World Tour Wrapup: Travel Stats

Including my departure and arrival days, I checked off 36 calendar days but actually experienced 37, thanks to crossing the date line going east.

I flew 30,000 air miles in 17 fights totaling 60 hours air time. I spent 55 hours in 13 separate airports during arrivals and departures. That means I spent 115 hours or 4.8 days (13% of my vacation time) in the business of air travel.

Mumbai to Kathmandu: The Slow Road

I arrived at the Mumbai airport about 11:30 PM local time November 2. The jet passengers disembarked to a bus that unloaded us in a domestic arrival area. I was expecting to wind up in a secure transit area, as at other airports. So, I had to exit the airport and enter by another nearby gate. The young soldier who checked my documents nearly didn't let me in because my flight was 10 hours away. After I said I had no place arranged to stay, he waved me in. (He was a pleasant chap. No complaints.)

It's the Destination, Not the Journey

Emerson said: "Life is a journey, not a destination.” With jet travel, it is the destination that counts—the journey by aircraft is wearing.

The flight to Toronto and then on to Brussels took 12 hours. The trans-Atlantic flight was at night. I hoped for some sleep. Not a chance. There must have been 30 kids under 6. At least two could be counted on to be howling in close proximity at any moment. The narrow isles are not designed for an increasing weight-gaining populace. Many people cannot walk the aisles—and someone was always walking—without brushing against people in the aisle seats, like me.