OK, I’ve always thought travel was glamorous, especially flying. Walking around the airport with purpose, feeling important to be going somewhere, doing something. I also like staying in hotel rooms – it’s like there are no rules. You can be as messy as you want, you can stay up late, watching bad TV in bed, take excessively long showers, and wander around the halls in your PJs. I get excited whenever we travel, and not just because of the place we’re going to or the people we’re going to see. I like the travel part itself, too.
I think it feels fancy to travel. And when I travel, I love to act fancy, too. I especially love traveling with Dave, whose many years of traveling for work have earned him First Class status at many airlines. That means we get to check in more quickly, we can board first, and if we ever go standby, we’re at the top of the list. Fancy!
I realize my adulation of travel is probably artless. I’m sure Dave thinks it’s cute but borne of lack of experience. Dave doesn’t think travel is exciting or fancy at all. Too many 14-hour intercontinental flights, too many nights in impersonal hotel rooms eating food from the same Sysco restaurants. I’m glad I haven’t had to travel as extensively as he has, because I’m sure I’d share his sentiments.
But today, even I don’t think travel is glamorous. Dave found out on Wednesday that he had to fly to Taiwan due to an emergency at work. (He just got back from a week Taiwan one week ago.) He left for Taiwan this morning. That means there was about 24 hours notice to purchase his tickets, which means the most direct routes and the best seats are already booked.
Typically, he gets to Taiwan by flying from RDU to DET, and from DET to TPE. Instead, today he flies from RDU to CLE, and then from CLE to LAX. For the 4 hour flight to Los Angeles, he’s stuck in the middle seat. Did I ever mention that he’s 6’4″? From LAX to TPE, he’s taking Eva Airlines – have you ever heard of them? Because the flight was booked so close to take off, he does not have a seat assignment. I hope he doesn’t get stuck in a miserable seat for his 14 hour flight!
The worst part of this trip is that it’s not clear when he’ll be home. Because of the nature of the emergency, his return date is not set. We have tickets to fly to Cleveland on the 29th of June – will he be home in time to make his flight? *Sigh*
The man works hard for us, and I do love him so for that. (That’s not him, it’s some random picture of a cramped airplane seat.)
I look at “getting there” as part of the challenge. And, for me, the challenge of travel is always fun. Rarely glamorous, but fun nonetheless.
Comment by — June 22, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
Hi Mike, thanks for the comment! Mike is going to take a two-year round the world journey, sometime in the future. Check out his blog for more info.
From his FAQ:
How the heck can you afford this?
Pimping.
No, actually one of the biggest travel myths – RTW travel in particular – is that it’s expensive. It’s not as expensive as you might think. It can be if you’re a high-maintenance, no-sacrifices, caviar-chomping, 25-year-old-scotch drinking jetsetter. I’m not. I can live in hostels, eat a hot meal at a road-side food stand, and spend the night in a $2-a-beer watering hole over the $25-cover charge chi-chi club next door. All it takes is a little planning, a sense of adventure, and a bit of sacrifice. It’s all part of the journey.
Heh, if I had the funds, I’d travel as the jetsetter for sure!
Comment by — June 22, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
^
Jetsetter for me too;)
Boo hiss about this emergency trip. I shan’t complain about the 2.5 hour drive back from Middle of Nowhere, NC. Hurry home, Dave!
Comment by — June 22, 2007 @ 5:06 pm
I have to say I HATE traveling. The glamourous part to me is before or after when you can say, “Oh, we’re going to -insert fabulous enviable destination here-..”, or “We just returned from -insert fabulous enviable destination here-..” But I HATE HATE flying especially! The tackiest thing ever is having to remove your shoes in the security line. I mean, isn’t there SOME way to figure out if I’ve got explosives in my shoes that doesn’t involve me having to walk sock or bare-footed where a gazillion people have also gone sock or bare footed? I hate the chaos of the self-check in too. No clear line, just a gaggle of people with their belongings. I am a kind of nervous flyer, and I pretty much just pray to get to and back safely. I think this trip to CA was the last one of its kind we’ll have for a loooong time. And I really hate being away from home for more than a few days – and I had NO idea how much I was going to miss my dog! I keep saying I am never leaving her again! Will is quick to point out that it takes me about a year to forget how much I hate traveling, then I start wanting to plan our next big trip. (Sorry for the length – obviously got carried away!)
Comment by — June 24, 2007 @ 9:23 pm