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I am a bit grumpy and grouchy today so my list is long, granted I was lucky enough I had parents that started addicting me with travel at the age of five so now at soon to be 59 I have seen and experienced the good, bad and the ugly!
I am embellishing some of these so keep that in mind!
Frequent flier mileage, what once was easier to keep track of with paper statements is now a computer generated hide and seek game of trying to stay current and not lose them.
Vegas, when the heck did resort fees become a norm and they are becoming more prevelant everywhere.
Seat of the pants vacationing both here and abroad I am finding is a bit difficult now with the amount of tourists traveling now. The Familia Cathedral in Barcelona like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, house of Anne Frank now need to be booked a week out. International travel destinations are becoming overwhelmed with tourists and it is being noticed by those country's that a few years back welcomed but now want to limit tourism.
As mentioned those lines at TSA waiting behind those who you see have jewelry on but continue to try to get through the detector. As far as TSA agents attitude........not quite sure how they remain sane after an eight hour shift dealing with sometimes an entitled passenger that thinks they know the rules.
The lack of patience, manners and compassion of some of those traveling on airplanes. I have witnessed pushing, shoving, those removing or moving others belongings in the overhead to get theirs in. Those trying to get up as soon as we taxi towards the gate and those not wanting to wait their turn (not always these people have short layovers).
As someone who enjoyed the search for the best deals as much as the travel I am finding it is tougher and tougher seek them out.
Recent trip to Denver had me searching for a car rental, tried several popular internet sites and only after calling each company and asking for AARP, AAA, state Goverment rates did I find a savings of over $200 from the internet sites.
Finding the cheapest fares have the most fine print. Some of these fares don't allow seat selection until you get to the airport and it is random. These are the same seats I purchased a few years back at much cheaper rates and I see some airlines are charging for carry on's.
The parents who let their children act wild on planes resturants, hotels and planes, as mentioned those who act like their hotel room is their home where they can make noise 24/7. The ones who have to be told by hotel staff repeatedly not to pile food trays at the hotel breakfast bar and take it up to their rooms leaving the rest of us lined up waiting.
Like I said, I think for those of us that have been traveling many, many years find the travel environment has really evolved into something I do not enjoy anymore. If I could afford first class and accommodations were of no concern then my feelings would be a lot different.
Like I said a few of these are tongue in cheek but with the economy in full swing the last few years traveling has changed dramatically. You can't live in the past but traveling did seem a lot more enjoyable!
The problem is that too many people are travelling. Most countries cannot cope with the rapid increase in numbers which have happened so quickly.
We just spent three weeks in Vietnam. Ten years ago, they had about five million tourists a year. Last year, sixteen million. In Sapa, near the Chinese border, the number of hotels has increased from single numbers to over 700 in that time. So everything was jam packed.
I do not begrudge anyone the right to travel but managing the volume is such a challenge. In Vietnam they still have customs officials who look at and stamp your passport. In Australia we have the self serve devices which supposedly simplify and speed up the process. Except when it is busy and you have to stand in two long lines instead of the previous one. Or choose the manual line which is massively longer. grrr
The problem is that too many people are travelling. Most countries cannot cope with the rapid increase in numbers which have happened so quickly.
We just spent three weeks in Vietnam. Ten years ago, they had about five million tourists a year. Last year, sixteen million. In Sapa, near the Chinese border, the number of hotels has increased from single numbers to over 700 in that time. So everything was jam packed.
I do not begrudge anyone the right to travel but managing the volume is such a challenge. In Vietnam they still have customs officials who look at and stamp your passport. In Australia we have the self serve devices which supposedly simplify and speed up the process. Except when it is busy and you have to stand in two long lines instead of the previous one. Or choose the manual line which is massively longer. grrr
Thank you, I did not want to come off to harsh, I am glad so many others have noticed these trends. Just traveling the last three years in Europe we have seen a substantial increase in tourists. We thought we would be visiting some off the beaten path beaches in Portugal this past year but these out of the way places were packed.
I can imagine the popularity with Vietnam as I see so much on it being a great place to visit in the travel news!
