The Homeless

The last type of traveler that I want to talk about is one I like to call, "The Homeless." Now, I know what you all are picturing in your heads right now. You're all picturing a dirty person with torn clothes, crazy hair, rotting teeth and reeks of alcohol. This is not who I'm talking about when I refer to the travelers known as "The Homeless." Actual homeless people are not part of this group of travelers, even though you do see them once in a blue moon at the airport. They just happen to be drunk on a bus or train that was headed to the airport and stumbled off into the terminal. The reason they are not part of the group of travelers known as "The Homeless" is because well, they aren't actually traveling anywhere. They are just wandering around and sometimes causing a scene until the police come and remove them.



Let me now tell you guys about the travelers you see at the airport called "The Homeless." These travelers encompass a diverse crowd. Let me name a few that fall under this category: There are The Nomads, The Unlucky and Homeless Flight Crew. The Nomads are the people who don't have a place they call home. They are constantly on the road going from city to city, state to state and country to country. They have no job. They sleep in hotels, hostels, crash on a friends couch and yes, they sometimes sleep at the airport. They are constantly on the move and never stay in one location for too long.



The Unlucky travelers at the airport are the ones who end up being homeless for a night or two because of either poor planning or things that happen to them. For example, say a flight gets cancelled due to bad weather conditions. The airline offers no compensation for this type of cancellation. If it is the only flight of the day the travelers are now forced to wait for the next flight which is usually the next day or sometimes the next week. Yikes! The ones that can afford it get a hotel while the others that can't are now homeless and forced to find a spot and set up camp in the terminal. The ones forced to set up camp are The Unlucky.





The Homeless Flight Crew are the pilots and flight attendants that do not have a place they call home. They are similar to The Nomads. Like The Nomads, they are constantly moving from one place to the other. They live in hotels most of the time and out of their luggage. When they are not working they are living at something called a crash pad which is similar to a hostel, but exclusively for flight crew. The Homeless Flight Crew finds that it is not worth it to pay rent for an apartment or a mortgage on a house since ninety percent of the time they will not be there. So they rather be "homeless" and live in hotels that are provided by their airline or a crash pad for a nightly cost. Both options are far less than what rent or a mortgage would cost. It only makes sense why The Homeless Flight Crew wants to be homeless.



Sigh. The life of The Homeless, a unique life indeed.

Mother Goose and her Ducklings

Have you ever been at the airport and witnessed a mom or dad chasing around their three or four children? If you answered yes, then you have seen the traveler I like to call "Mother Goose and her Ducklings". This traveler is identified as a single parent traveling through the airport with their three or more kids and maybe an infant. This is the story about the journey Mother Goose (mother or father) and her Ducklings (the children) must make in order to reach their destination.

From the moment they arrive at the airport it is a challenge for Mother Goose and her Ducklings. Right when they arrive at the curb of the airport, Mother Goose is trying to get her ducklings in line and keep them in line while she attempts to unload their luggage, car seat and stroller. This is a challenge because sometimes the little ducklings do not want to stay inline and try to roam free. It takes ten minutes or more before Mother Goose is able to situate things at the curb before proceeding to the ticket counter line. Once in line to check in at the ticket counter, Mother Goose struggles to move the luggage as well as her ducklings through the line. They eventually get through after about 20 minutes. However, it is not over yet; once Mother Goose is at the ticket counter trying to check their luggage and get their boarding passes, she struggles to keep the ducklings at her side. Checking in is eventually successful, but wait... now comes the part where they must get through the long line at the security checkpoint where it is absolute chaos. This is another challenge and obstacle Mother Goose and her Ducklings must face in order to make it to the plane. In the security line people are pushing, shoving and turning into animals ready to rip each other apart. If Mother Goose is well organized she and her Ducklings will be able to make it through in time to board their flight. Once they have passed security, Mother Goose must guide her wandering Ducklings through the airport terminal to the gate. This can be a big challenge if the terminal is huge and has big crowds of people where the Ducklings could get potentially lost. Eventually they make it through the terminal to the gate with everyone accounted for. However, the struggle is not over yet. Once successfully at the gate and on the plane, Mother Goose must now struggle to strap in and secure her duckling in an enclosed space with one hundred other people doing the same. The struggle here is getting the Ducklings to sit still long enough to be successfully secured in their seats. Once Mother Goose has successfully strapped in and secured the Ducklings we hear "ladies and gentlemen we are ready for take off". Talk about high stress levels for Mother Goose.

The Traveling Tribe

Another type of traveler one might see at the airport while traveling is actually a group of travelers I like to call the "Traveling Tribe". The Traveling Tribe is defined as a group of peoples all traveling for the same purpose. There are many different types of Traveling Tribes, all traveling for one purpose or another to a specific destination. However, a few things that you will notice about the Traveling Tribe that are similar between each is that the majority of the tribe are all roughly within the same age range and more or less have the same type of personality.

One example of the Traveling Tribe would be the "Young Female Traveling Tribe". This tribe consists of all female members, ages ranging from 18 to 35. The Young Female Traveling Tribe travels for a number of different reasons. However, the most common reason for this tribe to travel is to party. Whether it is for a wedding, bachelorette party, tropical vacation or just plain fun with the girls, the Young Female Traveling Tribe is traveling to drink and drop it low. They are more likely to travel to destinations such as Las Vegas, Miami, New York or any destination in Mexico. Depending on the destination they are traveling to you can easily spot them. For example, a tribe that comes to the airport all wearing skin tight dresses, high heals and wearing more makeup than is necessary, basically looking like they are about to hit the club are more than likely traveling to Las Vegas. If you see a tribe where just one of the members is wearing a tiara and some kind of sash, they  are more than likely traveling to Las Vegas. The Young Female Traveling Tribes that are traveling to Miami or any destination in Mexico will come to the airport looking like they are ready to hit the beach. They will be wearing short shorts, tank tops and be wearing their sunglasses inside. A common thing that you will see with this group is them taking a million selfies at the gate to post on Instagram and Snap Chat before they embark to let the whole world know they are about to shut it down.

