Everyone should travel for the cultural benefits and the emotional satisfaction, but we should reconsider the airport experience. 
I spent some time at Lambert – St. Louis International Airport yesterday, and could tell by looking that most people were making an ordeal out of it rather than enjoying it. If you look at the airport more as an amusement park, it becomes a pleasant beginning to your journey rather than a drudgery.
Like any amusement park, parking can be a challenge. So why not make a game of it? Rather than worrying about how close you can park, why not see how far away you can get? The whole rest of your trip, you can picture your car, alone, hundreds of yards from the others, on the very last row of the most distant lot, and laugh.
Shuttle buses are always fun. As soon as everyone settles in, stand and say, "I suppose you're wondering why I've asked you all here today…" That always makes everyone smile.
The lines at the airport are the same as your favorite amusement park, except you get to take your shoes off and strangers touch you in intimate places. It's hard to beat that. And the food is just as expensive, and tasty, as at any midway.
The big difference is that instead of riding the latest coaster, that maybe goes 60 mph, tops, and lasts 73 seconds, you get a soft recliner in a ride that tops 600 mph, miles in the air, takes hours, and still manages to bounce you around like anything Coney Island could do.
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