Why I Love Flying In The “Developing World"

There's no need for quotations around "developing world," Ben. 🙂 And you're right. Flying in the US and Europe have become so commonplace that it's no longer special. For many, it's simply become a bus with wings.

Even flying daytime flights over many US national parks or beautiful mountain ranges, people will just shut their window blinds and watch films or TV shows on their iPad or laptop. "Sad!"

Nice post Lucky. I agree 100%.

Poor people are your amusement and fascination objects. How charming.

Keeping the shades open during takeoff and landing is also a safety item for many non USA-based airlines.

Agreed. Always told you.

Go backpacking, stay in hostels. You will meet fun people. give it a try

Hi Ben,
I'm an avid reader of your blog.

For many of "these" people this is the first flight they have taken in their lives and are fascinated being in it. They take it alone and don't know the procedures. How was your first flight experience all alone? Were you fascinated, excited and looking out the window? If no one told you what to do when landing and take off would you know all the rules and regulations.
I usually enjoy all your posts but for you to emphasise on developing world and labour flights makes it seem that you're discriminating against the "developing" world.when people in North America mess up with regulations on flights, and thier are daily instances, why don't you call them out?

Really surprised with all your travelling you have such a closed mind

On a short haul couple weeks ago I was sitting in aisle. On approach I was straining to take a peek out the window when the gentleman at the window seat says "after 150 flights its all the same."
I did not respond that after flying for 50 years each and every take off and approach and everything in between is still a thrill to me.

@KT, I thought you were literally sitting in the aisle rather than sitting in the aisle seat, lol. Had to read the later part to know that you were actually not sitting in the aisle 😉 This reminds me of a recent Pakistan flight that flew more passengers than the seats, and those extra folks had to enjoy their flight standing (or sitting) in aisles.

I love that everyone is looking out the window. Wish that was the case with all flights.

I'm a development economist, and I've often found it strange when people idolize or glorify parts of the developing world. I assure you that everyone on board would much rather be so used to flying that they feel blasé about it, rather than it being what for many might be a once-in-a-lifetime treat. Even if it would make your experience less special.

That said, I totally understand that the intention of this post is very kind and sweet! Love your blog.

I've been on flights in the US where they unironically ask everyone to keep their shades down for the benefit of people watching their TVs.

As in, "Don't watch the iridescent sunrise from atop the clouds, from the soaring heights which were the stuff of the ancients' legends, because the guy behind you is watching a rerun of 'Mom.'"

What's happened to us?

@B (2:51pm) Go dig a hole and bury yourself - count on always finding the jerk in the room!

@Ben: I am from Bangladesh. Bengalis are notorious for not following standard operating procedures on landing 🙂

@Rose: Reminds me of Calef Brown's fantastic poem "Television Taxicab", which is in his amazing children's book "Flamingos on the Roof".

http://polkabats.blogspot.com/2009/09/tv-taxi.html

Television taxicab
What a way to travel!
You can watch your favorite station
In Tahiti or Seattle
What could be more simple
You can sample every channel
7, for example, features movies for a fee
Never mind the passing sights
There's nothing much to see

===========

The irony, of course, is that the page is COVERED with drawings of bizarre, fascinating and incredible things to look at (as the taxi drives through and the passenger is glued to his TV set).

@QR: I think you're missing the other part to this -- why don't we still marvel at it? We've taken travel for granted and no longer appreciate it, which is a shame.

For me, I still marvel at it all, even though it's quite routine for me. Then again, I still was quite pleased with my last car as well, 10 years, 225,000 miles later, I still was fascinated and enjoyed driving it. For that matter, I'm still thankful to have running water every morning.

I think westerners quickly forget or have no clue as to just how privileged they are. I see this especially with millennials who haven't traveled the world, especially those who have never had to deal with true poverty. When you see another human being, close to your age, being forced to relieve themselves in a storm drain because that's the only place to go, suddenly (hopefully) things like your number of followers on Facebook don't seem to matter.

@AlexS — Good points! Totally agree with you. And it goes even beyond millennials (I'm one of them!)—I think this applies to people from all generations who haven't been fortunate enough to travel the world. It's so easy to not realize how lucky we are, and to not develop that empathy/awareness.

Amen!!! I. Love. It...ALL of it!!!

