Holiday Travels with Violent Little
It's that time of year that people start heading home for the holidays, visiting friends and family, and having a generally awful time at the airport. Hats off to the airline workers for dealing with hundreds of thousands of anxious, pushy people. Last year marked the first time I've had a bad experience flying (C-130 rides and medevacs out of Afghanistan excluded). Luckily, I had a few Violent Little products to help me keep my sanity.
I generally enjoy my time flying and in airport terminals. It's a time that I'm free from distractions, and the people watching is always top notch. Not thinking much of it, I pulled out my People to Kill notebooks and memo books throughout the day to take notes, design products and make work lists. It wasn't until I caught the judgy glare of an elderly woman on my flight out of Denver that I realized the use of these products could be, in some cases, frowned upon. But I'm a true red-blooded American so I looked her in the eye and added her to my list.
It seems like you're either sprinting to your next plane, or you have a four hour layover. Last year it was the latter for me. As far as airports go, Denver is probably one of the more interesting airports to be stuck at. I walk around, take in the New World Order Doomsday artwork and grab a beer at the New Belgium restaurant in terminal B. If anybody is traveling on Christmas Eve this year, follow our Instagram story and if we cross paths, beer is on me.
The thing that makes Christmas Eve travel so tricky is the lost luggage. Adults might understand that your lost baggage had their gift in it, but nieces and nephews aren't quite as understanding. Also, whose idea was it to make almost all luggage look the same? It seems like you pretty much only have the option of black or red bags. I have a red suitcase, and coincidentally so did everyone else in the Louisville, Kentucky baggage claim that day. Luckily for me, my Valhalla Admit One Luggage Tag stood out enough for me to make a quick exit and get away from the rest of the tired and angry holiday travelers.
Making it back to Kentucky to visit family proved to be a relatively smooth day of travel, however, the return trip was far from it. It started by my flight being moved up two hours, requiring a 4 am departure. That flight was later delayed...seven times and finally canceled 12 hours later. Not wanting to go back home and start all over again the next day, I secured a flight to Denver, where they put me up in a hotel. That simple task required three hours of waiting in line, two hours on the phone and two bus rides. From Denver, I planned to rent a car a drive the 12 hours home, but I couldn't talk the airline into paying for it. Instead, I caught a flight back to Idaho the next day, which was also delayed...three times.
With Holiday Cheer,
Nate