Unique digital nomad travel adventures from around the U.S.
![Travel Planning for a Trip [Australia Specifically]](https://i0.wp.com/janeseestheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Australia4.jpg?resize=760%2C400&ssl=1)
The dates are set, the plane ticket is bought and the travel fund is steadily growing. It is now time to start travel planning and focusing on the details of your trip. Not long ago, I wrote a post about what I am doing to …
As a proud Boisean, I am pleased to share my list of top ten things to do in Boise, Idaho. One of the first things I do when researching a place I’m going to visit is to try and find some must sees for that …
Let’s talk about travel shoes for women. Travel = walking. A lot of walking. Having sturdy, comfortable shoes is crucial since you need to be able to wear them all day, every day. If they are cute, well, that is an added bonus. But honestly, that probably should not be your focus when packing for a trip.
Disclaimer: we have mentioned before that we are not fashionistas. We are all about comfort when we travel and you will not find us walking through the airport in a pair of heels. If that is your thing, well, you probably won’t get much out of this post.
Confession: I am shoe addict. I love shoes. My love (aka obsession) with shoes sometimes makes it difficult to pack for a trip. I want to pack light, but I want to be prepared for every sort of situation. The two do not go hand in hand. Regardless of how many shoes you choose to pack, below are a couple of tips for selecting the right pair of shoes for a trip followed by some specific stories from the road.
Tip number one: invest in quality. It is time to say goodbye to cheap shoes (sorry Payless). It just is not worth it to skimp here. Blisters and bad smells are always a concern when it comes to shoes. Cheap shoes will only compound those issues. Trust me. Save up your moola and buy a quality pair of shoes. Not only will they be more comfortable, but they will also last longer. Cheap shoes wear out quickly or break and you will have to buy multiple pairs. I would rather spend a chunk of money on a pair that lasts then $20 over and over again on a pair that does not hold up.
R and I are both big fans of Chaco sandals and have been since before they became the “it” shoe on campuses around the country. When it comes to comfort and durability, my Chacos have never let me down. I have more pairs than I would like to admit, but my first pair is still going strong after 10+ years of solid use. That is impressive. Now I personally think Chacos are cute, but I understand that not everyone does. Regardless of how they look, they are comfortable and durable. Very few sandal brands can say the same.
Of course, sandals are only good for warmer weather. Traveling in colder climates requires a completely new strategy when it comes to choosing shoes. When the temperatures drop, I prefer my Teva boots. These boots have it all. They are waterproof, warm and very comfortable—I can spend all day walking around in them. In addition, they are cute. I have had them for over five years now and although they take up a lot of room in my bag when I am not wearing them, they have been worth every penny I spent on them.
It really does not matter which brand you prefer. Just make sure to choose shoes that are comfortable and will stand the test of time.
Well that depends. Because shoes take up so much space in your bag, you want to make sure you really need a pair before you throw them in. Unless you know for sure you are going to go for a run, do not bother packing running shoes just in case (unless they also double as your walking-around-town shoes). Is the chance of rain small? I would not recommend packing your rain boots then.
As mentioned previously, R subscribes to a three-shoe rule: usually a pair of Chaco sandals, a pair of flip-flops and some sort of close-toed shoes. Between the three, she has most situations covered. I, on the other hand, prefer to pack only one or two pairs if possible. Therefore, I stress over my choices a bit more.
I find it easy to choose shoes for straight up cold or hot climates. It is the in between that gets me. Our last trip was to Puerto Rico. I packed one pair of shoes: Chaco sandals. For this particular trip to a tropical climate, my choice was spot on. They worked great for walking around town, hiking to a waterfall and combing the beach (although I usually took them off and walked barefoot in the sand). Trips to places with variable weather and temperatures are a lot harder to decide on.
If you are not concerned about space or packing light, then you do not need to analyze your shoes quite as much. I will be traveling for work later this week and since I need separate outfits for every day I will be interacting with clients, I will not be bothering to pack as light as I do for my personal trips. That means I have plenty of room for shoes! I still do not plan to pack shoes I might never wear, but I am free to pack a pair I may only wear once.
Each trip is unique. Therefore, you should choose shoes that are appropriate for that specific trip based on the length of the trip, weather, activities and the size of bag you will be using.
