TRAVEL

When I Shared a Hotel Room with a Stranger

The Flight Attendant Diaries

Janna Barrett
Globetrotters
Published in
10 min readFeb 13, 2024

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Scrap of paper laid over an antique map with sirens and sea monsters. The paper has handwriting which reads, “Flight Attendant Diaries: When I Shared a Hotel Room with a Stranger.”
All images by Janna Barrett

The Flight Attendant Diaries is a series about my experiences working in commercial aviation. I’ve also shared some helpful industry lingo.

This is Part 2 of “When I Read a Passenger Like a Book.”

I read Portland’s message again to confirm I wasn’t imagining him asking about typography. I then envisioned the poster of major world writing systems on the bedroom wall at my permanent residence. I glanced at the books on my desk—predominantly about letterforms and language—then looked down at my ampersand ring.

“This guy has no idea what he’s getting into,” I chuckled as I shook my head.

I normally feel the need to restrain my excitement about written communication, but this invitation to express it made me feel seen and appreciated for my eccentricity. So, while he’d asked me to share my fount of typographic knowledge, I let it out more like a firehose.

I detailed the origin of my passion, the innumerable ways I’ve pursued it (including my work aboard cruise ships), why writing systems intrigue me, and all the ways I’m probably the biggest letter nerd anyone will ever meet.

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Janna Barrett
Globetrotters

Hi! I'm an Artist and Flight Attendant based in DC. I write and draw about my experiences as a travel professional. Follow for adventure and emotion!