Ideal travel experience

I've been thinking a lot about travel lately.

What would your notion of an "ideal" travel experience be, assuming no limitations save those of natural laws?

I've some ideas, many of which won't be very popular. I'll post them as time permits.

Are we restricted to current technology and staying on earth or earth orbit?

Quote: kenarman

Are we restricted to current technology and staying on earth or earth orbit?

No.

Just don't exceed the speed of light.

I rather like driving. I know, I'm not much help =p

But really, there's something about it that I really enjoy. I like seeing the country from the ground level. I like rolling fields, and walls of trees, and different birds and animals running around. I like seeing a highway cut into a hillside, or span over a deep canyon. I like envisioning how it was before it was there and imagining what it was like to build. I like being able to go when I want, and stop when I want. I like having control.

This is of course dependent on a number of factors, not all of which are under my control. Tolls, speed limits, road conditions, other people, and the car you're in can turn a dream into a nightmare, and vice versa. But all things considered, it is my favorite.

My ideal travel experience would be driving in a hot car. Something that is fun. Maybe a 'Cuda, maybe a Datsun 510, something that does something well. It has to have a racing type seat and be adjustable, so that I can be comfortable. The weather needn't be great, but it does have to be interesting. Could be a beautifully warm summer day, could be a constant, drenching rain, could be 8' of snow. Just as long as it isn't boring. Roads must be smooth. They don't have to be "good" or of a certain type. Could be crazy mountain switchbacks, could be rolling through the country, could be arrow straight through the desert. It just can't be a pockmarked mess. People can be present, but only to a level where I am never forced to maintain a speed I don't want to be at. No tolls, no crazy traffic clogs, no rush hour. And no speed limits would surely be the icing on the cake. But that's pretty much it.

A fighter jet flying MOE would be about the only thing that would top it, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal. And expensive =p

Quote: Face

A fighter jet flying MOE would be about the only thing that would top it, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal. And expensive =p

I fail to understand the acronym.

In any case, you can buy used fighter planes and fly them, with many caveats (no weapons, for one). I don't think you could buy any Western jet fighter, but I recall old MiG's being sold in the mid-90s. In the US, several people own old, old WWII P-51 Mustangs.

My ideal flight would not include a 5 hour layover in Miami tomorrow. Fortunately, my ideal flight would include two free plane tickets to the Caribbean which I have.

Assuming commercial air travel, my ideal would be something like this:

An early morning flight, say 7 am, with coach seats and service as it used to be in the 1980s. That is, reasonable leg room, complimentary drinks and snacks, complimentary meals in flights over 90 minutes, a smoking section. But with modern amenities like a live flight map (either on seat back or overhead), take off and landing camera, and WiFi (free or for about $15 per flight). Also two checked bags and carry on included in the fare.

This seems so tame that one would think my expectations have fallen. So let's add this: supersonic flight.

Naturally this would be more expensive, but let's say no more than 15%-20% over current fares. Imagine flying from MEX to Vegas in under an hour, or from JFK to LAX in just over an hour. One might not miss the legroom, meal, entertainment or WiFi that way.

One more thing, I'd love to ride in the cockpit. Not for a regular, subsonic flight lasting several hours (it would get boring). But for a 50+ minute supersonic jaunt, you bet!

I once visited a cockpit in mid flight. This was an Aeromexico DC-8 flying from Tijuana to MEX in the summer of 1980. What I recall most vividly was how amazing the forward view is. IT's nothing at all like looking out the tiny side windows. The only thing that remotely compares is the view from the landing camera, in planes so equipped. Even then video loses the immediacy and scope of looking out through clear glass.

Back then visits to the cockpit were not unheard of, but largely confined to children. I won't say how old I was then, but it was about my last chance.

It's too bad modern jet designers have not thought, or pushed for, a forward-facing observation area. Oh, you can't do it at all in most planes. In double-deckers like the 747 or the A380 it would be very difficult.

On the other hand, til the 50s or so, bombers commonly had a "chin" below the cockpit, where the navigator and bombardier sat. They needed the forward view to check landmarks and point the bombsights. This gave way by the 60s or even earlier, but the idea might have been exported to civilian jets.

these days, though, a cheap camera, even HD, can be planted anywhere and the video piped tot he in-flight screens. So we won't see forward observation decks ever.

Quote: Nareed

a smoking section.

Anyone pining for the good old days of air travel has to be a smoker. 150 people sharing an 80ft tube, 11 feet in diameter that contains a smoking section. It's so absurd, it's hard to believe they actually did it.

Quote: JimRockford

Anyone pining for the good old days of air travel has to be a smoker. 150 people sharing an 80ft tube, 11 feet in diameter that contains a smoking section. It's so absurd, it's hard to believe they actually did it.

I thought I'd taken that out, it really wouldn't be necessary on a supersonic flight... my bad.

I understand that planes featured a non-smoking section rather than a specially designated smoking one. The effect might be the same, but there is a big difference. Until maybe the 90s smoking was commonly allowed just about everywhere. For instance, you could smoke inside malls while shopping (though maybe not in the stores themselves). In Disney World there were ashtrays all over the place.