Similar to the Young Female Traveling Tribe there is also the "Young Male Traveling Tribe". The Young Male Traveling Tribe is a group of young males, ages ranging from 18 to 35. Like the Young Female Traveling Tribe, the Young Male Traveling Tribe is also more than likely traveling for the same reasons as well as the same destinations. You can spot this tribe easily at the airport because they are more than likely going to be very loud and obnoxious. They also might be decked head to toe in designer brand apparel and more than likely be hanging out at the airport bar before their flight boards. A common thing that you will observe with this tribe is one of its members begging the gate team to hold the flight because one of their members is stuck at security or too wasted at the bar. The Young Male Traveling Tribe never leaves one of its members behind.

 

The Traveling Tribes that I have just described are just a few of many that you may see at an airport. The ones specified are just the ones that stick out the most and make themselves known while entering the gate area.

Different Types of Asian Guys

When a person generally thinks of Asian guys a few things come to mind. Nerdy and sophisticated are adjectives that is commonly used to describe a stereotypical Asian male. Some take this description as a compliment but it is usually used in a negative context. For example, when you think of a masculine male, nerdy and sophisticated are not words that usually come to mind. Words that do come to mind when describing a masculine male are "tough" or "cool". Well I am here to tell you that there are more types of Asian guys than the just the nerdy, sophisticated, un-masculine type. Specifically I am going to tell you about three. Lets get started.

The first type of Asian guy that does not fit the stereotypical image is known as The Bad Boy Asian. The Bad boy Asian is the cool version of the Nerdy Asian Male. However do not be fooled just because hes The Bad Boy does not mean hes stupid. The Bad Boy Asian is smart in other areas of society like the streets. He would rather expand his knowledge becoming more street smart rather than waste his time reading a book. He also likes to stay in shape physically and mentally. Not only that he dresses cool and the ladies love him!

Number two on the list is the Thug Asian. Unlike The Bad Boy Asian, the Thug Asian is not very smart, but he is tough. He is extremely short tempered and will not hesitate to start throwing punches and kicks if a fight breaks out. It is more than likely The Thug Asian comes from or lives in a bad neighborhood where only the strong survive. He also usually has a bunch of tattoos and is scary looking. However, despite all the negative aspects of The Thug Asian, one redeeming trait is that he is loyal to all his friends and family.

The last one on the list is The Normal Good Asian Guy. This type of Asian guy is does not fall into any of the categories listed above rather hes just a normal guy that blends in with the crowd. He goes to school like he should but does not get the best grades. He does party, but not too much. He just likes to hang out with his friends and avoid doing anything that would disappoint his parents just like any other guy would want to do.

So the next time you see an Asain guy, do not jump to stereotypes and assume nerdy and sophisticated. He could be The Bad Boy, The Thug or the Normal Good One, you wont know unless you get to know them.

The Travelers You Meet at the Airport

When you walk into an airport you encounter thousands of travelers either traveling domestically or internationally. All these travelers are traveling for one reason or another. However, if you are one that frequently travels through the airport, you start to notice other travelers that fit a certain profile. These specific profiled travelers more than likely have a story to match. Although there are many travelers that fit a certain profile, I am going to talk about the ones that stick out from the rest.

The first type of traveler that a frequent traveler always seems to encounter is what I like to call "The Airport Drunk". The Airport Drunk can be anyone from any gender or ethnicity, the point here is that they are at the airport and highly intoxicated. The Airport Drunk has one of a few stories. One story they could have is that they stayed out a little too late the night before they had to catch their flight and maybe had one too many drinks. In this first story scenario The Airport Drunk shows up to the airport minutes before check in time closes and is so disoriented that by the time he/she finds the check in counter it is too late, "I am sorry sir/miss you will have to wait for the next flight". Another story The Airport Drunk could have is, they are on their way to some kind of party and started drinking a little too early. The result of this is that they are denied boarding for being too intoxicated "So close, yet so far!".  The last story The Airport Drunk could have is that they are scared of flying and drink an excessive amount to have enough courage to board the flight. However although this Airport Drunk may be quiet he/she reeks of alcohol and is usually a little disoriented. Ultimately this Airport Drunk makes it on the plane but is later kicked off "Sorry, almost made it". The Airport Drunk is usually non hostile but can become hostile in certain situations, so travelers beware.

 

The second type of traveler that a frequent flyer is more than likely to encounter are what I like to call "The Flying Assholes". The Flying Assholes are the passengers that seem to be pissed off about everything that is happening at the airport and show it in a unpleasant manner. A couple reasons they may be pissed off are the long lines, their seat got changed, they got sat next to a passenger with a baby, or they just do not know how to be a nice human being. Regardless of the reason they are pissed off The Flying Assholes are extremely hostile and tend to lash out at the airport staff and everyone around them. They should not be provoked and avoided at all times. 

Like I said there are many types of travelers that one encounters at the airport that fit a specific profile and who all have a story or two to go with it. I just wanted to take the time to mention just the few. So the next time your in an airport take a moment to look up from you mobile phone, tablet or laptop and see if you can spot The Airport Drunk and The Flying Asshole. Perhaps as you are looking you may also find The Dirty Backpacker or Mr Too Cool for School who we can talk about in another blog post. I assure you they are there if you look hard enough.