What’s your airport travel style?
Written by Nikki Parkinson
February 24, 2012
Be Happy
13 Comments
When we’re out and about my husband often accuses me of staring.
How absurd.
I am not staring. I am studying.
Studying people.
People fascinate me and I find some of the most fascinating places for people to fascinate me are airports.
Do you find that?
I really hope it’s not just me.
In my attempt to work out people’s stories, I’ve created categories in which to pigeon hole my fellow travellers.
The following categories are not real. Well bits of them are. The other bits are from my overly fertile and fascinated imagination.
The business man: walks with purpose, looking über important, carrying a broadsheet newspaper or Fin Review under his arm. Pulls out laptop to work on spreadsheet the minute the fasten seat belt sign has been switched off. Does not check in baggage.
The business woman: also purposeful but slick. Handbag and shoes are the only statements in her otherwise conformist corporate style. Blackberry is surgically attached to her hand. Only leaves comfort of Qantas club as final boarding call is made.
The frazzled mum: wears the after-effects of her toddler’s doozy of a check-in tantrum on her face. Avoids eye contact with fellow passengers. Especially those smug left-my-children-at-home ones.
The I-can’t-believe-we’re-travelling-with-our-kids dad: holiday dad is in shock. He’s used to seeing his kids for a few quality minutes each night. Now he’s pondering a whole new kind of quality. One that involves small children, confined spaces and Disney Princess and/or Cars 2 backpacks.
The hipster: soy decaf latte in hand; iPod headphones in ears, Converse high tops or clogs on their feet, this species of is way too cool for Travel School but is desperately praying there are at least 10 rows and a Corona between them and the frazzled mum and holiday dad.
The mum travelling WITHOUT her kids: she is like Mona Lisa, smugly smiling and lapping up alone time. Flight delays are not inconveniences. They are opportunities to do uninterrupted airport shopping. You will also come across rare group sightings of this species. These gaggles are typically aged in their 30s or 40s. On their outward flight they are as animated as they were when they first met at school or at uni. On the return flight they will be more subdued, showing the after effects of behaving like they were still the age they were when they met at school or Uni.
The grandparents: they are the cutest couples on flights. First to arrive for their flight and check in, first to line up to board. A well-oiled travel machine … as long as the often long-suffering husband just shuts up and does as he’s instructed. Cabin baggage is regulation and stuffed with gifts for the grandchildren. And a few biccies to go with their cuppa on board.
The “light” traveller: this species of traveller never checks in their bags, instead walking on board with a stuffed-to-capacity small suitcase and over-sized tote or messenger bag. You pray that they are not seated near you as the overhead locker will be full and you fear for things dropping on your head should the flight encounter turbulence. The not-so-light traveller leaves you pondering why it is if you attempted such a move, you’d be the one they’d pull up at the boarding gate and insist that you pay extra to have your bag placed in the cargo hold.
The honeymooners: glowing and already dressed for poolside cocktails, these couples are determined that nothing – including arm rests – comes between them. They have new, matching luggage and a glow that no amount of miracle-inducing skin products can possibly produce. They may cause you to have a little vomit in your mouth.
What’s your travel style? And do you have any categories to add to my list?
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