Alright so I started planning my trip from Dayton to Portland last month. Honestly thought it’d be simple but man, things got messy real fast. First thing I did? Checked flights from Dayton International. Big mistake buddy. Couldn’t find squat for direct routes. Wasted like two hours scrolling through bunches of airline sites until my eyes crossed.
Figuring Out The Flight Mess
Finally called up my buddy who flies all the time. He just laughed at me. “Dude, nobody flies outta Dayton for cross-country. You gotta drive to Columbus or Cincinnati.” Felt kinda dumb then. Packed my bags early next morning and hauled butt to Cincinnati. Took about an hour driving – not terrible.
At Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport, things still weren’t smooth. My Delta miles weren’t enough for the whole trip. Ended up booking through American Airlines with a layover in Dallas. Got this:
- First leg: CVG to DFW at 7:00 AM
- Layover: 1 hour 45 minutes (barely enough time!)
- Second leg: DFW to PDX arriving noon
Portland Airport Surprises
Landed at Portland International around lunchtime feeling like death warmed over. PDX airport’s actually pretty cool though – clean, decent food spots. Grabbed some local coffee while waiting for my checked bag. Saw those famous carpet patterns everywhere.
Now for the fun part: Getting downtown. Thought about Uber but heard Portland’s light rail is solid. Figured I’d save cash. Followed signs to the MAX Red Line right inside the terminal. Bought a ticket from this kiosk thing – easy peasy. Thirty minutes later I was smack in downtown Portland. Whole train ride cost like $2.50. Pro tip right here folks.
Stuff I Wish I’d Known
Looking back, here’s what I’d do different:
- Double-check departure airport options earlier
- Give myself longer layovers (almost missed connection running through DFW)
- Downloaded airline apps beforehand – mobile boarding passes saved me when printer messed up
All in all? Not the smoothest ride but you live and learn. Main thing is Portland’s actually way nicer than people say – rained like crazy but the food trucks? Absolute fire. Just gotta plan ahead a bit smarter than I did.
