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 all of my fabulous readers know how to get through the line with a minimum of fuss and without slowing anyone down, but just in case someone hasn’t heard this very important tip, here it is again.

Once you get through the metal detector or the body scanner, immediately go to the X-ray machine. Pick up your stuff, and grab your suitcase and briefcase. Then move out of the way, over to the benches, chairs, or tables set up specifically for the purpose of arranging your things. Then you can leisurely put your shoes and coat back on, put your laptop where it goes, and repack your liquids bag, without holding up the security line. It’s so simple!

You may be wondering what brought this on. Friday, when attempting to leave town, I was behind a business traveler. He seemed to have his stuff pretty well together, and got through the line rather quickly. But when he got to the other side, he stood there blocking access to the X-ray belt, while he put on his coat and put in his earbuds. I was speechless. The whole process took him several minutes, while my items were trying to come out of the machine and couldn’t. Oy.

Readers, what’s the strangest thing you’ve seen someone do when picking up their stuff in the security line?

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 seats are a little bit bigger, and I typically can get a window seat without too much trouble. Other business travelers I’ve talked to don’t really like their boarding system, but I don’t have a problem with it. Especially now that they have the numbers to go along with the boarding groups.

(For those of you who aren’t familiar, here’s how it works. When you check in, you are assigned a boarding group (A, B, or C) and a number for your place in line. They have everyone line up basically in order for each boarding group, and then once you’re on the plane you choose whatever seat you want. This has always worked fine for me in the past, with no significant issues.)

However, on the last two Southwest flights I’ve taken, there have been issues. Flying to LA, I had place A30. Our group was boarding, the line was moving along, and then it just stopped. I waited a minute, and realized the lady two people in front of me wasn’t moving. “Excuse me,” I said, “are you in the A group?” “No, I’m a B,” she said. Okeydokey. I walked around her and boarded. Of course, it turned out the woman in front of me was also an A, so she followed me. At the time, I just thought, that was weird and kind of rude, but whatever.

Then Saturday happened. I was B23, not a great spot, but what can you do. I was behind a large family, and our group was boarding. And same as last time, it stopped. The family and I waited patiently, as there were several people in front of us waiting to board. Or so we thought. After a couple of minutes, the gate agent said, “Any more B1-30? Nope? Okay, B 31-60 come on down.” I waved my arm. “Wait!” I said. “There are more of us!” Still the line didn’t move, so I just went in front of everyone and boarded. The family followed close behind. Turns out yet another family had gotten in front of them, that were part of the C group. What the heck, people?

Friends, please wait until the gate agent tells you to line up before getting in line. It is frustrating for those of us waiting to board for people to jump in line and then keep us from getting on the plane during our group. This goes for other airlines too. If you are flying American, and you’re in boarding Group 4, please don’t stand up and clog the boarding area until it’s closer to your turn. It is very difficult to maneuver a suitcase through a hundred people to board, when those people won’t be boarding for like ten minutes anyway!

Readers, what are your thoughts on this? Have you experienced people not waiting their turn to board?

Don’t forget about the contest going on through Sunday!! You could win two nights in a Courtyard Marriott.

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 much as the flight attendants say it, there will never be room for everyone’s bag. There are ways, however, to make sure there is room for many, many bags. (Pictured: Samsonite Women’s Xspace 30″ Expandable Spinner, available on Amazon for $159)

The key? Put your bag in the right way. It is the biggest single thing you can do to make sure the most passengers can fit thier bags in the overhead. It can be slightly confusing, because on some aircraft the bags have to go in wheels first, on some they have to be handle first, and on a few planes they can only fit sideways. (In the past, I’ve always had a hard time getting my bag to fit wheels first on Southwest planes, so I’ve had to put it sideways. Last week on my flight home, though, I was able to make it work. So I guess it really depends on the plane.) On some planes, i.e. the Super 80s that American uses all the time, the bags will only fit on one side. The most important thing is to listen to the flight attendants! If you fly all the time, you probably know on any given plane how your bag will fit. But if you don’t fly as much, or you’re on an unfamiliar aircraft, pay attention!

You’ve heard it all before, and you’ll probably hear it every time you fly. The overhead bins are shared space. So do your best to share!!

My own over-stuffed travel purse

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 aisle) was pushing her rollaboard in front of her and had her large purse on her shoulder. As she was walking by a group of people already seated, she literally hit a woman in the face with her purse. Obviously, she wasn’t trying to be rude, she was just completely oblivious.

My recommendation: don’t keep your purse or briefcase on your shoulder—hold the straps in your hand. Then either pull or carry your rollaboard, depending on how narrow the aisle is. It’s not as comfortable this way, but at least you have more control over where your bags go. And you’re more likely to avoid hitting someone in the face.

