Day 1 – December 26, 2025
Wendell, NC → Miami, FL → Buenos Aires, Argentina
Our adventure officially began early on December 26. Since we spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Dad’s house, we needed to be back home in time for our 2:30 pm airport pickup. We rolled in around 9:30 that morning, which gave us plenty of breathing room to finish packing and tackle those inevitable last-minute details.
Before heading out, Tiffany and Michael stopped by for about an hour so we could catch up—and, of course, enjoy a quick drink to toast the New Year a little early. 🍾 Right on schedule, our driver Eugene arrived, loaded us up, and we were off to the airport.
Check-in and security were surprisingly smooth, with very few travelers around—always a welcome sight. I was a little nervous because I had just started a new medication that must stay refrigerated, and I wasn’t sure how security or the scanner would handle it. Thankfully, everything went off without a hitch. Crisis averted!
We grabbed a quick bite to eat—sliders for one of us, a burger for the other—before boarding around 10:10 pm.
Our American Airlines flight was on a Boeing 777-200ER, and we were flying business class with fully lie-flat seats. This was a first for both of us, and we were very curious to see if it would make a difference. Historically, overnight flights have meant zero sleep and total exhaustion upon arrival. Dinner was served shortly after takeoff (just before 11 pm), and we both chose the sea bass. I ate a little but didn’t want to overdo it that late at night.
Once dinner was cleared, seats went flat, sleep masks went on, and—success! I managed to get a few solid hours of sleep on our 9½-hour flight, and John did too. That alone felt like a major travel win.
We touched down in Buenos Aires around 8:30 am, rested (as much as one can be after international travel) and ready to begin the next chapter of our journey.
Day 1: complete. 🌎✈️
