We have been on work trips three out of the last four weeks, which is the complete opposite of traveling for pleasure. We have almost spent more time sitting in airports than we have in our own home, which is definitely not fun. Every airport is different in some ways and yet every airport is the same in many ways as well, especially in the United States. There can be a certain sense of comfort when you are in an airport, but there can also be a certain sense of apprehension as well. They can be euphoric as you anticipate the start of an adventure or they can just feel like a maze of confusion that needs to be navigated.
At times, airports can provide a sense of excitement and energetic motion as people scurry to get to their gates either embarking on a trip of a lifetime or just trying to make their way home. Unfortunately, we find that people suddenly lose all sense of their surroundings when they are in airports and they aimlessly wander in front of other people, suddenly stop in front of you, or make erratic changes in direction. We certainly understand that for people that don’t travel often, airports can be overwhelming and confusing, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t suddenly become oblivious to their surroundings. Late at night, though, airports can become rather eerie when the hustle and bustle is replaced with a graveyard-like silence. No longer are the overhead speakers constantly announcing planes being boarding, gate changes, or reminding you not to leave your bags unattended and your own footsteps echo through the empty hallways.
Obviously, if you have time, airports can be a great place to people watch as there is such a wide variety of people that make their way through these transportation hubs. You can see people from all cultures, ages, lifestyles, and personalities, all linked in a common pursuit, to make it to their destination. It is also the one place where you can see people sitting at a bar first thing in the morning and no one seems to judge them as they gather liquid courage before their flight. You can definitely see the anxiety on the faces of the people making their way to their gates. Will they miss their flight, will the flight be on time, will they get their carry-on bag onto the plane, who will they sit next to, will their be screaming children on the plane, etc. The last few weeks have given us all of these experiences and at the moment, we are hoping not to go to an airport until our next personal trip, which is in three weeks and is to Cairo, Egypt. Do you have a love/hate relationship with airports like we do?