I recently began packing foldable flats on some of my travels. I have found them to be a useful addition to my bag and I will continue to travel with them in the future. They work great for plane rides and easy walking. On a recent Christmas trip to Europe, I packed a gold pair of foldable flats to wear to our fancy Christmas dinner. They were festive and fun and took up very little room in my bag. I was also grateful to have them on the long plane rides.
On my first backpacking trip through Europe, I packed my hiking boots. I am not entirely sure why. Maybe I had the image in my mind of what a backpacker is supposed to look like and it included hiking boots. Regardless, they were big, bulky and I rarely wore them—I remember having to tie them to the outside of my backpack because there was not enough room in my pack!
I did not need hiking boots to trek around London or Madrid. I did not need hiking boots to walk along the beach. Even when we traveled to rural areas like the Wicklow Way in Ireland, they were superfluous. I learned a valuable lesson on that trip: do not pack hiking boots unless you plan to do some major hiking. (And small hikes do not count since Chaco sandals or quality walking shoes work just fine in those situations.)
Several years after that first backpacking trip, a friend and I traveled to Peru to see the sights and hike to Machu Picchu. We opted to take a five-day hike over the Salkantay Pass. It was intense and hiking boots were very much needed for this particular trek. I was glad to have them. However, very few of my trips entail intense hiking. Therefore, very few of my trips require me to pack hiking boots.
I mentioned my trip across Canada via the railroad in an earlier post. I went during a time when the rain could be counted on to fall and I made the choice to pack my rain boots knowing they would take up a lot of room in my pack. Well, it did rain and I was happy to have those rain boots even though they made packing light a challenge.
Any kind of boot should be carefully considered before it goes into your pack. However, in cold or rainy climates, you will not regret the extra bulk. R usually gets a little short on space in her pack as trips wind down. One thing she’ll do to make sure everything fits is to wear her biggest shoe on travel days during the trip. This frees up more room in the bag for newly acquired treasures.
On that same trip to Canada, I tried out my first pair of Toms. I resisted purchasing a pair (even though I love the One for One concept) because I thought they were ugly. Honestly, I still think they are ugly but their comfort is hard to beat. In terms of durability, they are not going to win any awards. But they were perfect for traveling on the train (and airplane) and they complimented my bulky rain boots nicely when it came to taking up space. Toms have worked great for me, but there are plenty of slip-on options to choose from should a trip call for that kind of shoe.
Now make sure that after you find that perfect pair of shoes, you break them in before you hit the road. R and I recently went hiking in North Cascades National Park and I packed a new pair shoes—some trail sneakers. Although I was familiar with the brand and had worn them the weekend before on an outdoor adventure, they were basically still new. Luckily, they performed like a champ and are now officially broken in. But still, it was risky of me to pack them without being certain they would be comfortable for hours on end and you never want to take that risk before a big trip.
As mentioned previously, my days of hostel bunk beds and shared showers are a thing of the past. If that is still your thing or you are finicky about potential germs in the shower, I recommend you pick up some flip-flops for the shower. The last time I stayed in hostels on a trip, I packed a pair of those disposable flip-flops they give you at a nail salon. They do not hold up great, but they are cheap, light and do not take up a lot of space. They were perfect for showering and just before I came home, I threw them away.
Over the years, I have found shoe brands and styles that work well for me. However, I am always on the lookout for a good pair of shoes that might make a trip even more enjoyable (I recently bought a pair of Allbirds and I cannot wait to try them out). If you have any suggestions for a good travel shoes for women, I would love to hear about them.
Shoes are an important part of travel (and life, in my opinion). However, choosing the right pair of travel shoes for women can sometimes be a challenge. You want shoes that are comfortable and will stand up to miles and miles of walking. Sure, you may have to make an investment. But it will all be worth it when those shoes take you to some amazing place in this big old world.
Vacations full of fresh fruit and beaches always sound really good to me, but to be honest, I’m just not a hot weather kind of Jane. I prefer sweaters to swimsuits; they are softer and I can eat ice cream without feeling guilty. That being …
Since I appreciate seeing what other fellow travelers pack when they go on their adventures, I figured I would share with you my women’s packing list for Puerto Rico. Continue reading to see what I put in my bag for our five-night stay in the …
In the Part 1 of this discussion on Alaska, we recommended some places to visit if you are fortunate enough to visit this beautiful state. This post will talk about some fun Alaska experiences and adventures to have. In no particular order, here are a few things that I particularly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone visiting this area. (Remember, I’m centering this around Denali National Park and a few hundred miles radius.)
