Cycle of air travel

Whenever vacation is planned, I get very excited. It is not because of the destination that I am going to but the packing and the travel that excites me. I take time to put down a list of things needed for the trip and pack every single item in the travel bag in an orderly manner, so that later on, when I needed to get something, I could do it by just putting in my hand inside the bag at the exact location that it is placed. To add to this excitement is the part where you stand in line at the airport security with your shoes off, trying to get your travel bag through the scanner with all other belongings like jewelry, shoes and belt buckles in the tray.

Recent news mentioned that airports are seen less crowded and air travel seems to be slow this time of the year. Is it even surprising? With the recession and soaring fuel prices, people tend to spend less and in turn travel less. Even though the airplane industry is cutting down prices for various destinations to attract customers, people want to hold on to their dollars to use them wisely during this economic crunch time. Folks are losing their jobs like nobody’s business. With economy making a nose-dive, people are figuring out ways to pay their mortgage, to prevent applying for bankruptcy, to pay their bills and to get a decent living.

I know friends who are either selling their townhouse or not being able to pay their mortgage and hence foreclosing their property. In this situation, one would think twice before thinking of spending money on a trip, going on a vacation. But that is my thinking and I know that some people would beg to differ. Reports are also mentioning that recession will end this year and economical growth is just on the horizon. Soon you will see that the airport is crowded once again, with people complaining about how long the check-in takes, how tedious the process of going through the security is and how long you had to wait in the plane seated before the plane actually takes off. I guess that this is the cycle of air travel in general.