South America Day 1: Flight from Boston to Quito

Retrospective¹

I watched Pixar’s new film “Inside Out” on the plane.  They have really outdone themselves.  It is very poignant and I recommend it.

ATL is big! Unfortunately, there is no United lounge and only one inconveniently placed AA lounge.  It’s a Delta hub and the Delta AMEX card does not provide access, though I think there’s a discount.  There is currently no way to buy a pass with miles.

Eating at airports is expensive. Delta does not provide a full meal on these flights, which are less than 4 hours each with the layover.

Costs and Methodology

I will include the daily and cumulative cost of the trip in every daily log post.  The pre-trip cost here includes the flight, the travel medical insurance, and the registration fee for the Spanish school in Quito.  I will prorate the prepaid lodging and schooling costs for the upcoming days.  I am not including costs of equipment or clothing bought before the trip, nor am I counting the value of lost or stolen items (but I will probably count the cost of replacements).  I will not include costs of maintaining medical insurance or other accounts back home.

The flight cost $15.60 + 22500 Delta SkyMiles, which, believe it or not, were earned by flying rather than through a credit card.

Pre-trip cost: $211.21

Cost today: $38.85

Cumulative cost: $250.06

¹ I try to take notes every day and post with minor editing, but where I have failed to write within the next day or so, I will clarify that the post was written later.