You may recall that the last time we flew to Denmark, we came back on a first class upgrade. I knew that was going to be trouble. Once you experience it, especially with a toddler, it’s hard to go back.

Amir had a solution for this. Back in the states a week, he’d sorted out which credit cards and flier clubs we needed to join to ensure an elevated travel experience from here on out. If you want details, ask him, but in short it involved the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card with Priority Pass as a start.

The other way this trip is already different for us is that I am traveling while 20 weeks pregnant. No major alterations to our usually pretrip prep – except I scheduled a special visit to the Infectious Disease travel clinic to ensure my vaccinations were all up to date, and to learn about any exposure or other safety considerations for this trip. Turns out Zika is still a thing, but there are just as many cases in the US as Argentina. Fortunately most of my immunizations from traveling to Rwanda are still valid.

“Get some insect repellant with <30% DEET and don’t forget your sunscreen.” Easy. Check. Plus 2 “just in case” doses of azithromycin for any GI bugs.

“And any red meat has to be cooked well done.” Hrumph. We are only going to the red wine and red meat capital of the world. I’ve decided to order decadent seafood and chocolate wherever and whenever possible.

As I always say, the key to surviving 5+ hour flights with an infant or toddler is preparation. Small toys without parts that are easily lost are key. This trip we added static cling window cutouts since #1Toddler is big into her ABCs these days. We also brought two magnetic puzzles that help limit lost pieces.

All our flights arrived on time. We flew Avianca for the first time and were quite pleased. We arrived at the airport in Buenos Aires and easily summoned an Uber to take us to our AirBnB.

Raphael met us in the lobby of our AirBnB to ensure a smooth checkin. We’ve had some great luck with AirBnB wins the last few years and were delighted with an artful apartment in a historic building with breezy balconies and more square footage than anyone would reasonably expect for an urban setting like this.

Of course now we are all three thrown off on time. Amir and I want to nap, but #1Toddler is requesting a trip to the park and sliced apples. Here’s to hoping for a second wind.