Smiling Through the Hassles

I'm sitting in the Vegas airport right now, waiting to fly to Tahoe for the week. Surrounded by travelers much like me, all of us scurrying to our destinations. I'm sure that there will be people in this airport today who's flights are delayed or who miss their flights and have to reschedule. Really, any number of small things can happen to make it a hassle to travel. I don't think the majority of us realize and even appreciate how much we take for granted when it comes to traveling.

I just finished reading one of the best books I have ever picked up. It's called "The Lunatic Express" by Carl Hoffman. In a nutshell, Hoffman decided that he was going to experience and document what travel truly is to the majority of people on earth. The word travel comes from the French word "travail," meaning, "work." And boy do people have to work at traveling throughout the world. Hoffman meets and spends time with people that ride a bus for 36 hours to and from work. Yes you read that correctly. A crowded South American bus with no air conditioning, sharing seats with chickens, stopping to piss off the road sides into ditches filled with garbage and human excrement.

He flew on planes not allowed to fly anywhere near the US or Europe. Planes in which the seat-belts didn't work, the carpet was thread-bare and there certainly were not offers of drinks and food. And delays, some planes were delayed for days. Taking off when and if the various airlines wanted them to.

Right now, as I sit here in the terminal, a dude across from the aisle is saving 15 seats for his group and yelling at anyone that gets close. If it happens again, I will laugh in his face and tell him to chill the fuck out. At least he isn't sitting on the concrete floor in an hot terminal with no bathrooms or food options. He is in a padded seat with an actual seat back. He can feel the air conditioning making his environment comfortable. He is surrounded by people that are (mostly) showered and clean. He can pop on over to the Pizza Hut kiosk and grab a bite. In comparison to most of the people on earth, he is living as a king right now.

Maybe, in the end, we should all ease up on our expectations of travel. A common thread throughout the book is that people all over the world, even in the worst conditions travel with a smile on their face. They are willing to protect those solo travelers they meet and share what little food and space they have to help others. Perhaps we are too protected here, too isolated from other people and as a result we have lost the ability to even comprehend what other people go through to simply arrive at a destination. On this and all other travels in the future, I will be smiling.

Click here to purchase a copy of "The Lunatic Express". It will move you, inspire you, and renew your faith in humanity.

Happy travels wherever you may be going!

Peace,

Lara