Non flyer

[JOhn Galt]

I know lots of people say they want to retire so they can travel. I enjoy traveling at times, but I do not fly, ever.
I am not afraid to fly, but I never liked it (everything
about flying is distasteful) and I quit for good about
1987. Sometimes when people
ask about my non-flyer status they assume I had a
scary experience. I really never did. Just didn't like it.
I did have 2 good friends who were killed in 2 separate
plane crashes, which my wife thinks is quite unusual.
That had no bearing on my decision to quit though.

JG

 

[Bill Clinton]

Who would have thought, John and myself agreeing on something. I would like to go to NZ one day so flying will be necessary for that, but traveling here in the States will be via my car. And to think, I use to enjoy it as a kid when my dad took me up in his little single engine job. :-/

 

[Beachbumz]

Actually, there are cruises from here to NZ, so flying is not absolutely necessary, but it would be pretty expense to cruise over and back!

Beachbumz

 

[Bill Clinton]

Actually, there are cruises from here to NZ, so flying is not absolutely necessary, but it would be pretty expense to cruise over and back!

Beachbumz

Hey thats a thought. I might even catch a ride on a rusty old freighter of some kind.

 

[kayelem]

Flying is one my big reasons to RE that wasn't on the list on the other thread. I take several flights per week usually, although things are a little slower right now during the colder months.

I hate everything about flying...the stripping down that is required to get through check in, the long lines, making sure that I carry everything on, my heavy computer, cancelled and delayed flights, I could go on. The flight attendants have the hardest job of all and for the most part are very nice. Usually the flying part is not so bad, it's everything that happens on either end of that event.

I've been traveling heavily for the last 3 years and it is one of the best reasons to RE.

 

[RAE]

Hey C-T, do you fly through Miami or Ft. Lauderdale when you go to the Bahamas (or straight to Nassau?). We fly with a small charter service out of Ft. Lauderdale, and the last time we went, the customs and security was a breeze. At the Ft. Lauderdale airport, the smaller charter services are at the other end of the airport (Jet Center), and they have their own scaled-down security and customs down there, so you don't need to go through the main airport stuff. Much nicer and easier that way, at least in our experience. Really no hassle at all. We're going again in about 4 weeks, so I'll see if it has gotten any worse. I've heard that going through security and customs at Miami airport is a nightmare. We talked to several folks who now fly with us out of Ft. Laud. that they will never go through Miami again, even if it's cheaper.

RAE

 

[Rich]

I hold a commercial pilot's license for rotary winged (helicopters) and single engine land aircraft and a private rating for seaplanes. Love flying as a pilot, enjoy being a passanger in a light aircraft. Detest flying commercial now. Which is why I'm looking for a second home which I can drive to, not fly to, for the winter months. Fear of flying has nothing to do with it.

 

[MJ]

I haven't flown for several years but only because I haven't needed to. When I ER, I will want to travel abroad, so flying will be necessary, "no slow boat to China" for me, unless it is part of my travel plan.

JG: I don't know how many people really find flying satisfying (I don't) unless it is possibly 1st class (reminds me of a funny Seinfield episode) but "I do not fly, ever" seems to be a bit extreme, oh I forgot you're JG, but IMHO, you're reason "Just didn't like it", doesn't fly.

MJ

 

[renferme]

I, too, do not like flying. Mainly because of the rude, and obnoxious people that work for the airlines (mostly US Airways). Don't like going through long lines to be searched either.
But, it's the only way that I know of, to get to AZ in 4 hours.
So, I'll have to continue to fly.
Southwest Air has come into Pittsburgh. Maybe they'll be better to deal with.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Hey thats a thought. I might even catch a ride on a rusty old freighter of some kind.

Heres your ride:

One for Nords...

 

[brewer12345]

I, too, do not like flying.   Mainly because of the rude, and obnoxious people that work for the airlines (mostly US Airways).   Don't like going through long lines to be searched either.
But, it's the only way that I know of, to get to AZ in 4 hours.
So, I'll have to continue to fly.
Southwest Air has come into Pittsburgh.    Maybe they'll be better to deal with.

Heheh! You mean you are looking at the "Ghetto Bus Of The Skies" as an improvement? I hate the discounters (SW, JetBlue, etc.) with a passion, although I will fly them if the price differential is great enough.

 

[Traveler]

A couple of hours ago I came home after ten days in Arizona (rain, rain, and more rain) and have to admit that I'm GLAD to be back in my office. The security lines at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport were so long that I thought I'd miss my flight (after forty minutes a Southwest employee began yelling for people going to Sacramento to step to the head of the line--we were cutting it that close).

Used to really enjoy the entire experience of flying. Didn't even mind the hassles, which seemed few and far between at the time. Now I'm with John Galt and many of the other posters--much prefer driving over flying. And domestic travel over foreign. How times (and I) have changed.

 

[John Galt]

Aside from my distate for flying, I had several advantages when I gave it up for good (actually I did
"backslide" once - long story).

I enjoy driving and train travel and now I have plenty of time to get where I'm going. The only places I want to go van be reached without flying. And, I
stopped flying about when I went totally on my own
in 1987. Prior to that I had about 20 years worth.
That was enough for me.

JG

 

[Eagle43]

500 miles or less; drive. Once you get over that number flying is better. There is a hassle to fly, but the last driving trip I took (about 1650 miles round trip), I noticed there are more and more cars. I suspect that a lot of folks are driving because they still remember 9/11 and can imagine themselves on one of those planes.

