Travel Woes (Updated)

Whenever I travel, I usually aim to leave work and head to the airport 2 hours before my flight time. This allows breathing room for any public transportation delays (which inevitably will happen). I always have my boarding pass already printed and never check a bag. So for example, if I have a flight at 7:30pm, I would leave work at 5:30pm.

Now here is where it gets tricky...

A full day at work for me is 8.5 hours (with a 1 hour lunch break) or 8 hours (with no lunch break). (I know, we find the math confusing too.) Employees in my office can arrive at work anytime between 6:30am and 9:30am and then just work the required hours. I get to the office at 7:45am and leave at 4:15pm. So if I wanted to leave work at 5:30pm to catch a 7:30pm flight, I wouldn't need to get to work until 9am at the earliest. The opportunity for either sleeping in or (more likely) packing. (Please read this 5/14/09 entry for more details on my packing habits.) Either way, a leisurely morning at home sounds great, right?

Have you ever used public transportation in Chicago during the morning rush? Have you ever tried to bring a suitcase with you on said transportation during the morning rush? The thought of commuting at 8:30am with a rollerboard makes me want to cut off one of my limbs.

So I still got to the office at 7:45am this morning and now have my choice of working for 10 hours or sitting at the airport for 3 hours. Wonderful.

Oh, did you notice the time I would be leaving my office? Evening rush hour. Maybe I should choose the option of leaving at my normal time and then hanging out at the airport.

Then again, there is severe weather predicted for this evening. My flight could get delayed, therefore increasing the amount of time I spend in the airport past the 3 hour mark. Maybe I should stick to the 10 hour work day.

It's kinda nice to know that your day is going to be terrible no matter what you do.

UPDATE: 4 hours before takeoff and my flight is already delayed 1.5 hours. I'm so glad I didn't leave the office at my normal time. SO GLAD.