Let’s just start with the Grand Poobah, shall we? This park is the reason loads of people go to Alaska. It is a pretty big area at six million acres, so roughly the size of Vermont. The biggest mountain in North America is found here: Denali (formerly known as Mt. McKinley) which is a daunting 20,310 feet high. Besides the huge mountains in the Alaska Range, Denali also has meadows, glaciers, taiga and tundra. All ready and waiting for you to explore.
Some people are flown into the park, but the majority arrive by car. There is only one road into Denali and private vehicles can only go fifteen miles in before the have to turn around. (Can you imagine how different Yellowstone would be if it managed traffic like this?) Beyond mile 15, visitors explore the park by riding buses.
These buses drive all the way to Kantishna, 92 miles from the park entrance. They stop along the way, so riding a bus to Kantishna and back can be a full day experience. Some buses are narrated and are more of a tour; the others are shuttles, so people can hop off at stops and go explore and then make their way back to the road and a new shuttle when they want to join civilization again. The furthest I ever made it into the park was a few hours on a ranger hike.
Advice: I really like joining ranger hikes; many national parks do these. It seems like a 2-for-1 deal to me; I get to see the park past my steering wheel and I get to learn about history, wildlife, vegetation, etc. Most hikes I’ve been on have been free, so that’s nice too.
The whole reason I went to Alaska was to work at a helicopter company. I can’t recall ever riding in a helicopter before my arrival and it wasn’t ever really something I had as a goal. Instead I knew some people who recommended this job and it sounded like fun. That being said, I did learn to really appreciate these guys; it is a very different experience than flying in a plane.
I was pretty spoiled as a part of the crew and I mainly went for a ride when we didn’t have paying customers (this meant I would get a window seat-usually up front with the pilot). From this vantage point, helicopters have 180* views out the windows. They can do cool things that planes can’t like taking off straight up and hovering if you want to look at something.
Besides the pretty things you get to see along the way, our helicopters landed on glaciers and dropped us off to go heli-hiking. Unless you walked a very long way, you wouldn’t be able to reach these places. Remember, Alaska is huge. One of my favorite memories from my summers in AK was when our entire crew flew to a remote rustic resort that could only be accessed by air or water. We had a great time staying in the hotel before we had to fly back to work. I know places like this exist elsewhere (there is one on the Salmon River in Idaho), but it is just fun to be in such a remote area.
When I lived in Alaska, only planes (not helicopters) were able to land within the Denali National Park boundaries. These planes are mostly small (not like a plane you fly from L.A. to Chicago). I flew on two different planes, one held about six people and the other about 15. The bigger flight was on a plane that was specially outfitted with landing gear that were basically giant skis. We landed on Ruth Glacier, right underneath Denali.
Unfortunately, there was a bit of a storm going on that day so all I saw was snow. But I could imagine a super giant mountain looming above me, so that counts, right? Actually, this is a good time to mention that not very many people get to see Denali when they go to Alaska. That’s because it is so big it makes its own weather and most of the time that weather is stormy or cloudy. If you are lucky enough to see it on a bluebird day it is truly spectacular.
The Nenana river runs alongside the highway by Denali National Park. Unlike most rivers in the lower 48, but pretty common in Alaska, it starts at a glacier. This means the river is cold, cold, cold. One of the adventures you can have in Alaska is to go on a river rafting ride, but you’ll want to wear a dry suit. The ice on top of the river starts to break up around June and is open for business for three months. Brrr….
B had an adventure rafting in Alaska when her friends decided she was skilled enough (read never piloted a boat before) to take on the Eagle River on her own raft. Newsflash: she wasn’t. She ended up taking a swim in her dry suit, but like a boss held onto her oar.
The whole state of Alaska is like one great big hiking trail. At least when it isn’t covered in snow or ice. We had two naturalists who teamed up with helicopters to take guests on heli-hiking adventures. I would sometimes join them and learned all sorts of fascinating tidbits: lichens and mosses might look the same, but moss has stems and leaves.
