Why airports and airplanes are better than a shrink

There’s no need for a shrink or pile of self-help books for a little self-reflection when you have airports and airplanes, especially if a stopover is involved. Here are just a few things you can reveal about yourself in a day of travelling… 

You’re impatient.
Especially those of us with a no line-up policy unless it is absolutely unavoidable (yup, that’s us), airports can be hell on earth with all the tedious waiting around – which is always worse on the way home. If you find yourself swearing, sighing or snapping at employees and fellow passengers as you wait in line for your ticket, in that never-ending line for customs, for security, and to board and get the hell off your flight (as in, “how long does it possibly take for you to get that bag from overhead and your ass off the plane?”), you may want to work on your patience and managing your irritability.

You drink too much.
Airports and airplanes seem to invite drinking whether in the airport bar as you wait for your flight, on the flight (aren’t the mini bottles of wine so cute?) or even as soon as you arrive, thanks to your bottle of Grey Goose from duty-free. A glass of red wine or scotch may be your thing to loosen up before a flight – and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you miss your flight because that one glass turned into three, or you emerge from your flight so drunk that you forget what your bag looks like, that may signify a bigger problem altogether. Just saying…

You want something different in life.
There’s something about all the people you see at the airport that makes you assess your own life. Whether it’s the rowdy groups of girls and guys about to embark on an epic girls or boys trip, the handholding newlyweds off to celebrate their honeymoon, or the cute little family off to Disney World, the mixed bag of other travellers and your thoughts on them may reveal what you actually want in your life. There may come a point where that family trip looks more appealing than a wild Vegas party fest in a shocking realization that maybe you really are ready to settle down (but not settle!)

You miss him or her.
Is it just us, or when you’re finally in the air, the motion of the plane gliding through the limitless clouds inevitably causes your mind to wander in a quiet reflection that most of us don’t have time for in our every day life? Your mind may wander to one person in particular, revealing who is actually important to you, who you are going to miss while you’re away and who you are excited to see when you get back. If there is nobody, perhaps it is time to join that online dating site after all.

You are a total nervous wreck.
If you find yourself on the verge of a panic-attack as you think to yourself I am going to miss this flight (when you have arrived in ample time), this plane is going to crash and I am going to die (when everything is going fine) or they definitely lost my bag, I am never going to see those Gucci shoes again (when the carousel hasn’t even started moving), you just may have an anxiety issue.

You’re not that special.
For those used to getting by on their smile and charm or limitless credit cards, an airport experience, where everyone is subjected to the same security checks and dealing with stone-cold customs officials, an airport experience can be a humbling one. Airport employees don’t care who you are, what you look like or how much money you have – and aren’t afraid to tell you that. So, take your seat like everyone else and don’t even try. If this offends you, you may have too big of an ego for your own good.

#LYNL | (Live Your Notable Life)

 

Cover image from: http://blog.wheely.com

Want more updates on the most Notable things happening so you know before your colleagues do? Get our exclusive newsletter here and follow us on Twitter for all the latest.