I created a blog twice and lost it twice for some reason. It’s a little frustrating to say the least, and last night I was far too tired to follow up the problem.

Sometimes I do a blog and then forget to post it… strange but true.

I wrote part of it as I traveled and sometimes you think of an idea and then forget to write it down. So I often take the iPad along with me and write as I go so I can capture the image in words in a fresh format.

Travel – Tuesday.

The light flashes yellow, so yes, that means ‘caution’ as the huge aircraft in front of us swings into take off mode. It appears to stand in one place and then gracefully glide to a 180 degree angle.

Waiting.

Then it’s our turn and with a roar of the engines and the feeling of speed, we’re miraculously up in the air and over the ocean that today looks a little menacing, not like the turquoise waters we know so well.

The sky meets the land and there is no division due to the heavy cloud formation, how does the pilot find his way?
It occurred to me that every time I sit in an aircraft its just a pure miracle.  There is a subconcious  offering to trust the pilot and those whom I have given my life to.
Suddenly we are above the clouds and its peace, blue and turquoise.

We take it so much for granted.
The dance of the security line, the waiting, the smiling at pure strangers and those who think they are to be just a little more privileged than the rest of the boarding passengers.

I always work on projects on the plane, so here with a Chopin Nocturne drifting through my brain I settle in to draw. I can isolate myself adequately to achieve peace. Outside the window I look down on lines of softness as the clouds form into long lines spinning their shadow onto the green earth below.

And it continues again. Another trip across the pond.

Traveling to me is always an adventure, but to those around me as I prepare to leave, it may not seem to be as tranquil as they would like.

I travel over 600,000 miles a year, and of course over 20 years, I’ve gathered a small box of ideas and coping mechanisms to make those 24 hours comfortable, productive and tolerable.

From Australia, I travel business class in an A380, and I’m familiar with the layout of the plane. If you sit upstairs in seat 11K, You have a window seat and can just pop out to the lounge next to you. You can sit on the settee, read books have a snack and share time with family or friends.

However, there has to be a down side.

Today for instance, I have a woman about my age seated next to me on the aisle.
Her demeanor on her  arrival to her seat arrival was less than favorable and there has been no communication other than her lack of politeness to a short lady who has difficulty climbing over her legs to visit the loo.

I’ve had to get out just 3 times this trip. Most people, see you get up and withdraw the seat base, just a little so you can get out. But not Flossie, I was met its a hostile stare and a click of the tongue each time.

I love flying Qantas, but the double seating is annoying and I chose that because I have a locker to store my computer, iPad etc right next to me.

Next big trip I get to sit with my Husband so that will be just fine.

I arrived in Dallas, after 17 hours of flight and almost 24 hours from point A to B, but with my visa, I whip through immigration with a minimum of fuss and capture those jolly cases once again as they whizz around on the belt. I dread lifting them and in the last few years they seem to be even more difficult to manage.

You need to learn the tricks.

In LA the hotel shuttles come around every 20 mins. In Dallas you need to ring them. But what if you don’t have a phone and what if you don’t know to do that?

I have an American SIM and I usually put it in my phone as I’m landing. Then I use the airports free wi fi to get on to AT&T and activate my phone so I can ring the hotel.

Sometimes it takes ages to get through, Terminal D1 has terrible phone service outside, so you need to go inside the Terminal to get signal.

I noted a few couples waiting anxiously and when I asked them if they had rung the hotel they looked at me blankly, “we don’t have a cell phone we can use”…. so I gave them mine and they were finally able to locate their shuttle.

It’s all a bit of a game really this travel stuff. You learn by your mistakes and experience. But I love it.