Dec

Happy National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day

by Meredith Mullins on December 15, 2020

Chocolate covered strawberries, showing the cultural traditions of Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image © iStock/5second.)

Celebrating chocolate in the best possible ways
© iStock/5second

Savoring the Cultural Traditions of Chocolate

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.
—Charles M. Schultz

Have you ever had a craving for chocolate-covered bacon? How about chocolate jalapeños? Could you resist a chocolate-covered mushroom?

Despite the challenges of the year 2020, we should rightfully honor any national day that delivers pure joy. One of those days that rises to the top of the bliss list is National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day (December 16). So, let’s celebrate its cultural traditions.

Boy with a chocolate mouth, showing the cultural traditions of chocolate on National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Someone who knows how to celebrate chocolate
© Meredith Mullins

Just how this accolade came about, no one really knows. And I’d venture to say, no one really cares about the origins when the tribute involves such sweet reward for both chocoholics and chocolatiers.

A chocolate elf workshop, showing cultural traditions of National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Chocolate artisans take full advantage of the holiday spirit
(in this case, a chocolate elf workshop by Paris master Patrick Roger)
© Meredith Mullins

Every Chocolate Has Its Day

Life is good when there’s a day when you can dip anything you want in chocolate and drizzle or cover familiar and unconventional edibles with the “food of the gods” (which is how chocolate has been known since its early days in Olmec/Aztec/Mayan civilizations when it appeared as a spicy drink).

hot chocolate, showing the cultural traditions of National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image from PxHere.)

From Mayan spicy cocoa to the souped up American version of today
Photo courtesy of PxHere

There are other national chocolate days that try to compete—at least one every month. For example:

Chocolate-Covered Cherries Day (January 3)
Chocolate Soufflé Day (February 28)
Chocolate-Covered Raisins Day (March24)
Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day (April 21)
Chocolate Mousse Day (May 2)
Chocolate Pudding Day (June 26)
Milk Chocolate Day (July 28)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (August 4)
Chocolate Milkshake Day (September 12)
Chocolate Cupcake Day (October 18)
Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day (November 7)

It’s fitting to give each of those days justifiable attention, but only the egalitarian Chocolate-Covered Anything Day embraces diversity and welcomes experimental pairings of all kinds. There are no rules. You have a blank canvas. Chocolate anarchy.

Brownie covered in chocolate sauce, showing cultural traditions of National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image by PxHere.)

There are no rules about chocolate on chocolate.
Photo courtesy of PxHere

Dipping Favorites

The most common “anythings” to be dipped in chocolate are favorites, such as ice cream, donuts, and things that are already chocolate, like brownies or the enigmatic morsels in the traditional chocolate box where speculative theory and intuition about what is hidden inside often lead us astray. (How do you put the dreaded toffee back after you’ve taken a bite?)

As Forrest Gump learned . . .

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

A box of chocolates, showing the cultural traditions of National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image from PxHere.)

Life’s eternal mystery—what lies within
Photo courtesy of PxHere

Gaining favor at reception chocolate fountains and chocolate fondue parties is the fruit world. Just about every fruit works well with a little chocolate coating—from everyday apples, oranges, and bananas to exotic kiwi, mangos, and watermelon.

chocolate fondue and fruit, showing cultural traditions of National Chocolate-covered Anything Day. (Photo © iStock/margoullatphotos.)

Chocolate fondue with fruit—a healthy trend
© iStock/margoullatphotos

Some food historians say that chocolate covered cherries were the first fruit to be enrobed in chocolate. This innovation arrived in the 1700s, when the French covered cherries with chocolate and kirsch (cherry brandy).

chocolate-covered cherry, showing the cultural traditions of chocolate for National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image from PxHere.)

Sweet chocolate-covered cherries, with a bit of cordial as an added bonus
Photo courtesy of PxHere

Chocolate lore gives a Chicago woman credit for the first chocolate dipped strawberries—in the 1960s. The two main ingredients were imagined aphrodisiacs, so it’s no wonder they became popular right away (and remain so today).

