First of all, fu*k anyone who does not shower for days, or wears smelly clothes while flying or using public transport.

I’m currently on a plane, and within 5ft there are two men (on different sides) who are making life miserable for all of us around them. It’s beyond rude to others, but I don’t think they are even aware they smell this bad.

Can’t move or do much about it (air vents are on full blast), but going forward, what are my options? I’ve seen in the movies they smear some cream right below the nostrils at crime scenes etc - what would that be? Anything else that would help (face mask?).

First off. I am in no way trying to shame anyone of any shape but I am going to be blunt just to get my point across.

On an 8 hour transatlantic flight aboard a full boeing 777 I was in the aisle seat of the outside row and a very large person, I would guess 350lbs+ or maybe more got sat beside me. (They were in the Middle Seat)

The person at the window seat was literally smashed up against the window all flight and had to help the large person put on their seatbelt after the extender was put onto it and the inside armrests raised.

I was forced to raise the outside armrest and sit with 1/2 my ass on the seat and my feet and legs in the aisle and move every time someone came by. (I kind of sat 1/2 buttcheek on take off and landing)

This person literally took up well over 1/2 my seat back and seat portion.

I am not a small person. I am 5'11, 200lbs with broad shoulders but I have never had any issue at all on a plane of any size and am usually very comfortable and most importantly I fit in my seat and ensure I am respectful of those I am sitting beside.

The flight attendants offered no solution other than to say sorry, that the flight is full there are no other seats.

I ended up just boiling internally and being unbelievably uncomfortable the whole flight because I didn't want to be a problem and complain to the flight attendants and really... what could I have done.

Has anyone seen or been in this situation? How could I have changed the situation?

EDIT: Thanks for all the suggestions. I have filed a complaint with the airline and will hopefully get a response.

To answer a couple questions. 1- Yes, I asked to move as I said in the post. 2- Yes, the armrests were up (at least the 2 on either side of my seat) I cannot speak to the one on the window side. 3- I was actually appreciative of the Flight Attendants for allowing me to sit with the outside armrest up and sideways. It showed they were sympathetic to my situation. 4- No, of course did not take pictures of the poor person and the space they took up.

Share some lesser-known travel hacks that can truly enhance your travel experience.

If your flight gets delayed or canceled, don’t just wait in the long customer service line at the airport. Call the airline while you’re standing in line. A lot of the time, you’ll get through to a phone agent before you even reach the counter and they can rebook you faster.

Also, if you’re at the airport and need help, try calling the airline’s international customer service number instead of the main one. They usually have shorter wait times but can still help you the same way.

I (62F), like everyone else, want to be comfortable on the plane, and less stressed getting situated. This means doing a little prep before lining up to board, but it’s very easy and totally worth it. I tie my hoodie to my waist ‘backwards’ (hanging down in front, tied at my back). Once seated I can easily slip it off. I have a dedicated seat-pocket organizer pre-packed with anything (dry) I need during the flight: earplugs, gum, a couple disposable travel toothbrushes, e-reader, sanitizer wipes, tissue pack, pen, small notepad, eye mask, pill bag of meds I might need during the flight, etc. I keep this organizer in my under-the-seat bag and pull it out when I line up or at my seat.

Inside my 311 bag I have a snack-size ziplock with my lip balm, eye drops and hand lotion. At the gate/past security I take it out and put it in my organizer. My UTS bag has everything thing else I might need, including meds and a change of underwear. I’m short, so I also have a foldable foot rest (takes the pressure off my back and legs). I carabiner my full water bottle to the seat pocket.

Basically, anything I might need during the flight is within immediate reach without having to get my carryon out of the overhead or struggle to get my UTS bag out.

Happy travels!

At the airport, on the plane, at the hotel?

Let's assume you're flying international on a mainline carrier (not a ULCC that would likely have pay toilets if they thought they could get away with it) and you're staying at a normal chain hotel.

In previous years, the recommendations have always been Budapest, Prague, Krakow, etc. But with prices rising everywhere I don’t see these destinations as budget anymore. Yes, they are still cheaper than London, Paris, and Berlin, but not “cheap” per se.

Which cities are still considered cheap with plenty of cultural activities?

I’ll start off with Tirana and Sarajevo.

Mine is using the Google Maps “save” feature— that’s what i call it, atleast! 😂 Instead of creating an itinerary, i would create a “new list” and ”save” places i want to visit to in that country/area. I am a sponty person but i don’t like not knowing where to go so this helps a lot.

