What You Notice When You Travel

A week from today I will be sitting at home, back in Minnesota, curled up with my dog and big glass of wine, thinking back to this semester and everything I endured within it. WAIT, let me stop myself before I get too nostalgic, and forget that I still have a 5:45 a.m. flight standing between me and being home. I'm not trying to say that I dislike flying, because I really, really do love being on airplanes. But, all of the people and other factors you have to deal with while flying, well, that's what I hate. The only part besides the airplane that I actually enjoy about flying is the people watching as well as how airports vary from place to place.

For example, the Bozeman airport is a small quant hub that screams, "HEY THERE YOUR IN MONTANA NOW!" With all of its mountain pictures, its wood cabin layout, oh and the fact that there are statues of wild animals by the baggage claim. Whereas, the Minneapolis airport feels almost more like a shopping mall than an airport. From its intense number of stores to its large variety of restaurants. Even the Port Charlotte airport has its own share of quirks, such as its rows of rocking chairs that sit facing massive windows as to create a sense of southern comfort within the airport for wary travelers. 

The fact that these three airports, can vary so significantly has made me wonder if the individuals that designed each airport did so with the intention of fitting consumer preferences in that area. Or, if they maybe based their designs off of those who will be traveling to that airport. For instance, Minneapolis is an international hub for hundreds of different connecting flights, which in turn may insinuate that those who travel through the airport may have longer layovers. These long layovers could then result in a greater need for shops and restaurants to occupy consumers as they wait for their next flight. Bozeman on the other hand, only has select flights that run daily. This may reveal that because there isn't large variety of consumers flying its airport there is no need to have a large variety of shops and restaurants. In fact, it could also be determined the Bozeman airport was designed to target consumers that are familiar with Montana, such as locals or those who frequently vacation here. Whereas, the Port Charlotte airport lies within the middle of the two designs. This is due to the fact that it is an international hub, but still possesses qualities of local consumers, such as the southern comfort rocking chairs.

Overall, though flying can be tedious and dreadful, it has its perks. Now on my flight home, I can distract myself by trying to observe factors that I may have missed in my previous travels through the Bozeman and Minneapolis airports!