Chocolate-covered watermelon, showing cultural traditions of National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Photo © Meredith Mullins.)

When in doubt, try chocolate-covered watermelon.
© Meredith Mullins

Opposites Attract

As in human nature, odd pairings often make the most interesting experiments. Partnering sweet chocolate with salty and crunchy friends works well in taste and texture.

Try potato chips, pretzels, biscotti, French fries, peanut brittle, coffee beans, and pickles with a coat of chocolate. Nuts are a no brainer. They are perfect as a chocolate-coated treat.

chocolate-covered pretzels, showing cultural traditions of chocolate for National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image from PxHere.)

Partnering sweet and salty can be a successful friendship.
Photo courtesy of PxHere

As part of the creative culinary chocolate path, rubbing chocolate on steak or creating a chocolate wine sauce for beef is surprisingly good.

Mexican cultures have always used chocolate in their cooking, for example in the delicious molé sauce that combines chilies and chocolate. And don’t forget your daily servings of vegetables.

Chocolate-covered vegetables, showing cultural traditions for National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Sampling all food groups in chocolate-covered experiments
© Meredith Mullins

Although we let National Chocolate Covered Insects Day (October 14) slip by without much fanfare, we can add crunchy ants, scorpions, and crickets to the mix, since they clearly fall into the category of “anything.”

Skewered scorpions, showing cultural traditions of chocolate for National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image by PxHere.)

These scorpions are just begging to be dipped in chocolate.
Photo courtesy of PxHere

If all this insect talk has made you hungry, you can order your own chocolate covered insects from several online suppliers. My favorite is Educational Innovations (a teacher supply site) that offers edible, farm-raised, chocolate-covered insects to give brave students (and you!) a taste of another world.

Chocolate covered insects, showing the cultural traditions of National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image courtesy of Educational Innovations.)

A tasty spread of farm-raised (edible) insects
Photo courtesy of Educational Innovations

International Flare

While the idea of “national days” is associated with U.S. culture, that doesn’t stop other countries from experimenting with chocolate coverings—from chocolate-covered edamame and chow mein noodles to a range of Kit Kat chocolate bar flavors in Japan, including adzuki (red bean), hojicha (green tea), and roasted corn.

Pancakes with chocolate sauce, showing cultural traditions of chocolate for National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image by PxHere.)

Start National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day with a breakfast drizzled with chocolate.
Photo courtesy of PxHere

Celebrating the Day

Chocolate is not only versatile, but can provide health benefits. It can introduce manganese, copper, and iron into your nutrition regimen and, some experts say, can relieve stress and supply antioxidants.

So, in the spirit of the holiday season and for chocolate lovers everywhere, why not celebrate National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day in style.

Chocolate and holiday boxes in a store window, showing the cultural traditions of chocolate on National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

In the spirit of the holidays . . .
© Meredith Mullins

Sit back with a chocolate rimmed margarita and decide what inventive creations you can smother in chocolate on this special day—to pay tribute to old and new cultural traditions.

Even the chocolate carving is smiling.
Photo courtesy of PxHere

Oh, I see. With a “food of the gods” and a treasure that some say releases the same chemicals as happens when falling in love, what have you got to lose?

For ten fun chocolate facts, see the OIC chocolate story here.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/USA/Worldwide Sites

Dec

Can Art Change the World? Artivist JR Has the Answer

by Meredith Mullins on December 1, 2020

Portrait of artivist JR Artist, showing cultural diversity, social awareness, and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

French artivist JR (artist/activist)
© JR

JR’s Monumental Portraits Spark Social Awareness

There are hundreds of motivational quotes about how one person can make a difference . . . or shake the world. One person can be a revolution.

We know it’s true. There are people throughout past and recent history who changed the world—sometimes for worse . . . but mostly for better.

French artivist (artist/activist) JR is one of those people with an instinct for the positive side of change—a street revolutionary, a shaker of the world—with a simple goal of better understanding what makes us human.

His photographic projects and documentaries spark connections in a diverse world and heighten social awareness—all with his driving force of respecting differences, seeking the best of humanness, and valuing unity.

