For anyone who travels frequently, we all have a routine we follow to take the guesswork out of the hassle of packing, schlepping, security, gate loitering, boarding, flying and returning home. And this all begins with Travel Math. You’ve all done it, even if you didn’t realize you did! It’s how you know when to do what to make sure you arrive with all your gear on time and ready to go. Let me explain…
Even though our individual estimates may vary for each segment of the trip, most of us work backward from the time of departure to figure out when to leave. (That is, except Michael’s brother Chris. Chris is one of those guys who scraps the formula and sometimes enters the airport revolving doors as his flight is actually boarding! I could never.) Anyway, because I usually fly early in the morning, and historically it takes less than 30 minutes from my house to get to LGA, and because I have every available get through security fast protocol and rarely if ever check a bag, I peg a max of two hours from my door to the boarding door. So if I have a 7:30am flight, that means an Uber at 5:30am. Get to the airport at 6 with plenty of time to clear security, gather my stuff, hit the lounge for a water refill on my Swell water bottle, grab a banana if they aren’t all brown and bruised, log into WiFi for a hot minute then off to the gate immediately prior to boarding. And for the past handful of years, that method has worked swimmingly for me.
If I’m flying later than first thing it’s because I had no other option. So I build in more time to actually get to the airport if I know I’m hitting rush hour traffic. And even more time if I have to fly out of JFK, which is forever a nightmare every single time. Literally for my whole entire life. Ugh. If it’s an international flight, those are usually evening escapades so the whole formula gets rejiggered as an airport meal of some sort is usually involved, which of course requires patience. And they use bigger jets, so the board time is increased as well which helps to pad the time.
Travel Math is also used to weigh your suitcase, gauge how long the wait for Shake Shack might be once you land, give you guidance as to when exactly you call for an Uber depending on how long the walk is from your gate to the Travel App pickup point and if you’re waiting on checked baggage that must be calculated as well. We all know if an Uber waits for you, they charge you or worse yet, get chased away by airport security and have to circle around while you count the slow motion minutes in the freezing cold or stifling summer heat until they return to collect you.
The Travel Math I’m best at is deciding that I have unlimited funds to enjoy my trip! New handbag? Oh sure, ring it up. New makeup? How could I pass on that hot new color?? Interesting local food to bring home? Yes, please. Great new jacket for an upcoming conference in my favorite shade of bubble gum pink? I’ll make room in my carry-on and wear two jackets home if I have to. I think I could join the Mathletes!
I was talking with a group of friends recently about what I feel is missing curriculum from high school and I think Travel Math could be a great substitute for physics. Other than knowing that a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest which could easily be a poster in each homeroom class or bathroom for that matter, I have not applied my physics lessons once in my more than five decades on earth. And yet Travel Math could help with exchange rates, time and distance calculations, weights and measures, and so much more. It is something I use on the regular. Just a suggestion Bored of Ed!
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