After work I would venture into the Park and go for hikes or runs. Towards the entrance of the park there are loads of marked trails that you can hike. Several times when I was out and about I had to stop or go a different direction because moose were hiking on the trail with me. An interesting point about hiking deep in Denali is that they ask you not to walk in a single file line. This is categorically different from most other places I’ve hiked where they want you to stay on the trail to protect the vegetation. In Denali, they want the park to stay wild and untamed so people walking side by side prevent trails from forming and ensure it stays uncultivated.
Advice: if you see a baby moose, make sure you leave it alone. Mama will be around somewhere and won’t like you meddling.
Because I’m not really into seafood, I decided to spend my time off doing other things instead of fishing. But I am definitely atypical; loads of fisherman hit the state each year hoping for a good catch. There are two main fish that are caught in Alaska: halibut and salmon. Halibut are funky looking–they are diamond shaped and both eyes are on one side of their bodies. They can be gi-normous and weigh several hundred pounds.
To go halibut fishing you should go to Seward or Homer and join a charter boat. To fish salmon in Alaska you do something called ‘dipping.’ Dip nets are bag shaped nets that are no longer than five feet wide. You basically stick your net in the river and nab the salmon as they swim past. A lot of Alaskans use salmon as a staple to feed their family; my Alaska native friend said they ate more salmon growing up than hamburger because they couldn’t afford to pay for beef.
When visiting one of the coastal towns (Seward, Homer, Whittier, Valdez, etc.), you can find boats that will take you out into the ocean to look for wildlife and watch glaciers. I took two of these trips, one in the Kenai fjords in Seward and one in Whittier. Both were very nice and we were able to get up close and personal with glaciers. The boats pull in close to the glaciers and cut their engines so it is really quiet. You can hear the crack of the ice as the massive chunks of ice calve and splash into the ocean. We didn’t see any whales on these trips but we did see some puffins which are adorable little birds that look a bit like penguins.
At the helicopter office we came in contact with a lot of tourists. They all inevitably wanted to list off all of the animals they had run into during their visit. We called them Wild About Denali (WADs). I’m going to be a WAD and list off my favorite critters I saw during my time:
Glaciers are cool. (Ha!) They are giant sheets of ice and are sometimes covered with snow and dirt. They can be smooth or have deep crevasses. I think the prettiest time to see them is when they have little glacial pools. The water in these is generally a bright aquamarine color so it contrasts impressively with the white glacier. As I mentioned above, I did land on Ruth’s glacier once. But I landed on several other glaciers in our helicopters in all different spots, depending on where the pilot felt like going that day. You can also hike onto some glaciers, but where’s the fun in that? However you get there, make sure you tread carefully. Being as glaciers are made of ice, they can be pretty slick.
We at Jane Sees the World love train travel. If you don’t feel like renting a car in Alaska, you can hope on the AKRR and enjoy the scenery without the stress of driving. The train goes from Seward to Fairbanks and is kind of pricey, but it is well worth it if you are a train enthusiast. Interesting side note: the train will probably be smoother than driving. The temperatures in AK can be so harsh the ground under the pavement freezes and thaws, creating cracks in pavements and heaves so when you drive it feels a bit like a roller coaster. Crews are constantly doing repairs; the standing joke is there are two seasons in Alaska, winter and construction.
Alaska is a great place to see the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights. If you are there when it is dark, which being as I was there in the summer, it wasn’t really. Around the summer equinox in Denali it never gets really dark. It was very strange acclimating to this; at times I would go outside at 2:00 a.m. and it would still be light enough to see where I was heading. It is not as bright as day, instead it is more like dusk. Anyway, one night late in the season it was dark enough to see the northern lights. It was so cool. Our viewing was all green (reds and oranges are more rare) and sure enough, they dance across the sky just like you see in the movies. I’ve since tried to view them in other places, but haven’t been lucky enough to get a repeat performance.
I had a really wonderful time during my eight months in Alaska. I was able to see wild animals up close and personal, fly in helicopters to remote places, and whenever I could fit it in I would work a little too. If any of you get the chance to explore this incredible place, do it. Do it as soon as possible for as long as possible. Just remember, everything’s bigger in Alaska (sorry, Texas).
