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What Air Travel Taught Me About Being in a Great Mood

Travel can be an arduous experience that might leave you out of breath, droopy eyed and grumbling. It’s something that can put you in a bad mood if you’re not careful. Fortunately, though, there are things we can learn about being in a GOOD mood from air travel. Here are some of the parallels I’ve managed to come up with, and how you can apply them to your life.

It’s not about the destination; it’s about the process of getting there – Part of what makes your destination so special is that it takes some effort to get there. You’ll have to deal with a lot, but the satisfaction you get when you arrive makes it all worthwhile.

• In short: things will get better, so think positively.

If you get a middle seat, you can make two friends – The middle seat is uncomfortable and cramped, but why complain about it when you have two potential new friends right there with you? You’re going to the same place for some reason, so you already have something to talk about.

• In short: make the best out of a bad situation.

If the ride gets bumpy, there isn’t a thing you can do about it – Buckle up, and get a book. I notice that when turbulence happens on a flight, people will look up at the cockpit or flight attendants as if there is some way to determine what’s going on up there? You can’t control it, so you might as well sit back and deal with it.

• In short: if there’s nothing you can do about it, don’t worry about it.

We’re all in this together – Anytime I travel via airplane, I always see at least one irate customer banging his fist or turning red because he’s supposed to be at this place at such-and-such time. What he doesn’t seem to realize, though, is that we all have somewhere to go, and somewhere else we want to be.

• In short: everyone has problems, yours aren’t worse or better than anyone else’s.

It pays to be nice – There are a lot of inexperienced travelers out there. You can see them as a big inconvenience to you, or you can help them find their way. Call it karma if you want, but doing something nice for someone else can often lead to someone else doing something nice for you.

• In short: follow The Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Sometimes you get coach; sometimes you get bumped up to first class – Recently, I flew to Seattle. The trip out there was cramped, uncomfortable, and all around lousy. Once I got there, my attitude changed, and I very quickly forgot about the lousy trip. On the way home, my seat was inexplicably bumped up to first class. And guess which half of the trip I still remember?

• In short: the good times will remain in your memory, the bad stuff will pass.

If you want more peanuts, it doesn’t hurt to ask – You’d be surprised at how easy it is to ask the flight attendant with a smile if you could have another snack, if that’s what you’d like. I bet she’ll give them to you, and if she won’t then smile and say thanks anyway. It sure beats complaining to your neighbor about how crummy flying is.

• In short: smiling makes just about everything better.

- Lisa