Rolling Carry on Luggage - Travel Experiences of a Couch Potato

A male friend of mine recently returned from a short stay in Florida. This guy does not travel often, but he had to go to Fort Lauderdale to do some business. He is one of those guys who thinks that travel is something you do on a couch with a remote control. But he could not avoid traveling with real people because he had to attend to some emergency family business. To make a long story short, his wife packed a rolling carry on luggage piece she borrowed from her sister. My friend does not own a suitcase, neither does he own suitable clothes to wear on an airplane.

I am not saying you need a special outfit like the flight attendants. This couch potato does not even own anything more than sweat pants and t-shirts. His wardrobe consists of his work overalls and a few shirts. He has one or two dress shirts which he alternates for family events, if you can get him off the couch.

Anyway, his daughter dropped him off to the airport and told him to find his way because she had to attend a meeting. He managed to get to the right check-in counter and found himself with nothing to do for about two hours before his flight. His flight took off on time and he arrived in Fort Lauderdale just before lunch. Everything went smoothly with his trip and he made arrangements to fly back home the next day.

You no doubt are asking the same question everyone asked when he returned from his short trip: What does a couch potato do in Florida? Well, the answer should not surprise you. That right, the same things they do back home - lie on the couch all day watching the boob tube. Knowing my friend, I am sure it included much more than just television.

But he was eager to go home and arranged to have one of the shuttle vans in Fort Lauderdale take him to the airport. But this is where it gets interesting. The travel gods wanting to teach him a lesson about traveling decided to spoil his return. He did not know this but the events he retold later made it clear for the rest of us who go through the hassle of traveling by plane.

Coming off the shuttle bus, another passenger with a large and heavy suitcase ripped the handle from my friend's carry-on bag. He did not notice it until he tried to open the handle and roll the bag to the terminal. Fortunately, he did not have many items in the bag.

He checked in alright but got another setback when his airline announced a delay in his flight because of heavy rain in Atlanta. Flights in and out of Atlanta were canceled until further notice. This irked him somewhat because he had plans to catch a few shows on television later that evening.

My friend had at least two more minor delays before reaching home and lounging on his sofa. He returned to his oblivion about airline travel most of us have to endure almost daily. The good news is he bought a new carry-on at the airport to repay his sister-in-law.

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