Personally one of my favorite things is flying. Everything about it screams adventure and it still baffles me that something so large can sustain itself in the air. Sure there is plenty of science behind it but in my opinion aviation represents the limitless capabilities of humans.
With the advent of the modern jet airliner people now have access to parts of the world that prior generations couldn’t even dream about. Let’s take a look at the world 100 years ago, actually even 50 years ago people couldn’t just pick up and go travel cross country or another continent for a vacation or visit a friend.
Take me for example I am in route to Phoenix to visit a close friend from my childhood. I had a couple of options available to go see him.
Option A: Road Trip, well there isn’t many things more American than a good old fashion road trip but I have a limited number of vacation days. It’s would probably take me at least 3 days to make it from Raleigh, NC to Phoenix, AZ. However the three days is still vastly faster than many generations prior as cars and infrastructure have improved. But back to the main constraint, limited vacation days. It wouldn’t be possible for me to eat up 6 vacation days simply stuck in transit. Road trip is out.
Option B: Fly. This is really the only option that makes this trip possible. Wake up at 3:50am go to the airport and catch my flight out at 6am. By selection this method I will make it to Phoenix at 9:55am local time. Applause for the time change as I get three hours back going east to west. Now don’t get me wrong flying has its down sides but personally I have learned how to minimize them through wise bookings and avoiding certain markets. For example don’t pick a stop in the north to get out west in winter. Always aim for the southern desert layovers.
Please forgive any errors as I am writing this as I am waiting to take off from Atlanta ( I know a notorious spot for delays, but I didn’t have to get off of the plane and it’s early morning: minimize the risk). Next stop the desert and sunny skies.
Nunc Coepi 