then it turned out that all my budget justifying was pointless, as I plugged in the same dates and car but direct from London in economy and it was significantly MORE expensive.

For the same long haul flight to MCO from London.

Therefore I was able to have the following conversation with Joe:

"Joe, I can get us premium economy flights to Orlando from Edinburgh via London with car rental for a couple of hundred pounds cheaper than the economy equivalent from London. Should I book it?"
"Seriously? Yes."

He even came down the stairs and watched me book it, that's how I knew he was enthusiastic.

So we paid less than a Londoner would have that day and in return got two extra flights with lounge access before the domestics and sitting in a nicer bit of the plane with more space. Absolutely bizarre, but mustn't grumble.

I haven't checked the flights since so we could have done better but I will never know.

So that was that, deposit paid and we were going back from 7th Nov - 21st Nov!

That was kind of it, except for the insurance claim and the tickets, which will get a post of their own.

Since we booked, we've had even more upheaval! I resigned from my job in January as I decided to take my career in a different direction and signed up to go back to the accountancy practice I trained in. I love my job and the people so I'm quite sad but at the same time excited for a new challenge. I had been hoping to get it all sorted before we went away in 2014 but I find these things always get stretched out, so it had to be sorted in the new year. I had been worried that it would be nagging at me while we were in Orlando, but I'm quite lucky in that I seem to be quite good at slamming a lid on work stuff when I'm not there so I barely remember it crossing my mind!

There's also been a fair bit of comfort eating going on, so I need to lose a bit of weight before starting my new job in July and Florida in December.

If I write here that I'll document any weight loss here it might nudge me along to the gym tomorrow!

Anyway that'll do for now as I've got to over 1200 words to basically post that I spent an hour booking a holiday online. Oh well, start as you mean to go on and all that!

9 May 15, 09:52 PM	#1
	9 May 15, 09:52 PM Guest Guest
Guest Guest	2 Exit Buddies Go To Florida! Nov 2015 Hello! Thanks for clicking on what is sure to be a waffly, oversharing second Florida pre-trip! Quick round up of the cast: Sarah (me, 30) and Joe (28), into tax and electronics respectively, Finding Nemo fans and newly minted Florida converts from the frozen North! I am very much a holiday enthusiast. I talk about them a lot. I think Joe likes that I come and post here as he isn't the type to get too excited about holidays until about 20 seconds before we leave for the airport! However he loves going away too, just doesn't enjoy the same build up that I do. I have finally finished my first trip report (insert shameless plug and link HERE), and caught up on a few of the trip reports I had banned myself from reading until I had finished my own, so being a jammy so and so I can now start a new pre-trip! If you don't know (and it feels to me as if noone can NOT know as I feel like every post I've made on the Dibb has mentioned it in one form or another ), we went for the first time in November 2014 but sadly had to cut things short and hurry back due to an emergency back here in the UK. We got back on the 9th December and with everything that was going on- family member in hospital over a hundred miles away, Christmas imminent, my 30th birthday, going back to work, it wasn't the most calm and serene of times. Routine was out the window, and we had a myriad of things to do and think about. I was a bit overwhelmed and in an almighty sulk for a short while, and didn't want to talk about going back, or write a trip report, or even acknowledge that the USA existed. Joe did, more so than me. He even mentioned going back in January or February of this year! I think he perhaps needed a pleasant thought, a Mickey ear shaped light at the end of the tunnel to focus on. My Florida denial didn't last too long though! Less than a couple of weeks later things had calmed down, I was now in my thirties and far too old to be sulking and we both felt like, through nobody's fault, we had missed out on a bit of down time. Any relaxing and unwinding we had done in Orlando had been thoroughly undone in the days after. Therefore, 22nd December found me, newly 30 and old enough to know better, perusing the BA Holidays website. I can't recall what the thought process was, but I found myself staring at a price for a 14 night fly drive from Edinburgh in November 2015, flying premium economy both directions with a car the category above the one we had in 2014. The all-in price was �1,903, which seems a lot now, but back then I stopped to think. Taking a budget of �500 each for economy flights from London, as we had last time, part of the extra �900 was getting us a regional connecting flight each with the all-important benefit that it was all on one ticket (unlike last time). If anything happened to the connecting flight, BA would be obligated to get us to the US, which we didn't have in 2014. Last year it was the best part of �200 to get down to Gatwick on easyJet, and the differing luggage allowance on the way home may have been a problem (we ended up on BA in the end with fewer souvenirs bought than planned so not sure how it would have panned out). Anyway, back to my justification. We were also getting our two weeks car hire, which I put a value of about �250 on. This meant that the upgrade to premium economy was taking up the �450 remainder. About �100 each way each. Not cheap, but I could have maybe justified it... Then it turned out that all my budget justifying was pointless, as I plugged in the same dates and car but direct from London in economy and it was significantly MORE expensive. For the same long haul flight to MCO from London. Therefore I was able to have the following conversation with Joe: "Joe, I can get us premium economy flights to Orlando from Edinburgh via London with car rental for a couple of hundred pounds cheaper than the economy equivalent from London. Should I book it?" "Seriously? Yes." He even came down the stairs and watched me book it, that's how I knew he was enthusiastic. So we paid less than a Londoner would have that day and in return got two extra flights with lounge access before the domestics and sitting in a nicer bit of the plane with more space. Absolutely bizarre, but mustn't grumble. I haven't checked the flights since so we could have done better but I will never know. So that was that, deposit paid and we were going back from 7th Nov - 21st Nov! That was kind of it, except for the insurance claim and the tickets, which will get a post of their own. Since we booked, we've had even more upheaval! I resigned from my job in January as I decided to take my career in a different direction and signed up to go back to the accountancy practice I trained in. I love my job and the people so I'm quite sad but at the same time excited for a new challenge. I had been hoping to get it all sorted before we went away in 2014 but I find these things always get stretched out, so it had to be sorted in the new year. I had been worried that it would be nagging at me while we were in Orlando, but I'm quite lucky in that I seem to be quite good at slamming a lid on work stuff when I'm not there so I barely remember it crossing my mind! There's also been a fair bit of comfort eating going on, so I need to lose a bit of weight before starting my new job in July and Florida in December. If I write here that I'll document any weight loss here it might nudge me along to the gym tomorrow! Anyway that'll do for now as I've got to over 1200 words to basically post that I spent an hour booking a holiday online. Oh well, start as you mean to go on and all that! Edited at 11:30 PM.