Your travel pet peeves

[ChrisE]

Chris, This is just TOO funny!

I also had something like this happen to me in a hotel I had been staying at for several months. Each day I got 2-4 new little soaps and a mini bottle of shampoo. Once the pile avalanched, I decided to neaten the room by using the 2 nightstands on either side of the bed. One I had nice orderly rows of soap, the other had the shampoo put in it. By the time I left, the drawers were completely full and I had overflow stacked on the top shelf of the armoir. I feel sorry for the next person using the room, but I didn't have any recourse. I'm sure they will still had the drawers full upon arrival, plus more added to the bathroom.

[Vinnvinny]

I also had something like this happen to me in a hotel I had been staying at for several months. Each day I got 2-4 new little soaps and a mini bottle of shampoo. Once the pile avalanched, I decided to neaten the room by using the 2 nightstands on either side of the bed. One I had nice orderly rows of soap, the other had the shampoo put in it. By the time I left, the drawers were completely full and I had overflow stacked on the top shelf of the armoir. I feel sorry for the next person using the room, but I didn't have any recourse. I'm sure they will still had the drawers full upon arrival, plus more added to the bathroom.

I think the maid was hinting at something .....................

 

[ChrisE]

 Chris, I also agree about the "free WiFi" crap. I couldn't tell you how often I have been to hotels with this advertisement only to find out that it is only included with certain "business class" rooms, or some such crap. If I want to use it, I would have to upgrade rooms and pay almost double my current room rate.
  Another one is that the hookup to WiFi is free, but internet usage isn't! You have to use a credit card and buy a quantity of data or a time subscription. Just another way to grab at a few bucks that really burns my arse!

[cufflinks]

Having airplanes crash into one of your most famous national landmarks killing over 3000 people makes one a bit defensive about whom we allow in our country. 

Those eligible for visa waiver (EU and others) conversely must get a visa of sorts. Its called ESLA and you do it online and it costs about £20 each and is valid for two years. Uncle Sam knows everyone who is coming, their criminal background, and everything; days before they get on the plane. Anything a little bit iffy and you get told ESLA is not for you and go to London for a visa interview. Uncle Sam has nothing to fear from holidaying Brits that are pre-screened, seeking to leave a few thousand tourist dollars behind. Yet, we have to join the same queue as the great unwashed who may be seeking to make a home there.

It would be far better (and a money earner) to offer a fast track service for ESLA entrants one can choose to pay for. They could use some of the money to train the staff to be polite too.    Its a helluva welcome in the Land of the Free^TM to have a 200kg gum-chewing black woman ask impertinent, and often ridiculous questions after you have been waiting in line for multiple hours. And yes, Shakey, it can take several hours.

Our Constitution doesn't allow you to "profile" people and label them as terrorists simply because of the way they look.  I think your three hours is more than a bit of exaggeration but I have noticed it does take a bit longer for non-Americans to clear the immigration process.

OK, don't take my word for it. See it from the other side. Here is a quote from a traveller to Atlanta:

AT THE VERY LEAST GIVE YOURSELF 2HRS!!!!!!!!! And also be prepared for one of the worst experiences of your life. ATL makes SVO look like a breeze. I think ATL Immigration has the highest concentration of flunkies, dropouts, stoners, morons, vagrants, and inbreds I've ever seen. HORRIBLE!!!! You have been warned..........

Source

Hate to say it but welcome to Obamanation where BUA reigns supreme (Black Urban Attitude) which is only superceded by BWA (Black Women's Attitude) of course even saying such a thing can now get folks arrested for hate speech so they just take it (heavy dose of BWA) and think it to themselves.  Unfortunately since EUrabia and UKabia have become breeding grounds for home grown islamists radicals all UKians and EUranians have to be treated exactly the same lest we be accused of profiling!!!

(Not that the USA is immune at all - the DoD just terminated life for the Yemeni US born cleric and the U.S. State Department issued a "worldwide" alert Saturday, urging overseas travelers to be mindful of "the potential for retaliation against U.S. citizens and interests" following the killing of American-born militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Al-Awlaki -- the face of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula whose fluency with English and technology made him a top terrorist recruiter-- was killed Friday in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, officials said.  Now even though this Al-Qaeda leader was droned as an active stateless enemy combatant the Civil liberties Union and Ron Paul are calling it an assassination of a US citizen and possible war crime - even the word Murder is used - so now Obama's own extreme left my try to have him tried in the Hague!  Amazing...)

