rwoman

Hi all!

In all of this travel craziness, one thing I admittedly take great humor and some level of pride in is the variety of decals on my hardsided suitcase. In each place I visit, I take some level of care to find the right decal/sticker for that place. In the last day or so, a blog post from 2013 criticizing 13.1 stickers emerged within the running community and social media.

This has had me thinking about all those stickers on my bag...and travel, running, and the other crazy things some of us do.

As some of you already know, I ran my first marathon (London) this past April and the second (Chicago) a couple of weeks ago. As others had done, I'd always said, "I'd like to see if I can run a marathon." and I wanted to follow through. Just over a year ago, I committed to run London and was very proud of my achievement - a lot of time, effort, etc. went into covering 26.2 that day just over 6 months ago!

What went on the side of my hard suitcase a few days after the London Marathon? An oval 26.2 sticker. It goes along with country flags, city stickers, flamingos, Mickey Mouse, and other random stickers/decals I've found along the way. EVERY time I look at that 26.2, it makes me happy... and, to me at least, it SHOULD; while I am the one who ran London and Chicago, a tremendous number of people supported my effort, including friends, family, FTers, and other frequent flyers. Part of the reason it makes me so happy is all of the people who follow my crazy running trials and tribulations.

The blog post (from 2013) that re-emerged, provoking a resurgence in comments: Why we all hate your 13.1 sticker

So, as you can see, my 13.1 and 26.2 stickers apparently insult others...at least according to this guy...I'd apologize if my travel/running stickers insult my fellow travelers, but they're about me, not the proverbial "you." Not to mention the challenge of finding "the right" sticker or decal!

***
Yesterday, a running blogger replied - Why We Love Your Post, "Why We All Hate Your 13.1 Stickers"

From her post, I think this encapsulates a bit of how I feel about having completed 26.2:

This was the case when I finished Chicago and London. It was hard on me, but my cheering section spanned far beyond the city streets. My sister (who hates running) traipsed ALL over Chicago and part of London. Friends and family cheered me from all over the world via email and facebook. FTers and fellow FFers encouraged me here. It really is amazing.

***
And social media being what it is, the (tech) blogger replied:

More Thoughts on that 13.1 Sticker

***

I guess within the FFer community, we're also "guilty" as we display elite tags, priority tags, seek out access to fast track, love/hate PreCheck, etc. We also talk about DYKWIA moments.

It's funny though, when running I'll NEVER be the fastest and I could easily be the slowest (yes, I've finished LAST in a local half marathon before; it was awful)...and those stickers have a lot of meaning behind them...

OMG...priority tags, DL FRAGILE sticker, and a 26.2 decal all on the same bag!


The bag pictured below (26.2 and 13.1 are on the other side...sorry), has provoked much discussion with others, become easily identifiable, and even helped another FTer find me at NRT for the last Japan DO.


***

So, I put it to my fellow FTers:

- Are travel (or other) stickers/decals insulting? This could also apply to bag tags (elite, priority, etc.)
- Is displaying our interest in travel or that we do so often over the top?
- What about FT tags?!

I know most of us do not like the DYKWIA mentality; I didn't think I was being a DYKWIA by virtue of my (cheap, mind you) hard sided suitcase with a bunch of stickers on it that reflect some of the things I care about and the places I've been.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

KevinDTW

Your bags look great -- you earned the 26.2/13.1 stickers the hard way and you can display them as you like! And from a practical standpoint, the more distinctive your luggage is, the better. But who is that crazy-looking pink critter who keeps sticking his head into the bottom left of your pictures -- you might want to check into that...

dchristiva

Agreed on all points! ^

enviroian

Putting status tags on your luggage, briefcase etc is very cheesy and total DYKWIA. I've never done it, being gold through 1K over the years.

ETA: I'm not talking about your running marathon tags. That's not cheesy. It's impressive.

IIIIIIIIIIllllllllll

I purposely put my old silver medallion tags and prominently display it whenever I sit on F

Oh all the whisperings of DMs& PMs who are passing through saying "how the hell did a silver get an upgrade before us?"

Badenoch

I don't have a need to boast about my airline status, places I've been, country of origin or personal accomplishments to complete strangers at the airport but go right ahead if it makes you happy. You've earned your bragging rights so use them as you see fit even if some of those strangers regard the practice as somewhat juvenile.

rwoman

But Kevin, Floyd is everywhere! Keeps sneaking into my bag...

And making appearances here - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...cots-here.html

deniah

i find the elite tags really superfluous. most the ones ive been sent dont have fields for identification.

and the luggage i have come with tags/pouches for contact info. some external. some internal.

guilty of sticker though. 1 check-in piece has a brewery sticker on it. another has my alma mater logo.

Hengilas

The author of that 'why we hate the 13.1 stickers' REALLY needs to get a life. I can't believe he lets something like that bother him so much.

Doppy

I'd be happy to do away with elite wallet cards entirely, but some airlines and airline lounges want to see them. And in any case, unless someone is going through your wallet, they'll never know you have one.

Bag tags do perform one service - if the bag is lost, the tag immediately associates your bag with an airline and that, combined with your name (also on the tag), increases the chances of a speedy recovery. If the airline's bag routing tag comes off somewhere in the process, this is a backup, if it's a carry-on, it's a primary.

Sure most bags also have their own tags or a (usually hidden) compartment somewhere with your contact information, but neither sending a letter to my home address nor calling me if I'm in the air or otherwise unreachable is likely to be as fast as getting the bag to the airline, which can immediately see where I am. Elite tags are free and have this info.

Elite tags also cut down on line checkers asking for proof of eligibility to use elite lines.

I don't really care what other people think of them one way or another.

mbloes

I do the city / country sticker thing on my hard luggage.

Interestingly, though, a lot of places don't even make stickers for souvenirs anymore (or at least I can't find them).

On our recent trip to Singapore / Bangkok / Manila, only Manila did us right by having RP stickers available.

So what I've resorted to now is buying them on ebay. Not only can you find great contemporary stickers, but a lot of sellers have these fantastic vintage stickers from, say, iconic hotels (such as the Peninsula Hong Kong).

dchristiva

Agreed!

Go run 13.1 miles and tell me that's not worth advertising on the back of your car! I totally think it signifies an accomplishment, not an "I'm better than you" attitude.

chgoeditor

I'm in the "I don't care one way or another" category. The stickers are there because they please you, so it hardly matters what anyone else things. I'm on the other end of the spectrum...I prefer that my things look as close to pristine as possible, so I'd never put stickers on my suitcase, laptop, car or other possessions.

prncess674

I don't mind the 13.1 sticker but what I do have disdain for the elite stickers and luggage tags from years gone by. I have no need to flash my status. I also wonder sometimes about the folks that have old elite tags on their bags. When I see the old tags I just assume that they were once elite and are now trying to pretend they are still elite and slip through the lines.

mbloes

I think you're reading to much into it; it's just something fun and funky and retro that I enjoy doing. I mean, we're all in the airport, we're all traveling, we're all doing the same thing so I don't think anyone else really thinks of it as "boasting".

And I'm sure that over my 58 years many of my "practices" have been considered as somewhat juvenile, but this probably isn't one of them.

But now, Badenoch, you've gone and raised the bar so now I want to be as mature and adult as you!