What kind of traveler are you?
As I write this, I am about to get on my tenth flight of the month and I have been watching the trends of my fellow travelers and I am constantly amused by who shows up for the flight and even more entertaining is how they show up. Knowing that I don’t know what their actual story is, it keeps me constantly laughing to myself as I imagine who they are and who they think they are. Stereotypes exist for a reason.
Some of my fellow passengers aren’t just flying, they’re making a statement and you had better pay attention.
Professional Traveler: Now, I am not just talking about the guy wearing a suit because he is headed to a meeting as soon as he lands. No, I am talking about the guy that wants you to think he is closing a multi-million dollar deal at Gate A24. Bluetooth, oversized laptop, and notepad stacked on top of his matching rollaway carry-on luggage (bigger than the allowable size, but since he is "The Man" he doesn’t care.) When you get on the plane he will sitting in first class still yammering away on his blackberry about the TPS reports that are due while motioning to the flight attendant to bring him the head of a pig on a platter.
Trendy Traveler: The guy and girl that want to make sure that you know that they know how to travel. They are the ones sitting at the gate with matching LV luggage (his and hers sets), big sunglasses (even though it is a cloudy day and they're inside) and only one ear bud of their ipod actually in their ear so they can talk loudly to each other while they text and they wait for their flight to Topeka. Additional standard markings of a trendy traveler include, but are not limited to: Viente Caramel Frappuchinos, iPhones, and the newest accessory - a small dog in a pink mesh purse.
Grunge Traveler: Perhaps the most interesting statement being made at airports, and anywhere for that matter, is the grunge statement. The passengers that look like they just woke up, picked up whatever clothes were in between their bed and the door, and showed up for their flight. But in reality, they spent more time than me to get their hair to look that messed up. And I have always wondered if there are magazines out there that teach how you to get your clothes to be that wrinkled and expertly layered. Whether or not to sit next to them is a gamble also. 80% of the time they are the grunge traveler, but from time to time they might not actually be the calculated grunge traveler, but merely the dirty traveler and that is a whole new blog waiting to happen.