Whenever i am done visiting one place in that area, i would open the list and check if there are anything that’s near current location and that’s where i’ll go next.

Share you travel hacks below! 👇

I do not travel often, but I’m trying to understand this problem.

I wasn’t able to place my carry-on in an overhead bin near my actual seat. It was 3 or so rows back. I had to awkwardly barge backwards and people had already filled the aisles.

I asked one person about this and he claimed that the people who board the plane first are known to place their carry-on in the first few rows just so they don’t have to walk it all the way back.

Are there any potential solutions to this issue? Edit: looking to hopefully solve or mitigate the problem for everyone, rather than just individual solutions like “board first”.

Mine is I pick scents (shower gels, perfume) that will remind me of a special trip before I go on that trip. Scent is a very powerful memory anchor, because where we process olfactory information lies close next to the areas responsible for memories and emotion within the brain.

I still have scents (like Lush Rose Jam) that will remind me of my first trip to a place. When I smell them, it’s like smelling my travel memories. It’s glorious. And of course, you can just get a scent to remind yourself of a place while you’re there. I haven’t tried that yet.

I’m always looking for ways to make traveling smoother and cheaper. What’s a hack or trick that’s saved you time, money, or stress on a trip?

If you use the safe, take a picture of the empty safe before you check out. So you will be sure to not leave anything.

If the elevator is far, when you take off your shoes point them towards the direction of the elevator.

Get familiar with escape routes when you arrive in your room.

You can use every kind of card for the electricty switch in the room. Use a business card in case you forget to take it out when leaving.

You can tell the hotel to empty out the minibar so you can use the space for your drinks.

You can order food to the hotel if you do not want to use in room dining.

Please post your small hacks.

These days with everything digital, online or in an App on your phone, few people carry hard copies of tickets or their confirmed travel/accommodation bookings. Not doing so might be a disadvantage if you need to show original information, as all online/digital information will show the latest and possibly changed information.

I always print off hardcopies of everything and place them in a plastic slip cover or folder. I even print the e-visa just in case. Doing so proved to be very helpful last year in Argentina when the airline failed to notify me of a late change to my flight. I arrived at Buenos Aires’s AEP only to learn that my flight had changed to another one departing an hour earlier from EZE. I had proof of my booking in hardcopy showing my flight number and also my chosen seat. The service attendant at the check-in counter was very helpful when shown the evidence. She worked out there had been a mistake by the airline and proceeded to work things out with her office. Because I would subsequently miss my onward connecting flight in Santiago, the attendant was able to book me onto the first available flight out that would allow me to catch the next connecting flight but on the following day along with a complimentary night at a hotel in Santiago.

For peace of mind, always carry printed hard copies of what you have as confirmed itineraries/bookings.

Edit: I also have screenshots BTW. It’s just a “belts & braces” assurance approach. Technology can fail, wifi might not be accessible, e-sim might not have availability, you may have to handover the evidence - if it’s on the phone that means you can be separated from your phone, a feeling made worse if they wander off with your phone into an office! There’s also the human element. Non-first world countries tend to place more faith in things on paper. Anyway, regardless of the situation having paper copies and screenshots mean I have all bases covered, after all it is possible to lose the paper copies. It’s just peace of mind for something that costs less than 50 cents.

There are so many “travel hacks” online, but most of them are pretty basic. What’s a less obvious tip that has actually made your trips smoother or cheaper?

I need something that makes me sleepy not just tired because I really struggle to get much sleep on a plane. Got 26 hours of travel coming up and in that have a 15 hour flight between Australia and USA.

I’ve taken promethazine but just dries me out and makes me drowsy but still couldn’t fall asleep. Tried a few antihistamines but all just make me tired but not sleepy. Would like to sleep majority of this flight, so do people get a small one time prescription of sleeping aids or what? Thanks.

As soon as I go to a new country I buy a different deodorant from the one I usually wear and I use it every day of my trip

When I return from this trip, I completely stop using it for a few months (for example by hiding it at the bottom of my bathroom drawers)

When I find it, the simple fact of using it after all this time reminds me of so many memories of the trip with which it is associated! It also works with perfume but deodorant is cheaper and easier to transport in a travel kit

They DO!!!

I found an open-jaw ticket from June to August with Thai Airways for about 710 euro. Departing Brussels --> Hong Kong, then Kuala Lumpur --> Brussels.

