Grounded Like the 787 Dreamliner!

Grounded! That word is one of my least favorite. As a child, I use to despise hearing it. Normally, it was in the phrase, “You are grounded,” I was a naughty child. Always pushing the acceptable boundaries to see how far I could push it. I am still that way today especially in the planning of my trips.

 I have been planning a major trip for March. First, it was a bro trip to Niger, to visit our friends. Well, the French decided to bomb Mali and the entire region is a hotbed now. Our friend told us to put the trip on ice and stuff it into the freezer for the time being. With that trip cancelled, I went about planning a trip to hit two counties: one in Europe and one in Asia. I was calling it…the trip to countries you have never heard of.

 That was until last week. In our 90 day outlook meeting, my boss grounded me. I have been grounded like the 787; indefinitely. I can’t take vacation time, other than the half days already on the books, until the Spring market is over.

I should have seen this. Similar to the 787, the warning signs were clear as glass. When the real estate market heats up, the mortgage market will as well. Record low interest rates, improving stock market & economy, plus lower than average housing prices is creating the perfect storm. In Washington, DC, there are more people wanting to buy than there is housing inventory. The houses that are for sale are attracting multiple bids with escalation clauses and quick financing turn around.

 So, the FAA (my boss) has grounded me until further notice. No junkets to far off lands. No crazy mileage runs to Turkey. The best I can do is weekend trips to the West coast, like Portland in March. I am a travel junkie and my boss is forcing me to go on a detox.

 You know what this means. While I am grounded, its time to stock pile points to spend when I can take off again. You can put the travel junkie in detox, but the point addict will always look for his fix.