International travel has been stripped bare with the arrival of the Eurostar service and an increase of low budget airlines throughout the UK and Europe. The Eurostar is a perfect example of making travel effortless and quick, however it is inarguably void of the glamour and excitement once associated with international travel.
For all its well-intended ease and speed, international travel has become boring, travellers no longer feel pampered or important. Films such as The Aviator depict a time when international travel was a big deal, it was exciting. Waiting in airports and the flights were an enchanting and fascinating experience. But not any more.
The operators ofcourse would argue differently, they would claim that they have still managed to create a travellers caste system that would rival anything you would find in India.
At the top echelon is the Business and Premier passenger, not only are they treated to a separate area with plush seats and refreshments, their superiority is further accented because their “Premier” area is only separated from the common traveller through clear glass. Staring into a goldfish bowl of laptops and suits, is the only way those yearning for such luxury can vicariously experience the lives of the other half.
This is how everyone used to feel when travelling- any traveller used to feel somewhat successful and exclusive if only for the duration of their flight and airport waiting time, which was incontrovertibly a lot longer than the 30 minute check in time required by the Eurostar, but wasn’t that part of the charm? On the most basic level international travel made the average Joe feel exclusive and important. This is no longer a liberty allowed to those who cannot afford the exorbitant Business or First Class fares. The industy has been stripped of all the pleasures that once made the average Joe traveller feel, if only for a day, glamorous.
As much as we all love to get cheap and efficient travel, the glamour and excitement of travel is dead.
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