I was recently listening to the radio when I heard a story about a family that was plagued with unlucky vacations year after year. It seemed as though anything that could go wrong would go wrong and the story really got me thinking about my own travel stories and the luck that followed me. Was my luck because of the places I went or the people I went with? Or was my because of the small routines I fit into every vacation? Superstition seems to be a part of a lot of common activities: sports, theatre, holidays, and most of travel.
Personally, whenever I travel I have to start my voyage by writing in my journal the moment the plane takes off. This is my tradition and I feel uneasy if I cannot perform this small activity. I don’t necessarily look at this as a superstition, but I think the unease that follows it not being done gives the activity value as a superstition.
“Don’t start a voyage on a Friday”
There are many superstitions that seem to go with travel that we barely even notice. Simple sayings like “don’t start a voyage on a Friday” have been used for centuries and though I don’t know where it started it has evolved from being a maritime saying to being used for all forms of travel. Why not start a voyage on a Friday? I see Friday as a casual day, a day that I can wear jeans to work and drink a cocktail before the weekend begins, but in Christian religions Friday has long been seen as unlucky as this is the day that Christ was crucified. Friday the 13th is even more unlucky as it is paired with one of the most unlucky numbers as we can see in the next travel superstitions.
13
There are so many movies out there that monopolize people’s fear of the number 13. There is even a name of the phobia: triskaidekaphobia. I never knew this fear went so far as airlines purposefully removing the row 13 from some of their planes. Airplane travelers even go so far as requesting being seated anywhere but row 13 or seat 13.
Many hotels and buildings don’t even use floor 13. I remember long ago during my elementary days when we went to a hotel with some of my friends and the doors opened on the thirteenth floor, a floor completely under construction and that had such a ghostly atmosphere that we pressed the door close button screaming with terror.
Lucky Charms
My brother had this really gross rabbits foot that was dyed purple when we were younger. I wanted to vomit whenever I caught site of it and he mocked me terribly. For my brother though the strange faux rabbit’s foot was a token of luck. He put it in his tennis bag before matches and rubbed it three times before playing any games. I thought it was gross and anything but lucky, but many people find solace in strange objects like that rabbit’s foot when they are traveling. I have seen people rubbing their necklaces before flights or even taking out a tattered blanket.
Like the journal I bring with me whenever I fly some people reach for their lucky charms before leaving the house and absolutely cannot forget it (read my last blog the necessities of travel items to make sure you don’t forget the rest of your important items)
Superstitions once you arrive
I have found that most travel superstitions deal with the actual act of traveling and getting to your destination and returning safely, but everywhere you visit there are superstitions that lay in waiting. Rubbing Abraham Lincoln’s nose at his tomb in Springfield, Ill. apparently brings you good luck. Throwing a coin in the water of the Trevi Fountain in Rome with make sure you return to the magical city. I visited the Blarney castle in Ireland and if you kiss the blarney stone you apparently get the gift of gab (I’m still working on mastering it though).
All sorts of superstitions follow travel around like a lost puppy. I’m not one to follow many traditions, but when it comes to travel nothing seems like overkill. What superstitions do you follow when you travel?
