Jordan Travis: Traveling on the cheap

The latest news of Spirit Airlines filing for bankruptcy gave me mixed feelings.

It’s the airline people love to hate, and plenty of writers have heaped on critiques and scorn. In an industry not exactly known for its warm and cuddly treatment of customers, Spirit still manages to stand out, and usually not in a good way.

In fairness, the airline’s high safety rating and cheap airfare pushed it to No. 3 in WalletHub’s latest rankings. And safety cannot be undersold — canceled or delayed flights are annoying, even infuriating, but safety incidents make for true flight-mares.

But not everyone’s a hater, and I find myself torn between cursing the name and offering grudging praise.

I have my own anecdotes from my limited experience with Spirit, like my plane bellying up to the gate to unload the last lot just as my flight was supposed to be boarding. That didn’t impact me, but others had a connection so tight that the flight attendants let them off first so that they could sprint across the airport and try to catch it.

And yet. This is the airline that took me on my first trip west of the Mississippi River, and for a price a young print journalist could afford. So despite the upcharges for nearly everything, the tiny seats, the headaches on the ground … Spirit got me to the West Coast, where I made lasting memories.

That brings me to another news item of late: the death of Arthur Frommer. Say what you will about tourist handbooks and the experiences they lead you to, but prior to his death, I had no idea just how revolutionary the idea of visiting Europe (or anywhere else) on the cheap really was.

Even with all the budget hacks in the world, travel is still a luxury. Which is a shame, because nothing opens your eyes and mind like exploring a new place. Much has been written about tourism, both the benefits and drawbacks, so I won’t pontificate.

I’ve been fortunate that my parents could afford to load all five of us into the minivan and set course for places like the coast of Maine, the Great Smoky Mountains and more.

We also took lots of more modest trips, like day jaunts to various Lake Michigan towns and camping in the Upper Peninsula. These adventures were sources of great joy for me, and still are now that I’m an adult and setting the itinerary (and budget).

That has me hoping that Spirit, which plans to keep operating through its bankruptcy, can straighten out its daunting financial troubles. For all its faults, its a la carte approach to air travel makes it more accessible for travelers on a budget.

For that same reason, I hope other bargain airlines can keep flying through the years, and that travel tipsters keep following in Frommer’s footsteps. Travelers who take advantage of cheap flights and budget hacks won’t remember the deals, but they will remember the trip.

If that helps them learn to love the world we live in, it’s worth every cent.