[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

Just curious about other people's experiences?<br><br><br><br>
I love flying and end up doing a lot of it between here and New Mexico (big surprise there). I usually enjoy chatting a bit with my seatmate if they're interested - (No, I don't babble on endlessly or try to talk to people who are obviously enjoying their book or nap or whatever.)<br><br><br><br>
I was just thinking about this because, this morning, headed back from New Mexico once again (<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/love.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">) I was seated next to a young Jewish man and his adorable 4-year-old daughter.<br><br>
They were headed home to Brooklyn (after a short stop in Seattle) and we struck up a conversation right off.<br><br>
He was a teacher (as I am) and extremely articulate, intelligent, quite intense - but most of all, SO<i>interesting</i>!<br><br>
It was cool, we talked and talked and talked and talked...asking and answering lots of questions, discussing just about everything under the sun for the full 5 hours of the flight, mostly about our families, our jobs, music, world religions, vegetarianism and history.<br><br><br><br>
It was GREAT! Probably the most fascinating airplane flight I have EVER been on, and just very neat to connect with a total stranger like that for a small space of time.<br><br><br><br>
What about all of you? Share your airplane stories....

 

[Astarte]

When I was flying back from San Francisco last year I sat next to an older man who it turned out lived in a town 40 minutes away from me and his daughter was in the same school and program as I was. Turned out he was also a vegetarian (who'd have thought?) who was an inventor.<br><br><br><br>
He had had a bit of wine and confided that he was interested in possibly blowing up the president of the US. It hasn't happened yet so I assume it was just drunk talk, but if somebody flies an explosive laced toy plane into the white house, I'll have a pretty good notion of who did it :S I smiled and nodded... what else can one do?

 

[Thirsty Johann]

You get to meet a drunk inventor, and I get stuck with a guy who lectures me for three hours about how using an MP3 player will give me cancer. Life is so fair.

 

[astro]

It's nice when you can connect with a total stranger and have a great conversation. Unfortunately it doesn't happen to me that much because I often get seated next to the the screaming child, the weirdo, or the guy that wants to hit on me, so most of the time my headphones go on when I sit down and they don't come off until the end of the flight <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[WonderRandy]

I rarely strike up conversations when travelling. I usually tend to isolate myself, and tune the rest of the cattle ... erm... passengers out.<br><br><br><br>
However... there was this one long busride from Oklahoma to Washington where I ended up talking to a lady for almost two days. She was dying of cancer and was visiting her daughter one last time for Christmas. I can't recall everything we talked about, but I do remember it was a wonderful change of pace from the way I usually travel. There were a couple of guys who were hanging out with us for much of the trip as well. It was a fun way to manage the ordeal of Greyhound.<br><br>
On the trip back, I had a massive headcold, so I doped myself up on tranquilizers and slept for most of the trip...

 

[synergy]

I have had some great conversations with people while travelling.<br><br>
The most interesting one was when I didn't really want to talk...<br><br>
I was flying down to San Diego, and I desperately wanted to just enjoy my book, but the lady I was sitting next to said: "Isn't it a shame how no one really talks anymore.. They all read, use their laptops and listen to their MP3 players." *sigh*<br><br>
So I talk... turns out she really needed an ear. She was a successful artist who had a wonderful house in the mountains outside of LA, who loves her work, she was a hippie in the 60's and sold out to make millions as a corporate artist/interior designer- she designed the Inuit guy on the Alaska Airlines planes who bears a stricking resemblance to Che Guevera. She was drunk and.... despite all of her sucess and millions of dolllars- she was lonely. Her daughter (about my age) is too busy to really talk or spend all that much time with her, and she's been divorced for way too long. She was just... lonely. And drunk. She spilled wine on me. I think she was hitting on me a little too.<br><br>
Interesting times <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[ChiKat]

I've never been on a plane ride alone, so I've never really had the chance to talk to a stranger on the plane!<br><br>
Although one time my family's seats were split up and I ended up between this reeeally old lady that made strange noises, and a HUGE smelly man...great.

