It started in the 60s with my desire to volunteer on the Starship Enterprise, but Captain James T. Kirk took the top spot and Mr. Spock secured First Officer. When you factor in Dr. McCoy, Mr. Scott, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and the full contingent of other essential crew members, there was just not an extra berth for me.
Later, following a year in Europe living and loving in a Volkswagen Van, I found myself crossing the Atlantic on a "tramp" Yugoslavian freighter from Lisbon to New York. The ship was far from ordinary with Portuguese stowaways running from the Salazar dictatorship, smugglers, card sharks and an array of other exotic characters.
Arriving home, I quickly took note of the excitement of traveling. After a career as a professor of education, children grown up with careers of their own, my lovely wife and I once again, trekked, cruised and flew to visit wonderful places on all seven continents.
We're still going strong!
Along the way, I have asked thousands of questions of strangers on the street, innumerable directions from folks at airport Travel Information kiosks, hotels, car rental agencies, airport ambassadors, taxi drivers and anyone else that would stop long enough to listen and answer my queries.
It occurred to me that as we continue our travels, I could "give back" in a more formal way. ENTER, Traveler's Aid of the Inland Empire. I volunteer at an international airport that I love! It's exciting...there are people of all ages who have questions, seek information, encouragement, reinforcement, assistance or simply a smile and voice of "Welcome." I'm a genuine, trained volunteer wearing a red vest with wings and the Traveler's Aid logo and an array of national flag pins.
We greet the arriving (or departing) passengers, some confident with clear objectives and others searching signage, seeking missing luggage, taxis, rental cars, hotels, lost items, airline personnel,help finding their "lost" parked vehicle, places to relieve themselves and their pets (two different places) and sometimes expressing issues of great personal loss and need. As volunteers, we are problem solvers and decision makers, friends and resources to assist each guest as needed along their way.
Here are examples of a typical shift at the Volunteer Desk....One very fit and muscular young man in his early twenties walking confidently with a long stride and a stern expression on his face, arrived at the information desk. With tattooed arms, a white T shirt, and khaki pants, he looked me straight in the eye and almost whispered so no one could hear him, "I've never flown before and I don't know what to do." I looked at him and smiled and said, "Don't worry, we'll let you know how all of this works and you'll be just fine." And we did, from boarding passes to security to waiting at the gate as well as what to expect when he arrived at his destination. It wasn't long before he smiled, thanked us and ascended the escalator to the next step of his journey. We were all together for that first step.
Later that evening as the arriving guests busily filled the terminal, found their luggage and moved outside, I noticed a very tall, perhaps 6'5", gentleman looking up and down the terminal, inside and outside, obviously expecting someone who had yet to appear. He had luggage so it was apparent that he was a recent arrival. I approached with a smile and a question as to whether I could be of service. He looked at me quizzically. He spoke. I didn't understand. I spoke. He didn't understand. I thought I could use one of the several translation programs on my iPad to figure out what he needed. Problem: I couldn't recognize the language and he didn't respond to my meager efforts to identify his nationality. Next move: I opened my iPad to a world map and pointed to where we were and then to him. He looked at the map and pointed to China. That was an "ah hah" moment. Now to find a translator. I paged for a Chinese native speaker, but after a few minutes, there was no response. I tried the translator program, but had little success. Next: I phoned a local Chinese/Mandarin restaurant and explained my dilemma to the owner and asked if he might be of assistance. I struck pay dirt! I handed the phone to our airport guest and he smiled as the restaurant manager asked him some questions. I was handed the phone and the manager said he would make a couple of calls to be sure his ride was on the way. It was only a few minutes until my cell phone rang again with positive news about the pick up.
I thanked our new connection and showed our guest where to wait. Fifteen minutes later, both the driver and our guest came back into the terminal to thank me. A handshake and smile said it all. Welcome to Ontario International Airport and to the United States!
When my four-hour evening shift was completed, I drove to the restaurant to thank the owner in person. We exchanged pleasantries and he volunteered to be of service if we should need him in the future. It become apparent that our "Helping Hand Along the Way" motto extended far beyond the airport terminal. It was a really good night as a Traveler's Aid Volunteer.
Perhaps, I should have stayed for the Kung Pao Chicken! It smelled so good.