At some point, frequent travelers discover they have a nemesis: an airport, city, airline, specific flight or time of the year that usually causes problems to them.
I have a friend that always have problems when traveling through Heathrow. Other that avoids one specific flight that always makes him lose the next connection. Those are their nemesis, and now I will tell you about mine.
During my early days as a globetrotter I was feeling lucky because I didn’t have a nemesis. I knew those days would be over at some point because I was seeing how my fellow travelers had at least one but i was enjoying the moment.
When I moved to Europe, my happy days without one were over. I faced him for the first time just after one month of being in the Old World. He showed himself abruptly and without previous warning: the beginning of winter.
Our first encounter was brutal. Frankfurt airport was shutdown for more than a day when I was in my way to Latin America. I tried to avoid him by changing flights but it was too late and I never got to my final destination, grounded at Paris after losing one flight after the other. There was no Stark to warn me that Winter was coming: he just came and brought ruthless disruption with him.
The rest of the winter didn’t disrupt my flights much so I relaxed. When the next winter was coming I understood this was becoming personal. It was a total chaos again. My Homo Avionus life would never be the same.
Since then, everytime winter is approaching, I try to get ready for it because I know he is my nemesis. Nothing disrupts my travel plans as much as the first couple of weeks of winter and I always have important flights at that time for one reason or the other.
Now, Winter is coming. He is there, expecting me, just a couple of weeks ahead. What would he try this time? I don’t know yet but I will be ready. It will definitely be a tough battle but I will be ready for it. I have a new tactic for this winter and it it works, I will share it with you. Wish me luck.
Homo Avionus 