The 4 Reasons why people shouldn't mind airports

I love to travel, it's my favourite hobby, and I know I am not alone and that many people share the same fabulous hobby with me.
I strongly believe in that famous Saint Augustine quote, "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."
Cliche? Yes. True? Absolutely. I'm working on it, I've got a lot more pages to go ;)

So anyways, if I'm not traveling I'm usually planning and researching for my next trip. Whether if its studying different flight costs, looking up travel articles online or spending an afternoon in the travel section at Chapters, travel is always on my mind. Ever since I contracted the travel bug about 3 years ago I have been away as often as humanly possible for a full time student working a part time job. In fact, for the passed three years I have been away for about 11 months in total. But I'm sure other travelers would agree when I say that it's just never enough. It's a constant need for more. Discover more places, see more countries, eat more exotic foods and last but not least, drink more local wines.
I plan on keeping travel as a priority for the rest of my life. So, obviously this will mean quite a bit of time spent at airports for me, and the millions of other people who feel the same way. Thus, my most recent post. Here are the top 4 reasons why I actually really like spending time at airports, and you should too:

1. The tax free shopping

I don't usually delve into this too much, especially if I have another connecting flight, or if I'm coming back from a costly holiday, but everything is cheaper without the tax! ;)

2. Lots of time to read.

Yes, the majority of my most recent airport reading has been Cosmopolitan and Us Weekly, but still, it's a nice opportunity to take advantage of indulging in some solid monotonous literature. I'm writing this as I'm waiting for my flight to London in the Nice Cote D'azur airport and there is an abundance of gossip and fashion mags, I love it!

3. The opportunity for prime "people watching".

 This might sound cliché, but I really do love people watching in airports: the hellos and goodbyes between family members and lovers and the vast mix of people from all over the world. I often find myself trying to figure the people out.

4.  The feeling that you get when you know you're going somewhere.

I love pulling around my little carry on suitcase around the airport as I gaze through magazines and grab my last grande tea before my flight. It's strange how much I love the process of going through airports too considering how much I hate the actually flying part. I don't hate what alot of other people hate about airports either. I don't mind waiting in line for security, and I never get annoyed when they have to search through my things. Because really, who cares? All they're going to find is a laptop surrounded by cardigans and shoes.

The only thing I really hate, like I mentioned before is the flying part. The being on the plane. The huge, heavy metal thing that goes super fast into the sky with me strapped in holding on for dear life. I guess I just hate flying because I don't understand it. How does a plane lift off and stay in the air for hours at a time? How is this actually physically possible? I know there exists complicated physics behind it, but I don't care, I still don't get it. How can we just sit in a chair thousands of feet in the air, traveling over oceans and mountains...while I eat peanuts, drink tea and watch How I Met your Mother? It blows my mind that humankind has created an invention like flying, and it's actually incredible when you think about it. 

But once I get over that whole idea, which is usually once we've hit cruising altitude and the "fasten your seatbelts" light has switched off, I usually listen to my iPod and start thinking of where I'm headed to and where I've been. 

 I love looking down out the window over vast landscapes and feeling so far from everything. Whether if it's between Abu Dhabi and Toronto or Rome and Madrid, I've always felt this way when I'm flying. It's a weird sort of disconnect and almost like a limbo between two worlds, between where I am and where I'm going:  vacation and home, warmth and cold, new exciting life and old familiar routine. Sometimes it's kind of like a reality check as well, back to the real world.

Which is exactly what it is for me right now, I'm headed back to Toronto for 10 days for the French spring break. A vacation in Toronto! Yay! It will be a little strange vacationing at my home, but I'm really looking forward to it. Not so much the weather, but I'm sure I'll manage. I'm definitely looking forward to starbucks, taking the subway and seeing friends.

And I'm especially looking forward to returning to even better weather in the French Riviera when I return on March 4th, I heard March is a beautiful time in that area and I can't wait.

So until next time!

bisous!