Thanks for this glimpse into life on the roads, runways and hotel hallways of America. It certainly has its literal and figurative ups and downs and all those miles notwithstanding, you hit the nail on the head with your comment about vacations being about staying home for once.

By the way, I never saw any mention of airline lounges. They sure can make those airport layovers alot nicer. If you don't have a current membership, you might consider Priority Pass featuring U.S. affiliations with CO, DL, NW, UA, US and HP. Unlimited visits regardless of whether you're flying the specific lounge's airline or not will cost about $400.00 for one year, though there's an introductory special for $319.00.