Guest post by Andrew Orvedahl–a stand-up comedian recently featured on the Tonight Show–who travels way too much.
When I worked as a bike messenger, people imagined my workday was full of exciting near-death escapades on my bike, when in reality it was mostly making small talk in elevators. Now that I’m a stand-up comedian, people think I spend most of my time under a spotlight, but it’s mostly zig-zagging the country.
So when Trip30 asked me to share my travel tips, I knew my first stop: flying. Flying isn’t as awful as you think it is, and here’s how you can make it better.
Flying is only a little bit scary. The only two types of people I’ve found who love flying by default are little kids who don’t know any better and really old people with nothing to lose. To the rest of us there’s something alien and scary about getting on a giant metal tube and speeding up into the sky.
You probably already know that statistics show air travel to be the safest method to get anywhere, but look at it this way: planes WANT to fly. When a plane speeds up, it can’t help but fly. If air travel involved being catapulted long distances in a bus, sure, that’s pretty scary. But a plane is performing its innate function, which is not so strange after all.
You will get used to it! The best cure for a fear of flying is to do it all the time like I do, and then you have no choice but to come around. It’s like if you got chased around the woods by a guy with a chainsaw EVERY DAY, eventually you’d be like, “Okay, let’s get this over with so I can get back to work.”
Distract yourself. An occupied mind is a mind not daydreaming about scary situations, so bring plenty of easy diversions. Diversity is key- don’t just bring one book, or one movie, but a few different items you can look forward to. Personally, I save my Bon Appetit issues for when I fly, so I can look forward to them, and more importantly, try to impress other passengers as if I’m not someone who usually eats like a ninja turtle.
Air travel is an amazing invention, and a fantastic way to cover long distances in mere hours. These tips are only a few of many, and in my next blog I’ll focus more on making your flight even quicker and easier.
