The Most Wonderful Time...

Phew! My posting's been on-and-off lately, and it's all because of Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, have you noticed how stressed everyone gets at this time of year? And travelers are no exception. Every airport is crowded with angry, flustered people trying to make their ways home -- or wherever. Better still, most of them have children in tow, and the kids are angry and flustered too. What a joy!

Honestly, if you're going to travel at Christmas, do yourself a favor and leave yourself a buffer. I'll never forget the time I was coming home from Japan on Christmas eve and our flight broke down. We were stranded in Osaka, and what would have been an annoying experience at any time became a nightmare as we all began to panic we would miss Christmas with our families. If I had to do it again, I'd definitely leave a few days earlier.

Or take a couple years ago, when I came down from my apartment on December 23rd to find someone had heaved a rock through my windshield.

There are a couple rules about Christmas traveling:

1. Assume everyone's in a bad mood

2. Don't engage in an argument, ever, with anyone, if you can avoid it. It won't be a short one.

3. Leave yourself extra time when possible.

4. Try to have fun. No matter what happens it won't be a total disaster. Try to look on it as an adventure.

Of course, that's easier said than done when you're spending your tenth straight hour in an airport, but nonetheless....