When I do drive, I try to get on the road early, put in 300 miles or so, and get in the motel room; break out the wine bottle, relax, and re-start the next day. Slow, but hey I'm in no hurry anymore.

Oh, I had a friend who drove from Dallas to the end of the Alaskan Highway. He told me he put a timer in his vehicle with it set to alarm him every two hours. Then he would stop and get out of the vehicle for at least 10 mins. He also said he always drives about 2 miles under the speed limit and that eventually he catches up with the speeders who always need to gas up. Dunno if that's true, but he swears by it.

 

[MJ]

At some point in my 60's, I will want to see much more of the US, Canada and Mexico and travel 6 months a year. I would want to travel by RV, car or even bicycle.

I was saying in my previous post, if a desired or necessary long distance trip (1000 + miles) requires a fast mode of transportation, flying, as bad as it can be, may be the best way of getting there.

MJ

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Flying has evolved to be economy sky buses with prison terminals. I have no problem with flying, it's the hassle and cramped spaces that get me.

I fly at least once a month, though.

Hey, I've always loved Southwest Airlines; well, the service anyway. The seats are a bit cramped.

 

[Hyperborea]

Hey, I've always loved Southwest Airlines; well, the service anyway. The seats are a bit cramped.

My favourite travelling time was when I flew enough to be Star Alliance Gold.  It was great - I would ask about getting upgraded to business and the desk person would start to say "no" and then my gold card landed on the counter and they would suddenly change to "let me check". If you're a top grade frequent flyer you get treated much better.

Hmmm, if we're going to list favourites for service/quality then mine are:

1) Singapore Airlines
2) Thai
3) Lufthansa
4) JAL - Japan AirLines

These all have good service, clean planes, and decent food.

In FIRE I'll probably fly only once or twice a year with the bulk of my travel being "local".  I'll mostly move on in shorter distances (2 to 3 hours) by boat, bus, or train.  That way I'll get to see more and interact more.

 

[Martha]

I used to fly, but after my FIL died on an airplane I found myself unable to fly anymore. I really enjoy traveling by train. We've been all over the US on Amtrak. Great relaxing way to travel if you buy the deluxe sleeper. We will see if Amtrak survives.

We also have our RV. It is wonderful being able to travel with your own home. We can take the dogs, sleep in familiar beds and cook our own food. Today it is raining and I can sit here on the computer, read or watch TV in the comfort of "my own home".

However, traffic in some areas is miserable, especially here in Florida. RV parks are a bit strange to stay in;they tend to pack RVs together like sardines and though the people tend to be very friendly, I rarely seem to have much in common with them, at least the women. The national and state parks can be great places to stay--more room and a more outdoorsey group of people.



Martha

 

[JOhn Galt]

Hello Martha! I never did any serious RVing. I did
really enjoy AMTRAK though and I always took the deluxe sleeper. Traveled on most of their major routes
at one time or another. Nice way to travel if you have
the time.

JG

 

[Traveler]

"A rolling home on wheels" is our next and probably last big purchase after we move to Arizona (SO is already there getting the RV pad graded next to the garage).

Martha M.: what kind of RV do you have? Class A? Towable? We looked at Class A's but decided to downsize to a small trailer -- a 16-to-19 footer. That way we can unhitch and use the pick-up as the get-around vehicle.

You're right. A lot of private RV parks cram the rigs in so tightly that they almost touch each other, but there does seem to be more room in state, county, and national parks. That's especially true if you camp in a place like Trailer Village at the Grand Canyon in winter. People do it--it's colder than heck but you can have the park pretty much to yourself and I can think of no place more beautiful. (The canyon, not the RV park.)

 

[Martha]

Traveler, we thought a lot about what to get for an RV. We were concerned about safety issues on a number of the bread box class A motorhomes. We also like to get into rather tight spaces as much of our camping is in national forests, state parks, etc. We ended up with a 23.5" Class C. It has two couches in the back that turn into a king size bed for us and the dogs. Even though small, we haven't felt at all crowded two weeks into a month long trip. We bought one of the best of its class that we could find from Lazy Daze, a small factory in California. It sits on a Ford 450 chassis and can hold and tow quite a bit of weight. We can tow a car, or more frequently, our motorcycle trailer. Very happy with it.

 

[Spanky]

For those who hates the hassle of airport security, why not having your own jet and helicopter just like Donold Trump?

 

[kayelem]

Good one Spanky.  Unfortunetly regional jets have become the taxis of yesteryear.  I wish flying were just a little more glamourous. (Hey I scored a first class upgrade for tomorrow to Florida...this may indicate I will get a bag of cashews instead of peanuts).

 

[azanon]

I probably value safety more than anything when I travel a long distance. Second, I value my time. Both of those values make my choice a no-brainer; I fly.

Driving in unfamiliar territory is naturally going to be more dangerous than just your normal routines you drive daily.

 

[John Galt]

How timely. I spent much of today just meandering,
talking to bankers, looking at boats, checking out future fishing spots. One of the fun parts was driving through
areas I had never driven before. To me that is very
enjoyable unless the scenery is terribly boring. Today, even being March in northern Illinois, it was very pretty
country (this was mostly near the Mississippi).
The safety factor is something I never think much about, regardless of how I am traveling. But, then again, I rode
a motorcycle all over the country (mostly helmetless)
for 14 years, so obviously I don't mind taking some risk.

JG