Header Image Crispin Semmens via Creative Commons
Travel drag. You’ve been there…
Bleary-eyed, you stumble down the steps of an overnight train. Suddenly your rollaboard suitcase catches a wheel and goes into a barrel roll. You feel your wrist begin to twist and with that first spark of pain, time slows…
You’re presented with a set of discrete choices:
- Let go and hope that souvenir bottle of wine you’re toting doesn’t tie-dye your wardrobe a shade of Cabernet.
- Struggle madly against the inevitable and leave it to your travel buddy to immortalize the split-second before everything came crashing down in a Facebook post featuring you… looking like a drowning camel… on roller-skates.
- Execute a kung-fu flip.*
*Note: only available to ace travel ninjas.
Unfortunately, before you can read choice ‘3’, your chin rebounds off of the train platform and you’re horking like an orca with your gear spread out around you. It’s a total yard sale. Half the city tromps by, laughing behind their hands.
Kim via Creative Commons
Sorry to make you re-live that one. At least you weren’t kicked or spat on. Much. Mop the tears from your eyes. Then, read on.
**If you identified with the above anecdote, you may be a victim of Travel Drag.
Travel Drag
/ˈtravəl drag/ noun
- Anything that slows you down, mentally or physically, from reaching your destination.
- An act of travel that results in you, face down, horking like said orca. SEE ABOVE^
WARNING: Travel Drag is baked into inferior gear.
TRavel Drag – Common symptoms:
1. You notice a laptop-like clang when you set your bag down at a cafe.
The sleeve on your bag was only designed to function while strapped firmly to your back.
2. The shutter finger on your camera hand is losing its fast twitch.
Your camera now spends most of its time stuffed down the side of your top-loading barrel bag, out of reach.
3. Your gear is built for combat, so it’s no surprise that it looks out of place at a conference.
Trust us, you won’t be asked to rappel down to your seat.
4. You’re forced to set your bag down to dig for your passport…
…multiple times per airport.
5. You’re a master juggler of travel documents because your bag has every pocket type…
…except the one that’s convenient.
6. You are greeted warmly at restaurants by the maître d…
…but are forced to explain repeatedly that you are not carrying a parachute and would prefer not to check your ‘luggage.’
7. You suffer from frequent attacks of ‘Sad Bear’ face on the road.
Martin Belam via Creative Commons
Stop blaming yourself and take action!
Share your “best” Travel Drag experience with us using #traveldrag wherever you hang out on social.
Meanwhile, we’ll keep making gear that gets out of your way, so you can get on the road.
