I was recently thinking about the different strange things people do when traveling. I found an article from the website Hello Giggles about quirky travel behaviors. Some were understandable, like refusing to walk barefoot on hotel carpets (Note from Sharon: I would fit into that category). Other quirks ranged from needing a specific number of pillows in order to be able to sleep to getting to the airport hours early because of a fear of missing your plane.
Sharon has a few things she does when we travel that I shake my head at, like bringing her own pillow from home, no matter where we’re going or how long the trip is. I’ve actually started doing this one myself, but only for longer trips so I no longer consider it that quirky (except when it’s just for a night of two. That’s still quirky). (Note from Sharon: Shup! I love my pillow!)
She also wipes the TV remote control down with Purell, but I could see a reason for that: to prevent others’ germs from getting on our hands. Regardless of trying to stay safe during the pandemic, the remote is still the germiest item in a hotel room.
One thing I find odder is that she brings her own soap and shampoo. She’s been doing this for years, and it has nothing to do with hotels doing away with single-use containers in favor of refillable dispensers. What’s strange is that they’re not the same brand of soap and shampoo she uses at home. They’re specific ones that she only uses when she’s on vacation (Note from Sharon regarding the photo below: I don’t ever use Dove and I do not need to use Head & Shoulders. Joe, why did you pick THAT picture?!?!?! LOLOL!).
I also do a couple of quirky things when I travel. I take hotel soaps home with me. I know that’s not uncommon, but I’ll also take the half-used soap bars with me or bring them from hotel to hotel. When I use them at home, they remind me of our vacations.
I also stack my change. It started when I was traveling overseas, mainly so I’d know how much money I had. Coins have value (and weight) in other countries, and you can end up walking around with £20 worth of coins in your pocket before you know it.
I’ll unpack my suitcase if I stay somewhere for more than two nights. By this, I mean I unpack ALL my clothes in the drawers and closets. If it’s only a one or two-night stay, I’ll begrudgingly live out of my suitcase, but more than that, I want to feel like I have control over the space. This is getting harder and harder to accomplish as hotels are removing drawer space (here’s why they’re doing that) at an alarming rate.
So what’s something you do when you travel that’s a little unusual? Come on, ‘fess up. I told you my little idiosyncrasies (and Sharon’s, too). What are yours?
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6 comments
I repack everything in the bathroom that I took out (toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.) so that the counter is completely clear except for hotel items.
When I leave, I steal about 5 sheets of tissue (Kleenex).
My wife, who likes to get to a baseball game when the first pitch is being thrown and not a minute before, likes to be at the airport 3 hours before the flight. This stems from a flight we took 10+ years ago. There was a snowstorm the day before, many flights were rescheduled, and the line to check bags was snaking through the terminal. We ended up going outside and using curbside check in with no problem, but from then on we get to the airport early.
The airport can be fun. Browsing the shops, munching on stuff from the eateries, and people watching.
Every time I visit Australia, (my husband is from there) I collect all of the Aussie coins we accumulate and spend as much of them as I can at the airport on our trip home. We keep the folding money for the next trip, but the coins are really a pain in our household.
I wear the same inexpensive digital watch every time I travel. I leave a “thank you for keeping my room clean” note with my housekeeping gratuity. At an airline lounge, or at buffet style dining at a hotel or resort, I put soup in a coffee mug, and pour coffee into a soup bowl. If the breakfast buffet has Nutella, I always spread the stuff on cheese, then roll sliced ham in, and eat it like a tube. Whenever I fly, I put noise canceling headphones on, and I always play the same song: ‘Late Nite Grande Hotel” as we take off. When I use an airport bathroom, I locate and tap every green “smiley” button to let management know how the cleaning people are doing. I always get to the airport super early – I love wandering the terminal, buying food from the eateries, and people-watching.
I travel an extraordinary amount so evry time before I go to sleep, the last thing I do is do a handwritten timetable for the next flight. I start with Flight Departure, Flight Check-In, Depart Hotel, Breakfast Times, Wake up time. It’s not actually oddball. What it does is become ingrained into my mind. Subliminally, we as humans remember better if we write it down. I have a set wake up time and I then know if I do that, all the other stuff falls into line.