Trip type: Personal

Airline: Delta

Route: MSP-MIA / MIA-MSP

Beach Bliss - Key West

Spring break as an adult is a glorious thing. You don’t have to take a midterm before you leave, there’s considerably more cash on hand, and you don’t have to reassure your mother you won’t do anything untoward.

Despite all these items in the “pro” column, there’s still the adventure of flying amidst the spring break masses. Even if you’ve never taken a spring break excursion (I’m sorry), if you’ve had to fly between mid-February and mid-April, you’ve probably encountered some of the fun that comes at this time of year.

Which brings us to the how-to of this post. I’m delighted to report that E and I have just returned from a fabulous mid-winter getaway to the Florida Keys that came with no travel hindrance whatsoever. Admittedly, we were not traveling at the peak of spring break insanity, but nonetheless, I have packaged up some Key (!) learnings for you to apply to your own travel planning:

1. Fly at a time unholy to those with tuition payments. We left for Miami before 7am on a Saturday and were the youngest people on our flight by at least 25 years which means compatriots who follow directions and step aside for fast walkers. Plus, we reached Miami before noon.
2. Get an upgrade (at least on the way to your destination). Nothing says “Aloha, vacation!” like an 8am screwdriver.
3. Head home early. I know, I know, this flies in the face of the typical vacation mindset about getting the most out of your time away, but hear me out on this. We flew home on a Friday night and thus were surrounded by tired business travelers instead of the hungover college kids with “I Survived Spring Break 2k12!!!!!” t-shirts that look and smell like hell you might find on a Sunday afternoon flight. (Although, to be fair, they’re sometimes as quiet as the tired business travelers because they’re hardly conscious). Plus, because you followed Tips #1 and 2, you already got to really enjoy that first day of vacation, so getting home early isn’t as big of a let-down.
4. 

   I know, I can hardly believe she's this cute, either.

   Get a dog. I used to hate coming home from vacation a lot more before I had a dog. Now, I don’t mind as much because as soon as I step into the airport for the return flight, I think about how excited I am to see her. (What’s that? You’d like to see a picture? No, it’s no trouble at all, here’s one>>)

Fool-proof? Probably not. But it worked this one instance and it’s been captured on a blog so it’s now gospel.

Happy spring break-ing!