I've reached the end of my (air) travels this year and I'm quietly breathing a sigh of relief. It's been another busy year. A personal record-breaking year, in fact. 45 flights, the most I've ever done in a calendar year.
As I stepped off my final flight of the year, I have no problem admitting I was a little emotional. Not because the year's travel was coming to an end but because I was reminded that just a few years ago I was so scared of flying that the very idea of getting on a plane was enough to make me feel nauseous. Overcoming my fear of flying remains one of my biggest personal achievements. I'm proud of myself, quite frankly. And while it was a gradual process, initially helped with medication, in the last 3 years I've flown 115 times. And more importantly, I've rediscovered the joy of flying I had as a child and teenager. That's what I missed the most.
Anyway back to 2013. I've been fortunate to visit several new cities this year; Madrid (many, many times), Kiev, Rijeka, Stuttgart, Toronto, Krakow, and Bucharest. I also became intimately familiar with Munich and Frankfurt airports. No trips to Asia this year, the first time that's happened in 4 years. In fact the furthest east I went was Kiev. No new planes this year either but I got to fly into some neat airports, in particular Rijeka's cliff-top airport, and London City's amazing approach. New airlines this year included Swiss International, Germanwings, and Porter, all of whom were ace. I also flew a clapped out LOT 737 which was kinda fun. And I took my first flight on United Airlines since 1997.
But I'm glad the year is drawing to a close. It's been a long, exhausting year on almost all fronts, and most of my travel has been short, multi-segment trips that are really draining. I love travel, it's part of who I am, but all the time I'm up in the air is time I'm not with my family. Let's see what 2014 brings.
- Madrid x 6 - San Francisco x 4 - New York x 4 - Boston - Kiev - Krakow - Poznan - Rijeka - Stuttgart - Dublin - Toronto - Geneva - Bucharest - Munich - Frankfurt - Paris
Average Distance: 1733mi Average Time: 4h02m Longest: LHR<->SFO, 5350mi, 11h15m Shortest: POZ<->WAW, 175mi, 00h51m
Airlines: Virgin Atlantic – 14 flights Lufthansa – 9 flights easyJet – 8 flights British Airways – 4 flights Porter Airlines – 2 flights Germanwings – 2 flights Aer Lingus – 2 flights Swiss International Airlines – 1 flight United Airlines – 1 flight LOT – 1 flight