As a reader of The Gate, you are likely a frequent flier who will travel every chance you get — but denying that travel can be anything less than stressful is admittedly futile when considering the punishment to which the mind and body is subject; and that can cause hesitation to want to travel yet again.
This Frequent Flier Thinks She Hates Traveling.
With a plea of asking fellow colleagues to help her get out of this funk — as she does not want to stay home forever — FlyerTalk member Eujeanie posted the following comment: “….when I was young travel was always a fun adventure. Now that I’m older there is no hotel that is as comfortable or quiet as home. I’m always annoyed by something, mostly noise — noisy neighbors, traffic, weird heat and/or A/C. Yet I keep going places. Those of you who travel for business you have no choice, but I’m getting to the point where I wonder if it’s worth it as a leisure traveler. Whether it’s a middle of the road or higher end place, I can’t remember the last time I said ‘that was a fantastic stay’. Maybe the huge expanse of Covid made the difference even more noticeable. But it seems for me now the planning and pictures on line are more satisfying than the actual experience.”
A number of reasons could be attributed to that malaise — including but not limited to:
- Poorer service in general can dampen the travel experience — especially when representatives of customer service fail at satisfying customers by being apathetic, indifferent, or lazy. Sometimes a moment of poor service in general can significantly affect an otherwise excellent experience in a detrimental way.
- Worsening products — especially on the less expensive end of the spectrum. The basic economy class of many airlines arguably charge the same price — or are more expensive — than traditional economy class years ago with restrictions while the cabin is jammed with seats with ultra-thin cushions is only one example. Airport lounges and executive lounges at hotel and resort properties cutting back on amenities while charging more or increasing restrictions to access them is another example.
- Being nickel-and-dimed for every little expense, which is especially prevalent with mandatory resort fees at hotel and resort properties — as well as carrier-imposed fees which are charged by airlines — neither of which offer any value for the money they charge.
- Discomfort, as being out of your comfort zone while immersing yourself in a significantly different culture far away from home can feel rather exotic while simultaneously stressing you.
- Getting older in general or being immunocompromised, of which adverse aspects of travel can wreak havoc on the body: jet lag, ingesting certain foods and beverages, and long periods of sitting aboard an airplane are only three of countless examples which can affect older people or travelers who are immunocompromised and therefore more subject to one affected by something going wrong.
I Concur More Often Than One Might Believe — To a Point
Being out of your comfort zone and taking risks is both part of the allure of the adventure of travel in general — and also the cause of hesitation to travel as well. Some of my best travel stories were those which were unexpected and not exactly the best moments which I have ever spent — such as when a man grabbed my left arm after I took generic photographs at an outdoor market in Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and started yelling in his native language. A crowd slowly gathered around me; and I thought I was in big trouble, as I had no idea how that situation was going to end — let alone ever find out what exactly was the problem…
…but when I looked at the faces of the men and women in the gathering crowd, I saw more genuine curiosity and empathy rather than hostility. One man eventually grabbed the man and convinced him to let me go. What became an escalating situation was suddenly diffused and calm again. I thanked him and was on my way.
Since then, Côte d’Ivoire had become a dangerous place due to at least two civil wars, civil unrest, and terrorism — but other than that one incident, I had never felt unsafe in that country up to that point.
I visited Beirut during a time of peace even though Lebanon was still technically at war with Israel — the structure which is in the photograph at the top of this article is the shell of a building riddled with bullet holes which was one of the casualties of the most recent fighting at that time — but active fighting could have started again at any time without warning…
…and a contentious national election can easily disrupt plans — such as what happened to me in Lesotho.
Although I wrote this article stating that if I want the comforts of home, I will stay at home, that does not mean one should be reckless when traveling, either. Always be aware of your surroundings when traveling; and keep yourself informed with the latest updates of your destinations — no matter from which country you originate…
…but I will admit that I cannot think of a single trip which I have taken in the past which I have not felt the night before departure the feeling of having second thoughts of going. Leaving those comforts of home can be rather difficult — especially when the time is 3:30 in the morning and the temperature is 18 degrees Fahrenheit as I get out of my warm bed and leave for the airport to face the crowds while simultaneously hoping that I have not forgotten to bring what I want and need for my trip.
Once I am seated aboard the airplane or in a car for a road trip, all of the second thoughts eventually dissipate — and I almost always enjoy the trip.
Final Boarding Call
Although Eujeanie ultimately feels much better after cancelling a couple of upcoming “running around” trips, FlyerTalk member jrl767 related a phrase which he saw in a recent newsfeed article about travel — and I agree sums it all up perfectly, as some of my most memorable travel experiences which are most interesting to relate are the adventures which I was not enjoying by any stretch of the imagination at the time they occurred:
“Adventures often suck while you’re having them.”
Amen.
All photographs ©2006, ©2015 and ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
