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Seven travel-related things to be thankful for
While travel as the act of discovering a new place can be exhilarating and exciting, travel as the act of being in transit can be annoying and exhausting. Long lines, delays, rude people and all the frustrations that go along with moving large amounts of people from A to B can make the physical movement involved with travel something to really complain about. But this Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a step back and think about all the travel-related things that we do have to be thankful for.
I'm thankful for the airlines.
I know, I know, we spend a lot of time griping about all the things the airlines are doing wrong. They run late, they lose our luggage and they charge us extra for everything, but without them, traveling would be a completely different experience. Thanks to the airlines, we can leave home and arrive on the other side of the world within a day – a single day. That kind of immediate access to a far off country was unfathomable just a few decades ago. Back then undertaking a long-distance journey meant days, if not weeks spent on a train or a trans-Oceanic boat ride. And for all but the rich, that kind of travel was cramped, uncomfortable, dirty, and often dangerous. So I'm thankful for the airlines, for making long-distance travel quick, affordable and safe, and for allowing us to travel the world with relative ease.
I'm thankful for hardworking airline and airport staff.
I'm very grateful to airline staff, especially to the good pilots (you know, the ones who aren't too drunk, crazy or horny to do their jobs) who do everything in their power to get us all to our destinations safely. I'm thankful for mechanics, baggage handlers and ground crew who work hard and are rarely recognized for it (Seriously, just think about the massive coordination it must require to sort, load and unload all that luggage and you'll be surprised more isn't lost). And I am very, very thankful for the cheerful flight attendants who probably put up with far too much crap from stressed and cranky fliers, yet still manage to serve my vodka and cranberry drinks promptly and with a smile.
I'm very grateful to airline staff, especially to the good pilots (you know, the ones who aren't too drunk, crazy or horny to do their jobs) who do everything in their power to get us all to our destinations safely. I'm thankful for mechanics, baggage handlers and ground crew who work hard and are rarely recognized for it (Seriously, just think about the massive coordination it must require to sort, load and unload all that luggage and you'll be surprised more isn't lost). And I am very, very thankful for the cheerful flight attendants who probably put up with far too much crap from stressed and cranky fliers, yet still manage to serve my vodka and cranberry drinks promptly and with a smile.
I'm thankful that booze is still served on flights. Chris Elliot may think it's time to get rid of the booze on flights, but as a nervous flier, this girl needs a cocktail or two to help stay calm during rough flights. I'm even more thankful for the handful of carriers that still offer free drinks on international flights. You guys get my business over an airline that charges for drinks, every time.
I'm thankful for a job that allows me to travel
It's easy to lament the high cost of traveling or that fact that we never seem to have enough vacation time to fulfill all our travel dreams. But the truth is, for most middle-class workers, travel is very attainable. With a little bit of penny pinching and some attention to the budget, most people can scrape together enough money for at least one vacation per year.
It's easy to lament the high cost of traveling or that fact that we never seem to have enough vacation time to fulfill all our travel dreams. But the truth is, for most middle-class workers, travel is very attainable. With a little bit of penny pinching and some attention to the budget, most people can scrape together enough money for at least one vacation per year.
But for the thousands of Americans who are supporting a family on an income that is at or below the poverty line, no amount of "cutting back" will allow them to afford a week in Spain, let alone a weekend in Florida. So I am thankful that my husband and I are able to earn an income that allows us to explore the world.
I'm thankful for the internet.
Before the internet, booking a trip was a difficult process, one best left to the professionals. But the invention of the internet and its easy access to nearly unlimited information has changed the way we plan trips. Now anyone can go online, search for the best flight fares, book tickets, search for a hotel, check the reviews, and make reservations all with a few clicks.
Before the internet, booking a trip was a difficult process, one best left to the professionals. But the invention of the internet and its easy access to nearly unlimited information has changed the way we plan trips. Now anyone can go online, search for the best flight fares, book tickets, search for a hotel, check the reviews, and make reservations all with a few clicks.