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 seat, put her tote bag in the corner in front of her, and got out her water, magazine, purse, and snacks, and set them down around her feet. Obviously, not someone who flies all of the time. The flight attendant came over and let her know that she couldn’t have anything by her feet, and that both of her bags needed to go into the overhead bin. She freaked out. I mean, I could hear her side of the conversation with the flight attendant three rows back. “There’s plenty of room! Why can’t I have my purse? I have to have my purse! What if someone steals it?” Etc.

The bulkhead can seem like a great place—you really do have lots of leg room. But if you are paranoid about your possessions being out of sight for a period of time or need lots of stuff for a flight, it may not be the place for you. For a reason I’m not completely clear on, you are not allowed to have anything at all around your feet, not even behind your legs. (I think it has something to do with needing the area around your feet clear if there is an emergency and you have to run off the plane) If you do sit there, it’s easiest if you don’t need much besides a book or magazine. Certainly you can work there, just make sure your laptop or whatever else you need is close to the opening of your bag—it’s tricky to rummage around while the bag is in the overhead bin. Whatever you do, don’t force your bag under your seat—then you are taking away from the room of the person behind you.

Eventually, the woman yesterday gathered all of her things together and put them in the overhead bin, sighing loudly to signal her displeasure the whole time. (If she had listened to the flight attendants’ announcements in the first place, she would have known the score before she sat down. But that’s a rant for another day….) After takeoff, she loudly excused herself to the person next to her as she went to pull her purse out of the overhead bin. “So sorry! But I had to put all of my things up there, and I need them, so I have to go in front of you.” Passive-aggressive, yes. Oh well. Next time you sit in the bulkhead, try to be nicer and more prepared than her! Your fellow passengers will thank you.

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 the space right outside of it).  Maybe people are trying so hard to get off the plane that they don’t arrange their belongings in a comfortable way, and they need to stop and fix them? Or they want to get their phone/keys/wallet/etc. out of their bag? Regardless of the reason, it can cause a logjam, or even someone to run into you. I came this close to running into someone who stopped right in the middle of the path outside the jetbridge on Saturday.

This is true for the airport in general, and really any place where there is a hallway or walkway used by lots of people at a time. If you need to stop, glance around you and then move to the side without running into anyone. I actually treat it like driving–I look to my blind spot, then get out of the way. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances, but please, move over to the side if you have to stop.

On a recent trip, while going through airport security, I noticed a gentleman with writing on his t-shirt. Since security was taking a while, and I was bored, I tried to read what it said. All I could see was that it said NO MA’AM in capital letters, with words underneath. What the heck? I thought. What a weird dude. And forgot about it.

While arranging my stuff (phone, water, book, earbuds) on the plane, the weird dude appeared again. This time he was standing up in front of me, putting his bag in the overhead bin. I was able to see that the rest of his shirt said, National Organization Against Amazonian Motherhood. My first reaction, again, was What the heck? That’s rude! So that night when I got to the hotel I looked it up. Turns out it is something from Married With Children–a club that Al Bundy started. Okaaaaay. Whatever.

I get it–it’s a joke shirt. A really lame joke shirt. But it’s kinda mildly offensive. I mean, if you are in an airport, there is a good chance that you will be interacting with women. Maybe there will be a woman at the ticket counter, deciding where you sit on the plane. Maybe a woman flight attendant, serving you beverages and snacks in flight. Or even a woman TSA agent, deciding if you deserve a “special” pat down or not. Not to mention all those women passengers. Why would you purposefully wear something that is alienating and obnoxious, if not downright offensive, to half of the people you encounter in a day? Especially something that is a joke from close to twenty years ago, which most people don’t remember?

Friends, I’m not saying you need to censor yourself.  My assumption is that most of you are not obnoxious, and therefore concerned at least a little bit with being polite to your fellow passengers. But honestly, only an obnoxious person would think this is okay. So please, try not to be obnoxious, and maybe rethink your decision to wear something that others may consider offensive.

That is all.

People email me questions about it. I see Google searches on it. And of course, I see it all the time while traveling. Evidently, there is a lot of confusion about where small carry-ons, or personal items, go. Let me clear it up for you.

There are only two scenarios:

1) You have only one bag, your personal item. In this case, it is perfectly appropriate to put your small carry-on in the overhead bins. If you want to have it closer at hand, put it under the seat in front of you.

2) You have two bags, a suitcase of some sort and a personal item. If you have two bags, put your larger one in the overhead bins (preferably as close to your seat as possible, with wheels facing the correct way) and your smaller one under the seat in front of you. Please do not put both of your bags in the overhead bins, as it takes up space that passengers getting on later will need. The only time this is appropriate is if you are in the bulkhead seats.

One place the personal item never goes is under your seat, or behind your legs. This may be more comfortable for you, but it means the person behind you loses out on space for their small bag or legs. Please be considerate!And the best way to know where all of your luggage goes is to listen to the flight attendants as you are boarding. They will tell you everything you need to know, especially if you don’t fly often.

