Will I see you at Rootstech?

Qantas recently announced the reintroduction of direct flights from Sydney to San Francisco so I hopped on the internet this morning to see if I could spend my Frequent Flyer points on a return flight that would land me in the US within cooee of Salt Lake City.

BINGO! I managed to get a booking - now I just need to organise some internal flights, accommodation in Salt Lake City and then in San Francisco for some retail therapy prior to returning to Australia. I'm hoping the Rootstech people publish accommodation details on therie website soon.

I'm wondering which of my genimates will be joining me at Rootstech 2016.

Genimates at Rootstech 2015

Trove Tuesday - Ticket to Bangkok

Today should find me in Bangkok boarding a ship for a cruise to Rome.

Mr Geniaus and I should have flown into Bangkok a couple of days ago on Qantas, as we used frequent flier points for our flight I was not aware of the one-way fare from Sydney to this destination. A quick enquiry of the Qantas website (9/3/2014) shows me that a one way economy fare would be $AU928.

An article on Trove tells me that the same flight 60 years ago in 1954 would have cost £142/10 the equivalent of $AU284.08.

1954 'CUT IN OVERSEA TOURIST AIR FARES.', The Mercury(Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 1 March, p. 19, viewed 9 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27199985

Wikianswers tells me that "One Pound (Australian) in 1954 had the purchasing power of about $AU30.13". So if today's airfare had kept pace with the inflation rate one would be paying approximately $AU 4279 for a one way trip to Bangkok.

No wonder Qantas is going broke.

This post was prepared in advance of my holiday on 9/3/2014 because I may be too busy to blog on holiday

The Rootstech Trek begins....

Sitting comfortably in The Qantas CLub at Sydney Airport I am wondering why I was so nervous last night. I couldn't sleep, I repacked my bag several times putting in and pulling out clothes. Will I be warm enough? Do I have enough clothes? Will my bag be too heavy?

I'm an old girl who has never travelled overseas without my porter and partner, Mr Geniaus, so am a trifle nervous.

At the last minute I decided to leave my laptop at home and take my netbook along. I have loaded my TMG software and database on it and it seems to work ok so my hand luggage will be a bit lighter. As for the suitcase, it  was 16kg on the first weighin and with the addition of overcoat , books and stationery is still only 18kg......and that is with a smaller suitcase packed inside that I'll break out on my last day in San Francsico where I intend to hit the shops. I have chosen a hotel just 1 block from Macys SFO and a couple of blocks from Ross stores. Mr Geniaus was gobsmacked when he weighed my bags, he couldn't beleive that I knew how to travel light.

As  I start my journey that adds up to around 23 hours with airport waits and flight times I am amused by some of the tweets and blog posts from genealogy mates in North America who have jet lag after travel times of 5 or 6 hours!

Anyway checkin was a breeze. I was entitled to go through the Express queue at immigration and customs so that was a pleasant experience as the kind officer at immigration gave me a pass for the express queue - pays to be a LOL (Little Old Lady).

I left buying a fridge magnet for the airport shops as I wanted one with an Australian theme. Once through customs I found a tourist shop brimming with kitsch Aussie souvenirs and memorabilia. There was a huge choice. I avoided some of the novelty magnets and bouught one with a tasteful view of Sydney Harbour, one of my favourite places. The price was akin to highway robbery - $6.90 for something that would cost $2 or $3  dollars in town. If you see this magnet on a drawer in The Family History Library you will know that Geniaus is in the vicinity.

I have been ensconced in the Qantas Club for a while and all the nerves have floated away. I am looking forward to arriving in Salt Lake city tomorrow meanwhile I will just have to enjoy the facilities of the Qantas Club.

I can see the tail of my plane from the Q Club