Many people have a fear of flying and I feel some are justified and some are just silly. There are people who are afraid of heights, claustrophobic, have panic attacks, stomach issues (or other medical issues), or merely had a traumatic issue on a previous flight which can make them nervous about flying again. These are all understandable and legitimate reasons to have a fear of flying.
However, there is another who group of people who are afraid to fly based on hearing about other people’s bad flights. Heck, it might not even be the actual flight that was the issue on their trip. It could be that they got stuck overnight like we did in Dallas without even a change of clothes during a Horrible 24 Hour Experience on American Airlines.
Yes, it’s annoying and inconvenient to be delayed or have a flight cancelled, but to be afraid that something bad might happen to me seems like a senseless reason to not fly. Sorry, but that is just my opinion. If something happens, you just deal with it. It’s part of the experience of flying and a risk you take. Just try to be as well prepared as you can.
We always try to make sure we have extra snacks, water, reading materials etc. Since we usually have carry-on luggage, we have our clothes and toiletries with us. Saves us a lot of worry. If you do check your bags, just make sure to have extra clothes and toiletries with you. You may be unconvinced, but fine. We learned this from the above mentioned nightmare trip.
The other thing I hear a lot is “What is the plane crashes?” Well, I can understand that fear but in actuality, plane crashes are extremely rare, and so they usually get an enormous amount of media coverage. Many people developed a fear of flying, at least temporarily, in response to the terrorism of September, 2001. However, based on statistics, we are safer in a plane than we are in a car driving to and from work every day. I'll take that chance, plus no chance of road rage, lol.
Again I feel that you can’t live your life in fear of what might happen. I know 9/11 was horrible and it instilled a fear of flying in many people. Maybe I just have a different take on it. The way I see it is, if we were to crash mid-flight as we were off heading to some fun destination or returning from a great vacation, we were doing something fun. Either way, it also means it was our time. It just happened to come with a few hundred other people.
I am not trying to make light of the situation, I just don’t want to let fear of flying stop me from seeing some of the amazing places I want to see. I don’t want it to keep me from doing things I want to do. We are not here forever, and I want to see and do as much as I can before we "Kick the Bucket" so to speak.
Don’t let fear hold you back. Sorry if this offends someone out there, but I think if you are on this site you are probably not afraid to fly. Either way, these are just my opinions. Enjoy traveling however you get from point A to point B,
Happy Travels. I know we won't stop anytime soon!
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