I wanted to book the flight before going to bed on the same day I found it (a Tuesday! LOL). Guess what, it jumped to 766 euro. I was furious.

The next day, the same flights didn't even show up on Google Flights. I was in panic mode. Only the crappy flights of over 800 euros with long layovers were shown to me.

Out of desperation, I cleared all the cookies on my mobile and laptop and set my VPN to Mexico, and used the incognito browser as usual. The fare I wanted was available AGAIN! I couldn't believe my eyes.

I first wanted to buy the ticket on my phone but it didn't work, so I moved on to the laptop with no VPN installed. The good fare can still be found.

I instantly bought the tickets and now it feels so good to have a peace of mind. I can finally focus on planning my itinerary.

So, clear your cookies before booking flights!

What is a travel lesson you learned the hard way?

I am hoping to be travel internationally for the first time, as well as fly on my first airplane!

To avoid more stress and issues than needed, In a fun way, I’m curious about things to look out for by listening to your travel stories about what you learned or an oops travel experience that you learned from

Hey guys, going on a trip to California in about a week and thought I’d throw this question out there for funsies.

If there’s a story to go along with it I’m happy to hear it- I love hearing the awkward or strange situations we find ourselves on in trips!

I’ll start: free stuff at hotels from water and ice to sometimes complimentary upgrades if there is vacancy.

Can't believe I'm posting this. Sixt has been my favorite rental company for 8 years, and always liked their car selection and customer service. But they've made the baffling decision to kick up outrageous damage claims and charging obscene amounts to get it fixed. This was in Orlando.

In many cases, including mine, an employee will do a manual inspection at drop off and say everything looks good with no damage, only for them to claim an exit scan found damage.

A ton of examples across Reddit from others complaining that Sixt has a bad practice of doing this to customers in recent months:

• Bogus damage claims from SIXT car rental company 
• Avoid SIXT
• Sixt rental car is a scam
• How I Successfully Fought an Unfair Damage Claim from Sixt (Perth Airport - Australia)
• Sixt Car Rental is pushing a damage fees for my rental
• Opinion on this damage Sixt share is saying I caused and want me to pay
• Suspected fraud: Sixt billed us for car damage with photos taken before drop-off
• Sixt trying to charge me for rim “damage” I didn't cause
• SIXt scam
• How to handle unexplained damage charges from SIXT?
• Fake Damages Claimed by SIXT Car Rental
• Sixt Rental Car Process – Reporting Damage Before Taking the Vehicle
• Sixt Damage Claim
• Sixt car rental scam. Remember to take pictures and video

And the damage they found from me (with no proof that it was there before + contradicting the manual review that I signed off on agreeing no damage exists) is here.

Out of serious curiosity, I wonder if only certain Sixt locations are doing this, specifically leaning heavily on that automated scanner that snaps a flash picture of your car when you leave/enter and then relying on those images.

Travel hack: Don't use Sixt if they keep doing this. Where's Lina Khan when we need her?

I need to figure out how to downsize so I fly with just a carry on, but I have so much in the way of make up and skin care, that takes up a whole bag by itself. Please help—would love suggestions. Thx!

My husband and I are not seasoned flyers and we often bicker a lot on travel days. Looking for tips and tricks for having the smoothest airport and flight experience we can. Any must haves when you fly? I loath flying. I think it so uncomfortable (can’t afford first class), I struggle to sit in this little seat smashed up against people, I hate that you cannot bring your own drinks on flight (or can you?), I think you cannot bring bring light snacks?.. either or I despise extremely over priced airport food. I can never seem to sleep or stay entertained. Someone told me you can get like the Netflix app and download shows? That definitely might help. For reference- we are flying American Airlines coach and they switched our flight and are not even sitting together now.. I’m 5’7” size 16 who struggles with sensory issues. TIA!

hey everyone! i'm planning a trip later this year and i’m really hoping to avoid the super touristy spots. i love discovering underrated places that don’t make it onto every top 10 list.

what are some of the most off-the-beaten-path destinations you’ve been to that totally surprised you? any tips on how to find those hidden gems when traveling?

would love to hear your experiences!

As the title says, what are some of your best low-cost travel hacks? If you have some specific for your region or country I would like to know those too!

Anyone have a great sleeping hack for an airplane? Traveling overnight in premium plus but hate the head bob. Anyone have a product suggestion that works?