Doughton 1 Heather Doughton JOUR 102 June 24, 2015 1,929 ...
Doughton 1 Heather Doughton JOUR 102 June 24, 2015 1,929 Human Interest Story We all envy those jet setters that get to travel the world because they have money or their name is known globally. Being able to travel for many is unheard of and stressful. For one young man, traveling is his life, but for reasons other than what we consider the common jet setter. Ryan Doughton, 24, is able to experience the world not because of money or being famous, rather he has an amazing opportunity many dream of and is able to fly almost for free because of whom he works for. He has visited every continent except Antarctica and when asked to tell his story he says, “It is all my stories combined that make it so incredible.” “I first started traveling with my family when we started taking different cruises. First they were out of south Florida going to different places in the Caribbean, and then it was off to the west coast going to places in Mexico. Then we took a cruise that was over in Europe, and so that was the first time I had been to Europe and we got to go to a bunch of different countries over there.” Doughton traveled with his parents and younger sister Heather until he started college. “The next chunk of time that I spent over seas was when I did my study abroad in college. I was over there for about 10 weeks and spent a good portion of the time in England, Spain, France, Latvia, Switzerland, and Germany. We had free time and I was able to go explore Italy and a small period of time in Austria.” He feels lucky to have come across such an amazing opportunity because of a program his school offered. “My school has a co-op program. I spent a few semesters working at Johnson
Doughton 2 and Johnson but then I went to see what else was out there and I went to apply to Delta airlines and got a call and did a couple of semesters working there before being brought on full time.” Doughton was able to pack up and move out to Georgia to take on this opportunity. “I am the fleet planning and network analyst which supports the cargo division. It’s my job to know all about the different aircraft types we have: the benefits and the downfalls to each of them. It’s my job to know everywhere that we fly in our network. Primarily cargo focuses on U.S. exports, or flights leaving the United States. I need to know when new places start since we don’t fly things year round. I need to know when aircrafts get moved around, is it good or bad for cargo. I’m the guy they turn to when it comes to aircraft capacity, how much can they handle.” When his mother, Judy Doughton, was asked about her sons’ career, there was nothing but excitement in her eyes. “He had always talked about going into architecture and after he got his pilots license by the time he was 17 he thought how cool it would be to have his own plane and fly. He always liked airplanes.” Judy Doughton continued talking about her son positively before getting into her favorite trip she took with him. “England has a different Mother’s Day than they do in America, so when he and I
Doughton 3 went to England together, we got to celebrate Mothers Day over there. It meant something that he took me over there for that day; we had a good time while we were there.” Judy Doughton smiled the whole time while telling the story. “Our trips are last minute all the time. Except for England, every time we have planned a trip, we end up somewhere else than where we wanted to go. It is fun being able to go anywhere at the drop of a hat and not have to pay a small fortune to do it.” Ryan Doughton wasn’t able to be present for his mother’s interview but when asked about his company and how the airfare worked, he said, “Working for Delta you have the ability to travel the world and experience different things and all for the extremely low price that Delta gives you. It is crazy that my parents are able to fly for this low price and if their schedules allow it, can travel with me. It is just like old times. I love having my parents with me when traveling but it’s nice to be able to tell them stories of what experiences I have over a weekend if they don’t go.” He pulled out his phone and glanced over it for a few seconds, he was counting under his breath. “I’ve been to at least 39 countries and I’ve been to many of those countries multiple times.” He started going through the countries and telling stories for each one. “I went to South Africa and got to do a safari and a cave tour. I will never forget that weekend, we did the cave excursions and went down into different mines and caverns and there was an underground lake. I did a wildlife safari, there was everything you could imagine: a giraffe within arms reach, there was a lion that was blocking the road that we
Doughton 4 had to wait for to move because it was so close to us. They told us at the beginning to keep our windows rolled up and to not feed them. “If you’re looking for a wildlife experience, Africa is definitely the place to go for that. You get to see a bunch of wildlife and it’s a whole different world over there. If you’re looking for something that is modern and first world, then one of the best places is Tokyo, I love visiting Tokyo. I have to say that most of Europe is similar to the United States they have a similar culture, everything operates the same way such as transportation so there’s nothing that makes you think that you’re in a different world. Once you get to Japan and South Africa and India, then you’re in a whole new area that is completely different form the United States.” He puts his phone down and points to Japan; he was getting excited about this next story. “The first time I ever had sushi was in Japan. I had never had sushi before and the first time I ever had sushi was at an authentic sushi bar and it was as authentic as it gets. I loved it. The sushi here in America is not as good. We have a lot of weird rolls over here that they don’t do over there: the California roll wrapped in seaweed and mashed in with baby food and who knows what else.” He couldn’t help but laugh, “Really though, there’s nothing like having the real deal, so when coming back here and having sushi again, there was disappointment. “Japan is a very interesting culture. Japan is very respectful. Everything is clean and orderly. I remember I was walking around the streets at 3 a.m. in the morning because it was only 2 p.m. in the afternoon in the U.S. so I couldn’t sleep. So I was walking around the streets
