I know there are people that travel waaaay more than I do. They have elite citizenship to priority mileage clubs and lounge access. I don't have that--I should. But I don't. Just me and the riffraff, stuck together in tight seating for hours on end.
These last few months have been a ridiculous amount of traveling. It is bad that I know the entire Dublin airport by heart--where the water fountains are, the best coffee shop, the best currency exchange and the strongest spot to sit to get wifi? I know what terminal is best to fly in and out of at JFK and know exactly where my connecting flights will be when in Houston or Denver.
I'm just thankful I don't live in Asia. Those flights to and from when I lived in Thailand were killer, and I'm glad the Middle East really is in the middle. Takes half as much time to get there and I so appreciate that.
I have a few more domestic flights this month--don't get me started on how much I abhor domestic travel in the US. The lack of meals, movies, and customer service for a flight that takes almost longer than going across the pond to England. I could quite possibly complain forever, but I won't.
America is too big and I wish we had cheap domestic airlines like Ryan Air in Europe or Nok Air in Thailand or Vueling in Spain. Costs me 22 Euros to travel within country. Amazing. America could learn a thing or two about making it easier to get places around the country.
But I digress.
I don't really like to travel. I think because of the time changes, the early flights, and tiny seats that this tall Dutch girl has a very hard time squeezing into. But it also means I'm leaving a place or people I love and that always sucks. But I am thankful we no longer have to travel on ships that take months. Yes, it's way more adventurous but it also takes longer. The amount of people I can see all over the world in one year is amazing, and I wouldn't trade it.
My favorite is people watching in the airport. People are crazy when they travel and you can tell the pros from the first-timers. I got stuck in security behind two women who read their flight number as the gate they were to depart from and frantically took off. I didn't have the heart to run after them and tell them the flight to JFK was not going to be there. They'd learn. My favorite is also watching all those plastic bags full of liquids come out (I gave up taking mine out-they never see them) and to those that didn't know they needed to take off their shoes, have you not watched the 50 people before you do that?
Still to this day my favorite part of flying is the take off. When the airplane starts to accelerate its speed, and the engines get louder and louder and before you know it you are lifting off above the city.
But still to this day-it's the part where I cry the most. I've probably weirded out many neighbors next to me trying to hide my tears. Until that point it's been pure adrenaline pushing me out of bed, to the airport, through security and onto that plane. When that plane takes off, and the lights are dimmed, and I finally have time to think of the people I'm leaving, not knowing when I'll be back, tears form. And I try to remember why I signed up for a life of traveling.
And so I leave you with one of my favorite quotes.
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page."
~St. Augustine
*image from a fun travel blog http://voyage-vixens.com/2013/08/08/best-travel-quotes-voyage-vixens-inspiration/
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