 

[~Wonder]

I never fly alone, but on the bus I always get stuck next to huge people who lean on me. Either that or they fart a lot or are protesting deodorant. And of course theres always that girl 2 rows down who thinks she has to scream in order for the person on the other end of her cell phone to hear her. Oh, and I can't forget the people who have nothing better to do than to play the various ring tones they have on their cell phone.<br><br><br><br>
I'm pretty good at blocking most of that out, but I'm still desperately awaiting beaming technology.<br><br>
~Wonder <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/pimp.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":tame:">

 

[LadyFaile]

i've chatted with people on the bus or train. last time i took the bus up north by myself a guy sat by me and we chatted for a bit. seemed nice. til he asked if i was single. i said no, and when we stopped at the next station he went and sat at the back. lol<br><br><br><br>
it's my experience lately that nobody does talk anymore unless they're trying to score some action <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/tongue3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>astro</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
...most of the time my headphones go on when I sit down and they don't come off until the end of the flight <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""></div>
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Oh believe me - I keep headphones AND a book VERY handy in case I get stuck next to someone who's TOO talkative or...friendly...

 

[asp3]

I love to read on planes because it gives me a long, uninterrupted time to really get into a book, however sometimes I have had some wonderful flight conversations over the years.<br><br><br><br>
One that comes to mind was on the way back from a Boston business trip I sat next to a woman who was on her first trip to California. Her father had written a book about John Muir and she was coming out to San Francisco to help him celebrate it's release. I was able to trade seats with her (I had the window seat) and point out Yosemite and other Sierra points as we passed over them.<br><br><br><br>
Another time I sat next to a very nice woman who was trying to convert me to Christianity. Usually I would have been insulted and offended, but she was such a nice woman and I could tell the motivation was coming from a very loving part of her, so I wasn't annoyed.<br><br><br><br>
Since I don't fly on business very much these days I usually fly with my wife. She'll talk with anyone, so I usually get brought into her conversations with other people from time to time. We've often gotten some great travel tips from folks who live where we're visiting.

 

[chiaraluna]

I had a great ride on the way from Indy to Chicago sitting next to a Baroque flautist. We were both musicians & into early music, so we hit it off right away. She actually knows one of my professors, which was also a good starter, and we ended up talking about everything from music to travel to terrorist attacks and paranoia. It was pretty amazing, really.<br><br><br><br>
Usually, though, I keep to myself and read a book. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">

 

[Tesseract]

I'm not much for talking during transit. I don't hear that well, so when you combine that with cabin noise and stopped-up ears on a plane, I can't hear crap. So I usually stay quiet unless someone engages me. But once I'm brought out of my shell, I can be pretty talkative.<br><br><br><br>
But I did meet a woman on my daily bus commute who's a loud talker, so I can hear her fine. We're now friends, and she's an incredible conversationalist. She never stops running her mouth, but luckily she always has something interesting to say. Every so often you can just ask her a question on whatever topic you care to hear about, and she'll just run with it. It turns out she's probably 95% vegetarian herself, and her husband was a vegetarian for years, but apparently didn't feel comfortable being veg while raising their daughter. (I know, I don't get it, either.) We're going out for Ethiopian this weekend. I found out, though, that certain other people on the bus hate her. They think she's too loud, and this guy complained to me one day when she wasn't on the bus. She IS really loud. It's not like she's yelling, but her voice just carries.

 

[Elena99]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Tesseract</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
I'm not much for talking during transit. I don't hear that well, so when you combine that with cabin noise and stopped-up ears on a plane, I can't hear crap. So I usually stay quiet unless someone engages me. But once I'm brought out of my shell, I can be pretty talkative.<br></div>
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It's the same with me, I usually don't bother engaging in conversation because of my hearing. If they're on my left side (my bad ear), I avoid it as much as possible. It just means that I'm going to have to keep turning my head around so they don't compete with whatever's on my right side.<br><br><br><br>
I've been on airplanes a lot in my life, but I don't think I've ever talked with my seat-mate even half of the way. Weird. I usually want to zone out or read.