Doughton 5 and I never felt like I was in any danger. They are hospitable people. We never had to worry about getting lost. We had a map of the city with us, but as soon as I took the map out of my pocket and started opening up, before it was all the way open, a random stranger would walk up to us asking if they could help us get somewhere. “Most of them spoke English and if they didn’t they could tell me which way to go.” He took a second to elaborate on other countries speaking English. “Almost everyone in the world speaks a little bit of English, I mean how many languages do you speak? You know how to ask a question or that you can’t speak their language. When you’re in other countries they speak their language and they speak English, which actually is, embarrassing you know, that I can’t speak any of their languages. When I was in Germany I could speak pretty good German from high school and was able to converse but 95 percent of the time when you’re in another country they speak English so you are always able to communicate with them. It doesn’t surprise me, but it’s humbling because they know two languages or more in Europe.” Doughton is always asked about the places he sees and how they compare to the movies depiction of them, “It all depends on what the movie is supposed to show. It’s like when you talk to someone who has lived in one state his or her entire life. You ask what they think about Texas and they think of tumbleweed and saloon doors and bars and desert. That’s Texas to them, but it’s not. Texas is a normal state with normal cities and that’s how it is with other countries. When you think of South Africa, what do you think of? You think of safari and animals.
Doughton 6 “But you go to South Africa and they have a downtown with lights and everything that we have. It’s pretty much like the United States. In the movies they show you old towns, if you go to cities now, they are pretty much like the rest of the world. All cities are made with the same building materials. You got to Frankfort Germany, they don’t look like German little houses, they have high rises. You go to South Africa, they have high rises. You go to Dubai, they have the world’s tallest high rises. You go places, they all have H&M and American Apparel, and they all have Hollister. There are chain brands everywhere. “Everywhere you go you see a KFC, a pizza hut, I mean they have a Duncan Donuts in India. The movies may show you locations in those places, but it’s not the entire place, they only show you what you want to see.” He took of his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He had just flown in to spend the weekend with his family for Father’s Day. He looked tired, but that was something he dealt with because of traveling to these places and being on different time zones. He placed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose, “I don’t get jetlag. When I go to India for two weeks I do get jetlagged there, but everywhere else it’s different. When I come back home I’m not jetlagged, but when I’m in that country, I am. Like when I’m in Japan, I’m jetlagged because I’m not on Japan time at all, but coming back I’m fine because I was up all night, that’s the beauty of 28 hour trip.”
Doughton 7 Although Doughton isn’t known around the world for his name, he is able to experience it. He is able to take a weekend trip to anywhere that Delta flies and spend time marking countries off of his bucket list. He still wants to go to China and experience their culture, but in time he knows he will. He takes advantage of the perks provided with his job. Before leaving, he looked over the map pulled up on his phone to make sure he didn’t miss any countries, his phone powered off and he sat back and smiled, “I told you, I make memories on all of these trips that create such an incredible story to tell.”
Doughton 2 and Johnson but then I went to see what else was out there and I went to apply to Delta airlines and got a call and did a couple of semesters working there before being brought on full time.” Doughton was able to pack up and move out to Georgia to take on this opportunity. “I am the fleet planning and network analyst which supports the cargo division. It’s my job to know all about the different aircraft types we have: the benefits and the downfalls to each of them. It’s my job to know everywhere that we fly in our network. Primarily cargo focuses on U.S. exports, or flights leaving the United States. I need to know when new places start since we don’t fly things year round. I need to know when aircrafts get moved around, is it good or bad for cargo. I’m the guy they turn to when it comes to aircraft capacity, how much can they handle.” When his mother, Judy Doughton, was asked about her sons’ career, there was nothing but excitement in her eyes. “He had always talked about going into architecture and after he got his pilots license by the time he was 17 he thought how cool it would be to have his own plane and fly. He always liked airplanes.” Judy Doughton continued talking about her son positively before getting into her favorite trip she took with him. “England has a different Mother’s Day than they do in America, so when he and I
Doughton 3 went to England together, we got to celebrate Mothers Day over there. It meant something that he took me over there for that day; we had a good time while we were there.” Judy Doughton smiled the whole time while telling the story. “Our trips are last minute all the time. Except for England, every time we have planned a trip, we end up somewhere else than where we wanted to go. It is fun being able to go anywhere at the drop of a hat and not have to pay a small fortune to do it.” Ryan Doughton wasn’t able to be present for his mother’s interview but when asked about his company and how the airfare worked, he said, “Working for Delta you have the ability to travel the world and experience different things and all for the extremely low price that Delta gives you. It is crazy that my parents are able to fly for this low price and if their schedules allow it, can travel with me. It is just like old times. I love having my parents with me when traveling but it’s nice to be able to tell them stories of what experiences I have over a weekend if they don’t go.” He pulled out his phone and glanced over it for a few seconds, he was counting under his breath. “I’ve been to at least 39 countries and I’ve been to many of those countries multiple times.” He started going through the countries and telling stories for each one. “I went to South Africa and got to do a safari and a cave tour. I will never forget that weekend, we did the cave excursions and went down into different mines and caverns and there was an underground lake. I did a wildlife safari, there was everything you could imagine: a giraffe within arms reach, there was a lion that was blocking the road that we
