I often fly alone for work and every flight is a crapshoot. I never know who I’m going to sit next to, and honestly, I don’t get a lot of winners. I’ve had my share of crying children and grandmothers who are very sweet, but whose conversations eventually evolve into detailed descriptions of their entire family history. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t mind small talk during long flights, as long as  it’s somewhat engaging. One of my favorite experiences was sitting next to a very nice older man with a passion for collecting vinyl. We had an awesome talk about rock icons of the ’60-’80s, and we actually still keep in touch on social media.

I’m a salesperson, so I fly quite a bit. I’ve even closed deals on flights — it’s easy enough if you happen to be sitting next to the right person. You could be stuck on a plane or in an airport for hours on end, so why not use the time wisely, right? I remember one time when I met a person running a small food delivery startup. Coincidentally, my company has a department dedicated to working with restaurant chains, and it turned out we offered some of the services he’d been looking for. We talked through the whole flight, and a week afterwards, he signed up as a customer!

I fly on a regular basis, but I really don’t enjoy sitting in one place for a long time. That’s why I prefer to fall asleep as soon as the plane takes off, making the time pass faster. But, to my chagrin, this does not always happen. Half the time, there’s some chatterer nearby who wants to talk about everything in the world or, even worse, their problems. I don’t know why people do it! I mean, I’m not a psychologist. My ideal seatmate is either someone who is asleep or is so quiet they might as well be.

I’m the mother of a 3-year-old boy, and, from time to time, we have to fly. Unfortunately, this often turns into an ordeal both for us and for our fellow travelers. Traveling with a child, as anyone who has done it will know, isn’t exactly easy. Children my son’s age can’t control their needs and emotions the way adults can, so on a long flight they often get restless and start to whine and misbehave. That said, there was one flight that I remember actually being quite pleasant and it was because we were seated next to a lovely woman and her daughter, who was just a bit older than my son. Our children got along well and spent the entire flight entertaining each other, which was a big relief for me and, I’m sure, the passengers around us!