Can art change the world? JR is living proof.

Wrinkles of the City in Shanghai by Artivist JR Artist, showing social awareness and answering the question can art save the world. (Image © JR.)

JR’s Wrinkles of the City project honored senior citizens in Shanghai, Cartegena,
Havana, Berlin, Istanbul, and Los Angeles.
© JR

For People To “See” and “To Be Seen”

Although JR prefers to remain relatively anonymous (JR stands for Jean-René . . . no last name), his work has been recognizable from the start.

He is unique—from the tag he used as a defiant teenage graffiti artist (Face 3) in the early 2000’s to his first “exhibitions” pasted on the public walls of Paris and the banlieue with spray painted frames, to the now famous world-sized “pastings” of black-and-white photos on buildings, rooftops, bridges, cargo containers, trucks, and trains.

A train in Kenya with the work of Artivist JR Artist, showing cultural diversity, social awareness, and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

A train travels through the Kenya countryside, with the all-seeing eyes of local women—
a vision toward the future.
© JR

The work is not about him. It is about giving people their moment to be seen . . . to be better understood, especially when they have often been overlooked or marginalized. Women. Prisoners. Elders. War Victims. Immigrants. And just ordinary people who feel invisible.

JR started as a graffiti artist, making his presence known on illegal concrete and metal canvases (walls, buildings, and metro cars) throughout the city. His life changed one day when he found a camera left behind on the metro.

He then became what he called a photograffeur (photographer and graffiti artist), traveling with his street artist friends and capturing their fleeting adventures in the Paris area underground, alleys, and rooftops. He showed us what it was like to surreptitiously paint and run.

Artivist JR's Graffiti artist painting on a metro car, showing cultural diversity, social awareness, and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

The acrobatic adventures of a street artist
© JR

His first “exhibitions” of this work included photocopies of the images, with spray painted frames on walls and buildings so that people would be confronted by the images in this outdoor (albeit illegal) gallery—free for everyone.

A gallery on a wall in Paris by artivist JR artist, showing social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

Mon expo à moi (My own exhibit)
JR’s outdoor gallery, free for everyone
© JR

His initial documentary work came with the 2005 riots in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. He photographed the participants who were protesting what they believed to be police harassment/brutality in the poorer housing estates and made huge photos to be pasted around Paris and the suburb cities—so that passers-by would be forced to look into the faces of these disenfranchised youth.

If video does not display, watch it here.

Face 2 Face (Israel to Palestine)

JR’s next illegal project (2007) was an international one in collaboration with Marco Berrebi, where he photographed Israeli and Palestinian people in the same professions with a 28 mm lens.

This close-up approach meant that the taxi drivers, hairdressers, students, sportspeople, actors, musicians, sculptors, and police looked comically distorted. It also meant they were engaged with the photographer. They talked . . . and listened. They connected.

JR then pasted the huge black-and-white photographs in unavoidable places in eight cities in both Israel and Palestine (including on the dividing wall).

The intent and the result was that most people could not tell if the subjects were Israeli or Palestinian. The viewers no doubt smiled at the fun expressions, recognized certain similarities, and engaged in conversation about the project. More importantly, they perhaps focused on the possibility of living together as humans in peace.

Face 2 Face, the work of artivist JR artist, in the West Bank of Palestine, showing social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

Israelis and Palestinians pasted on the separation wall in Bethlehem, Palestinian side.
© JR

Woman Are Heroes

The “Women Are Heroes” project began in 2007 and stretched from Kenya to Brazil, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Sudan, Cambodia, India, Paris, and Le Havre.

JR met and photographed women who live in the midst of conflict or in challenging climate or economic conditions and who are often targets during war and victims of violence. And yet, they play a pivotal role in family and society.

As in all his projects, he then pasted the large photographs in highly visible places in the cities and villages, so that the women were “seen” and shown with dignity.

One of the most dramatic pastings was in the Morro da Providência favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this dangerous slum, the faces of the women inside the homes were shown on the outside walls, filling the hillside with haunting eyes and poignant faces. And for one brief moment, the favela was known for something other than drugs and violence.

