Traveling to locations where road signs are posted in foreign languages is something we like to do. These trips are usually accomplished by flying through the clouds in big airplanes.

I don’t much enjoy flying in little planes, though. I’d almost rather stay on the ground than glide through the skies in one of those. I’m still haunted by an unpleasant experience on a small plane from about 50 years ago.

There were just a couple of us and the pilot on board for that trip. It was a safe journey, even though my view through the side window seemed somewhat tilted from time to time. We were headed to a venue where the President would speak, and I was anxious to get there. As the plane carefully descended, my ears sensed a problem even before I became dizzy and broke out in a cold sweat. I reached for an air sickness bag, and quickly used it. By the time we were stepping out of the plane, I felt refreshed and was holding a neatly closed bag. A Congressman greeted me with a handshake. I extended my right hand to him, keeping my left hand behind my back where I held the bag.

Motion sickness is something that’s not bothered me on commercial passenger planes. Big planes don’t usually cause me any worry.

Years ago, though, there was a bit of concern before takeoff. I was on a plane in Connecticut, ready to return home. The plane was a large one and it was full. Just before we were about to begin our flight, an announcement was made. It seemed the plane was 400 pounds over a weight limit. Vouchers for a later flight, along with an extra refund, were offered to volunteers who would get off the plane. I studied those who left, to be assured their combined weight was well over 400 pounds.

These days it seems planes are rarely overbooked or rarely need volunteer bumps. There have been times, though, when my wife and I have given up our seats and earned complimentary flights.

Then there was that unusual incident on a flight back to the States from Amsterdam. A steward came down the aisle, carrying a drink order. He accidentally spilled some from the cup onto a fellow’s pants. The steward apologized. The man assured him it was no problem. That seemed to be the end of that, but after a while, the steward returned with a voucher. He handed it to my fellow passenger and told him the airline would like to give him a free roundtrip. For the remainder of the flight, I was hoping the steward would return with another drink and spill some on me. He was more careful and I didn’t dare try to trip him, so I didn’t score such a freebie.

Still, we always enter contests and promotions for free travel. I’ve only won a set of luggage. My wife has been luckier. She’s won a trip to Rome and a couple of airline tickets to California. Neither of us have won anything recently. We’re slipping.

So these days we accumulate points toward hotel stays and miles toward airline flights through various purchase methods. Then, often through tedious research on the internet, we sometimes locate complimentary or discounted travel opportunities.

The ordeal is not complete simply after finding the special deals. Skillfully using the accumulated points and miles and discounts becomes another challenge.

After having our first few excursions booked by a travel agent, my wife concluded, “I can do that.” So these days, she searches our options. She considers everything from available seats (Can we find seats next to the wing?) to the time needed to switch planes (Can we fly from Copenhagen to London and then with only an hour and a half, board the plane to fly home?), and studies other seemingly mundane, yet important, aspects of traveling.

I appreciate my favorite traveling companion’s knack for solving such puzzles. Her efforts have contributed toward our enjoyment of several travel experiences.