I woke up this morning at 8 am and prepared my 9-month-old daughter for the day. I packed my overnight bag, had a latte & a smoothie and left the house at 9:20 and headed for Penticton’s YYF airport. My flight was due to leave at 10:10 and being Penticton, there were no issues with traffic and I had no problem finding a parking spot in the short-term lot. It costs only $3 to leave your car overnight—a fact that I marvel at each time. There was no line at the check in, but there was jolly conversation. I zip through security and into the departure lounge, and I hear my plane arrive. Minutes later, we’re all on board. It’s a full flight – testament to how well-used this mid-morning commuter flight is. And 40 minutes later, we touch down in Vancouver.
This convenience seems ordinary to me now that I’ve lived in Penticton for 6 years. But if I stop and think about it… I was able to wake up in my own house at a normal time, have a leisurely start to the day with my family, leave the house 20 minutes before my plane boarded, and be in Vancouver less than an hour later. It’s pretty great.
In Vancouver I’m staying in a hip boutique hotel. It’s downtown and the experience is a revitalizing ‘urban’ injection. I don’t require it on this trip, but as a member of Cowork Penticton, I could choose to use the Coworking Visa arrangement between other coworking spaces, a space-by-space agreement to honour memberships at other independent locations and work for free for the day. There are great coworking spaces in downtown Vancouver that are part of this program. But today, I am flying down a bit early so I can grab a coffee with a friend and then visit some favourite shops before my meeting.
I value these opportunities to reconnect with Vancouver and enjoy its metropolitan offerings. But at the end of the day, I’m so happy to fly home the next morning. The stunning landscape of the clay cliffs and long sweeping lakes is what makes my heart sing. I can visit the city anytime, but my home is in Penticton.
This article was written by Jennifer Vincent and was first posted on PentictonWorks.ca, an online campaign to attract virtual workers to the city of Penticton.