‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ is one of my favorite movies. However, which do I prefer when traveling? I do like to have my feet on the ground, so any form of transportation that brings out my fear of heights is the least desirable. This extends to precarious mountain paths, hanging bridges, hot air balloons, jet packs, see-through platforms, skydiving, bungy jumping, zip lines, parasailing, and repelling, I do not seem to have a problem as long as I can’t feel the wind. As a result, I can handle a helicopter as long as the doors aren’t open, most airplanes, being inside a car over a bridge, or looking down from an enclosed observation deck. When I’m exposed to the air, I’m suddenly overcome with anxiety. 

I’ve traveled on planes of all sizes, helicopters, boats, canoes, rafts, surfboard, golf carts, by snowshoe, dune buggy, carriage, kayak, ferries, dinghy, rafts, race cars, trucks, ski lifts, jet skis, motorcycles, stagecoach, toboggan, snowmobile, rollercoasters, dog sled, chariot, bullet trains, carnival rides, e-bikes, scooters, Segways, skates and skis, a zip line, by parasail (that turned into para-snorkeling), and even once reluctantly in a hot air balloon. On some of these adventures, I felt life-threatened and many I would avoid doing again. By the same token, I certainly wouldn’t want to be shot out of a cannon. I tend to stay far from the edge when it comes to heights and even watching others in danger of falling makes my palms sweat. Speed in general can be terrorizing, and now even changing lanes on the expressways is breath-taking. I used to love to drive but that has drastically changed, as I’ve grown older and seen my share of bad accidents. 

I can tolerate airplanes because they get me there faster. Having access to a car is convenient but finding parking, arranging for valet service, refueling, detours, traffic delays, bad weather, and mechanical problems keep me on the edge of my seat. On our last trip to Italy, I refused to drive anywhere and chose to use the ferries to get us from village to village on the Amalfi Coast. This turned out to be a very pleasant, hassle-free experience. Similarly, a hydrofoil to the Florida Keys saved a lot of driving and made our trip special. Cruise ships and river boats also make travel exceptionally easy, without the issues of changing hotels, getting lost, finding good restaurants, and repacking. Most of our water travel experiences have been stress free, but there’s always the story of the Titanic. 

Boats do seem to be my favorite, as long as I don’t have to drive or maintain it. However, in most cases, you also have to have a way to get to the boat, so it’s not that simple. Most modern vacation travel involves planes, trains, automobiles, Ubers, taxis, boats, shuttles, bikes, and walking at the very minimum. Personally, anymore, I like the concept of time travel where you don’t have to make reservations, enlist a tour guide, go through security, secure a passport, buy tickets, show up on time, or follow a map. Seeing the world these days takes a lot out of me, so maybe settling into our not-so-shabby resort community and not going anywhere while pretending we’re someplace exotic is the answer.