Women are Heroes photos by artivist JR pasted on houses in the Favela Morro da Providência, Brazil, showing social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

Women Are Heroes in the Favela Morro da Providência, Brazil.
© JR

For the Kenya project, the photos that were placed on the women’s roofs were made of water resistant vinyl so that they would last longer and could protect the fragile houses during the rainy season.

Because many of the women photographed for this project asked that their stories be shared with the world, the photos were pasted on trains and trucks that traveled throughout the countries.

The ultimate journey was when JR pasted a Kenyan women’s eyes on cargo containers that were on a ship leaving Le Havre, France, bound for Malaysia. These eyes went off to see the world . . . and to be seen by the world.

Women Are Heroes photo by artivist JR in Sierra Leone, showing social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

Making the strong women of Sierra Leone visible to all
© JR

This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land

Immigration and “the wall” between the U.S. and Mexico were in the news in 2017 when JR created a project highlighting the border fence near Tecate, Mexico.

He created a giant billboard-like installation of a Mexican child innocently peeking over the fence into the United States. What does this promised land hold . . . or bar? What do we see from this Mexican border town where most everyone passing through tries to be invisible?

Artivist JR's pasting of a child looking over the USA Mexico border near Tecate Mexico, showing cultural diversity and social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

What is Kikito thinking as he peeks over the border fence into the USA?
© JR

To celebrate the day when the installation had to be removed, JR organized a picnic on both sides of the fence, with a table that was half in the U.S. and half in Mexico and a “tablecloth” that presented the eyes of a DACA dreamer.

Everyone brought food to share. Music wafted through the fence, with half the band in the U.S. and half in Mexico.

JR thought the border patrol would stop the celebration, but the party was allowed to continue. Everyone was reveling in a rare moment of unity.

Artivist JR organizes a picnic on both sides of the border fence near Tecate Mexico, showing cultural diversity and social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

An impromptu celebration of unity at the border fence between Mexico and the USA
© JR

Giving Voice to Prisoners

From the disenfranchised youth of JR’s home in the suburbs of Paris to the California Tehachapi maximum-security prison, JR focuses on making us see those we have made invisible.

For his 2019 project at the prison, he photographed prisoners, guards, and former prisoners—one by one— from above, so that when they were combined into one mural on the concrete floor of the yard, they would appear to be looking outward. Each man was also videotaped telling his story. There was no judgement. JR just wanted to listen . . . and for others to listen.

Artivist JR's pasting at the Tehachapi Prison, showing social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

Prisoners, former prisoners, and guards at the Tehachapi Prison come together
in JR’s mural pasting and look out toward . . .
© JR

The prisoners were part of the team that pasted the photos to the yard—one team building something together. The mural was ephemeral, like many of JR’s works. The pasting disappeared in three days with the normal activity of the prisoners in the yard.

If video does not display, watch it here.

As an epilogue to this project, JR returned in 2020 and pasted photographs of the Tehachapi mountains on the prison wall, making the wall disappear and morph into a mirage of freedom.

Artivist JR pastes a mural at the Tehachapi prison yard and wall, showing social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

A mirage of freedom—making the prison wall merge with the mountains
© JR

Oh, I See: Turning the World Inside Out

JR, the artivist, is prolific. His projects are too numerous to mention in one story. He has turned the Louvre pyramid into 3D time travel (2019) and has honored the elderly of the world in a project called “Wrinkles of the City” (2008-2015).

Artivist JR's installation at the Louvre in Paris in 2019, showing social awareness and answering the question can art change the world. (Image © JR.)

JRs 2019 3D optical illusion at the Louvre pyramid in Paris
© JR

He continues to expand our social awareness and invent creative ways to shine a light on those who need to be more visible in the name of fairness and equality.

Can art change the world? JR’s foundation of that name hopes so.

One thing is certain. JR believes that art can change the way we see the world and the amazing humans that inhabit this planet. He will continue to open our eyes so that we can see and be seen. Onward . . .