I have been lucky enough to find some great travel companions over the years. But I understand that it can sometimes be difficult to find like-minded people to travel and explore this world with. Unfortunately, I do not think there is a magical formula to …
During the summers before and after I went to grad school, I spent the four months working at a helicopter company located next to Denali National Park in Alaska. It was glorious. I love Alaska; next to Idaho it is probably my favorite state. In …
Taking the train across Canada was a dream come true for me. I do not remember when I first learned that it is possible to ride a train across Canada, but I was young and it remained a dream of mine for many years. After my good friend from college and main travel companion decided to get married and raise a family (good for her, not so good for me), I figured the timing was right for me to make that dream a reality. Taking this solo voyage taught me a lot, so I figured I would share my train travel tips for Canada in the hopes that you might learn something for your own trip across Canada via rail.
I had two weeks and very little experience with train travel. Luckily, VIA Rail Canada made planning easy. The hardest part was deciding where to go! After extensive research, I settled on the following itinerary:
My typical agenda included taking a short (less than one day) train ride to a city where I would stay and explore for a couple of days. The only multi-day train ride I took was from Toronto to Vancouver. Below are some train travel tips for Canada that are specific to my experience. Plenty of these apply to train travel in general, but you will find most only apply to an epic journey across Canada via rail.
Canada is huge. It is the world’s second largest country behind Russia. Granted, because something like 85 percent of Canadians live with 100 miles of the U.S. border, rail service is limited to certain areas. Regardless, unless you have a month or two, you are going to have to pick and choose where to visit. On my two-week voyage, I was able to cover a good portion of the populated areas of the country. However, in the interest of time, I had to make the tough choice to eliminate certain places (e.g. Nova Scotia) from my itinerary.
I began my voyage the last day of October. This is not the warmest time to visit Canada. But it did have the advantage of being smack dab in the middle of the railway’s summer and holiday seasons. I paid a lower fare for my train tickets, I sat on trains that were not remotely full, and I was often one of the few people wandering around places like the Butchard Gardens. I gained a lot by traveling in the off-season.
Originally, I planned to begin my trip on Canada’s west coast—probably because I live in the west. Then I read that if you are planning to ride the route between Vancouver and Toronto (known as the Canadian), it is more enjoyable to do so from east to west. You want to end with the Rocky Mountains. Not that there is anything wrong with the views of the Great Plains. But they get a little tedious since you spend the majority of the trip traveling across them. It really is best to go through them first and I am so glad I switched things up. Capping it off with the Canadians Rockies was the pièce de résistance. This is one of my top train travel tips for Canada!
Once you finally get to the mountains, you will want to keep your eyes open. If you are sleeper class (see Tip #5), then you will have access to the park car and observation deck. Make sure you arrive early and secure a seat. In addition to the gorgeous landscape, we saw a lot of wildlife including big horn sheep and mountain goats. My favorite part was watching those from other countries exclaim and comment on things we take for granted here in the west.
There is nothing I enjoy more than staring out a train window. It is my favorite way to pass the time. However, there are times when the train does not move. My train from New York City to Montreal was stopped at the border for three hours while they checked passports. In addition, freight trains in Canada have the right-of-way, so you spend some time stopped while they pass. Then there are the times when the sun has set but bedtime is still hours away. And my all-time, least favorite viewing experience: rain. Sometimes it rains so hard that you cannot see more than 20 feet out the train window.
Times like these are inevitable and you are going to get bored real fast. Luckily, with modern technology, it is easy to find something to occupy yourself. I managed to read half a dozen books and watch several movies during my time on the train—most of it while stopped on the tracks or while it was dark outside.
Of all the train travel tips for Canada, this is at the top (I should have made it number one). Most of my train tickets were the cheapest fare I could find. Of course, most legs of my journey were less than a day. Thankfully, I made the decision to purchase a “sleeper” for the four nights I traveled from Toronto to Vancouver.
Best. Decision. Ever.
The cost of a berth was more than I have ever spent on a train ticket before, but it was still a price I could afford. (Again, it helped that I traveled in the off-season.) When you take into account the food and lodging component, it is even easier to justify. At the time I booked it, I had no idea any sort of sleeper fare puts you in sleeper class, which is essentially first class. I just wanted to be able to lie down at night and take a shower. But the perks started from the moment I checked in and entered the sleeper class waiting room.
You may not want to show up at the station looking like an unwashed backpacker. That is what I did and after I was escorted to the “first class” waiting room, I felt a little out of place.
