Even without the extremely long lines passengers have been dealing with at airports recently, traveling can be frustrating and stressful. Unfortunately, some things we deal with along the way to our destinations make the experience even worse, leaving tempers flaring. A new survey looks at the dos and don’ts of travel etiquette, and the travel day “must-haves” that make it as painless as possible.
According to the poll of 2-thousand American travelers, about a quarter (24%) are taking a spring break trip this year and nearly three-quarters (73%) have a summer vacation planned. And for a lot of them, the worst thing about traveling is simply having to deal with other travelers (39%).
- We can’t really blame them because many have witnessed some truly terrible travel crimes in action, including nose picking, hair tweezing and toenail clipping in public travel spaces.
- But the biggest pet peeve on travel day? More than half (59%) of respondents say it’s kids kicking the seat in front of them on a flight.
- Standing in TSA lines, waiting to board, and getting stuck with delays can make long travel days feel longer, and passengers say trying to stay organized and make sure they have everything they need makes traveling even more exhausting (38%).
- Nearly three-quarters (72%) agree that “a long travel day feels as tiring as running a marathon.”
- And 78% say travel would be less stressful overall if they could sleep well along the way.
- So it’s not exactly surprising that 30% have had a stranger fall asleep on them during a flight and 18% admit to snoozing on a stranger on a plane.
- But having their travel day “must-haves” can make or break the trip for 65%, and the top essential is snacks (67%). Hand sanitizer is second (50%), followed by a refillable water bottle (44%), neck pillow (42%) and tissues (41%).
The Top 10 Travel Pet Peeves
- Letting your kids kick the seat in front of them (59%)
- Ignoring personal space (58%)
- Talking loudly on the phone / taking a call on speakerphone (58%)
- Treating employees disrespectfully (flight/train attendants, hotel staff, etc.) (56%)
- Playing audio without headphones (50%)
- Hogging the armrests (on a plane, train, etc.) (47%)
- Reclining your seat as far as it can go (42%)
- Taking your shoes off on public transportation (a bus, train, plane, etc.) (38%)
- Taking more overhead space than you’re allotted (34%)
- Falling asleep on a stranger while on a plane (30%)
Source: Talker