July 9, 2012
As a airline employee I have the benefit of taking advantage of the “beautiful” side of travel. I get to travel for free or for a small fee. I can go anywhere I want as long as my schedule allows for it. I sight see, explore new cultures and get to eat a whole lot of great food. This side of travel is great until it gets complicated. Anyone who travels often knows that at some point, travel can be ugly. The flight will be delayed, or you miss your flight. The percentage for travel to turn ugly gets higher when you only fly standby.
Today I was privileged to experience the “ugly” side of travel. The overnight stay in a airport concourse. For some reason or another a frequent standby passenger will experience a overnight airport stay. The reasons can be financial or the option for a warm bed that night may not be available. Today was my sleepover at Milwaukee airport. After three failed attempts from Newark to Chicago, Milwaukee became my only option. As my body physically made the trip to Milwaukee my suitcase went ahead to Chicago.
Several hours later I found myself in Milwaukee only with a phone, laptop and a sweater. The minus being a bed, pillow and a tooth brush. The ugly and not so glamorous side of travel had presented itself in full force. The next shuttle to Chicago would not be leaving until 4:15am. I had six beautiful hours to quench my boredom and frustration until the shuttle arrived.
The first adjustment was the feeling of being alone in an airport concourse. Stores were shut down, the chatter of customers had ceased. Feeling boredom and frustration I turned on my laptop. Reading the latest Hollywood gossip, world news and anything to get my mind from staring at the clock. Tick, tock and yup I’m still at the airport. Absorbed in my own self misery I forgot to see the beautiful in this travel experience. While I was wallowing, the airport concourse kept alive. I was not alone at all. A maintenance worker by the name of Robert had approached me. Apparently familiar with overnight guest, he offered me a cup of coffee. His eyes and face showing sympathy for the lonely traveler, made me realize this to was also part of what it is to travel. Not always do the travel experiences have to be museums or great dinners. Sometimes the beautiful part of travel is meeting kind people and just allowing yourself to be immersed in the atmosphere around you. After Roberts act of kindness, the airport became vibrant. No longer was I upset and counting down the time until my shuttle arrived. What seemed empty now became interesting to watch. A bird was using the airport as a playground as it flew from seat to seat. Workers were cleaning and chattering about their families. What I was able to see after hours was a privilege. No rushing from plane to plane. I was able to see those people who keep the chair’s clean and the carpet under your feet vacuumed. That realization took my travel experience from “ugly to beautiful”.