Top 10 Things I Most Dread About the Travel Process

Every trip has its phases –the idea moment and getting excited about it (unless it’s a business trip, of course), planning out the details, the logistics of getting there, the reality (and sometimes disappointments) of being there, and finally, the filtered memories you keep with you afterwards. I always manage to filter out the minor annoyances of the logistics of the Getting There phase in my memories but in a recent trip to New York I found myself noticing the little unnecessary steps one takes that end up piling up to disdain for authorities that regulate our vacation time. As if they didn’t want us to have a terribly good time, just a good time, or as if they wanted us to appreciate just how great we have it once we’ve paid our respects to the travel authorities. Yet another factor beyond our control is the choice of our flight companions which can also have an impact on our enjoyment of getting to our destinations.

Below is my list of ‘Top 10 Things I Most Dread About the Travel Process’.

1. Security – My biggest pet peeve about the travel process has to do with the security dance. Everyone dreads going through security not because they are hiding something from authorities but, rather, because the procedures and attitudes of the guards make you feel like they must know something you don’t know and you must have something to hide if they’re so upset to see you. I mean, how many times do they really need to see our boarding pass in the span of two metres, before you reach the security belt and then again just before your stuff goes into the X-ray, as you’re maneuvering coat and shoes in a separate bin (‘do I need to remove my shoes or are these ok?’), laptop in another bin, bags lying down flat, no coins in your pocket, take off your belt, did I wear a plastic hairclip or a metal one? Then, just when you think you’re ready, ‘Boarding pass, please!’. ‘But, it’s inside my bag under the X-ray…(and I just showed it to someone else not five seconds ago!)’. ‘Ma’am, we need to see your boarding pass before your bags go through. Get her bag out of there so she can get her boarding pass.’ Is this all really necessary? Wouldn’t lines go faster and people be happier if we all agreed to cooperate a little?

2. Early check in – Receiving your boarding pass at the check in desk to realize you’re sitting in row 34A – that’s the window seat on the last row by the bathroom, of course – and that’s not next to your travel partner, even though you both pre-selected a seat upon purchase and showed up 2 hours early for your flight is a little disappointing. Most keen travelers had already checked in 48 hours before departure! How far ahead do we really need to think about where we’re going to be sitting on our trip? It seems to be way earlier than I tend to.

3. B.O. – These days we have some control over where on the plane we sit, window, aisle, front, back, if we’re organized enough. What we have absolutely no control over is who we sit next to. There is nothing more disappointing than getting a whiff of some unknown smells as you sit down and realizing they are emanating from the person with whom fate has chosen you share the next few hours, almost as a rite of passage to begin your well-deserved vacation. How high can I turn up that vent on top of me?

4. Sitting next to a chatter or snorer – You finally are about to take off, the rocking of the plane is lulling you to sleep, you’re so looking forward to dozing off and digging into that novel you can’t wait to get started on after waking up …except, the guy next to you can’t wait to strike a conversation and wants to hear all about where you’re going and why. You subtly scan the plane for any empty seats. Nothing. Right, oversold flight…The other, slightly less annoying case, is the snorer who interrupts your sleep and reading ambitions with his noises. Afraid all we can do here is avoid eye contact (how anti-social, I know) and always carry earphones.

5. No blankets/pillows on a transcontinental flight – I find it almost irresponsible that some airlines do not provide enough blankets for all their passengers on long, specially over-night flights. I’ve caught a few colds on flights that are too cold or the blankets too small or non-existent so now I always carry an extra sweater or scarf to make sure I’m prepared for airlines that are not equipped for a full flight or inconsiderate passengers who hoard blankets. Better than arriving at your destination with a sore throat.

6. Your seat doesn’t recline and you’re embarking on a 7 hour flight where you were hoping to catch up on sleep. Most airlines have taken care of this annoyance but keep in mind that sometimes emergency exit rows or last rows have seats that don’t recline.

7. Finally getting your food and drinks when the plane starts going through serious turbulence. We’ve all been there. I once ended up with a full cup of hot coffee all over me on my way to a business meeting and had no change of clothes so had sit through a whole day smelling like coffee. Luckily I was wearing dark brown pants that morning. I always wore dark pants when traveling to business meetings first thing in the morning after that, just in case.

8. Impatient boarders - There is a reason planes have a system for boarding planes starting from back to front. Most people these days respect the system but you will still get those impatient travelers who think there is an advantage to boarding before everyone else, even if they’re sitting in the front few rows. Not only do they look silly as other travelers pass them on their way back, knowing that they broke the cardinal rule of boarding a plane, but they do cause disruptions that slow down boarding and, in some cases, even departure.

9. Bathroom smokers - Do they really think we can’t smell them? It just amazes me that people still risk getting a few puffs in during a flight when smoking has been banned for years.

10. Crying babies - I put this as the last on my list because babies are lovely creatures not to be blamed for being in a plane in the first place. Also, being a future mom, I have to sympathize with all the parents out there that are courageous enough to lug their small babies to visit families or to continue exploring the world with them. But one cannot help but be a bit disappointed when spotting a baby as approaching your row. In my experience, the initial worry is much greater than the annoyance turns out to be, as most babies eventually do cave in to sleep, but it is part of the experience of travel in any case.

We would love to hear any of your personal 'Top 10' that we have not included on our list. The important thing as I mention in the beginning is that in spite of all these things we still choose to go out and explore the world and leave it to selective memory to erase the minor annoyances in between.

This article was posted by Veronica Montero

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