After having been a long time on the ground - here are a few things that I on this trip found

Dear blogreaders,

After having been grounded for a while, this extended week called for a 10 legs in 10 days stint.

I almost had forgotten how to pack and what to pack, but did of course not let go of the principle to travel with hand luggage only. The chance of a checked bag making 10 flights without getting lost in tight connections somewhere is slim cloze to zero. I was positively surprised at the IAH connection where “hand-luggagers” can get into the fast lane at the immigration and avoid the huge immigration line, as big as it was 5 years ago when I last lost a connection despite being on-time, and zoom through to the connecting flights.

I learnt that the low dollar exchange rates and high prices in general in my home country resulted in shopping hungry travel companions:

• Six out of seven bring suitcases to check, can not remember that that has happened on a business trip before.
• One letting wife pre-ordering clothes shipped to a friend, or soon to be ex-friend…
• A bunch of electronics gadgets going into various bags
• Running shoes, half price from home, so no risk of being alone in next years running events….
• And listening into a group translating pounds to kilogram to figure out if there still was room for an extra pair of Converse, without exceeding the new luggage weight limits...

Proud of myself resisting all the cheap golf gear on display, and sticking to my summer insights that short game classes score better than drivers and mid-woods.

Sitting on a Sunday in a (or rather various) airports and reflecting on where travel brings my mind. I am becoming aware of how positively affected I am by buying an interesting business book and applying it on the issues I carry as batch jobs in my brain. Having time on your own to reflect and think, helps me to process these jobs a bit faster. Strangely enough I do not manage to step into the same mood at home. Perhaps I need to convert one room at home into an airport lounge environment, i.e. restricted access, silence, fruits and drinks and a great place to read and relax.

Sixth leg was a flight with a 7:30 start, which could lead you to assume that it was the first flight of the day. Still not quite sure if it really was. The service assistant at the desk made the announcement that it was delayed 30 minutes. Short delay announcement without a reason, normally is the first in a string of pearls meaning trouble and major delays. Upon a direct question she assured me that it was “just a regular mechanical failure”. A statement that could be broken down into a variety of interpretations:

• Mechanical failures – is a JUST without any particular impact on flying safety….
• Regular – Mechanical failures are always there and you should not be bothered.
• Mechanical failures – as so regular these days so we have started to pay attention.

Last but not least, many small mistakes on a daily basis will inevitably lead to lifelong failures. A culture dominated by individual choices in combination with the availability of regular (interpreted as poor value for money) and large (interpreted as great value for money) options for your three daily meals could lead to a lot of extra weight to carry with you in life. Hard to imagine how even a good work out sessions on a regular basis could adjust for the unbalance imposed y unhealthy eating habits. Home cooked decent sized meals is not a bad choice after all.