Below are thoughts written by a bright eyed 22 year old who had no idea she would one day work in the travel industry. That she would work through the worst hit the travel industry had ever taken. That through everything, travel would be the steady flow in her life. Now almost 8 years later these thoughts still hold true. It's amazing what reading old travel journals will do to your mindset! Enjoy my thoughts from an airport in 2016.
For anyone who has ever traveled through O’hare airport, you know the busyness, the chaos, and the all-around crazy that encases the terminal. As I sit here and write this, I notice how everyone is in the “hurry up and wait” mode.
We rush to the airport – so we can wait in line at security,
we hurry through the terminal – so we can wait at the gate.
We hurry to get in line to get on the plane –all to wait in line,
wait to push off,
wait on the tarmac,
wait through the flight,
wait for the landing,
wait for a gate,
wait to get off the plane,
wait for your luggage,
wait for a cab,
wait,
Wait
WAIT!
And while airports generally tend to bring out the worst in people (I’m looking at you Mr. Businessman that just shoved in front of the mother pushing a stroller and holding the hand of her toddler), they should be a place of community. Instead of annoying me, they excite me! While we may all be going to different places for different reasons, we are all about to experience the wonderful change that occurs when you travel – the travel transformation.
Whether it’s closing the big job out of state, seeing family you’ve not seen in a long time, or crossing off a line on your bucket list, traveling will change you. The people arriving in this terminal, are not the same people as they were the day they left, just like I will not be the same when I return to this busy, chaotic, crazy terminal. Acknowledging this change that will occur in you, only heightens the excitement of the trip.
I first acknowledged this travel transformation when I was sitting at my gate (waiting) about to go to Austria. It would have been my second trip to Europe, and I knew how much I was about to change in the next 15 days I was going to be gone.
(Salzburg Austria, May 2016)
It was scary and exhilarating all at once.
Change is scary. We like to have a routine, we like to know how we and others around us will react. But a traveling transformation is a change I will gladly accept.
When we travel, for whatever reason, we learn to love people. We learn to celebrate our differences, but also, we learn all the ways we are the same. Acknowledging this starts the travel transformation. The process is complete when you arrive back home, and everything has changed. You view your co-workers differently,
your family,
your home,
your job,
your boss,
your favorite song,
your favorite food,
your best friend,
that person at work that annoys you to no end,
your favorite film,
and when you start to realize everything has changed … you realize nothing changed except you.
This is why airports don’t annoy me.
This is why I spend my money frivolously on trips.
This is why I travel.
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