Tampa travel

Sunday I returned from Tampa and a couple days away at a conference. With three young kids, I haven't had much of a chance to travel by plane or had time to myself in quite a while. (Many years, actually....)

Travel went pretty much without a hitch, although having to wake up at 3 a.m. to catch a cheap flight on the outbound and inbound legs was, well, exhilarating, to say the least. My flight from Tampa to Atlanta was the most interesting--the attendants were dressed to support the pink ribbon campaign, which I admired. Some of their fashion choices were a radical departure from their regular uniforms, which led to some confusion--especially the attendant who wore jeans, black high-heel boots and her sleeves were rolled up. Many thought she was a fellow traveler, who handled the overhead compartments like a swarthy sailor.

I had heard about the lack of food and drinks on flights and wasn't too bothered and managed to find inexpensive food within the various airports I traveled. However, my one disappointment came on the return flight on a Delta Airlines flight.... Years ago alarms over the peanut allergy lead most airlines to seemingly ban them. So I was surprised, as an anaphylaxis sufferer of a peanut allergy, when flight attendants passed out peanuts on Sunday's flight. As soon as other passengers opened their nuts, my lungs started to constrict. Fortunately the flight was over shortly after and that was the extent of my reaction.

I'm definitely convinced that I will be even more cautious in future travel, but wondered if peanuts are still the norm on other flights. With all the dire warnings I heard, I thought food of all types was banned, including nuts. What has been your experience?

Having written all that.... While I was in Tampa I had a chance to visit a few of the tourist sites, which I'll post about...once I have a chance to download my photos.