WHAT IS YOUR TRAVEL STYLE?
I was hanging around LAX the other morning. Waiting from my flight back to Kansas City. I had a bit of time to kill before my flight departed. Now, I don’t know what you do in a situation like that. But for me, well I frequently find myself people watching. Airports are just outstanding places to people watch. Lots of people from all over, each traveling for his or her own reasons to destinations scattered around the globe. As I engaged in my people watching adventure it struck me that airline passengers seem to have a variety of different travel styles.
With nothing much better to do, the psychologist side of my brain began thinking about the different styles of travel that people demonstrate and the different characteristics or features which combine together to define an individual’s travel style. It seems there are likely quite a few such characteristics. I thought it would be interesting to attempt to discover and explore these characteristics of travel style.
One that just really jumped out at me is how travelers seem to differ in the ease and comfort with which they handle their travel related activities. It’s an interesting dimension or characteristic and one which seems to apply to travelers. Think of this bipolar dimension as one ranging between “Exceptionally Comfortable And At Ease” at one end of a continuum and “Exceptionally Uncomfortable and Ill At Ease” at the other end.
Travelers on the comfortable and at ease side of this characteristic distribution just seem to glide through the airport. They move smoothly and comfortably, with a sense of purpose and direction. They appear happy and composed. They “have their act together.” They have what they need and they know where it is. They are aware of where they are and of what is going on around them and they know where they need to be and when they need to be there. They also know how to get there with little fuss or wasted effort. They aren’t rushed or hurried. They don’t appear stressed at all.
In contrast, travelers on the uncomfortable and ill at ease side of this characteristic’s distribution seem to struggle their way through airport activities. They get lost, or don’t know which line they should be in. Whatever it is that they might need, an ID or boarding pass, etc., they don’t seem to know where it is. As a result they are forever looking through their pockets, purse, or pack – searching for the missing item. They are hurried and appear tense. They drop things, get lost and in general just seem to be challeged by the whole airport experience.
So what is you travel style? And where do you fall on this “at ease” to “ill at ease” characteristic of travel style? Me? Well, I’d like to say that I am the epitome of the at ease and comfortable traveler. But that would be a lie. Even though I travel frequently I continue to work on becoming more comfortable and at ease. It seems to be a worthy goal, one which helps travelers enjoy their journeys more fully.
In future article’s I will explore and discuss some ideas which i hope may help me, and possibly you, develop the skills to travel with more ease and comfort!
Travel In Comfort and At Ease …….. And Enjoy The Adventure!
Dr. B., The Photo Trekker
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