That changed when I got married. Since my wife was based in another country, we only got to be with each other if she flew to Manila or I flew to Singapore. As I became a frequent flyer, I gained a lot of experience in traveling, and soon enough, I mastered taking a weekend trip, flying out of the country around 4:30pm right at the end of the work week, taking an evening flight, landing in Singapore by midnight, and flying back to Manila, taking a red eye flight back to Manila on a Monday, and being back at the office by 7:30 a.m. This also taught me how to travel light, how to get good air fare deals, and how to maximize air miles. 

 

The most stressful airport experience I had was getting to the airport 5 minutes before the check-in counter closed, 10 minutes before the gates closed, and 40 minutes before the plane departed. Good thing I knew exactly where to go, what to do, and having only a backpack with me helped speed up the process. 

 

Traveling frequently also made me choose my favorite seat that I would book as long as it were available, Seat 6D. My work also exposed me to traveling assignments both domestic and international. 

 

Since the pandemic, I haven't had much travel. I don't miss the expenses that come with it, but I do miss the traveling part. Currently, I value my family's safety and health more to give my traveling career a back seat. I'm thankful for all the memories and experiences traveling has given me.