Travelers move through Washington Dulles International Airport on May 22, 2026 in Dulles, United States. The American Automobile Association (AAA) expects a record 45 million Americans to travel over Memorial Day weekend, with highways and airports nationwide preparing for one of the busiest holiday travel periods on record despite rising fuel and airfare costs. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/TNS)
Getting on an airplane has become the perfect metaphor for life in America. On the one hand, flying has become cheaper and more accessible. On the other, it has become more stratified and stressful. Sure, everyone likes those $199 fares, but no one likes having to shuffle through the first-class cabin, where the amenities are right in your face, on their way to their middle seat in coach, where there is no room in the overhead bins.
Via Ferrata, anyone? It’s an assisted high-alpine, high-adrenaline climbing adventure, I learned at Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico.
Travelers move through Washington Dulles International Airport on May 22, 2026 in Dulles, United States. The American Automobile Association (AAA) expects a record 45 million Americans to travel over Memorial Day weekend, with highways and airports nationwide preparing for one of the busiest holiday travel periods on record despite rising fuel and airfare costs. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/TNS)
