Andy Rooney: I'm Staying Home
The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney .
It would be good if someone could find a way to make money by talking people out of going anywhere this summer.
The airlines are predicting that even though there may be fewer travelers, they're going to be more crowded then ever. That's partly because airlines have scheduled fewer flights and partly, I think, because they just don't give a damn.
Going someplace will be more time-consuming and more expensive than ever too. Don't even mention less comfortable. I don't mind hearing about it because I'm not going anywhere this summer that I can't get to on foot or by car. The airlines can count me out.
I'd like to fly to London to see my daughter Ellen and I'd like to fly to Los Angeles to see son Brian and his family but I can't face the flight to either place. I have the money - I just don't have the patience. If the airlines are crowded this summer, it's going to be with people other than me.
When you consider how expensive and uncomfortable travel can be, it's surprising that so many of us choose to go somewhere so often. Where we get to is almost never as good as where we came from.
It would be interesting too if it were possible to compare what people spend on a Saturday when they stay around home with what they spend if they're on a trip.
I am almost certain that I spend more staying home on a weekend than I spend when we're traveling.
When you travel, you know how much gas costs, how much meals are, and how much a hotel room is going to be.
At home you never know how much you're going to spend or what you're going to spend it on.
Saturdays can be very expensive.
Written by Andy Rooney