Seat of the pants vacationing both here and abroad I am finding is a bit difficult now with the amount of tourists traveling now. The Familia Cathedral in Barcelona like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, house of Anne Frank now need to be booked a week out.!
If you want to see what everyone else wants to see, then everyone else is there in line. Go and see Grigorescu's paintings in Iasi, Romania. I liked them better than the Mona Lisa, no queues. Not even hotel reservations needed. Seat of the pants, no tears. When you get home, tell people you saw Mona, they'll never know you lied.
If you're in the queue, you're part of the crowd that is annoying them. Go find something the crowd hasn't discovered yet, then in 50 years you can gloat over that.
These folks are also the most likely to resort to extreme levels of hyperbole to describe these interactions that millions of other travelers get through just fine.
Lining up like we've been doing since kindergarten becomes herded like cattle.
Having a bag checked is gross violation of civil rights.
Body pat-down which is less than 2% of passengers is TSA molesting/groping people.
Somehow all ticket agents and TSA are mean and nasty.
Somehow every fellow passenger is overweight and smells.
etc.
It is far more annoying to me to read some of these threads than anything that I encounter in the 10-14 weeks that I travel these years.
I have no problems with TSA although I am patted down quite frequently. The airline employees have all been very friendly (although I never fly United and American if it can be avoided). I generally get treated well at the various car rental locations and the like.
Actually, I am rather amazed at how much most travel industry people help out when asked.
In 40+ years of travel, I managed to never lose a bag for more than an hour. Airline delays have been minimal (other than at MSP and DTW with Northwest which accounted for about 5% of my flights and 95% of my delays.
The ONLY bad thing that has happened on the road in the past four years is having my vehicle sideswiped by an uninsured kid in Racine, WI
- Fellow travelers that have no concept of personal hygiene. I'd rather sit next to a large person than one who smells like they haven't bathed in a year.
- Forgetting or losing something. Maybe you have forgotten the phone or laptop charger, or something else.
- As some have pointed out, the room you got is nothing like what you thought it would be, and in a bad way. Too much noise, bed bugs, etc.
- The sight you want to see is actually closed on the days you are there. Or maybe it's just too darned crowded. Or like the hotel room thing, highly disappointing.
- Fellow travelers that have no concept of personal hygiene. I'd rather sit next to a large person than one who smells like they haven't bathed in a year.
- Forgetting or losing something. Maybe you have forgotten the phone or laptop charger, or something else.
- As some have pointed out, the room you got is nothing like what you thought it would be, and in a bad way. Too much noise, bed bugs, etc.
Everyone has a sense of hygiene, they're just not all the same. Have you ever smelled anyone who hasn;t bathed in a year? How about on a 48-hour bus trip? All your fellow passengers arrived there under separate circumstances and you have no eight to judge them.
Forgetting/losing? Nobody's fault but your own.
Book the cheapest room in town, you'll at least never have your trip spoiled by disappointment. And you'll save $100 a day. And laugh about when you get home. Three definite pluses. Your expectations are also your own fault.
It's amazing. I go online to compliment a really nice hotel stay, and I browse through the other reviews, and people are ripping it because there was a crack in a mirror, or they stubbed their toe, or the tea was tepid. Jeez. Louise.
Location: In a perfect world winter does not exist
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gouligann
My biggest travel peeve? Lineups!!! Mostly at airports.
in airports they shuffle you along like cattle to slaughter
1 to get the boarding pass
2 to get through security
3 to get to the gate to board
4 shuffling down the narrow hallways, then navigating the narrow aisles to your seat once you finally board
When I finally sit down after trying to find room for my small case in an overhead bin, I am exhausted.
5 lining up for the miniature, smelly bathrooms on the plane. Sometimes I can make it through the flight, sometimes no.
6 after landing, lining up to go through Immigration
7 lineups waiting for luggage at the carosels
8 lining up for taxis or shuttle buses outside the arrival gate
9 lining up at your motel to check in
Yep.... This is why I only travel far away once or twice a year Max. Not sure if I can ever handle a travel job even if it paid a big old amount. Its not worth the physical stress.
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