The open road, adventure, wonderment, it appeals to the romantic. No lawn mower, no mortgage, simply thousands upon thousands of miles of open road. My grandfather traveled around the world several times. Spain was his favorite. How did he do it, and keep his wits about him?

Before we left MN our most wonderful Thursday night Bible Study group gifted us a 2-year subscription to Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). The publication offers great RVing articles, travel tips, and savings opportunities. I chose the electronic version. This was an incredibly thoughtful gift, and we were honored to receive it. Releasing us with their blessing to the open road after ten years of consistent fellowship was an emotional evening.

In Arkansas (AR) October 15, I received a Verizon wireless hotspot offer from FMCA. The device only cost $0.01 and the monthly 25 Gigs of 4G LTE service was priced more than fairly at $49.00. I have tried diligently to secure this offer. There have been caveats.

Verizon and FMCA representatives Ashia, Conway, Ursula, Rashid, Don, Josh, Zack, Kate, Noah, Andy, Terrance, and James have been attempting to provide this awesome Verizon/FMCA package to us. This is a little known offer and either the representative was unsure of how to confirm the legitimacy, process the offer, or did not have the Jetpack device. I took on the role of educating each person I spoke with about what I was trying to do. In Bossier City, LA we secured the backordered device, however it was mailed to an incorrect address. Enter the store manager, Verizon corporate, and Fed-X to the mix. This romantic open road, catch me if you can lifestyle has not been conducive for this awesome offer.

I secured the Jetpack MiFi 7730L device in Alexandria, LA; but now the secret previously established PIN number didn’t function. The online password regeneration process can help me, however it wants to send a new password via the U.S. mail, which by the way is still entered incorrectly on the Verizon data base.

Trying to secure an electronic device these past 18 day’s and investing over three hours of talk time with the twelve previously mentioned representatives has been a lesson in patience. Dad worked for the airlines, Grandpa flew stand-by and used the pay-as-you-go plan. If a flight didn’t work out he would walk over to an airline that had reciprocating privileges, and get on their next available flight. It all takes time. Waiting for a post card from Spain carried with it far more anticipation than today’s instant text message. I wonder if I will see Grandpa in heaven?

Verizon representative Shenna confirmed order #444427****; and worked around the secret PIN number. The hotspot is working, but the laptop is still acting flaky. Funny thing,,,,, I stopped at a Best Buy in Alexandria, LA to look at Mac’s. I stood next to several other people reading the sign, “Closed due to reasons beyond our control.”