I didn’t travel much as a kid. My wanderlust started much later in life, so I’ve been making up for lost time since. It’s incredibly easy to write about why I love travel. Of course, not everything about travel is seen through rose-colored glasses. As a seasoned traveler, I thought it might be fun to share some of my “pet peeves”, in no particular order.
1. Don’t Be a “Gate Lice”. Just don’t.
Don’t crowd the boarding area. I’ve seen people in the later boarding groups crowding the boarding area as soon as the boarding process commences. Don’t get me wrong. I get it. Sometimes people get anxious about flying, or worry about not being able to secure overhead bin space.
Still, crowding the boarding area won’t get you on the plane any faster. How can you tell if you’re part of the problem? Here’s one way: If people are “excusing” their way past you left and right, you are probably in the way. Be considerate and move aside until your boarding group is about to be called.
2. Those Lines Again. Dammit.
Then, there is the other spectrum, when you are waiting in line and the agent would use a poorly phrased, “This line for First Class/Business Class passengers”.
Well, I guess it’s a really good thing I could read and queue at the right line, then.
3. When Your Luggage Goes on a Trip Without You
Luggage, I need you to stay with me. We are a team, so it’s not cool if you go venture off on a different trip. Especially when we have a work meeting to attend to the next morning, and you have my things.
4. When Others Try to Take Advantage of You
Whether it’s getting scammed or people trying to take advantage of you in other ways, this is a true pet peeve of mine. I once shared the story of shop-owner who marked up the prices by a huge percentage just because he knew we weren’t from around the area. I will negotiate in good faith, but don’t take me for a fool. In that case, I ended up walking away after hearing the outrageous starting price.
5. Wrong Assumptions
On a family trip to Geneva, we used our IHG free night certificates at the Intercontinental Geneva. We hired a taxi to get us from the airport to the hotel. The driver was chit-chatting with us about travel. At some point, I said that we love to travel and we make it work by traveling on a budget. He responded, “Well, that can’t be true, when you are staying at hotels like Intercontinental Geneva.”
He had a point. I didn’t counter it with him. I can see how he came to that conclusion, even though the basis of that assumption is flawed. Maybe I should have introduced him to the travel blogs, instead.
Do any of these pet peeves resonate with you? What are some of your travel pet peeves?
