You know what happens when you travel a lot? You start noticing things. Not the glamorous things. The small, confusing, why-in-the-world-are-we-still-doing-it-this-way things.
Today I'm introducing a new series: Travel Things That Make Absolutely No Sense.
☕ 1. Why do airplane drinks have no lids?
We are flying through the sky in a metal tube at 500 miles per hour. The plane routinely bounces. Coffee bounces. Water bounces. My occasional gin and tonic definitely bounces. And yet our beverages are served in completely lidless cups. If there were ever a moment in life where a lid made sense, it might be at 35,000 feet. This makes absolutely no sense.
🧳 2. Why does baggage claim still work like it did in 1987?
When I was about six, this was the system: someone physically removed the luggage from the plane and it appeared spewing out of a hole in the wall on a rotating belt. Forty years later — that is still exactly what we do. Meanwhile our luggage is now scanned, sniffed, tracked, weighed, x-rayed, and digitally logged. Airlines know more about my suitcase than I do. And yet we still stand around a conveyor belt hoping. 📱
🎒 3. Why is all luggage black?
When 90% of the bags coming down the belt are identical black rectangles, we have a situation. My gentle travel suggestion: buy colored luggage. Bright luggage. Cheerful luggage. Luggage you can recognize from across the airport like a long-lost friend. And tie the most magical colored ribbon on the handle. 🎀
🛫 4. Why does first class board first?
If the real goal is efficiency, wouldn't we fill the plane from back to front? Wouldn't the real luxury be spending less time sitting on the airplane while everyone else boards? I could glide on five minutes before departure like a very calm, very punctual queen. I'm just saying… there may be a better way. 👑
🌬️ 5. Why don't airlines show turbulence forecasts?
There are apps that can predict turbulence remarkably well. And yet when a plane starts bouncing, everyone quietly makes fearful eye contact. Imagine if the screen simply said: "Mild turbulence expected at 9:45pm. Will last approximately 4 minutes. Totally normal." Instant calm. A little information goes a long way. 💡
That concludes today's episode. If you have any to add, please send them my way. In the meantime, if you'd like air travel followed immediately by six days of someone else handling every single detail in Paris… ☕
