No Time to Waste – Back to Indiana For the Sixth Time

Last Updated on September 4, 2023

No sooner did Jorge land in the United States before I had him packing up his bags for a trip to Indianapolis, Indiana. There was no time to waste – our flight was two days later! I wanted to give him the biggest hug for being a real trooper and tolerating my craziness. The financial services marketing company I work with was holding their biannual convention there and we were both going to attend.

I felt guilty about the back-to-back travel but I know the importance of attending large conventions and missing such a huge opportunity could have been a life-altering mistake. Motivational speakers exist for a reason. We need them to help us learn, get inspired, and become even more motivated. Not to mention, large corporate conventions allow you to meet and mingle with people you might otherwise never meet. Sometimes those connections can be invaluable. I saw value in the opportunity so I purchased two plane tickets and found the most adorable AirBnB for us to stay in during our travels.

 

For a two-person trip, I was surprised by how affordable everything was. Using AirBnB, our room for the week only cost $303.00. We flew there with Southwest Airlines. I got two tickets for $143.96. Then coming home, we flew with Delta Airlines and I got two tickets for $119.80 (although there was a layover.) It all came out to a total of $566.76 which is what some people paid to get themselves to Indianapolis. For the flight. No hotel factored in.

 

I’m not usually a cat person but I fell in love with all of the cats that surrounded us! The AirBnB hosts had two indoor cats (Collins & Fergie – both of whom I spent many hours playing with) and provided food to a number of outdoor strays. Fergie was shyer (she’s actually not pictured ?) but Collins (the mostly black cat) was incredibly playful and affectionate ❤.

 

Our AirBnB hosts were so hospitable with us. When Jorge and I arrived, we were given a full tour of the house. That is how we got to see Collin’s exercise wheel in the photo above. How funny is that thing? Our bedroom was stunning. The shower was amazing. I really loved the home’s aesthetic. Our hosts also happened to be a gay couple too so I really enjoyed that Jorge and I could be ourselves without worry while staying together in another person’s home. With people having such strong feelings nowadays, you just never know. Fortunately, with this home, it was a total non-issue. In fact, we actually went out to dinner one night with our hosts! We got drinks together and went to some taco place for dinner. We also had a comedy movie night towards the end of our trip haha.

 

There weren’t many places to eat nearby so Jorge and I mostly spent our mornings walking to the one walkable place we could get to: Duos Kitchen.

Before you get too excited, let me explain. Duos Kitchen (which has fantastic reviews online, by the way) is a great little pay-per-item dining hall inside of a medical facility. They have delicious omelets. All you need to do is walk in and act as you belong there. They won’t ask any questions when you check out. It is technically open to anyone, I guess.

 

The convention was INSANE. The energy level was out of this world. I learned a ton of new information about the business I am in. There were over 50,000 people in Indianapolis gathered there to develop themselves and learn. Lucas Oil Stadium could barely fit everyone. How unbelievable is that?

When all was said and done, I realized this was my sixth time traveling to Indiana in the last three years. It sure didn’t feel like my sixth visit though. I love Indianapolis and hope to be back there many more times. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if something comes up six months from now.

4 Comments

    1. The Rocky Safari

      So sorry, Loisajay! This comment was somehow automatically placed in my comment spam box. Not sure why…? Anyway, I just came across it while doing some backend work on my blog. Glad I caught it in time! I loved all the cats in Indiana too. Hahaha Collins, the black cat, was so precious. I miss him a lot!

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