Air travel can make a lot of people excited and just as many people frustrated. Author Steve Burgess casts a humourous eye at both perspectives with his new book, Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel.

“Being in an airport you go from pedestrian to Pegasus but in the process you experience a little taste of daily life in a medium security prison,” Burgess told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis in an interview on Friday. “I find myself ashamed of my own behaviour at airports more than I do anywhere else because I end up losing it.”

Burgess takes a long-term view of travel in the book, examining how flights transformed from luxurious but expensive things for a select few to something more accessible.

“Travel has changed and people say it’s changed for the worse, but the other thing is there are so many more people on flights because it’s more affordable,” he said. “Era of mass travel.”

Burgess said travel can often change people’s views of the world, but in the modern age it also comes with new risks and even responsibilities.

“It’s a noble idea, you’re going to go and broaden your perspectives and I believe in it, it’s just that now it’s a lot more complicated because there are issues people didn’t have back then,” he said. “There are massive amounts of emissions and the potential to desecrate these sites that we are supposed to appreciate.”

Burgess said people yearning to explore while also keeping an eye on their carbon footprint should consider looking in their backyards.

“If you really want to be a mindful tourist, the best thing to do is keep your emissions low and stay local,” he said.