Air Travel

  I always cringe inwardly when someone asks me what I do because I know the inevitability of the next question....SO What exactly do you do in television? Pregnant pause..."I have a travel show" I reply. Your one lucky lady they reply. Yes. In truth, I do feel very fortunate. But as with everything in life there are checks and balances. The good , the bad and the ugly.

I'm going to start with the ugly. No one looks good after 16 hrs of travel, not even Movie starts. If you think the hat and sunglasses are for effect your dead wrong. They are a disguise, yes, but for greasy hair and puffy, blood shot eyes. If you have any delusions that air travel is glamorous, then you haven't boarded a commercial airline in the last 5 years. You are no longer fed and your lucky if you get water. If you've been smart enough to pack your own pick-nick than your golden, otherwise you will end up at your destination, bloated, grumpy, thirsty and starving.

The bad news is virtually all airlines are the same and the good news is even rich people can't afford to fly first class anymore!  The good news is that flying has become very affordable and there really is no good reason anymore not to travel the world. Pack your bags people because the those few hours of grumpy customs agents, crazy cab drivers , bad indigestion and impossibly small bathrooms are worth it. Because no matter how many times I get stuck in traffic because there is a parade in the streets or a cow taking a shit , it never gets old. I even like trying out my bad spanish on some unlucky lady who has made the mistake of making eye contact with me. I love not knowing what the waiter will bring after I order and it's always a nice surprise when the coffee is good.

I love the idea that we are a global village and we can learn so much from each other just by hanging out together. I learned more about Pakistan from my cab driver in 15 minutes than I ever learned on CNN. By tasting strange food, breathing exotic fragrances and experiencing the people of other cultures perhaps we can learn some compassion and understanding that will serve us well in the future. Maybe the next time you watch the news you won't be so quick to judge and take sides. Maybe I'm overshooting, but even so a little travel never hurt anyone!