Kerre Woodham: Let's show we're not scared and keep travelling

There was an opinion piece in this week's Herald, decrying the fact that travel has now become the opiate of the masses.

The writer claimed that the planet's being destroyed by the vast numbers of budget airlines carrying jumbo loads of pale Poms to Majorca and delivering them back to Blighty two weeks later marinated in alcohol and cooked to a crisp.

And, the writer said, the whole travel experience of discovering new peoples and cultures was being cheapened now that the poor people were able to flash their photos from Cambodia and Cuba.

I'm not sure I agree that travel should solely be the preserve of the wealthy, but undoubtedly, in light of Friday's scare at Heathrow, travel will become the domain of the time rich and/or the desperate, given the heightened security at international airports.

Travelling's already difficult - for the next six months or so it will be intolerable. The only good news is that people won't be able to bring their carry-on luggage with them. Why is it that airlines don't rigidly enforce the carry-on rule?

Families stagger on board under the weight of numerous suitcases, hold-alls and plastic bags that they then proceed to squash in the overhead locker above you, because there's no room where they're sitting.

Why should I be threatened with having my head knocked off for the next 13 hours, when it's not even my bag?

Besides, just as having my eyebrow tweezers taken off me doesn't make me feel the threat of sabotage has been minimised, having the carry-on ban is hardly going to protect people either.

There have been numerous instances of baggage handlers being involved in tampering with luggage and cargo, and all this heat and noise from the British is only for show.

Living in a liberal democratic society gives us enormous freedoms but exposes us to the risk of fundamental nutters of every creed and hue.

Just as the people of the world were exhorted to come to New York and spend money to help the city recover from the September 11 attacks, our duty to thwart terrorism should be to travel - no matter how difficult that may be.

And were it not for my rates bill, I'd be on the next plane to London.