I love travelling. Discovering new restaurants, sipping inventive cocktails, admiring old architecture, meeting new people. I am easily entertained people watching—imagining what others’ lives are like. Never having worked in the corporate world in a big city, I’m fascinated by the pace and culture at big companies. Travelling affords me an escape from day-to-day life and also reaffirms to me that I’m living I life I should be, albeit a bit slower-paced, in Vermont.

But, I also hate travelling. The constant vibration of city life can be energizing, but the hustle and bustle (especially for extended periods) stresses me out. Cab drivers weaving in and out of traffic make me nauseous. Flight delays and other unforeseen inconveninences don’t allow me to have as much control over my life as I like. Not to forget the expense of air travel and the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B.

Whenever I am flying back to Vermont, a sense of calm hits me when I (finally) park myself at the gate headed for BTV. These are my people... They act differently, striking up conversations with each other, offering someone next to them a seat, and in general, are more approachable than the majority of people you might meet in an airport—at least I think so. They aren’t wearing suits, or even a tie, and rarely make up (hello Danskos or Merrills, flannel and Patagonia vests. Yes, I’m sterotyping.) I truly feel a sense of community with these people, my fellow Vermonters, headed back to our slower lives and simple pleasures.

Once I get on the plane, I’m always interested to see who I’m sitting next to. I wouldn’t consider myself a naturally chatty person with people I don’t know, but, for some reason, I always end up striking up a conversation with Burlington-bound travellers. These conversations also reaffirm that we are all interconnected, especially in a state like Vermont.

I’ve sat next to people who work for Burton and Keurig Green Mountain, and we always discover we have colleagues in common from other work experiences in Vermont. I’ve been seated next to fellow Middlebury College grads, travelling back to revisit campus. Most recently, I sat next to a woman who is the chairman of a school board in a tiny Vermont town that uses our digital world language courses (the ones I spend most of my waking hours marketing). We chatted about breweries in the state, places to find the best burger, gardening, canning, her Angora rabbits and Cashmere goats, and her side business as a wool spinner. She’s someone I could see myself grabbing a beer with, or meeting her for dinner at Ariel’s, a restaurant in Brookfield she told me about that I’m excited to try.

To me, the best part about travelling is coming home to Vermont and realizing how much I appreciate the people I am surrounded by and the community I am fortunate to live in.