As I sit in my condo listening to the Blue Angels buzz by, I have a confession to make. I feel like a bit of a fraud. See, I write a blog about how much I love to travel. And in it do trip reports that often take place on airplanes. Most people that are in to travel/frequent flyer programs/points/etc are self proclaimed “Aviation Geeks”. So here is my coming out: I am not an aviation geek.
I know. Gasp. I apologize if you feel betrayed. The thing is, I couldn’t care less if it is a 737, 757, A380 or an MD-80 as long as it gets me to where I want to go (preferably on time). Not to say that I am not excited to fly a 787 later this year in business class. But that is because of the experience of flying a 787 is superior to other planes — quieter, more windows, better cabin air, etc. It’s the same reason I prefer first class over economy. I’m not geeking out about the plane, I just want a more comfortable time while traveling.
I don’t get overly excited when I see new livery. I have never gone “plane spotting”. Hell, I live in Seattle and haven’t been to the Museum of Flight in the last 15 years (and that was as a chaperone on a field trip).
My father worked for Boeing for 40 years and he was a bit of an aviation geek. Perhaps that is why I am not! He would try to get me to go on tours of Boeing plants or ride the 777 simulators, and I would usually refuse. I did fly a 777 simulator at Boeing a few years back and it was fun, but it wasn’t something I am dying to do again.
I love that some people are aviation geeks! I geek out over my own things (Apple products, U2 concerts, other aspects of travel). I am not saying being an aviation geek is a bad thing at all.
However, the reason that I am in this hobby is because I simply love going to new places. I love experiencing new cultures. I love eating new foods. I love learning new subway systems. I love going grocery shopping in a foreign country and imagining what life for locals is like. And I like to do it as much as I can. This means looking for ways to lower the costs and make the trip more comfortable.
So there it is. I hope that this great miles and points community won’t exile or excommunicate me. And maybe I will change and learn to appreciate airplanes more.
But until then, you can find me reclined in my first class seat, sipping a vodka soda with my noise canceling earbuds in, thinking not of what plane I am on but instead dreaming of what I’ll do when I get to my destination.