My best friend had quite the interesting trip home from Atlanta last month. You’ve already heard about the gate changes she had to deal with, but that was way better than what happened actually on her flight.

She sits down in her seat, gets comfy, and goes to sleep. After about half an hour, she keeps hearing funny noises that wake her up. Click. She looks around. Click. What the heck is that? Click, click, click….. She finally stands up to stretch her legs, and to see if she can figure out where the noise is coming from. It turns out that it is a woman, behind her, clipping her fingernails. With an actual fingernail clipper. When she told me this story, my immediate response was, “No way.” I just couldn’t believe that anyone would do that. But I was wrong, because that woman was clipping her fingernails. On the plane. Wow.

Friends, please do not do this. Ever. In fact, I would say don’t clip your fingernails in public, ever. But on a plane, in my opinion, it is even more offensive due to the close proximity everyone has with their neighbor. Can you imagine sitting next to someone clipping their nails? <<shudder>> Filing your nails is better, but I don’t think I would do that on a plane either. Again, the proximity.

Readers, what is the rudest thing you’ve ever seen while traveling?

In support of the current “Country Means Business” promotion, Road Warriorette will be featuring a weekly sponsored post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated by Country Inns & Suites for her contribution.

We want our hotel rooms to feel like home, right? That’s part of the deal with hotels. You travel, you’re away from home, and you want to feel comfortable. I get that, but it’s still important to remember that not only are you a guest, you are not the only guest. Be cognizant that your actions can affect the stay of others. Road warriors have to look out for each other! Some things to remember:

Be ready to check in. When you reach the front desk, try to have your credit card and ID ready, especially if there is a line. Often by the time you get to the hotel you have been traveling or working for a long time. It can be very frustrating to wait for someone to remove all of the contents of their purse, wallet or briefcase to find their itinerary.

Watch your noise level. Most of us know this one, but sometimes we can be loud without realizing it.  Be aware of this whether you are on a work conference call or catching up with friends or family. I was guilty of this myself once. I was in a room next to a coworker, and she could hear my alarm through the wall. It wouldn’t have been a problem, except that I am a “snoozer.” I set my alarm 30 minutes early, and it goes off every five minutes. This could be very irritating for guests in rooms nearby.

Don’t slam the door. I am pretty sure that most people’s parents taught them not to slam doors in the house. Why should a hotel door be any different? I know these doors are very heavy, which makes it even more important to close them quietly.

Share the common areas. You’re not in your own living room. Spreading your stuff all over every available space is rude, but too common. Once, I came downstairs to the hotel lobby to get some work done, and found one person using three armchairs- one for him, one for his briefcase and one for his papers, with his laptop taking over the ottoman! It’s true that common areas are typically designed to be very comfortable (check out the lobby at Country Inns & Suites-many have fireplaces, oversized chairs, freshly baked cookies and even a lending library!) but don’t forget to allow others to share the space with you.

Clean up after yourself. Leave your room in a reasonable fashion. Towels on the floor are one thing, since this often signals your desire for laundry service. But don’t leave trash lying around, and make sure to call room service to pick up your tray when you finish eating.  This extends to the common areas as well!  If you are enjoying breakfast at a busy time, clean up after yourself and throw items in either the trash or appropriate recycling containers so that someone else can use your table quickly. No need to wait for housekeeping.

Tipping. The tricky question: To tip or not? It is never required, and should be thought of as a reward for excellent service. There are many different rules for tipping, so check out this great guide from Cheapflights. Tipping etiquette varies between countries, so be sure to research local customs when tipping internationally.

Remember that while traveling, you are in a shared environment – whether you’re borrowing space on a plane seat, in the restaurant booth, or yes, even the hotel room. So share nicely!

Readers, what are your favorite hotel etiquette rules?

My younger sister came to visit us last week. When we picked her up at the airport, our first question, as always, was, “So how was your flight?”

She paused. “Well…… it was fine.”

Hardly a ringing endorsement. When I questioned her further, she said that the person she sat next to was clearly not a frequent flier. She seemed okay, if tense, during most of the flight. But when it was time to get disembark, she started to get agitated. My sister, who was sitting in the aisle, stood up to stretch her legs. But as she was in row 14, she was politely waiting for the people in front of her to leave. But the woman next to her started literally pushing my sister, saying, “Go! Go! Aren’t you going to go??” My sister answered that she was waiting for the people in front of them. The woman responded to this by pushing my sister back against her seat, squeezing in front of her into the aisle, and then shoving her way through the aisle-full of people. Um, wow.

Friends, that is not how to handle things. My opinion is that the only time it is borderline okay to not wait for the people in front of you to de-plane is if you have a connecting flight, and are going to miss your flight if you don’t leave quickly. Or if you have a medical condition. Other than that, you need to wait your turn. Since I usually prefer the window seat, I will just stay seated until it’s my turn–no need to stress myself and the person next to me out! It’s just a few more minutes, so be polite to your fellow travelers and wait your turn.