And even though we complain when wi-fi isn't free at hotels and airports, I'm still just grateful that it exists at all. With wireless internet, I can stay connected and get important work done while I am waiting in the airport terminal, at my hotel, and even while I am 35,000 feet in the air! The idea of being "location independent", of working from anywhere remotely, was unheard of 10-15 years ago. Now thousands of people are able to explore the world and stay connected to their careers.
I'm thankful for my American passport.
As an American, I am free to go almost anywhere in the world knowing that in most cases (with the exceptions of North Korea, Cuba....and maybe Paris), I'll be welcomed with open arms. People in many other countries aren't so lucky. For people of many other countries the Visa process is a long, complicated and expensive one, one that usually ends in rejection. Would-be visitors are turned away from our (and other) borders every day. Because we fear they may be terrorists or because we wonder if they might not plan on ever leaving, we refuse to let them in. But it's very rare that we ever hear of an American tourist being denied entry to another country. It's one thing I take for granted, but I'm very thankful that I have the freedom to travel the world as I please.
I'm thankful for my husband and my home.
I enjoy traveling by myself and with friends, but I love traveling with my husband the most. So I am thankful that I not only have a person in my life who loves me and supports my travel habit, but who also loves to travel as a couple with me. And I am thankful that after I venture out into the world, I have a loving home to return to.
So today, and everyday, let's remember all the little things we have to be thankful for!
Filed under: Festivals and Events, North America
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Trisha Miller Nov 26th 2009 12:54PM
Awesome post Katie! I too am thankful for each and every one of those items on your list - and it's a great reminder.
Nick Nov 26th 2009 7:08PM
"I'm thankful for my American passport"
A very interesting inference can be made out of your observation. That Americans are welcomed happily at most places abroad speaks much about the warmth, hospitality and genuine, uncorrupted humanity of the people of (most) other countries (reversely, all this country seems to project outwards these days is paranoia, self-interest and general apathy). Your freedom to travel the world as you please is really thanks to those others than to the fact that you were born an American. It is so heartening to read the travel reports of Americans having a great time in countries we so carelessly label as "enemy".
Some food for thought this Thanksgiving!
african dictator Nov 26th 2009 9:51PM
There are many politically motivated and security conscious visa rules. But when it all comes down to it, it is usually economic circumstances that dictate whether a visa will be granted or not. An American passport is a good passport to hold because the U.S. is still largely considered to be a rich country internationally. Despite some shocking poverty levels and third-world-esque health, education and welfare statistics in some parts of the country, the U.S. still has a high overall per person GDP and it is usually assumed that the small percentage of Americans with passports are probably the wealthier segment of the population. Most countries around the world, even Iran and North Korea (for 3-4 months of the year during the mass games), will allow Americans to visit because they usually have a look around, spend money and then leave. In almost all circumstances it has nothing to do with genuine hospitality or uncorrupted humanity, but cold hard cash.
Some countries respond to obnoxious American policies with high reciprocal visa fees, slow processing, complicated requirements or mandatory tour group participation. This is an attempt to maintain some sort of national/diplomatic dignity and pride in an unfair and unequal system. But, with few exceptions, a determined American will be admitted almost anywhere if they are able to prove some financial means and are willing to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles. On the contrary, a determined Nigerian, Afghan or Zimbabwean passport holder will often find that the odds of having visas approved are stacked against them and they may not be able to have a visa granted at all no matter how determined they are. It is not that those places have mostly bad people in them, but because they are poor countries and their citizens will be suspected of violating the terms of their visa. It is this exact sentiment that caused the U.S. to remove Argentina from the visa waiver country list during their 2001 financial crisis. The unfortunate moral in all this is that wealth and global freedom of movement are more intimately linked than most of us would like to believe or admit.
travelnut Dec 1st 2009 12:57PM
This is a fabulous article and very well thought out. My family has to really save to be able to take a vacation, so I'm going to add one more thing that We are thankful for - being able to rent budget timeshares (we find great bargains on http://www.redweek.com). Without accommodations that can cost us something like just $85/night to sleep four, we'd never be able to afford to travel.