We’re all having a hot vax summer (see how cool I am!) and getting back to traveling. The hotels are filling up; there’s not a spare airline seat to all the hot destinations. Kate’s been to Nantucket; Sophie and I hit the East Coast college tour circuit this past week. And what I realized is that we could all use a reminder of travel social norms that we may have forgotten and new ones that we need to learn.
Hotel noise- try to be quiet!
I know, I know, when you were stuck at home for 18 months, listening to EDM at 11pm was a big stress buster. So when you hit the road, it’s natural to think that everyone else is going to appreciate your bass boosted trap EDM as much as you do. Think again! Let’s remember that hotel room walls are not thick. And not everyone goes to sleep at 2am. Use your headphones. Be a courteous hotel guest!
No one loves your kids the way you do
I get it- your kids are adorable and can do no wrong. But if they start shouting, for no apparent reason, over and over again, it’s time to step in and quiet them down. That’s what iPads are for! What doesn’t work for me is when you, the parent, put your noise cancelling headphones on and leave the rest of us to listen to the little monster. (In this real life example, a fellow traveler had to step in with a stern “STOP shouting. No more shouting.” While the mother sat there, staring into space. That should not have been necessary. Babies crying, ok, I get it. Five year olds shouting? No excuse- be a parent.
Get used to a messy hotel room
This seems to be an emerging norm- little to no hotel room cleaning during your stay. I’ve been a hotel maid and frankly, the job sucks. So I can see why someone would not want to come back to that. But there are three issues that I think need a rethink before this becomes a new norm:
- We need a way to dispose of trash: Traveling generates a fair amount of trash/recycling. Overflowing mini trashcans do not make for a pleasant hotel room experience.
- How to easily swap out towels: I don’t need fresh towels every day, but for stays longer than 2 days, I would like a couple of fresh ones, plus a place to drop the used ones. And the corner of a bathroom floor, in a soggy heap, doesn’t count.
- What can we do to keep our rooms neat and welcoming? By day three, our rooms were a mess- trash, empty water bottles, bed linens were in a tangle, too many towels to count. Hotels seem to have gotten rid of drawers and shelving, so our suitcases were overflowing with clothes, etc. Coming back to the room was not the most pleasant thing.
- Are you going to reduce prices with reduced service? I am sure that the answer is “no” but I thought I’d ask
Uber and Lyft are no longer a bargain; time to figure out public transport options
I think we have all been spoiled by Uber bargains, Lyft promotions, making our rides all over a new city seem like a real deal. Well, kiss that golden age goodbye. The pricing is up 40% on average, and it’s not uncommon to wait 10-20 minutes for a ride. Plan accordingly! Better yet, look for Plan B by using public transportation. I had planned to use Uber for most of our jaunts in NYC; a $34 unlimited ride Metrocard saved us a ton.
It’s going to take us all a bit of time to get back into the swing of things with travel. Some people need a few reminders of old travel social norms. In some cases, all of us will need to deal with a new reality. But despite it all, I’m just happy to be back out there on the road.
