Travel Peeves – and what to do about them!

We all have ‘em. That one little thing that sets us off and, if we’re not careful, can ruin one of our preciously saved vacation days. Breathe easy, fellow globetrotters. We’ve gathered some of your biggest little annoyances and we’re proposing solutions to each of them.

Scratchy Towels

Photo courtesy of Captain-tucker

This one’s courtesy of one of our BTT’s (Best Travel Tweeps, of course!), David Lee. The thin, scratchy towels you get someplace, even if they come in adorable elephant arrangements like this one, can leave your skin feeling truly awful – but what’re you to do? The thought of traveling with your favorite towel from home probably makes all but the most severe over-packers among us cringe. Dave’s not a fan of travel towels, but I have a couple that I keep on hand if I know I’m going to be roughing it at all. At as low as $10, this purchase may make more sense in your next suitcase than that extra “going out” shirt.

Luggage Fees

The explosion of luggage fees which began in 2009 and continues to grow today has caught even the most loyal airline passengers off guard, and they’re not happy about it. Those fees add up quickly, sometimes costing as much as the price of your ticket or more. If you have just one bag to check, we may have the solution for you. Take it through security with you and check it at the gate or as you board. At this point, the airline staff is more focused on getting the plane boarded to avoid (yet another) late flight, so they’ll just grab, tag, and load your bag with no fuss. Sneaky, but so worth it.

Other Travelers – especially those of the “annoying American” kind

While at field guide training in South Africa I got the opportunity to play the “American Tourist” during practical exams (game drives through the bush) for my classmates. It didn’t take much for me to muster the kind of behavior we’ve all witnessed from fellow travelers, especially those of the *ahem* annoying American kind. This happens to be my personal travel pet peeve and I relished the chance to try on their shoes and see how dumb I felt. The answer: pretty dumb. I refrained from disturbing the animals but I think after a few rounds of “How many impala do giraffes eat in a day?” and “Can I ride that zebra with a regular saddle or do I need a special one?”  my classmates, many of whom were native South Africans, had a better sense for the kind of thing they’d have to deal with in their new career.

So what do you do about these tourists when you encounter them? I wish I could say you should call them out and give them a piece of your mind, but you don’t want to contribute to the problem. The best advice I have is to simply remove yourself from their presence to the best of your ability. And put a Canadian flag patch on your backpack.

Getting Sick on Vacation

Nothing’s worse when you’re on vacation that being stuck in the hotel room. Unfortunately, getting sick while traveling happens to us all at some point. I suggest that you anticipate it will happen and travel with as many familiar medicines as you can. If you start to feel sick, ask your hotel for a clinic that you can visit ASAP. Stay hydrated and rest up so you’ll recover quickly and can salvage as much of your vacation as possible. If you push it, you may end up miserable for the rest of your trip!