Day 1 Balkans Trip

 And So It Begins 4/17/2026

And so it begins.

I boarded Delta 2702 (MCO-JFK) today, but not without a little turbulence before even leaving the ground. Last night, I went to check in for my flight only to discover my listing had been canceled. Not exactly what you want to see at crunch time before a three-week trip. After an hour on the phone with a couple of Delta agents, I finally got rerouted—same general timing, same fare—but now going through Charles de Gaulle instead. Problem solved, but not exactly stress-free.

This morning was also a sprint to get out the door. It was a scramble to tie up loose ends at home and get going, the usual pre-trip chaos turned up just a notch, since it was a pretty quick turnaround from my last trip, biking the C&O canal last weekend. Now I’m finally onboard, heading toward Slovenia by way of JFK and Paris, and things are starting to settle into that familiar rhythm of travel.

Somehow, I scored an upgrade to Comfort+, which was a nice little win. I’m flying in uniform—it’s what Trish calls my “cute little outfit.” I’ll take it. It sure greases a few skids, making some of travel frustrations a bit easier.

While waiting to board, I noticed both jump seats were taken by Delta pilot commuters heading to work. One of them was an old Express captain I remember from the Orlando days. He’s been commuting for over 21 years now, and you can tell—it’s a grind. All those years of commuting seem to have taken their toll—that aged look that comes from years of commuting to arrive in JFK and fly an “all nighter” across the pond. Watching the scene at the gate area unfold gave me a feeling of gratitude that I chose to fly out of MCO all of these years . As the gate area thinned out and the final standby names were being called, I got that same familiar “butterflies” feeling that always show up at the edge of departure, hoping for your name to be called.  Not so on this trip with a paid seat!

It’s one of the underrated perks of being based in Orlando—no commute. Moments like that are a good reminder.

A couple of unusual moves for this trip: I checked a bag… and I packed an umbrella. Yes, an actual umbrella made the packing list. I can hardly believe it myself.

Three weeks, multiple countries, and a lot ahead. But for now, wheels up soon—and just like that, the adventure is underway