Add this to the list of reasons why I love my Airstream.

We spent all weekend wondering if Emma's cold was going to clear up enough for her to fly. Monday, we hopped on the plane and all seemed well until the descent in to JFK (New York). Then she started complaining about pain in her ears and crying. I've had these problems in many years of business flying, and so we brought out all the remedies but really there's not much you can do when the Eustachian tubes are clogged by a cold. When we had landed we decided we wouldn't put her through that again.

So we got a one-way rental car. It's a five hour drive from JFK to our part of Vermont. $120 for the car, plus gas. Then we retrieved our bag from the airline, which took an hour of standing by the baggage carousel. We finally arrived in Vermont at 3 a.m. Fortunately we were on Pacific Time so it wasn't quite so late for us.

No cabin pressurization needed. Another reason why I prefer traveling by Airstream.