In a few short hours, I will pack for my trip to Portland, Ore. for the 10th annual O’Reilly Open Source Conference. This will be my third time attending, and I’m looking forward to seeing friends from past years, as well as meeting new ones.

Though I don’t do it very often, I really do enjoy visiting places away from home. Unfortunately, I don’t often enjoy the act of getting there. It seems that the sole purpose of the US airline industry is to make things as inconvenient as possible for travelers. They’re not alone, however. When they’re not up to the task, the US government, in the form of the TSA, steps in to take up the slack.

Most of the time, my trips are uneventful and I end up getting worked up for nothing. Last year, though, my checked luggage ended up on a different flight than I did. Fortunately, both of those flights were bound for Portland, so my suitcase was delivered to the hotel later that same evening. Here’s hoping my trip tomorrow is uneventful.