The Overlooked Travelers

Joseph A Willoughby

Most “normal sized” people will never know the embarrassment of getting to the front of the line on a roller-coaster and not being able to fit in the seat. Or the fear of only hearing one click of the safety harness if you do manage to squeeze in. How about that dreaded feeling we all get when walking onto a plane and seeing that the seats are built for size two’s or less. Or even getting out of the car at a national monument and realizing there are no ramps and a countless amount of steps between you and your destination. For those of us on the “plus” side of life, these are true and tangible things we have to consider before we even step out the door to explore the world.

         The realm of travel in our modern society is built on the edict that if you are even slightly overweight you might as well stay home. Most company’s mindsets are built upon the foundation that the bigger you are the more it will cost them, so why not just eliminate the problem from the start. By making their products inaccessible to a larger person they are able to fit in more people per square foot therefor making the largest profit margin as possible. But is this really the smartest move on their part?

          According to the National Institutes of Health here in America, “More than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be just obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity and almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.” So why does the travel industry shun us? We are the majority yet we are hidden from plain view and made to feel excluded in the world of leisure and activity. I for one have had enough of this discrimination and I believe a movement is needed to correct this problem.

          In my future posts I hope to explore where in the world the oversized community can go without the threat of embarrassment and fear looming over what is supposed to be a "fun" time. I will delve into the travel industries standards and discover who does offer the most comfortable seats, or has the most accessible walkways and ramps for those relegated to scooters and canes. 
         
         We as oversized individuals need to stand up and make our voices heard so that we too may explore the world and all its wonders without the backlash of fat jokes and discrimination. We are the majority, with money to spend, so let’s make it known to the world that we are ready to embark on our own journeys in plain view and without shame. ¡Viva el pueblo pesados. Long live the heavy people!