Air Travel

Air travel or driving that is the dilemma I face. The last time I checked on the infrastructure in Europe or the Middle East it was a hit or miss. There usually are no problems finding trains, cabs, or even buses. Nine times out of ten they are the cheapest way to go. Although flying in this country is cheaper and less time consuming you are taking chances with the smaller planes. I call them the island jumpers. In Europe however, it is wiser to drive or take a train. It has to be said that when traveling by bus in some countries it can take you directly to your location. Not a bad deal if you are not familiar with your surrounding. However keep in mind that sometimes when flying you could be stuck sitting next to the woman you avoided at the terminal that had 3 kids in tow. On a bus you just politely grab your bag and iPhone and move to another seat, (if available). However on a plane the assigned seating make it difficult to move.

For some reason I kept flashing back on that woman that was asked to give her baby some Baby Benadryl. I am still not sure how I would have reacted. To think you finally make it through security in one piece including all the bags you tow around only to be scrutinized as an unfit mother. Good thing I don’t have kids, I would probably get a couple of bloody Mary’s down as I watched the kids fighting over the window seat or playing with the drop down table. My luck I would be arrested for being drunk and disorderly and my children would be taken by child protective custody.

I have always been the one that flags the flight attendant if I get stuck sitting next to children on a flight. Hopefully you can smile politely move to another seat as you mention how cute the baby is. It’s not like you can save the seat and say someone is sitting here. In other words, flying is annoying most people are tense and don’t want to be there, so you may as well get hammered.

Another trick I have used on busy flights is to pretend I am sleeping as the passengers get on and if you are lucky the person next to you won’t feel compelled to chat you up.

Air flights in some countries only work between major cities, and are expensive. You can expect to pay 15 to 25% more than your local bus or train. Last time I traveled I had a choice between driving and flying. You tell me what you would have done. A 24-hour drive or a 3-hour flight. Okay genius, guess what I did, I drove since I was driving across several countries. Now that is far better than flying.

Since I am discussing flying I do not want to regress. As I have mentioned flying is a stressful situation regardless of your circumstances. Therefore here is my suggestion start saving your miles, you can always upgrade to business class where the seats are more comfortable and you rarely see children seated in that section.