When you arrive at the airport, one of the first obstacles you encounter to getting to your final destination is the security line. Hundreds of people, all trying to get through that rope line to prove who they are, take off their shoes, send all of their belongings through an X-ray machine, then go through…
Travel Etiquette
Plane Etiquette Tip: Be careful about personal grooming
After a flight last week, I realized I may have left something out of the Plane Etiquette Roundup from a few weeks ago. Something important. I was flying home from Nashville and preparing to enjoy a nap after a long, long day trip. Almost asleep, I was at that in-between stage where you’re still kind…
Carry-on Etiquette Roundup
Last week, we talked about etiquette for planes. One could reasonably argue that etiquette for carry-on suitcases should fit under that umbrella. And it probably does. But this is such an important part of thoughtful travel that I felt it deserved its own post. Here are some guidelines for how to share that overhead bin…
Plane Etiquette Round Up
Sometimes while traveling we get so focused and in the zone that we forget we are not the only passengers on the plane. Still, recognizing how to coexist in a metal tube very closely with 150 strangers can make for a better flight for everyone. Here are some of my favorite etiquette tips for air…
Pick up your stuff and get out of there!!
I talk about airport security a lot, but honestly it seems like the general population still needs a lot of help. There are a million things you can do to set up your stuff correctly so that you go through security efficiently (see recent post Security Refresh for step by step instructions). I know that…
Boarding Etiquette Tip: Wait Your Turn!
Coming home from Chicago, Part 2. I’ve already shared the first etiquette issue I witnessed on Saturday. Well, here is the second. Southwest had the best flight times for Saturday (had to get home for my nephew’s first birthday!), so I flew them home. I really like Southwest—the flight attendants are usually pretty happy, the…
Quick Etiquette Tip: Put your bag in the overhead bin the right way!
Last week on my way to Nashville, the last seven or eight passengers to board had to check their bags. This has become fairly standard, as more and more people try to carry-on to avoid checked-baggage fees. I get it, I really do. It sucks to pay $40 or more extra per trip. But as…
Travel Etiquette Tip: Watch Your Bags Going Down the Aisle
You’ve probably seen it happen–someone walking down the aisle of an airplane, totally focused on what’s ahead of them, and completely unaware that they are hitting everyone already seated with their bag. This past week, the woman in front of me on our normal sized Super 80 (so not a small plane with a smaller…
The bulkhead: Not for people who need lots of stuff!!
Ah, the bulkhead. One of the best seats on the plane! Extra leg room, no one in front of you, a place where you can spread out all of your stuff and finally be comfortable. Or is it? So thought the woman sitting there on my flight early yesterday morning. She sat down in her…
Travel Etiquette Tip: Don’t stop in the middle of the jetbridge
This may be another one of those things that, like grabbing the seat in front of you, if you don’t fly often you don’t think about it. But after almost every flight I’ve taken over the last few weeks, someone has stopped abruptly, right in front of me, in the middle of the jetbridge (or…
