Everything Great About Airports

A friend of mine whom is constantly on the road making his living in a sales field once told me of how much he hates airports. Between the line-ups, the paper work and the hauling of luggage to kingdom come (or the next terminal at DFW), he has associated these hubs of long range travel with the same ill-will that the average commuter would place upon a big city highway at 5:30pm. This couldn’t be further from how I feel about airports.

I don’t work in sales and I have never had to travel for work. Also because of my job (which is steady, well-paying and one that I consider myself lucky to have) I don’t have the opportunity to jet-set around the world like some of the “digital nomads” we all love to read about online. The vacation time I have accrued allows me to take maybe two major trips per year. The good part about such infrequent travel is for one, the time I have on my side to plan the perfect vacation, and maybe more importantly the scarcity allows me to fully appreciate all that contributes to the magic of travel, of which the airport experience is an integral part.

Love getting up close and personal with one of these beauties 

With my selective memory conveniently blocking out painful customs lines and the occasional flight delay, here is everything I love about airports and airplanes:

The 4am Wakeup Call

…and leaving the house well before sunrise. I don’t do this when I go to work. I surely don’t do this on the weekend. I only do this when I’m going to the airport. Thus 4am wake-up call = vacation!

The Departure Board

Call me weird but sometimes I just love to stand in front of this thing and imagine all of the different places I could get to in a matter of hours. I could be in Lima for lunch or Delhi for dinner.

Oh, the places you can go...

The Obligatory Facebook Airport Check-in

Remember all those times sitting at your desk eating leftovers, reading about who’s about to takeoff to Europe? Well now it’s my turn, and you’re getting an Eiffel Tower emoji with that too!

The Duty Free

So what if I will have no shortage of opportunity to buy cheap booze while at my destination. I’m at the airport, I’m on vacation and dammit I’m going to at least look at all of the bottles and cigars. 

The Airline’s Destination Map

Similar to the destination board, look at all the places you can go! Beautifully illustrated with hub-and-spoke airports all over the map. I also enjoy the layout maps of the hub airports and info about the airline’s fleet. Other than Skymall, this is the pinnacle of inflight reading. Oh ya, Skymall!

Unleashing my inner geography nerd on every flight

Skymall

No real explanation required. I will never buy a cat house or a Boston Red Sox themed BBQ set, but these are fun to look at for 5 minutes from the window seat.

Shopping at it's finest

The Views

I know, the major portion of an 8-hour trans-Atlantic flight is pretty damn boring, but man those views from above during take-off and descent are stunning.

The Mediterranean is a sight from above

Deplaning

This only really applies when flying to the tropics. The heat and humidity you feel when stepping off the plane in Miami or Punta Cana is awesome, especially when there is no tunnel and you step off right on to the tarmac in the mid-day sun. #Summertimeandthelivinseasy

Mike @ Palms & Pints
@palmsandpints

Planes, Trains & Funiculars

A few years back a co-worker had returned from Europe and was telling me about all of the different cities in which he had the chance to visit. I asked him if he took the train… a logical question I assumed, Europe = cheap & efficient train travel, right? Apparently not always. He went on to explain how the train was (expletive) expensive.

On my recently completed European adventure I had the privilege of taking all sorts of transportation in my short 10 days there. I will tell you that all are not created equal, granted location, company and a slew of other variables do exist. With that said, here are some musings about my experiences:

-As mentioned in a previous blog, if at all possible, fly direct on your trans-Atlantic journey. Create your itinerary around a direct-flight access point (something like Paris, London, Rome, Frankfurt, depending on your origin). It will save worlds of time and hassle. 

-We had a fantastic experience with bus travel between Munich and Prague with DB Bahn. The bus was spacious and barely half-full and the ride was extremely comfortable. Price was more affordable than the train option and also faster! 

-Our travel between Bergamo and Venice with TrenItalia was less than stellar. Our assigned seats were taken and we were forced to wander the train looking for a spot while hauling luggage through tiny corridors.

-Unless your Venice hotel is way out in left field, don't bother with the overpriced Vaporetto (water bus) pass or taking a water taxi. This gem of a city is much better explored on foot. It's not particularly large and it's fun to get lost! 

-When considering travel between two distant locations in Europe, check out regional low-fare airlines like WizzAir or Ryanair, their prices might surprise you. 

-If a city has a funicular (cable car) chances are it's worth checking out. Bergamo was no exception. 

-Subway access at the Prague central train and bus station is extremely confusing and they only accept Czech koruna. If your hotel is near Old Town Square you are better off walking, just watch out for luggage wheels on that cobble! 

-The Munich S-Bahn rail system is a marvel of efficiency. Never has transportation between a city's airport, main train station and downtown been so painless. 

-What's the deal with segways? 

Mike @ Palms & Pints