Thankful for the travel lesson of patience.

As we get ready to celebrate this Thanksgiving, I reflect on reasons to be thankful.  There is a lot I am grateful for, but as I am still waiting on the process of being able to get about in Singapore, I am most thankful for patience.  I realize that one of the lessons I have learned in travel is patience.  Here are a few ways to show why patience is one of the best skills you need, not only in life but especially when traveling.

Waiting

In travel, there’s always waiting involved. Travelers often find themselves waiting to check-in for their flight, going through security, getting on the airplane, getting off the aircraft, getting luggage, getting a taxi, and checking in to the hotel.  The whole process of traveling requires waiting far more than anything else, and patience is crucial.

Airplanes

Airplanes by design always supply a lesson in patience.  In almost every boarding and deplaning process, you enter through a single door.  The aisles are so narrow that it is practically impossible to go by someone unless they step out of your way.  There always seems to be a rush getting on or off the airplane. But once again, there’s only one person allowed on or off at the same time.  Patience is an absolute necessity if you have a tight connection and must wait for all the people ahead of you to deplane.

Flight time

One of the things we cannot change is flying time.  Somehow you have paced yourself as a willing captive, and if you’ve ever taken a long-haul flight, you know that it’s an exercise in patience.  It seems that no matter how much you prepare for flight time, it never seems to go as fast as you think it should.

Culture

Let’s face it the world is not all the same, and not everyone believes in the philosophy that time is money.  There are many places where you travel where the atmosphere is a bit more laid back.  Even though the reason for travel might be to relax, it often takes at least a few days to settle into the relaxed environment they have paid to enjoy.

What we most learn in traveling is that waiting, airplane designs, long flight times, and culture changes are all lessons in endurance.  After a few long flights, we learn to accept that our impatience will not shorten the flight time. Being frustrated about the long lines in front of you does not make them go faster, and you learn patience.

Have you gained patience from traveling, or are you still as impatient as ever? I’d like to know.