I know many people hate the thought of boarding a plane and being cramped into a seat for hours, little sleep and an air system which…if hearsay will have it…is filled with bugs and bad things guaranteed to make you ill.
But over the years I have learned to enjoy the experience. It is a means to an end which you (mostly) have chosen, so make the most of it and take out the positives. Perhaps you will be able to make up your own list of what you enjoy about flying.
The excitement of the approach
How can anyone NOT get a sense of ‘arrival” when the pilot asks the crew to prepare the aircraft for landing? The thought that we are about to reach our planned destination is a marvel…not from a safety perspective, but from all the inventions, creations, logistics and human skills which have come together to make the flight possible. And most of all, that mankind has been able to coax a huge metal object carrying over a hundred souls into the air, fly at speed to a designated destination and then safely deposit them on the ground again.
Waking up
Wow, imagine waking up beside a Moldovian beauty. Not sure who they are? Well, they are the girls who make the finest lookers from Ukraine look like candidates for the Ugly Duckling award. Nothing, and I repeat nothing, can beat the feeling of being asked by the Moldovian lady in the seat beside you as you open your eyes in the morning whether you slept well. I know you will never see her again, but savour the moment…it’s mighty good for the ego.
My own time
Thank you APPLE for the I-POD. This tiny invention has made flying even more enjoyable…simply set your I-POD to shuffle, hit play and then pull your eye-shades into place. No interruptions, no irritations. Just me, my music and my own thoughts. And if I doze off, well, I know I shall wake up to music I love.
NOT watching TV
Imagine being away from home and sitting glued to a television set with such poor sound and even poorer picture quality. It really is beyond my comprehension. Surely it makes more sense to wait until you can see it on the big screen with optimal picture and sound, or at least on the home TV with a loved one, a blanket and a box of chocolates? So when I see so many of my fellow passengers glued to the small fluttering screen I smile and retreat into my own cocoon, knowing that I shall watch it the way a proud Director meant his film to be seen.
People watching
The human species is undoubtedly the most diverse group of misfits inhabiting this planet. Just look around you during boarding and disembarking and you will be left shaking your head. Every passenger on the plane will have some idiosyncrasy…from a weird hair thing to shoes that defy logic for comfort while travelling. I like to place them in their respective pigeon holes, so I have often flown with Joe the Plumber, Pete the Paedophile, Kirsty the Kitch dresser, Donald the Dowdy Professor. Bob from Birmingham in his pinky-red sunburn and string vest is a classic, but my all-time favourite fellow passenger must be Bruce the Australian flying home to Sydney with his inflatable sheep as hand luggage!