If you’re reading this, it’s likely you share our love for travel! As wonderful a privilege as travel is, it often has a way of bringing out the worst in people…
Whether they’re pushing you out of the way to be the first off the plane or talking obnoxiously loud on a red-eye while others are trying to sleep. If you love to travel, you’re likely to have come across some pretty annoying travelers on your journeys.
But, what better way to cope than by embracing an adventurer’s mentality and laughing about it? Here are our six most annoying travelers and how to spot them, so you can chuckle to yourself, brush them off and continue exploring.
1. The Complainer (AKA The Snob)
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Constantly complains about everything, whether it be the temperature of the restaurant you’ve chosen for dinner, how the Parisian café staff don’t speak English well-enough or comparing everything to how it is done ‘back home’. We get the point, you’re never happy. Please, keep those thoughts to yourself, other people are trying to embrace a new experience.
How to spot them:
This person may not demonstrate these characteristics to you at first but if you’re traveling together, in time, the incessant complaints will give him or her away.
2. The Ultimate Tourist
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These type of travelers have to see all the clichéd hotspots, and they have to do it all in one day! Checking attractions off their list of things to see is more important than enjoying the cultural experience of being abroad. They will often be the first to want to move on to the next activity after they have taken a picture with the attraction or famous piece of art, because ‘truly enjoying the moment’ is not on their list of things to do.
How to spot them:
Typically wearing crocs or socks and sandals, a colorful cap, and some variation of a fanny pack.
3. The Instagram Model
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Everyone knows one. In fact, you might even be one yourself. These travelers always have to stop and take a dozen photos in front of a beautiful vista while blocking a frustrated crowd of people trying to enjoy the view. They’re often caught standing or ‘yoga posing’ in front of a crowd at the Grand Canyon or hogging the space in front of the Mona Lisa equipped with a selfie stick. Perhaps we have all been guilty of this one from time to time, but the true ‘Instagram Model’ will inevitably stand out as the most obnoxious.
How to spot them:
A very common specimen, usually wearing a choking amount of cologne or perfume and is often wearing something unfittingly sparkly or furry.
4. The Wretchedly Sick One
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You’re stuck on the plane for eight hours from LHR to JFK and your seatmate is sniffling and coughing non-stop… need I say more? Yes, we have all been there and it’s good to have empathy for your fellow human, but you have to admit, that in the moment, you wish you could escape them and their germ-infested airspace…
How to spot them:
Often seen with bloodshot eyes and a red nose. While not always avoidable, you can plan for the worst, equip your immune system and bring plenty of antibacterial wipes on your flight.
5. The Unsettled Traveller
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These are one of the most annoying types because you can’t seem to escape them for the duration of the flight. Sometimes they are young children, but somehow that would be more forgiving. They are usually grown adults that can’t seem to find a comfortable position to stay in. Therefore, they are constantly shoving their knees into your back, invading your space by reclining their chair during dinner or grabbing hold of your seat while on the way to the airplane restroom for the sixth time…
How to spot them:
Difficult to spot before the annoyance occurs, but some clues are that they come baring many bags and struggle to shove their oversized carry-ons into the overhead compartment.
6. The Oversharer
Profile: If you are the kind of person who loves time to yourself in the sweet embrace of silence, oversharers could be your personal nightmare. You’ve finally settled into your seat on the plane, ready to relax, crack open that bottle of wine and start the latest rom-com when the person next to you says, “So, where yah from?”
How to spot them:
Usually tells you an uncomfortably intimate story from their past within a few minutes of meeting you while you’re left thinking; “I don’t remember asking…”