Travelling by plane is easily one of the most relaxing ways to travel. A choice of about 100 movies & shows, relatively comfortable seats and service, and just about 8-10 hours to relax, write, and sleep. However, airports are certainly the downfall to this form of travel. Everyone seems to be constantly on edge, always a little bit rushed, and constantly questioning every subtle episode. My day of flying started no differently. I arrived 3 hours early to find that my flight had been delayed (which would cause me to miss my connecting flight in New York) so I bumped up to an earlier flight, however this flight went into LaGuardia, NY so I would have to transfer airports to JFK, not like I had much choice. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I got caught in a security lockdown and no one was allowed in or out. It literally started a mass panic, people calling everyone they could, asking questions upon questions to others that were in the same boat. In the end, no questions were answered and they ended up delaying all the flights to allow people like me to board!

I made the flight, made the transfers and hopped on a flight to London. I expected a fairly enjoyable ride since international flights usually have perks of bigger seats, and individual movie selections. However, I did not expect to have a non-stop conversation for 5 hours to the complete stranger sitting next to me. There’s something about long planes rides and their ability to foster the most honest of conversations, because the worst case scenario is that you never see each other again. From a conversation that began like most surface meetings, it began about what the other did for work, where they were travelling, and for how long. But as time passed the conversations became more honest, more universal. We talked of my future, his future, our relationships, our goals, and eventually reached the others “meaning” to life. It was a literal non-stop conversations that moved through a few mini bottles of red and white wine, laughter, and watery eyes. I realized that through his image and opinion of me I grew to learn a lot about myself. It’s as though until I heard someone else who doesn’t necessarily have any need to rejoice in my life but chooses to do so any way, that I realized I really am living an extraordinary life.

It is often the unplanned meetings in places such as a plane that can either be awkward, terribly normal, or vastly unique that I think really stick out in ones mind. As for myself I couldn’t imagine a better way to start the trip, and a better way to really find motivation behind my writing and my future travels.