The torture of travel.

Travel- is an English word that is derived from the French equivalent as per the below….

Main Entry: tra·vail

Pronunciation: \trə-ˈvāl, ˈtra-ˌvāl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from travailler to torment, labor, journey, from Vulgar Latin *trepaliare to torture, from Late Latin trepalium instrument of torture, from Latin tripalis having three stakes.

Indeed as I write this, several hundred travelers are stranded in the UK as a result of yet another tour operator going bust, in this case “Golden Trails”. Passengers holding tickets and hotel bookings from this firm find they are not worth the paper they are written on. So to the point, why do we travel when indeed for some it is possibly a paid form of self induced torture?

Speaking of induced torture, earlier in June I found myself rushing to leave the safe and embracing confines of the Dalian Shangri-La Hotel to get to the airport in time for my much anticipated flight back to Shanghai to connect onwards to Hong Kong after several grueling weeks on the road throughout China. Sadly no one at the hotel bothered to advise me that both in and outbound flights had in fact been suspended. Without boring all and sundry with the details, I then spent 7 laborious hours in Dalian Airport waiting for fog to lift (yes fog in summer!!!)

So again we beg the question of travel? The writer Paul Theroux boldly goes against the grain and is more than forthright on his thoughts on places and faces he encounters abroad. Similarly so I often leave people aghast with my candid views on places afar for example:

India – When asked on my thoughts on India I advise that the best part is leaving. Need I say more?

Singapore – Love the place…. especially the departure lounge.

Beijing – I can’t find a bad word that would suitably express my negative thoughts, so I guess I have nothing bad to say?

So I am being too negative you may say? There are divine places however, Thailand, Bali and Sicily, spring to mind. As does my adopted home city of Hong Kong. But when people with considerable un-contained glee tell me they are travelling, I express to them my sincere commiserations. To the average traveler, not as blessed as I with elite levels of frequent traveler memberships or an APEC travel card, the normal traveler faces long queues at the airport and immigration leaving and entering any country they visit. The same for boarding any aircraft. So with so much time taken up by these activities alone does the average traveler simply have too much time on their hands?

Personally, I adore, fast check-in, quick immigration clearance and equally speedy priority boarding. This leaves more time for the fun things in life, such as duty free shopping or simply extra time in the airline lounge to enjoy more champagne.

So whether it’s self induced torture for a quick trip away or a much needed business trip to meet up with clients, travel is here to stay. I will leave you with this thought, note that one airline is actually touting standing only flights, it makes regular economy suddenly seem appealing.

So wherever your travels may take you, on a wing and a prayer wishing you a safe trip.

Anthony Arrigo is an exasperated traveler living in Hong Kong.