To Travel is to Wait
To travel is to wait. Especially if you're traveling for business.
Wait in traffic on the way to the airport.
Wait in line to check in.
Or do it on your phone and skip the technological fail of the average joe.
Wait again to check your bags.
Wait to get checked by TSA.
Go. Nope. The person in front of you doesn't have their ID out.
Wait to put your stuff on the x-ray belt.
If you already had your shoes off, it'd be faster.
Wait to be body scanned or groped.
You're going to be violated one way or another. Call your Senator or get over it and move on.
Wait for your x-rayed stuff while inexperienced travellers create a choke point.
Oh! You mean I wasn't supposed to leave that full water bottle in my bag?
I have to put my shoes back on RIGHT HERE.
Wait in line for coffee.
Tapping your foot and craning your neck is not going to make this any faster.
Wait for your group to be called for boarding. Watch people crowd the gate.
I don't understand. Are you in a hurry to sit and wait more?
Wait in line for your seat.
It should be forbidden to carry-on anything you can't lift over your own head without assistance.
Wait to take off.
Oops. We need to tighten a nut.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
Share the armrest.
Please don't drool on me.
Also, don't spill your drink on me. kthanxbai.
Wait to land.
It's like a rollercoaster! WHEEE!
Wait to get to the gate.
BING! Out goes the seatbelt light. People rocket out of their chairs like they've got ants in their pants.
Wait to get off the plane.
Fiddle with your phone to avoid being the only person who is awkwardly not checking email.
Try to ignore it when the person next to you accidently grabs your butt or drops their bag on your head.
Are you at your final destination?
No? Repeat most of the above.
Yes? Wait some more...
For your bags, for a car/taxi, to check in at the hotel, to get your meal, to fall asleep away from home and family.
It's not "glamorous." Expense accounts used ethically are good for eating a decent meal and having a clean bed and a hot shower. They're not for buying designer shoes. You may travel the world, but the places you go, you're more likely to see the inside of a conference room than the opera house or the city's historic underground.
It is work. And I don't know about you but no one pays me to hang out in art galleries.
It is work that can be varied and stressful and exciting and all that, but in the end it's not the vacation lifestyle that so many see high travel jobs to be.
It's just different forms of waiting strung together like a child's macaroni necklace, hoping that teacher will like the result and give you a gold star to keep you going for another day.
