Tea Time Talk: My Love for Airports

I love airports. They are my gateway to the world. It’s sort of magical when you enter the departure gate and the next thing you know is that you are thousands of feet above in the skies off to unknown adventures.

While writing this post midway, I decided that it looks more like a tea-talk. So I decided to make it a new series on the blog. I have borrowed this idea from a bunch of other bloggers. So every month, you and I will talk about things that are on our mind. It’s going to be something around travel because that’s the whole purpose of this space. So come on, bring your snacks (I am having a glass of sugar cane juice as I type) and let’s talk.

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This insanely stupid post is going to be about airports and my love for them. This insanely stupid post is also about why I am crazy about travelling. And maybe by the end of this post you will conclude that I have some sort of psychological disorder.

Whenever I watch a travel show on TV, my eyes are filled with stars. I am over-enthusiastic all through the show and I can literally feel my brain stretch and expand. Current favourite: The Layover with Anthony Bourdain. My husband, on the other hand, has stable emotions when it comes to travel. He doesn’t obsess over the itinerary, does not go over the entire plan over and over again to feel butterflies in his stomach, and he definitely doesn’t start making packing lists 6 months prior to travel. (Disclaimer: I do all of those things).

See, there is always a backstory to why you love what you love. And my back story goes back to my childhood. When I was a small child, my parents took me on a long vacation to the US. I left my sucky life behind, hopped on an airplane and was eternally thrilled when a super sweet Chinese guy offered me chewing gum because my chubby cheeks were too cute. No, he didn’t pull them cheeks like all my classmates back home used to do and I was surprised ke aisa bhi hosakta hai ke koi mujh se insano ki tarhan baat karay aur mere gaal na nochay. 

Growing up, my father often used to take my sister and I to the airport. We would go to the airport’s rooftop and watch the planes take-off and land. I could stand there for hours and, if given the option, even an entire night. Then there were some really crazy travel plans thanks to my father’s airline job (no we are not rich) – He used to get free tickets (for local travel) from work that allowed us to travel if and only if the flight was going empty. Usually these were the flights departing in the middle of the night and you didn’t know till the last minute if you would be given a seat or not. So it meant that you’d be waiting for a long time and might even be coming back home if they don’t give you a seat. I have taken many such trips with my parents when I was a child which is how I developed some kind of connection with the airports.

Mom and a forever excited me in Cairo, Egypt

I love airports. They are my gateway to the world. If I could have someone pay me for reviewing airports/airlines, I would totally do that. It’s sort of magical when you enter the departure gate and the next thing you know is that you are thousands of feet above in the skies off to unknown adventures.

I feel giddy giddy in my stomach even when I am in the car on my way to the airport. Basically what I’m feeling is like: “Oh, Hello there, Shahra-e-Faisal, I am not gonna frickinn see YOU in a while!”.  “Goodbye, load-shedding – at least for another xx days!”, “Hah! That looks like some kind of office building. Have a nice day, slaves!”. Pure evil, right?

Also when you travel, you realize that you can totally live out of one suitcase for several weeks and that all the things you collect back home absolutely do not matter when it comes to surviving. It will be okay if you don’t buy Khaadi’s summer collection every time and instead save up and go on a trip abroad. (Not that going on a trip costs as much as a Khaadi kurta, but you get the point, no?)

Then of course you meet all kinds of new and interesting people. You hear their stories, you learn from their experiences. You realize that people everywhere in the world DO travel with their toddlers and that having a kid doesn’t hinder their life goals. I met an old couple when I went hiking in Nepal, and I wondered if we, when we get older, or any other old couple back home would have the same energy and enthusiasm about life to go hiking.

It’s just that whenever I travel, I feel like life is not as barbaad as it seems. Bijlee aur phone ke bill pay ho hi jatay hen. Khana pakk hi jata hai. Bachay parh likh k baray ho hi jatay hen. We have started to fret over these everyday issues so much that they become the definition of our life. I know people who are so crazy about their work that they can’t even take a few weeks off to plan a small, cheap vacation. I know people who have never even googled how much a flight ticket costs and always run to travel agents for all their questions and that it’s something they won’t be able to handle on their own.

My entire point is, you can make travelling happen if you want to! You can tailor a trip according to YOUR own needs without worrying how much it will cost you. Whatever budget you have, you can accommodate things around it. You just need to educate yourself first. If you want me to talk more about how to plan a trip, I’d be very happy to help you out.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you are also a fellow airport lover, here’s a virtual halal ❤ for you 😀