What, you don’t immediately associate “polite” with celebrities and travel?

It’s true, we see a lot of videos of famous people pushing around papparazzi or ducking and hiding as they speed through airport terminals with bodyguards and a massive entourage. But that’s not true of all of them.

Let’s talk about Jason Mraz. He plays something like 436 shows a year, all over the world, so he knows how to make travel go as smoothly as possible. That means he’s a very considerate, intelligent guy when it comes to airline staff and his fellow passengers. 

In a recent blog, he shared some of his travel trips, with a little help from his brother, who just happens to work for an airline. Here are some of my favorite Mrazicisims:

• When there’s a flight delayed, the attendants are also delayed. When you’re stuck, they’re stuck. Everyone is missing something, especially families and hobbies. So go easy on the whole staff. If you’re good, you’re likely to get a free drink or a preview into the mile-high club.

• But don’t be such a germ-a-phobe! Sharing close quarters with other humans will only teach your immune system to be stronger and tolerate more airborne viruses. However, if YOU are the one with the cough or cold, cover it up with a surgical mask. They are now available at all airports. Don’t worry about looking silly. No one will recognize you anyway. Be inspiring and considerate.

• Airline employees can make your flight a positive one if you work together. They can see you coming a mile away, and for those with attitudes, it’s no accident that there are no more windows or aisles. Impatient and ungrateful customers always get the seats over the engine or closest to the toilet. By practicing Gratitude even before you enter the airport, you’ll find yourself happy to be anywhere on board.

That last one is probably the easiest to do, and the most important. Gratitude, expressed sincerely, can make a lot of travel situations easier.

It can persuade a hurried local to slow down a minute and give you directions, a taxi driver to round down on what you owe him when you don’t have correct change (I got a “no worries” twice in Sydney from drivers, probably because of my friendly chatter and grateful smile), or an upgrade at a hostel that isn’t at full capacity when you ask if you could get a little privacy and a decent night’s sleep (a friend and I once got a 6-bed dorm to ourselves for two nights, just by asking nicely and expressing how appreciative we were).

More travel lessons from Jason Mraz to come.