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By Maura Kelly of A Year of Living Flirtatiously
1. CHOOSE A GOOD SEAT IN THE BOARDING AREA
Since we're not always lucky enough to be seated next to a
charming stranger on the plane itself, choose your seat in the
boarding area strategically. Look around for someone who seems
appealing - and seems to be alone (without any finger jewelry).
Then take a seat diagonally across from the person, or a seat or
two away on the same side.
2. PACK INTERESTING READING MATERIAL - AND DISPLAY
IT
To increase your chances of a having a "serendipitous"
flirtation with someone, pack a book - or maybe a few, and make
sure the cutie you've seated yourself next to has a chance to
see the cover; that might just be all he or she needs to start
a spontaneous conversation with you. A
non-fiction book is your best bet, since it's usually
fairly easy for anybody to get a handle on what the book's
about just by reading the sub-title. Try one of Malcolm
Gladwell's bestsellers, for instance - either The Tipping
Point, Blink, or his latest, Outliers - would probably serve you
well.
3. BE PREPARED TO ASK A QUESTION PERTAINING TO ONE OF YOUR
OWN BOOKS
Of course, no matter how interesting your reading material, the
Attractive Stranger you sit next to might not be bold enough to
strike up a conversation with you. So you'll have to take
a little more initiative. Don't worry; it should be easy.
Simply say something like, "Hey, I have a question for
you." Then explain, in a sentence or two, the hypothesis of
the book you're reading. (You don't even have to have read
the book to do this; you can probably find the main thrust of the
book summarized on the cover jacket, or the back.) Then ask The
Attractive Stranger what he or she thinks about the hypothesis.
(Or, simply summarize the article you've been reading in a
magazine, and ask The Attractive Stranger what he or she thinks
about that.)
4. REMEMBER THAT YOU'VE GOT A BUILT-IN TIME CONSTRAINT
The beauty of the airport flirtation: There's only about an
hour before you board ... so if the conversation goes terribly, or
falls flat, you won't have long to wait before you can escape.
(You can also excuse yourself at any point by saying you'd like
to use the bathroom or buy a snack.) Similarly,
if you start chatting in-flight, the whole thing will be over once
you land. (If you're going somewhere far, far away--like
South Africa or Australia--you might want to wait until T-60
minutes before engaging with someone sitting next to you, just in
case.)
5. REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL ALMOST DEFINITELY NEVER, EVER SEE
THIS PERSON AGAIN!
As always, what have
you got to lose?
Have YOU ever flirted with a stranger in the airport or on a flight? Do you have some insights for us?
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS with Maura Kelly at her daily blog: A Year of Living Flirtatiously
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Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