See also JR’s 2017 film with Agnes Varda entitled Visages/Villages (Faces/Places) and his organization Can Art Change The World.

Thank you to JR and Agence VU.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Cultural Diversity/The World's Photography/USA/Worldwide Sites

Jun

On a Wing and a Dare

by Joyce McGreevy on June 15, 2020

A flight attendant and a passenger keeping an air travel diary during the pandemic wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Planes are flying again, but are passengers?
© Joyce McGreevy

An Air Traveler’s Diary in the Pandemic

I love flying. As a pilot’s daughter, I’ve always felt at home in the sky. But airline travel in a pandemic? Opening my travel diary, I scrawl something I’ve never felt before: I dread the airport.

Ballyshane, Ireland

When the world went into lockdown, I was pet-sitting in Ireland. I had a guest cottage, the solitude writers crave, and nature’s beauty. Who’d leave that to fly on a wing and a dare?

But I missed my family, which had grown by three since I’d left the U.S.

It was time to return.

Before COVID-19, planning travel between countries was as easy as when Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz clicked her ruby-shod heels together. A few taps on an app and you were good to go.

But as travel restrictions spread globally, the number of flights per day plummeted—an 84% decrease in Europe alone. In North America, falloff was even greater. By April, some airlines were flying 97% fewer passengers than usual.

A lone airline passenger waits in the boarding area of an international airport during the pandemic. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

By April, Irish air travel had collapsed 90 percent due to COVID-19 restrictions.
© Joyce McGreevy

Ready for Takeoff?

Hey, that was easy, I think after booking two nonstop flights from Ireland to Oregon. Two cancellations and several phone calls later, I face four flights, five airports, four bus rides, and two hotel stays.

Cork, Hour 1

Ireland’s national bus system leaves nothing to chance. The 60-seat bus to Dublin Airport has room for just 14. All other seats have been blocked off.

Seats on a bus in Ireland are blocked off during the pandemic to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Meanwhile, there’s bad news for riders collecting loved ones at the airport. Air travelers arriving from other countries, citizens or not, are prohibited from taking the bus until they’ve self-quarantined.

“They must go straight home and stay home for 14 days,” stresses the driver.

“But how will they get there?” asks a passenger.

Good question.

Dublin, Hour 8

Reduced schedules necessitate arriving the day before my flight. At Dublin Airport there are no people, no shuttles. To access the hotel, I walk across six lanes of highway. There are no cars.

But all is not post-apocalyptic.

Amid the industrial landscape, a meadow blooms and so does an “Oh, I see” moment: Even when the destination is what drives you, there will be moments to appreciate along the way.

A meadow at Dublin Airport during the pandemic offers a moment of respite worth noting in on air traveler’s diary. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

From habit, I check in three hours early. After clearing multiple security checkpoints, this leaves . . . about three hours to wait.

Airline check-in kiosks at Dublin International Airport during the pandemic stand idle, as the author contemplates flying “on a wing and dare.” (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

How strange to board a spacious airbus with only a few others. My nearest fellow passenger is seven rows and two aisles away. Stranger still not to hear the multilingual murmur of global travelers.

I assume the Aer Lingus crew will treat us warily, but they’re cordial as always.

“We’re thrilled to be working again,” says the flight supervisor.

Between Irish hospitality and the blue horizon, eight hours in the air pass quickly.

Chicago, Hour 33

At O’Hare a customs officer questions me about a list of “forbidden” countries. Have I visited Iran? Iraq? What about China?

“No, but I’d like to someday” turns out not to be the correct answer.

“Ma’am, just say yes or no.”

People with the Center for Disease Control ask me similar questions, take my temperature, and send me on my way.

“That’s it?” I ask, relieved and alarmed all at once.

“That’s it.”

In Chicago, where I once lived, I call a friend and we muse about the strangeness of not meeting up.

“How many flights do you have left?”

“One more—”

“That’s good.”

“—today, that is. Two more tomorrow.”

“Yikes. Thank goodness they’re practically empty.”

“Yes, United’s blocking seats.”

