Traveling

I flew out to Michigan today to see my sister and her family for the weekend. I usually see her at Christmas and maybe for a week in the summer. So why am I out here in the middle of winter for a long weekend? My one and only nephew has the lead in his play (high school) and I really want to see him perform. He has been in a number of plays both for school and community theater but I have never seen him perform once. I told him at Christmas if I could get a cheap enough plane ticket, I would come out to see him in his play. And I did (find a cheap ticket) so I did (fly out to see him).

I essentially took the same flights coming out here that I did coming out at Christmas. Portland to Baltimore and then Baltimore to Grand Rapids, all on AirTran. I even upgraded again to Business Class so I was able to ride with comfort as opposed to being cramped in Coach Class.

Even with the added luxury of Business Class and with no delays or other problems with the flights, I have decided that I really would prefer not to fly. It’s not that I am scared of it, although I really get nervous with take-offs and landings. No, it is more along the lines of having to deal with the increased security, airport food and the “hurry up and wait” that everyone has to endure when flying.

I realize that we need the increase in security because there are nut jobs and other crazy people out there who would like nothing better than to terrorize or kill people who are flying. But I think a lot of it is just for show and pretty pointless. It is intended to MAKE us feel safe and doesn’t necessarily KEEP us safe.

It feels like they have created these little rituals to go through so we feel like we are safe and secure. First there is the giving our checked bags to the TSA people and have them ask the same questions – “Do you have anything hazardous or dangerous in your bags?” and “Are they locked?”. You can’t be sarcastic anymore and say “yes, I am carrying several kinds of armament, hand grenades and a variety of fireworks!”. That will get you arrested pretty fast or at least detained for several hours. Instead the proper response is “no, sir, nothing hazardous”. It is “yes” to the question on the locks for me but they are TSA locks so they can unlock them if they have to.

The next step is to wind through the security tape to meet the second set of TSA people. These guys check your boarding pass and driver’s license. After that, it’s to the bins where you have to take off your shoes, coat, and belt, pull the laptop out of the bag, put all of it, including any carry ons, into the bins and then run them over the metal tables to the screening machines. After they are on the conveyor belts and being scanned, you have to stand on the little X and wait for the next TSA person to wave you forward so your boarding pass can be checked after you pass through the metal detector. If you are unlucky, you might get selected to be patted down and then you have some stranger (TSA person) run their hands over your body so they feel more of you than most members of your family ever will….maybe more than your own doctor ever would feel. (So far Portland and Grand Rapids don’t the full body scanners so I have yet to be faced with that indignity).

Once you make it through that humiliation, you have to put on your shoes, belt, and coat, put your laptop back in it’s case and gather all your belongings to go wait by the gate for your flight. If you are considerate of not making others wait for you and not wanting to be rushed, you will end up sitting there for over an hour since that is the suggestion of the airline industry and TSA.

There…after all of that…do you feel safer? I don’t. I feel just as worried about terrorism as I was before all these security measures were put in place. Not that I was all that worried about it before. After all there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of flights a year…how many have actually had terrorist attacks? I have a better chance of getting hit by the proverbial turnip truck than I do of being involved in a terrorist incident.

I was thinking about this yesterday when I was sitting waiting for one of my flights and I have decided that the next time I come out to Michigan, I think I will drive. Yes it will take me two days to drive out and two days to drive back. But I wouldn’t have to deal with the TSA, other people, limits on luggage, limits on liquids, awful airport food and all the other inconveniences of flying. I would be in charge of my own destiny, so to speak. I can set my own pace, not have to have people drive me to and from the airpot and it probably wouldn’t cost me any more than my plane tickets cost.

The current plan is to come out in June for a week. That would mean I would need to take 10 days off. Four for traveling and six to visit. Add a two day weekend in there and that would mean about a week and a half off of work. Since I get a months worth of vacation now, that isn’t a bad prospect.

You might be asking at this point if I ever go anywhere on vacation than to my sister’s house. At this point in time in my life the answer is no, I generally don’t. I love spending time with my sister and her family and I treasure every moment I can be with them. Why would I want to go sit on a beach somewhere or go on a cruise or anything else like that when I can be at her house reading a story to my youngest niece or playing games with the older kids? They won’t be kids forever and I want to make as many memories as I can with them while they are growing up.

I would like to someday go and see my younger brother and his family and maybe, if it can fit into their schedule, I will fly out to see them and make memories there. Maybe that will be the next trip. But that one will definitely involve flying since they live in Utah and that would just be too far to drive. Sigh. If only I was independently wealthy and could fly in a private jet everywhere I need to go. Well, no need to wish for that. It isn’t about to happen anytime soon so there is no reason to even go there.

Actually, let’s look at it this way. At least with the modern convenience of flying, we don’t have to travel by horse and buggy. In those days, when families lived this far away, they never saw each other and the only communication was by letter or telegram. So I guess I should look at these ease of flying as a blessing and not an inconvenience. No matter how difficult traveling has become in the past decade or so.