Champagne flight on a beer budget? Nope!

I recently posted about how excited we were to be taking a private jet to New York from Orlando. We heard that you could fly on JSX for just a few dollars more than a commercial flight, and that there are no dog fees and no TSA and no lost luggage. We were so excited that we booked as soon as we heard about it. But sadly, yesterday they sent an email saying that they are no longer flying out of MCO, Orlando International Airport. 

I'm fortunate that I had a ride lined up to MCO from my RV resort in Sebastian, so I scrambled to find another flight to New York City in the same time frame. JetBlue to the rescue! My dear friends can still take me to MCO as they are flying to Philadelphia the same morning.

When I went into blogger.com to edit the post about JSX, I accidentally deleted it. So instead of reading all about the wonders of JSX, you just get this tale about how I'm flying commercial instead. Busy airports, TSA, dog fee, and the possibility of losing my luggage. No worries though, I am a happy camper, and in the end I made limoncello out of lemons.

This screenshot is all that's left of the blog post that I accidentally deleted.

 

Not only is the JetBlue flight a little less expensive, it goes right to JFK. If I was taking JSX, I had to land at the FBO at Westchester County Airport. That meant either renting a car and driving for a couple of hours in Friday rush hour traffic through New York City, or taking a very expensive Uber or Lyft or taxi. Now, I will be landing just a couple of miles from my friend's home and her husband is going to pick me up right at JFK. That's a huge blessing.

My brilliant maternal grandmother always told me that everything works out the way it was supposed to, and once again she was right. 

I still think JSX is pretty cool, but it's not going to work for me. To learn more about them, just go to their website because everything I wrote about them is gone forever.

As a fun note, I am creating this particular post using Gmail. My dear friends at Geeks On Tour recently posted an article, how to write a blog post using email. This is very cool, because I'm going to be without Internet during the transatlantic journey, but I'm going to want to be blogging about it daily to share the wonders of the trip before I forget them, as well as Dazzle's daily adventures in the Queen Mary 2 kennels. 

Edit: After I published this blog post, the always helpful Mrs. Geek shared this article with me, Undelete Deleted Posts.  Sadly, I deleted the original post about JSX from drafts and not from posts, so it really is gone forever.  My mistake was in thinking the draft was a duplicate and that I was deleting a copy.  I won't do that again!  Thank you, Chris!

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What does a dog need to backpack around Europe?

We haven't blogged in a few weeks.  That's because we've been very busy with trip planning!  In today's post, Dazzle the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel will share what she is packing for a three month journey around the United Kingdom and Portugal.  She can't type, so I'll blog as she dictates. 

(Note that none of the links below are affiliate links.  They are only provided for your convenience.)

Hello, my name is Dazzle and I love to travel with my mommy!  Sometimes it's in our motorhome, sometimes in our car, and sometimes by plane.  She wants me to be safe, so I travel in my Sturdibag Pro 2.0 in bright red, to match her Miata convertible.  It squishes under the seat in front of her when we are flying, and a seatbelt can be securely fastened through its loops when driving.  I have a size large even though I only need a medium...I am a petite lady.  But it will be my bed and my home on our journey, and she wanted me to have extra room to stretch out.  I like it so much that I frequently hang out in it at home, and I love to take naps in it.

Squished under a seat on a JetBlue flight

Hanging out in my Sturdi at home

You might wonder why mommy isn't bringing my stroller.  I love being wheeled around in it, at the perfect height for admiration and pats from strangers, and it has a cupholder for mommy's adult beverages.  After much research, she learned that Europe has lots of cobblestone streets, steep narrow stairways, and crowded public transportation, which would make the stroller a hassle.  Mommy is glad that I only weigh 12 pounds for the times she will have to carry me in my Sturdi.

Here is a list of the other things I plan to bring.  I hope there's still a little room left for mommy's stuff in her Rick Steves' Rolling Backpack!  She asked me to mention that it was recommended by her real good friends over at Geeks On Tour. You should check out their YouTube show and their blog. They gave her tons of great advice on what tech to pack for our trip, but she said the tech packing list is for another blog.  This post is all about ME! ME! ME!

Let's talk about walking.  I have a JoyRide harness (previously known as Pug Life) and a hands-free leash from DayDog Designs with a poop bag holder hanging from the D-ring.  Speaking of DayDogs, mommy always puts a snood over my long luscious ears when I eat, and the very best ones come from Snoods by DayDogs.  Pro tip: the hoods on doggy raincoats are useless...get a waterproof snood from DayDogs for those rainy days!

Mommy doesn't want my beautiful white paws to get dirty, so she never walks me on blacktop or streets unless I am wearing my Walkee Paws.  People giggle when they see me, but my white feet stay white, they don't get burned on pavement or soaked on wet grass, and I don't get burrs between my precious little toes.  Mommy said you get 15% off if you use the code DEBBY25347 on their website. Here's a little video of me wearing them on a fundraising walk for the American Cancer Society.

I have Walkee Paws in many colors and my feet are always clean. Mommy just noticed she put my front right paw in wrong. Oops!

 
I LOVE to eat...of course I do, I'm a spaniel!  We can't carry much food with us, although mommy will pack a few days of dehydrated food for when we can't get to a store.  I might have to eat canned dog food purchased just one or two cans at a time, so we are bringing a tiny can opener, and a lightweight titanium spork.  I'll be eating and drinking from my collapsible bowls.  

Mommy read that I have to have a muzzle on public transportation.  She also read that it isn't enforced, so she bought a Baskerville Ultra Dog Muzzle, recommended by Absolutely Pawsitive Canine (voted Louisiana's Best Dog Trainer in Louisiana 2022 by Sniffspot), "just in case" I'm made to wear it.  It makes me look like this movie star.

I think I look like this movie star.

My snout is too short for this size, but Mommy kept it anyway because it is made extremely well and the straps fit my skull.  The hair on my ears got messed up putting it on so I hope I never really have to wear it.

We will be bringing just a few grooming tools to keep me pretty...a comb, a brush, and my nail clipper.  She is also packing a small amount of shampoo for me, as well as a spray bottle of kin+kind to keep the bitey critters off.  

I get to pick out one toy to bring with me out of my huge collection!  Decisions, decisions.  

We learned that May 6, our last night on the Queen Mary 2, will be the coronation of King Charles III.  Mommy said I am the REAL King Charles.  Cavalier King Charles, that is.  

Debby here, hoping you enjoyed Dazzle's first post. I'm sure she'll be writing a few more during our upcoming journey.  Next up:  what we are packing for tech!  Be sure to scroll down to subscribe to get notifications of future blogs.