 

[Skylark]

Most of the way to and from Spain three years ago, I was in the exact middle of the plane, with my classmates on either side. They were dreadfully boring, but it could have been a lot worse--I didn't have to sit right next to the U-Penners. I do hope that the University of Pennsylvania doesn't normally let absolute nincompoops like that enroll normally.<br><br><br><br>
On the way to Scotland, I sat next to a Glaswegian woman who filled me in on everything I should see during my stay, and everything I ought to understand about Scots. When we landed, I was so involved in talking with her that I missed the joke a loud-mouthed Edinburghian man shouted from the back of the plane. The Glaswegian told me I didn't want to know what he'd said, apparently some common crude joke in the area. Hmmm. Nearly three years later, I'm still wondering what he said.<br><br><br><br>
On Amtrak from Boston back to my hometown in '99, I sat next to a talkative Pittsburg lady. She and I had a great conversation, but for the life of me I can't recall what it was, seven years later.<br><br><br><br>
People seem more inclined to talk on long trips than on short ones, such as around-town transit.

 

[Tesseract]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>skylark</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
People seem more inclined to talk on long trips than on short ones, such as around-town transit.</div>
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But on local transit, you have a better chance of seeing the same people over and over again, and you can strike up actual friendships, like I did. Depends on the nature of the transit, of course.

 

[Skylark]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Tesseract</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
But on local transit, you have a better chance of seeing the same people over and over again, and you can strike up actual friendships, like I did. Depends on the nature of the transit, of course.</div>
</div>
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Unless you have a varied schedule and don't often go the same route at the same time. People who stick to a routine have a better chance of perpetually riding with people on a similar schedule.

 

[Tesseract]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>skylark</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
Unless you have a varied schedule and don't often go the same route at the same time. People who stick to a routine have a better chance of perpetually riding with people on a similar schedule.</div>
</div>
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True. I'm bound by what things are like in Houston, and in Houston, trying to get around by public transit is simply not a good idea unless you have a very regular schedule. In fact, it can be hard as heck to get anywhere except to and from downtown via public transit.

 

[vheogl]

Most of my flights have been night flights so my communication with people recently has been minamal. Although on my flight from Sydney to Auckland a few months ago i did end up having a great conversation with a random older guy who ran a mining business. It wasnt the best of conversations as we had nothing in comon but it lasted for all of 3ish hours so it can't of been that bad. I actually seem to be having more luck starting conversations with people rnadomly in the streets, there must be something in the air in this country, people are way too friendly.

 

[Dirty Martini]

I've met a lot of interesting people on airplanes, including a couple of business contacts that I was able to leverage while working in AsiaPac. That was pretty cool.<br><br><br><br>
On my first flight (biz trip) down under, I sat next to this Dutch woman who was about my age and we totally hit it off. I think we talked most of the flight! Then when we landed in Sydney, we spent the whole day walking around the city and she stayed in my hotel room. The next morning, we got up, had breakfast, and she was off. We exchanged email addresses & wrote for a few months but that was it. I don't remember her name but she was cool (and for you pervs, it was completely platonic - no pillow fights!).<br><br><br><br>
When I was flying back from australia, after leaving my ex, I sat next to this guy who was going to his best friend's wedding. His best friend was his true love, and he found it so hard to go to her wedding but was hoping it would give him the closure that he so wanted. He seemed so sad yet hopeful. We both shared our relationship woes - but I also told him about remi and he was excited for me <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""> Again, completely platonic. I think that there's something comforting and relieving about being able to talk about your frustrations and issues to a complete stranger, knowing you'll never see that person again. There are no expectations, no obligations...<br><br><br><br>
Those 13 hour flights really provide for a LOT of conversation.