I love this post. I don't fly as much as I used to, though I wish I did more. But I LOVE that humans made this happen. It is the most unnatural thing to do, our bodies are physically designed to be on the ground, the atmosphere is designed to keep us here. But science said, meh, let's fly. I sit at the gate and people watch and couples are bickering, people are bored and complaining, and I'm thinking I"M ABOUT TO SIT IN THE FREAKING SKY!!!!! WHOOO!!!! I will never lose my marvel at human perseverance to see beyond what is obvious.

Great post. After 40 years' and thousands of take offs and landings, I still get a thrill and marvel at the science that gets us up in the air. My wife just needs wine, a movie and a good sleep in a flat bed on the plane to be happy and does not understand why I read OMAAT daily. We are not all built the same, thankfully.

Nice Post, Ben.
I agree - it's great to see the awe and wonder in people's eye the first time they have a chance to fly. You'll also understand why many people in developing countries take so many selfies in the shiny mall in the capital - when you visit the villages in the province they are from!
And it's great to see you travel more "off the beaten path". While I of course understand the focus of your blog on high-end air and hotel travel, getting out of the main destinations is a great experience!
Hope you'll do more trips like this!

I agree one hundred percent! Even it it's one AM, I'm still glued to the window. If you see me on a plane, I'm always by the window seat. I love traveling because of the hustle and bustle, it's always a treat to travel in my opinion and people take it so lightly, it's not like everyday you're able to go in the air and see the world from above.. Almost everyone I know takes flying as like "Oh okay, cool..". I fly more than the average kid at my age, around 3-4 times a year, and it's always amazing to fly, no matter how routine or how tiring it can be.

P.S. Yes, I live in the U.S., for anyone wondering, it's not like I'm poor or whatnot and can't afford to fly, I do, and I do it as much as my parents let me.

"where many construction workers are horribly mistreated and subjected to inhumane conditions"

Love your sweeping proclamations.

This is a terrific post. I don't understand why people are complaining about it; Lucky is by no means discriminating against anyone. It is simply a matter fact that the developing world is at the same time both marvelous and sad: marvelous because you can see in it the wonder of change and improvement working its way through the world, such as through the 'magic' of flight, but sad because clearly there is much to be done, and sometimes the improvements can't come fast enough. Lucky from what I can tell clearly admires the energy of developing word, and is by no means even close to being a 'slum tourist'.

@AlexS - I find "millennials" (a ridiculous term anyway) to be MUCH more open and knowledgeable about the world than their older counterparts... But there's a difference between taking things for granted and appreciating that you're lucky to be able to take them for granted but not displaying it that perhaps you're glossing over.

@emercycrite - A sweeping, but irrefutably accurate, statement.

I'm like you Lucky, my face is stuck in the window almost the whole time since my very first flight. Tomorrow I will celebrate 40 years since my first ever flight on a TAP B747-282B reg CS-TFA YYZ-AGP. High school March break school trip to Andalucia. We came back a week later on March 27th, the day of the worst air crash in history in the Canary Islands. Maybe that's why I have such a fascination with aviation and air crash investigations.

Someone's eyes might be opened wider if traveling in the back of the plane.....

Drives me nuts when people shut their window shades for takeoff/landing. Even if you've somehow become desensitized to flying, at the very least, it's somewhat claustrophobic. It's equivalent to someone saying "sure, I'd love to live in a house with no windows." Makes no sense.

I agree Ben!!!!!! So true. Sometimes we just need to stop for a moment and LOOK OUT THE WINDOW and realise how lucky we are to be flying and how beautiful this world is that God created. Love your post!

What do you mean "leave their blinds closed during take off and landing" isn't that against the rules!?!?

As long as they don't applaud when the plane lands.

Interesting article and observations. I am strongly of the opinion that many of us who live a middle class lifestyle in the western, developed often forget and take for granted the daily privileges and amenities we enjoy, that much of the world does not have access to. Air travel is without doubt a major one. I am willing to bet my life that barely 15% of the world's population has ever been on a plane at least once in there entire lives. I am 30 years old and have only traveled to 7 countries, but I consider myself extremely fortunate to even have done that. I met people in rural areas of India and Peru who have never left there villages or hometowns in there entire lives. Sometimes, it helps to step out of our bubble and put things in perspective.

Very interesting observations. It's always great to see people not take air travel for granted. Flying, no matter how commonplace or accessible, is always a beautiful and unique experience.
There's only one thing I don't agree with, and it's the phrase "And there wasn’t [anything to see] — it was just flat, 'boring' scenery." Some places are definitely prettier than others, but IMO there's no such thing as boring scenery. Flat fields or mountains, it doesn't matter, I'm always looking out the window in awe.