As you know, I did some traveling recently. I do love to travel. I usually however wish to be back home right after I have arrived. I am ready to go. I think the travel part is the most fun. The destination is usually secondary.

So it was with this past trip with my former neighbor to New Orleans. I am usually ready for the TSA treatment. I get thoroughly scrutinized. Scanned, patted down, and this time they even asked to see my cell phone. They were nice enough and very professional here in Kansas City. I carry the letter with my redress number from months after the 9-11 incident for proof of who I am. Plus a tiny passport and my regular identification.

I happened to make a decision to only carry my debit card on the trip. I know the fail safe is two pieces of plastic to make sure you can always buy what you need if necessary. But I didn’t heed my own advice.

So on Thursday after trying to get online tickets to a museum in New Orleans and being denied, I get a call from my local bank. They feel my card has been compromised and are shutting down my debit card. Ok, well great, better safe than sorry. I wondered which place I used it had been a little sketchy, but we had been careful, or so we thought.

I had other resources, so I assumed they would take cash at the check in counter for my airline return trip home. I was sadly wrong.

Checking into my flight in Dallas/ Fort Worth was very confusing. I had to use cash to purchase a visa card to pay for my bag. I handed the young woman, who was in training, my itinerary, info, my drivers license and my tiny passport. She handed me hard copy tickets and baggage claim copies.

She called me Denise. But I hardly remember what she called me. I trudged the half mile or so to Gate 15, sat down and waited. I saw people I had traveled to DFW with on my trip down.

I glanced at my boarding pass and notice it had a different flight number, a different departure time and not the seat I requested.

Plus it said my name was Denise. I went through TSA, he looked at me, my identification documents and my boarding pass. Looked at me again and let me through. I am not Denise. No way, no how. Plus I have no middle name.

I go to the counter to point this mistake out. She mentioned TSA, I said “yes they let me through.”

She found me on the correct passenger list and reprinted my boarding pass. I travel back 15 gates to wait for my proper plane. I sit down and regroup. I have two more hours to wait.

Then I noticed my bag had been loaded aboard a plane arriving in Kansas City two hours before me. Oh good grief.

So long story short. The plane I took was late, and still parked in the hangar. The entire flight crew and pilots were sitting with us. It was only half full.

My bag must have revolved on the carousel many, many times. It was unopened, nothing was broken and all was safe. It was very dirty.

This time the travel was memorable.