Ahh, holiday travel. Long lines. Packed planes. Short fuses. Is it any wonder many of us dread air travel over the holidays? Travelocity’s recent ‘Rudeness Poll’ identified travelers’ biggest pet peeves and what’s considered the worst behavior on the part of other travelers. Did you ever stop to consider, though, that maybe you’re the rude traveler? In other words, it’s not them, it’s you. If you identify with any of the personalities below, remember a little courtesy goes a long way to making everyone’s journey more enjoyable. Happy Holidays!

Travelocity Rudeness Poll Graphic

The Over Packer: Hey, if you want to pay $100 round-trip to check two bags, that’s your business. Your over packing, however, becomes everyone else’s business when you stuff your oversized bag into the overhead.  You may have snuck your too-big bag by the airline employees, but you will not escape the judgment of your fellow travelers forced to gate check because of you taking up all the space.

The Over-Eager Boarder: Hey buddy, what’s the rush? You know the one – the guy or gal who, for some inexplicable reason, is dying to get on that plane. Frankly, I would prefer to spend as little time on the plane as possible, but these travelers crowd the boarding line in an effort to be first.

The Smelly Seatmate: What’s worse than bumping knees and elbows with a perfect stranger on a crowded flight? Bumping knees and elbows with a smelly stranger on a crowded flight. Just because the airplane may feel like a cattle car doesn’t mean you should smell like cattle.

The Seat Kicker: Perhaps you are a child who doesn’t know any better. Perhaps you’re an adult with unusually long legs and really can’t help it. Perhaps you have a tick that causes your leg  to jerk out uncontrollably. None are a consolation to the person who has the misfortune of sitting in front of you.

The Loud Talker: This may come as a shock, but no one on your flight cares about how totally stoked you are for your trip to Vegas, man! Other things we don’t care about include (but are not limited to): your good / bad relationship with your boyfriend / girlfriend, your pet and your horrible boss.

The V.I.P. De-planer: Newsflash: We all want to get off the plane. Not sure, then, why your desire to get off the plane entitles you to exit in front of the people seated in the rows ahead of you. Oh! You must have somewhere important to be! Since the rest of us just took that flight for the pure fun of it, by all means go first.

The Parent of the Misbehaving Child: When a child’s behavior disrupts other travelers, no one blames the child. They’re just kids for crying out loud! We do, however, judge you, parents, if you do nothing to get the situation under control. Your kids are cute, so we’ll cut them some slack. On the other hand, you, parent, stopped being cute long ago.

The Naked (or Near-Naked) Traveler: If you’re a woman, we ask you to keep your top on. If you’re a man, we ask you to wear more to cover your bottom than a skimpy Speedo. If you’re a child, we ask your parents (see above) to not allow you to be naked in public.


READERS: Do you identify with any of the personalities above? Or have you encountered a road rudie that wasn't covered in this post? Sound off in the comments below!