On Airplanes as a Sane Method of Travel

For all the thought and concern that goes into booking the flight, it's no wonder the flight itself is so impersonal. I would very much like to meet the person who still calls a travel agent for his airline-booking needs. I imagine it would be a very comforting conversation, in that I would feel worlds better about myself afterward.

I don't so much have a problem with the business of air travel. The security points are somewhat tedious, and the idea of taking off my shoes in public is absolutely unsettling (only when I'm wearing socks, of course; flip flops and bare feet are fine, but socks terrify me--what if someone notices a hole I overlooked or, much worse, what if they are slightly damp?), but overall I am not bothered by it.

Since the evolution of the online ticketing process has such expedited our pre-travel routine, there is little to complain about in terms of the terminal staff as well. Very little interaction with these typically under-qualified individuals is required anymore, and thusly, it is easy to forget they exist.

No, the only discomfort I find in the realm of air travel is the actual flight itself. The company could be improved, but alas, even that is not my concern. I find fault with the real mechanics of flying. There's something about the way the plane moves and all those nasty turns and such that make me feel very out of sorts. I don't get airsick or planesick or flightsick or whatever it is, but I definitely do not feel well at all. It makes it very hard to keep my eyes open, but as soon as I close them, I have a hard time not feeling like the plane is suddenly travelling upside-down. I just have issues knowing in which direction I'm actually pointing.

I suppose it doesn't affect me enough to be really bothersome, but it also plays into another problem I have: my terrible phobia of vomit. I don't ever really fear that I'm going to throw up, because I am well aware of my symptoms and will be somewhere appropriate at least five minutes in advance, but I can't control the other people on the flight, and we're all so damned close together, and that guy over there looks a bit pale and OH GOD I NEED TO GET AWAY FROM ALL THESE BARF MACHINES.

Or something like that.

In short, air travel is fast, but nerve-wracking. Happy flying.