The 14-Hour Flight That Saved My Marriage

I am a workaholic. I admit it. For four years, I prioritized my startup over everything else, including my marriage.

Vanessa was exhausted, and to be blunt, we were hanging by a thread.

I knew a weekend in Napa wasn't going to cut it. We needed a real break. We decided on Tokyo, our dream destination. But I wanted the travel itself to be part of the apology.

Ted at CEOFLIGHTS handled the booking. I told him I needed the best business class experience across the Pacific, without completely draining our savings. He suggested ANA's 'The Room.'

He saved us $5,600 on the two tickets, which was amazing, but I was more concerned with the actual flight experience. I wanted Vanessa to feel completely pampered.

When we boarded at LAX and found our seats, Vanessa just stopped and stared. 'The Room' is insanely wide. It's 43 inches across, which is practically a small sofa. She sat down, closed the doors to her suite, and just sighed.

I watched the tension leave her shoulders for the first time in years. The Japanese hospitality was so meticulous and respectful, it made us feel incredibly valued.

We did hit some rough turbulence for the first three hours over the Pacific, and the Wi-Fi was completely spotty during that time, so I couldn't send off a few last-minute emails. In hindsight, that was probably a good thing.

We spent the rest of the 14 hours eating amazing Japanese meals, sleeping deeply on the wide lie-flat beds, and actually talking to each other. By the time we landed at Haneda, it felt like we had already been on vacation for a week.