“All the middle seats, right?”

On the flight to Los Angeles, United blocks a total of two seats. The crew passes out boxes of snacks “pre-wrapped for safety.” Many passengers then spend the flight with masks dangling under chins, chomping vigorously.

With gratitude for inflight HEPA filters, I add layers of protective gear: goggles, mask, latex gloves, headphones, voluminous shawl. By the time the packed flight lumbers into the air, I look like a mannequin that has been fabric-wrapped by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Normally, my cure for anxiety is deep breathing. Under the circumstances, I opt for non-respiratory therapy—gazing at calming images on my phone:

Photos of Irish terriers have a calming effect on an anxious air traveler who’s flying “on a wing and prayer” during the pandemic, as noted in her travel diary. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

This works until the captain mentions that our plane has 367,000 working parts, which he plans to “drive like a rental car.”

I land at LAX one hour early and many decades older.

Los Angeles, Hour 42

That night I fill my travel diary with reasons to be grateful:

My suitcase is still with me.
I know the friendly hotel staff from previous stays.
The takeout food actually tastes like food.

But that isn’t all.

Everywhere I’ve been—from bus seat to airplane cabin, from hotel bedrooms, with their countless contact points, to airport restrooms with innumerable surfaces—everything has been thoroughly disinfected.

That cleanliness hasn’t happened by magic.

Every day despite the pandemic, someone’s mother or father wakes in the dark, commutes long distances, and works hard to keep public spaces safe.

Then it hits me, in a blinding flash of the obvious: A smile, a thank you, a tip is not enough. To live a healthy life while maintaining the health of others, essential workers need living wages.

Seattle, Hour 54

Next morning I fly north, then backtrack south. Despite fewer flights, LAX and SEA-TAC look surprisingly busy.

Alaska Airlines sets a high standard for safety, limiting ticket sales and spacing passengers apart. Their terminal alone provides ample visual and verbal reminders to maintain social distance.

A floor marker at Alaska Airlines terminal in Los Angeles, as noted in an air traveler’s diary, reminds passengers to practice social distancing during the pandemic. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

This is no small thing. In all four U.S airports, wherever cues are lacking, travelers fall back into old habits.

In Seattle, for instance, food stands have been painstakingly modified for safety, but not communal tables. So while a few diners seek out isolated areas, most cluster together. When you’re tired or distracted, it’s easy to forget.

Bend, Oregon

Three weeks later, my sister Erin and I hike forested trails in brisk mountain air. After months of living on the Irish coast, I’m acclimating to high-altitude breathing.

Will I travel by air again? Absolutely . . . someday. For now, moving into an apartment near family—after five years of living out of a suitcase—is all the travel adventure I need.

If you’re flying soon, try these tips:

Be flexible. With passenger numbers low, itinerary changes are more common. Example: You book a 2pm nonstop, which gets cancelled, and the airline re-books you on connecting flights with a 7am departure. Request more options or a refund, but know that all airlines’ schedules are in flux.
Stay current. The TSA allows up to 12 ounces of liquid hand sanitizer per passenger in carry-on bags.
Be self-regulating. Only one stop on my itinerary modified the use of elevators for social distancing. Elsewhere, customers crammed into elevators, onto escalators, and other areas without signage. Be attentive and take your time.
Seat yourself. With fewer flights, some airlines are packing, not blocking, seats. Most economy sections feature a few rows with two seats only, including the roomier bulkhead. Some carriers offer single-seat rows. For more space, make a modest bid to upgrade. With fewer passengers competing, your chances of success are good.
Keep a travel diary. At a minimum, use your phone or tablet to organize a digital file of important information on flights, insurance, hotel, and ground transportation.
Notice positives. The best stress reducer is acknowledging the essential workers who are doing their best to ensure your travel goes smoothly—even as they are impacted by the weaker economy and pandemic-related changes to airport procedures. They, too, are traveling on a wing and a dare.
© Joyce McGreevy

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 16 Comments

Ireland/Life Lessons/Rides (Land, Sea, Air)/USA

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