Since there are no direct flights out of Richmond, we typically have layovers in either Minneapolis or Atlanta. On our last day, we woke up and enjoyed breakfast at the house, using up our leftovers. The Airbnb we stayed at had a small farm, so we left our food there for them to feed their pigs! They had the cutest pictures of the pigs on the fridge. On our way to the airport, we kept receiving updates from Delta that our flight would be delayed, and we were constantly calculating our layover time. Returning the car to Enterprise was simple; we just pulled up to the line, hopped out, and they took the car. We had bags to check, and we were surprised by the fee for any bags over the weight limit. Unfortunately, we found ourselves opening our suitcase and discarding items, such as rocks we picked up on the pathway that looked like hearts—yes, that was my idea—and a large can of hairspray. I think it would be great if Airbnb provided a scale in the closet for guests like us! It would be a nice amenity for popular travel spots. In the end, we managed to get our bag down to 51 pounds and saved $100.

We spoke with the agent and decided to proceed with our original flight to Minneapolis. Once we arrive, we’ll ask for a new flight for that night or consider staying overnight and leaving the following day. After we get off the plane, we will quickly find our airline’s customer service desk to avoid the crowds of other passengers facing the same issue.

We successfully obtained a hotel voucher and a food voucher, which enabled us to negotiate better accommodations so we could stay together as travel companions. Additionally, we managed to book the most reasonable flight for the next morning, which helped alleviate our jet lag and exhaustion.

We stayed at the Tru by Hilton at The Mall of America. Got to peek inside the mall for 5 minutes before getting on the shuttle to the airport. We had a lovely meal at the restaurant and tried their famous walleye fish.

Lastly, don’t forget to take a picture of your parking spot and garage. Thankfully, we did, and found the car pretty promptly.

Oh, I forgot to mention a cute wall on the trail in Sandpoint! They encouraged you to write your love in the hearts! The picture is below. We had fun stopping to put our initials in the hearts.