BIG GIRL TIME

I absolutely love traveling. There is something about getting to the airport, seeing your destination on the departure board, grabbing your little airport snack, and knowing you’re officially on your way somewhere that makes me so excited. But as much as I love traveling, I have also learned that traveling comes with a very specific set of experiences that can test my patience.

Because when you’re in an airport or on a plane, you are suddenly surrounded by hundreds of people who all have completely different habits, levels of awareness, and definitions of common courtesy. And listen, I try to mind my business. I really do. But there are certain things that happen while traveling that make me sit there and think, “Why are we like this?”

So, in the spirit of being honest, here are some of my biggest travel pet peeves.

Please Stop Coughing Into the Air

One thing I absolutely cannot stand is when people cough directly into the air on the plane. Like…why?! Please cough into your shoulder, your elbow, a tissue—literally anything besides directly into the atmosphere!

I understand that airplane air isn’t simply everyone’s breath being recycled over and over again, but when I’m sitting there and someone a few rows away is coughing openly into the air, I suddenly become hyper-aware of every germ in existence. And what makes it worse is when they cough and then immediately touch the seat, the tray table, the screen, the overhead bin…

I know you can’t always control when you need to cough, but you can absolutely control where that cough is going.

PUT THE BIN AWAY!

This one is so small, but it drives me CRAZY.

You finally make it through TSA. You grab your shoes, your laptop, your purse, your liquids, your dignity, you’ve survived the security line. And then someone gets all of their belongings and simply leaves their bin sitting on the conveyor belt.

HELLOOOOO?!

There is literally a stack of empty bins sitting right beside you! Please take the extra three steps and put the bin away. Because now everyone behind you is trying to collect their things while your abandoned bin is sitting there creating a traffic jam. Maybe it’s because I am an organized person, but this one makes me irrationally annoyed.

Take. The. Bin. Off. The. Belt.

Why Are You Lying on the Airport Floor?

I understand being tired at the airport. I really do. Long layovers are exhausting. Delayed flights are exhausting. Red-eye flights are exhausting. Sometimes you have been traveling so long that your body has officially clocked out.

But the airport floor?!

Why?!

I am not judging you for being tired. I am judging the decision to make the airport floor your personal mattress. That floor has been walked on by thousands of people. People coming from outside, parking lots, bathrooms, restaurants, who knows where else…and you looked at that floor and thought, “Yep. This is where I’ll rest.” There are chairs. There are benches. There are corners. There are neck pillows. There are even those little airport couches in some places.

Messy Eaters on the Plane

I already have a thing about messy eaters, so putting one next to me on a plane is basically a nightmare scenario. Because now we’re in a tiny little airplane seat with limited personal space, and somehow you’re dropping crumbs everywhere. They’re on your shirt, your tray table, your seat, the floor… And then somehow those crumbs start making their way into my area. How?! I just want to sit quietly, watch my movie, drink my little beverage and mind my business. I don’t need to participate in your meal. I don’t need crumbs flying through the air. I don’t need to watch you wipe barbecue sauce on your hands and then touch everything around you.

And Finally…THE BARE FEET

Okay, listen. I will admit that I sometimes take my shoes off on a long flight. I’m not going to sit here and act like I am above comfort. And if you’re sitting at your seat with your socks on? Fine. I completely understand.

But NO SOCKS?!

On the airport floor?!

GET THOSE CORN DOGS OUT MY FACE.

I Guess I Don’t Hate Traveling…I Just Have Standards

The funny thing is, none of these things are actually going to stop me from traveling. Clearly. I love seeing new places way too much for that.

But traveling definitely teaches you patience. You’re surrounded by strangers for hours at a time, and you quickly realize that everyone has a different idea of what is acceptable behavior in public.

Now I’m curious what are YOUR biggest travel pet peeves? Because I know I’m not the only one with a list.