People often ask me how often I travel. My standard answer is “a lot.”
As a traveling evangelist and the primary spokesperson for Dare 2 Share, I’m in planes, trains and automobilies much of the time…well, not trains (it just sounded good.)
While many people hate travel, I don’t. I’m kinda wired for it.
But I don’t love everything about traveling. If I’m honest there are a few things I do hate when it comes to criss-crossing this nation for the sake of the gospel.
So here are some of the things I love and a few of the things that I hate about traveling:
- I love… the excitement of traveling to a new city to make new youth ministry friends and an old city to visit old youth ministry friends.
- I hate… leaving my wife and kids so much. Facetime is no replacement for face time.
- I love… Southwest Airlines. The people there (from reservation people to pilots to flight attendants to mechanics) genuinely seem to love their jobs and love the people they get to serve. Plus…free snacks!
- I hate… Frontier Airlines. I don’t hate the people (sin!), I hate their system (sin?) Checked bags cost $. Cups of coffee cost $. Snacks cost $. Service stinks. Angry people. Late flights. Blah, blah, blah.
- I love… flying! Even on a bad day, on the worst airlines (you know who you are), it’s still better than traveling by covered wagon!
- I hate… the wait to get off the airplane. It’s when I get a little claustrophobic. Open the door and get out already! I can’t breathe!
- I love… renting with National Car Rental. As part of their “Emerald Club” (sounds fancy), I can just pick a car and drive. No line waiting necessary.
- I hate… traffic. When I travel by car, I try to avoid it at all costs, usually by leaving way earlier than necessary.
- I love… trying new coffee shops/restaurants. Usually locals know all the best places. HINT: Cops know all the best food places that are both tasty and cheap! I’ve literally popped into a Boston police station before to find out where to eat and they pointed me in the right direction! By the way, it was called the “No Name Restaurant“…and it was great!
- I hate… it when someone’s been smoking in a non-smoking hotel room. Being raised in a smoker’s house, I know the smell of cigarette smoke, even if it’s been covered over by Lysol and air freshner. Once you get that smell on your clothes and in your nostrils, you just can’t shake it.
- I love… getting to meet new youth leaders on the road who have yet to been fully gospelized! My prayer is that, by the time I leave them, they are on the path!
- I love… being able to share the gospel with people on the plane. Instead of just diving in with “Hey, if this plane were to crash do you know you’d go to heaven?” I just start asking questions and, almost inevitably the conversation turns (with a little help) toward spiritual things.
- I love… being able to take my family on specific ministry trips. As I type these words, my 12-year-old daughter is sitting next to me as we get ready to board a flight to New York City. While there, not only will I train youth leaders in Brooklyn, but we will get a chance to see a Broadway show, hang out in Central Park and maybe jaunt over to the Statue of Liberty. As I told my two kids long ago, “Daddy’s going to be gone a lot but you two are going to have an unforgettable childhood.” I love taking my family with me!
- I love… seeing what God does as a result of these countless road trips. From personal e-mails, to Facebook posts, to blog comments, I am constantly encouraged that life on the road is worth it so that we can energize the church, to mobilize their youth, to gospelize their world!
In the end, I love life on the road way more than the handful of inconveniences that accompany the travel life.
