Silent Courtesy

Good Tuesday morning to everyone, and welcome to Tuesday Travel Tips with Tiffany! To read previous editions, you can find them here.

We (us travelers, that is) have a purpose for being on a plane. We’re going somewhere. (Duh, right?) Maybe it’s for business. Maybe it’s a vacation. Maybe something is wrong and we have to get somewhere fast. Regardless, we’re going somewhere.

And it ain’t to a Toastmasters meeting. (Unless you’re going to a convention. But that’s another story!)

Now, please believe me when I say that I’m not knocking Toastmasters. I’m a Toastmaster. CC/CL. Current VP Education for my club, which is comprised mainly of airline employees. Have won a bunch of contests. Looooooooove talking. (There’s a surprise.)

But being on a plane isn’t the same as being at a Toastmasters meeting. What’s I’m trying to say here is that we should all act courteously toward one another while in the air…but we don’t have to chat or soliloquize while 40,000 over the Midwest.

I’m sure you’re a great person. I can see that you have fabulous hair, a pretty suit and a snazzy iSuck. But, as you can see from my notebook and poised pen, I’ve got plans for this flight that don’t include replaying the Q&A session from the Miss America competition. Plus, with my lack of fabulous hair, a pretty suit, and a snazzy iSuck, we all know I’ll just get Miss Congeniality.

Ahem. Which brings me to…

While I may not want to engage you in scintillating conversation while on the plane, I certainly am not going to be rude to you either. I can show courtesy…silently.

When you say hi, I’m just going to smile. When you start off into a rambling monologue on the state of affairs in IndoChina (clearly, my flight is in 1968) I’m going to nod and look back to my notebook.

I may not be feeling social on this flight, but I can show silent courtesy.

Can you?

Until next time…

Safe travels!