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My grandma’s favorite saying became unfortunately relevant while I was traveling home from my recent cruise(s)

As I loaded up the car and checked out of the hotel room I’d booked quite suddenly in Daytona Beach, FL the day before, I snapped a picture of this beautiful sunrise. At least, I mused, I was here to see this moment! I should have been most of the way home to North Carolina by now.

Eight hours later, I was paying a dealership $1500 for unexpected repairs on my car. Sigh.

If you know me, you’ve probably heard me talk about how much easier it is to drive to your port, even if you live 800 or 900 miles away, like I do. I mean, think of it — no restrictions on luggage, more space to spread out in, your own schedule for stopping and starting. When you compare that to today’s air travel, it’s practically a no-brainer.

This trip reminded me, however, that car travel isn’t entirely without its flaws. When my engine started misfiring just a couple of hours into the trip, I decided to stop for the night near a dealer and try to bring the car in first thing in the morning. Which is what I did, and how I saw that beautiful sunrise (which I still appreciate).

But I was in for an uphill journey. The dealership’s service department was busy, leaving me no choice but to drop the car off and hope for the best. And then — like the fixer that I am — to spring into action. I had a lot of work to do, so I did a quick Google search and wound up at a lovely place in downtown Daytona Beach called Workspace Collective.

I set myself up in the loft area and got to work while I waited for my car to be ready. I paid $25 plus tax for a day pass to use the facilities and shared desk space here. The vibe was quiet and industrious, and the kitchen had snacks and drinks (and even beer on tap!).

I’ve written before about the virtues of day rooms at hotels when you disembark from your cruise ship, and for many cases, these are the best choice — if you have a family, if you want to nap or shower or watch tv. But I’ll be seriously thinking about looking for experiences like this one near cruise ports in the future when I have a later flight. If you want to chill and do some work, read a book or watch a show on your iPad, etc — this might be just the ticket.