So even though WASP, WIC, WNC, WGC, WSC, WICC (White Anglo Saxon Protestant, Irish Christian, Nordic Christian, Germanic Christian and or Italian, Spanish or Slavic Christians are highly unlikely to try anything remotely islamist radical (unless a small medicated minority and their their psycho meds have expired) - the idea that we would profile like El Al and let trusted (white judeao christian) Europeans right through - even with some sort of international trusted traveller biometric face recognition passcard id system - the Jesse Jackson Rainbow Push coalition would be screaming bloody murder about racial profiling - so as long as it is by Passport and nothing else everyone suffers while they try to filter out the nutters and waki-paki and Algerian, Iranian etc islamo anarchists from the fine White Euro Christians that by and large we want to extend an open warm welcome to.  Of course that could never happen because that would be total racial profiling and stereotyping so our customs and immigration clearing sucks post 9-11.  Funny when I was in Moscow - White Euro ethnic Yank passport waved in and out with just a picture check and an efficient smile. 

Zurich going to Moscow was just rude and on edge as Modummer Quackdaffy had just issued a call for Jihad as the Swiss voted not to allow any more electronic blasting of calls to prayers from Swiss urban mosques minarets!  Coming back thru Zurich worse - full behind the curtain wanding - even the bottom of my sox - what for lethal foot odor?  Well unlike my last time through Schipol some big fruity dutchman didn't jam his fingers 6 inches down my inside of my belt with a sweeping motion around my back with a freaking smile on his face - of course he was not too happy with my wise cracking irreverant nuke boat attitude when i told him hey what about the happy ending sport!  Well the Swiss at least just asked me to romove my belt and kept their hands too themselves.  The Russians we almost all ladies and not interested in putting their hands anywhere - maybe they were trying to give me a hint

Whereas leaving the USA was no problem but on the way back in they asked me why I went to Russia and I said business and they asked what company I worked for and I said my own and they asked if I had any defense contracts (not at the time so i answered truthfully no just commercial) and then they waved me through - so if you have defense contracts and travel to RU or UA does that automatically mark you as a possible seller of state secrets and traitor???  Cold War NEOCON mentality alive an well in the good old USofA.

[Donhollio]

  I hate walking past the good seats only to take my place in stowage. All the while I keep thinking how nice it would be to fly in relative comfort over the ocean. I can do 4 hours without a blink, but that 6-8 time zone shift and seated all the time really gets to me.

[Anteros]

The number one travel pet peeve surely has to be when a plane 'lands' on terra firma that isn't a runway. All the others are a tad tedious, but not really that important.

[Paul]

After sitting in front of a drunken idiot for 8 hrs, part of yesterday and the day before, my new number one pet peeve while traveling is the consumption of alcohol on flights. The a-hole kicked or pushed my seat every five minutes, smelt of body odor and whatever it was that he had been drinking and at one point managed to put his shoeless feet in between my seat and the side of the plane on my arm rest,.. I managed to stand up, turn around, and tell him to move them but he was too f-ing plastered to understand what I was telling him, his buddy sitting next to him had to pull his legs down. There were no empty seats on the plane to switch with.

[ChrisE]

Paul, so sorry to hear that! Most airlines, at least in the US, won't let someone who is that plastered even get on the plane.

Were you with the wife? It would have been funny if she had nail polish along, and you painted the guys nails a bright pretty pink to remember the flight by!   

[Dogsoldier]

Travellers from 3rd world countries spitting in the aircraft cabin.   

[Paul]

Paul, so sorry to hear that! Most airlines, at least in the US, won't let someone who is that plastered even get on the plane.

Apparently he had been drinking a little before getting on the plane and was not that drunk. The guy must have bought some booze in duty free and drank that on the flight... he kept asking the flight attendants for 7up. Wife was not with me.