Travel Isn't Much Fun Anymore

[Krub]

Thanks for replying to the post by the old fuddy-duddy. 52 people viewed it without commenting! I guess I was ranting or rambling.

So, questions for the audience: do you find modern air travel to be highly frustrating, time consuming, full of hassles, and expensive? Does the accumulation of delayed flights, cramped quarters, expensive airports, bad connecting times, poor food, etc., add up to making you wish you'd walked?

I am very very lucky as most of my air travel for the last 14 years have been in F class and a few in business class. (This will change once I am fully retired and I'll have to pay for my own tickets)

Even then it is not fun anymore as there are so many restrictions on your movements when travelling by air.

Apart from the extra space F & C class give you, nothing much different from flying economy as you still have to abide by the so called 'security' rules.

The most relax way of travel is with your own car if at all possible.

I drove all the way from Chiang Rai to Bangkok and enjoyed it quite a bit. Roads are good and not crowded.

[jinjok]

im sitting here in delhi. 5 weeks in india, im headed back to thailand. after 15 years of backpacking about asia and another two continents im wrapping it up.

lack of authentic experience, overpopulations costs, exceedingly dirty (india/cambo/indonesia), overdeveloped tourism impact, nasty-rude isreali's that have throughly ruined the backpacking experience. lazy travelers who know nothing about the country/people they are visiting.

im done too. came this realization a week back.

nothing i havent seen before, years ago, way more authentic. so ill build a house or something ...

[technocracy]

Some very true things written on this thread. Air travel is a chore these days no two ways about it. I also used to commute between the UK and Europe on a very regular basis and would have the usual comments of living a life of reilly - some folks just don't understand.

Up at 5am to get a taxi to the airport (pacing around hoping it's arrives), flight at 6:30 - 1hr flight but arrives at 8:30 due to time diff. Another 1 hr or so to the site start work 10am - then work until 7pm to make up the late arrival and needing to get the afternoon flight on the friday as the customer is paying the company per day worked. Get to hotel 8pm - a 15 hour day! Yep what great fun!

I have to say I've thoroughly enjoyed the past near 12 months where I've only made on trip and that was just a few hours down to Singapore. Although that is going to change in a week or so as we are making a journey down to Oz (11 hours from here)

The only thing I that makes it thankfully easy here is Vientiane Airport is close and easy to get to. Not only that but you from check in through to walking on the plane you can do it in 20mins since it's just a small airport. No walking for miles between gates or huge crowds etc. Probably the most relaxing airport I use (well apart from the visa crush on arrivals!)!

I too would prefer to just pay the extra and get some comfort - but any onward flights from BKK I insist are non-stop one change in BKK is enough, thank you very much!

[joeuk1]

I did 5 trips last year Uk / Thailand plus internal trips Ireland /Uk while in the uk , 5 years ago i had to do round trips Oz / uk/ Thailand . I just dont think too much about it i fly economy and just take everything in my stride . I think i have just mellowed as i have got older and i dont get fed up or stressed with anything .

Flying travel piece of cake .

JB

[technocracy]

Oh yeah I forgot to add that Biz & 1st subsidise Economy - no two ways about it! (the other topic in this thread)

Think about it - for example LHR to BKK:

Approx - 18 1st (avg 6k per person) = £108,000

Approx - 62 Biz (avg 2.2k per person) = £136,400

Total = £244,400

Plays:

Approx - 325 Eco (avg £500 per person) = £162500

Now I am pretty sure feeding 80 people with high quality food is a roughly similar to feeding 325 folks with lesser food. Obviously these figure are only on full aircrafts - they pretty much know they can fill 1st and Biz consistantly - but Eco .... nope.

Also the prices of tickets are avg since large holiday firms will buy bulk cheap ecos and they upsell 1st and Biz to Companies etc etc.

So either way you look at it 1st and Biz are the ones the airlines want!