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Top 5 Travel Pet Peeves

Travel for me has become a luxury both beneficial to my personal and professional growth. I can’t imagine what life would be like not being able to soar 40,000 feet to a new destination and take in all its wonder. However, those of us who travel often know that getting to the destination unannoyed and unscathed isn’t always reality. Flight delays/cancellations, crazy passengers and TSA drama all have the potential to ruin the excitement of the entire trip.

HERE ARE MY TOP 5 TRAVEL PET PEEVES:

1.) The Middle Seat

Yeah, I know. Had I checked in sooner, I could’ve gotten the window seat I really wanted…blah, blah, blah. Well, I didn’t ok?! And now I’m paying for it. Sandwiched between two people…one who controls whether you can get up and go to the bathroom and the other controls whether you get sunlight, the middle seat is officially the WORST seat on the plane. We won’t even discuss if the person on either side of you is overweight and should’ve paid for two seats. It’s sheer torture! And what exactly is the etiquette for the arm rests? Should I sit with my arms folded the entire time or am I at least entitled to rest both arms since I’ve been assigned this God forsaken seat? And who wants to volunteer to let me lay my head on their shoulder when I fall asleep so that I don’t get a crook in my neck from laying here like a mummy? How long is this flight again?!

2.) People Who Take a Crap on the Plane

So instead of grabbing a fruit bowl before the flight, you decided that the breakfast burrito was a better decision, huh? Now, not only do the people who have to use the restroom after you suffer, but the poor folks seated in the last two rows of the plane are gasping for air! Could you NOT have gone to the bathroom BEFORE boarding or did it hit you just now? Never mind. I don’t even wanna know! I’ll just sit with my nose stuffed inside of my sweatshirt for the duration of the flight and pray that I don’t pass out. Obviously, some things can’t be avoided on long flights. But if you have to go, be considerate of the other passengers on the plane and pack a small bottle of air freshener or EAT LIGHT!

3.) TSA is Still Patting Black Women’s Hair

I just spent three hours in the chair getting a fresh “vacation sew-in” for you to embarrass the hell out of me in front of everyone and pat my hair for…WHAT?! Do you really think that I’m hiding an AR-15 or hunting knife in my closure?! You all will let a 66-year old white woman sneak past security and get all the way to London, but my 18-inch Indian Yaki is considered a threat?! Are we still doing this in 2018? NOBODY gets singled out for their locks, braids or weave at the airport more than black women. After an ACLU complaint was filed in 2014, the TSA claimed that they would improve their policies. NEWS FLASH: IT HASN’T HAPPENED! Do better, TSA!

4.) Waiting in Line at Customs

Lord, why didn’t I pay the $100 for Global Entry or download the Mobile Passport Control App? Depending on the time of year and which airport you fly into, the line for customs is worse than waiting to get in the club free before 11! It can literally be HOURS long. I once flew from Cabo into Miami and stood in line for over three hours during the beginning of summer’s peak travel season. Between people pushing, shoving and trying to cut their way in front of the line, it’s a frustrating rat race to make your connecting flight. You need to do a lot more than pack your patience in the line for customs. You might need to pack a flask to take the edge off as well!

5.) Unruly Children 

Excuse me, ma’am. Do you not see little Timmy practicing Bruce Lee kicks on the back of my seat?! Why is he standing up yelling at the top his lungs? Can you put your magazine down and pay attention to your child?! His Capri Sun just flew over the top of my seat and hit me in the head! I understand that small children can be a hand full when traveling and it can sometimes be difficult to get kids to sit for long periods of time without getting antsy. But there’s a diffence between antsy and out of control and your child is in the aisle attempting to perform a full rendition of Cirque Du Soleil! Somebody turn the seatbelt sign on, PLEASE!

When you love travel, you have to take the good with the bad and hope that the beauty of the vacation itself will overshadow any drama it took to get there (and back).

What are some of your travel pet peeves? COMMENT BELOW.