5 People You Encounter While Traveling

It’s a snowy day in New York and I’m at the airport waiting to return to the sunny and 75, Miami. My flight’s delayed and I’ve been watching the diverse groups of people walk by. Airports are the prime people watching experience and to be honest, we’ve all been the one who is watched at some point too. Here are five of the people you have probably encountered while traveling.

1.) Tommy, The Jolly Security Guy

The world really needs more Tommy's. He's the one thing that gets you through the eternal line for security at 8:05 in the morning. Probably because he'll poke fun at the fact you barely brushed your hair or that he can hear your stomach officially declaring it's hungry, and you're laughing right alongside him. Tommy isn't afraid to try and make even the grumpiest of people upbeat. Once he spots your college T-shirt, forget about it. He's already making a reference back to his college glory days. Thank you, Tommy for bringing joy to our too bright, too early mornings. Don’t ever change.

2.) Tina, The Frantic Traveler

Oh, Tina. She’s the mom with three kids trailing behind her, as cheerios are flying from her bag. She’s the supermom of all supermoms, but when it comes to traveling even Tina can't make it through the day without something going wrong. She’s the woman in the security line prying one child off of the security rope, while another is trying to eat the gum off the bottom of a shoe, and the last one is draped over her shoulder, snoozing, without a care in the world. You want to give her a hug and say it will be okay, but she’s already 33 minutes behind schedule and only a Bloody Mary will help at this point. Hang in there, Tina—you got this.

3.) Chad, The Businessman

Seven times; you counted his phone go off seven times in the last 10 minutes. Chad is the guy who has it all together, but never seems to catch a break from business. Chad's wardrobe is always perfectly put together, but sometimes you wonder if the guy ever gets the chance to travel for fun. We're talking Chad plummeting down Space Mountain or a log flume, then framing a ridiculous photo of him, mid-ride, above the fireplace at home. But, you lose your trail of thought as Chad busily types away another email and reaches for his fourth cup of coffee. Man, you just want to grab that Blackberry and give him an old map, a visor, and a Hawaiian shirt. Thinking of you, Chad and wishing you a trip to some, exotic Caribbean Island real soon.

4.) The Jensen’s, The Tourist Family

I don’t care what anyone thinks—The Jensen’s are the people who keep the true spirit of traveling alive. You’re guaranteed that they’ll see every, single landmark in your hometown via hop-on, hop-off bus. And, you know what? I commend them. They’re the family who will make their relatives gather around during the holidays just to go through every selfie, disposable, and digital photo they took. They’re going to talk up some city, maybe even your city, like it was the best place on earth. And that’s why they are the family you'd willingly offer to take photos for, as they struggle to cram 17 water bottles and a hotel pen into their backpack. They’re the reason other people choose to take a trip to your city and see it for themselves. Keep it up, Jensen’s. Now, say “I Heart NY.”

5.) Donnie, The Wanderlust-er With No Destination

Donnie is the guy everyone aspires to be. He has some seriously beat up hiking boots to match the hiking gear chained to his back, which is likely full of the only clothing he’ll have for the next three months. He’s got a one-way ticket to anywhere and he’ll tell you about his adventures with so much zeal that you’ll question if he's the real Indiana Jones numerous times. His beard, groomed by nature, honestly doesn’t look too shabby and he smells like the great outdoors. If you ask where he’s going, if he misses his family and friends, or how long it’s been since he ate peanut butter straight out of the jar; he'll laugh and say: "I never know where I’m going—that’s the beauty of it.” And assure you that he writes them everyday. Then, he'll proceed to pull a tub of Skippy from his bag with a sly smirk. Cheers to the Donnie’s of the world, for following a path that leads to nowhere, but everywhere.

But surely, we all have a little Tommy, Tina, Chad, Jensen and Donnie in all of us. Wishing new adventures and safe travels to all!