Once on board, they serve champagne and hors d’oeuvres in the park car. The park car is essentially a lounge in the back of the train and yes, with a sleeper fare you have access to it as well as the observation deck, which are both awesome. The best part of the experience however, may be the meals they serve in the dinner car. How they create such delicious meals in such a little kitchen in beyond me.
We left Toronto in the evening so it was not long before it was time for bed. There were six berths available, but only I and another woman booked one (score another point for traveling in the off-season). We had plenty of room to move and even after they turned down our beds (another great perk), we had the option to sit if we wanted to. Since there were just two of us, we were the only ones using the bathroom and shower. Another bonus: my companion did not ride all the way to Vancouver. She disembarked in Edmonton so for the rest of the trip, I had the entire berth area to myself.
You will not regret purchasing a sleeper. Look for deals online and if you have to delay your trip in order to save up, do it!
Several staff members told me that the berth is the most comfortable bed on the train due to the direction it rocks. I do not have anything to compare my experience to, but I can tell you that I slept great and I am not the kind of person who can sleep just anywhere. A berth is not as private as the other sleeper options, but that was okay with me. I much preferred getting a solid eight to nine hours of deep sleep every night.
I mentioned the food earlier. To reiterate, it was amazing. But amazing food combined with sedentary days does not do great things for your waistline. A nice couple from England who I met on the train told me that they try to lose a little weight before they embark on a big train trip because they know they are going to eat like kings. They have traveled on trains all over the world and experience has taught them this valuable lesson. Also, do not bother packing snacks. You will not need, want or eat them.
There are planned stops in which you can get off the train to take a breath of fresh air. Some are long enough that you can do a bit of exploring. However, there are plenty of times the train stops and you have no idea if you will be stopped for two minutes…or 20. Smokers will make friends with the staff who will let them know when they can get off for a quick cigarette. A staff member approaches them shortly before the train stops. If you keep your eye on them, you can follow them to an open door, step outside and breath in the fresh air…assuming you do not stand right next to the smokers themselves.
I would recommend working on your balance before a long train trip and yoga is one of the best ways to do so. Walking on a moving train is not the hardest thing I have ever done, but I am far from graceful. And showering is particularly challenging! Working on a balance pose or two before you go will go a long ways in helping you stay upright.
We harp on this a lot, but being prepared is one of the best ways to ensure you enjoy your vacation regardless of the weather. Being prepared is especially important if you are traveling in the off-season. I knew the temperatures would be on the chilly side in Canada during my time there, so I made sure to pack warm clothes and lots of layers (read our post about what to pack for cold climates).
I also read that rain is common in certain parts of Canada during the fall (I even saw a little snow). So I packed my rain boots. It did not rain on me continuously, but it rained enough that I was grateful for those rain boots. In Niagara Falls, the place I stayed had one other visitor: a gal from Finland. She was prepared for the cold but not for the rain. And she was miserable. She did not even bother leaving our accommodations because she did not have anything dry to wear. Poor thing.
Also, it is not particularly warm inside a train car so layers were critical to staying comfortable. I imagine that summer train travel is a whole other ballgame when it comes to the weather. However, the same principle still applies: be prepared.
Although you can spend the majority of time keeping to yourself if you would like, you are still going to have to interact with people during the meals at least. And if you want to enjoy the park car and observation deck, you are going to have to do even more interacting. I tend to be an introvert but still, I met some wonderful people on this trip. One of my best memories was the night a couple busted out a guitar and accordion and entertained the park car with pirate songs. Train travel brings together some of the most interesting people. But you will only figure that out if you make an effort to talk to the people around you.
Strictly speaking, this is not necessary. The majority of Canadians speak English and even in Quebec, all of the official signs and announcements will be in English as well as French. You will get around just fine. However, it is polite to offer a “bonjour” or “merci” and I found “Je ne parle pas français” (I do not speak French) to be very useful while visiting Quebec.
Well there you have it, some train travel tips for Canada. It is a wonderful and unique way to visit a country with such a diverse landscape. In fact, it is my favorite way to see Canada. I recommend you stop waiting and book a train ticket today!
A few weeks ago, B and I went and visited the North Cascades National Park, via the Spokane, Washington, airport. Upon landing, we made our way to the rental car desks. As you can imagine, the rental car section of the Spokane, Washington, airport is …