Monday, January 14, 2008

Travel in 2007

Catharine Hammer writes for the Los Angeles Times:

My Aunt Gertrude Jones, a lovely woman with a heart as pure as the saint for whom she was named, always said you sometimes count the good days by what doesn't happen and not by what does.

It's tempting to look at the year in travel and note how we, as travelers, took it on the chin. Fuel prices increased, hotel rates crept upward, quality of airline service tumbled downward, traveler patience slipped noticeably and we used even less of our paid vacation time than ever.

I won't speak for all of you, but just looking at that makes me borderline hostile.

Until I look at it the Aunt Gertrude way.

So fuel prices increased. Did you stop driving? No. Did you stop driving as much? Maybe. Well, good for you. You're helping the environment.

Did you pay more for a hotel? Yes. But did you end up sleeping in your car? No.

Did you get poor service from the airlines? Yes. But did anyone slap you? No.

Did you notice your fellow travelers were pretty tightly wound? Yes. Did anyone snap? Not within my eyesight, except for that jerk in Phoenix who started yelling at the airline agent who had just done him a huge favor by re-booking him.

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