November 8: Travel Tips

The next time you're in the terminal at your local airport, take a look around. Look at all of the sitting people waiting to board the plane. Take a long, hard look and remember as much as you can. Try to notice everything about everyone. Watch how delicately the old man in the tweed jacket is handling his iPhone. Notice the author the Asian girl is reading. How many kids does that single mom with the brown hair have?

Instead of trying to remember faces and guess whom you'll be sitting with throughout the flight, try to find out what kind of people these are. Who would be good at what in different scenarios? Who would be a good leader? Who would whine the most? Which of these people would you not get along well with? Instead of simply watching the people, imagine this group of strangers in a different setting. Imagine them on top of a snowy mountain. Imagine the group in the middle of the dessert. Imagine them on a secluded island. No matter where you choose to place them within your imagination, be sure to have a burning fuselage in the background.

I admit, it's dark, but to kill time today at an airport I did the exercise. If the plane that I was about to get on went down, what kind of relationships would I form with these strangers minding their own business? Would the guy across the room that's not reading anything make a good leader? Is there enough meat on those kids' bones to share with everyone in this room? Would I think the Asian girl would mind if we burned her book to stay warm?

I'm not saying it's going to be easy. I just want to be prepared for whatever happens once the seat belt light starts blinking and the oxygen masks descend. I know that if we do crash, I'll be the only one who knows what to do. I looked around during the safety demonstration and no one was paying attention. Maybe I'll be the leader everyone turns to. First item on my agenda? Roasting up some children!