Doughton 4 had to wait for to move because it was so close to us. They told us at the beginning to keep our windows rolled up and to not feed them. “If you’re looking for a wildlife experience, Africa is definitely the place to go for that. You get to see a bunch of wildlife and it’s a whole different world over there. If you’re looking for something that is modern and first world, then one of the best places is Tokyo, I love visiting Tokyo. I have to say that most of Europe is similar to the United States they have a similar culture, everything operates the same way such as transportation so there’s nothing that makes you think that you’re in a different world. Once you get to Japan and South Africa and India, then you’re in a whole new area that is completely different form the United States.” He puts his phone down and points to Japan; he was getting excited about this next story. “The first time I ever had sushi was in Japan. I had never had sushi before and the first time I ever had sushi was at an authentic sushi bar and it was as authentic as it gets. I loved it. The sushi here in America is not as good. We have a lot of weird rolls over here that they don’t do over there: the California roll wrapped in seaweed and mashed in with baby food and who knows what else.” He couldn’t help but laugh, “Really though, there’s nothing like having the real deal, so when coming back here and having sushi again, there was disappointment. “Japan is a very interesting culture. Japan is very respectful. Everything is clean and orderly. I remember I was walking around the streets at 3 a.m. in the morning because it was only 2 p.m. in the afternoon in the U.S. so I couldn’t sleep. So I was walking around the streets
Doughton 5 and I never felt like I was in any danger. They are hospitable people. We never had to worry about getting lost. We had a map of the city with us, but as soon as I took the map out of my pocket and started opening up, before it was all the way open, a random stranger would walk up to us asking if they could help us get somewhere. “Most of them spoke English and if they didn’t they could tell me which way to go.” He took a second to elaborate on other countries speaking English. “Almost everyone in the world speaks a little bit of English, I mean how many languages do you speak? You know how to ask a question or that you can’t speak their language. When you’re in other countries they speak their language and they speak English, which actually is, embarrassing you know, that I can’t speak any of their languages. When I was in Germany I could speak pretty good German from high school and was able to converse but 95 percent of the time when you’re in another country they speak English so you are always able to communicate with them. It doesn’t surprise me, but it’s humbling because they know two languages or more in Europe.” Doughton is always asked about the places he sees and how they compare to the movies depiction of them, “It all depends on what the movie is supposed to show. It’s like when you talk to someone who has lived in one state his or her entire life. You ask what they think about Texas and they think of tumbleweed and saloon doors and bars and desert. That’s Texas to them, but it’s not. Texas is a normal state with normal cities and that’s how it is with other countries. When you think of South Africa, what do you think of? You think of safari and animals.
Doughton 6 “But you go to South Africa and they have a downtown with lights and everything that we have. It’s pretty much like the United States. In the movies they show you old towns, if you go to cities now, they are pretty much like the rest of the world. All cities are made with the same building materials. You got to Frankfort Germany, they don’t look like German little houses, they have high rises. You go to South Africa, they have high rises. You go to Dubai, they have the world’s tallest high rises. You go places, they all have H&M and American Apparel, and they all have Hollister. There are chain brands everywhere. “Everywhere you go you see a KFC, a pizza hut, I mean they have a Duncan Donuts in India. The movies may show you locations in those places, but it’s not the entire place, they only show you what you want to see.” He took of his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He had just flown in to spend the weekend with his family for Father’s Day. He looked tired, but that was something he dealt with because of traveling to these places and being on different time zones. He placed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose, “I don’t get jetlag. When I go to India for two weeks I do get jetlagged there, but everywhere else it’s different. When I come back home I’m not jetlagged, but when I’m in that country, I am. Like when I’m in Japan, I’m jetlagged because I’m not on Japan time at all, but coming back I’m fine because I was up all night, that’s the beauty of 28 hour trip.”
Doughton 7 Although Doughton isn’t known around the world for his name, he is able to experience it. He is able to take a weekend trip to anywhere that Delta flies and spend time marking countries off of his bucket list. He still wants to go to China and experience their culture, but in time he knows he will. He takes advantage of the perks provided with his job. Before leaving, he looked over the map pulled up on his phone to make sure he didn’t miss any countries, his phone powered off and he sat back and smiled, “I told you, I make memories on all of these trips that create such an incredible story to tell.”
