No matter how much we all love to travel and experience new things there’s always something that gets in the way, right?
Bugs, blisters, bulging backpacks all spring instantly to mind and if you’re thinking of a travel experience that you could do without then why not drop us a line as we’d just love to hear it, just as much as you hate to admit it.
Below are 22 of those sorts of travel experiences that get even the hardiest of travel bloggers all riled up and if you’re hoping to take some comfort from your own personal gripes then read on for some awesome bug bears that will have you smiling and nodding along in agreement.
Happy travels y’all!
Alex Berger from Virtual Wayfarer
I’m tall at 193 cm / 6’3″. The world is made for short people. From beds I don’t fit in, to low hanging branches, and agonizingly small airline and bus seats – you name it – it can really suck. Would I trade my height away? No chance. Never the less, it can take otherwise enjoyable moments and add pain, frustration, and discomfort.
Mike Shubic from Mikes Road Trip
Air travel! While I try and embrace the delays, sometimes schedules are tight and a delayed or canceled flight can be frustrating. It used to be an experience to travel by air, now, it’s just transportation. It feels like a cattle call. As much as I can, I travel by car. Road tripping provides more freedom and flexibility…and, because you’re traveling at a slower pace, you get to see and experience more.
Kasha from Lines Of Escape
That’s an easy one: Dealing with security at airports! I mostly travel with hand luggage only, and the security scanning process, no matter how many times I do it, never seems to be any less painful.
Eric from Poplar Travels
We hate having to leave an amazing destination because there is never enough time to see everything!
Lanee & Lindsay from Voyage Vixens
Lanee: “Packing. When is someone going to invent an Uber of suitcase packing?!”
Lindsay: “Flying. Believe it or not, I hate to fly.”
Jessie from Jessie On a Journey and Epicure And Culture
Being tired all the time. Constantly running around means I’m usually ready to pass out around 6pm. Although I guess it’s sort of good and bad, because I’m tired from having new experiences. I also tend to miss my own apartment comforts at certain points while traveling — my certain breakfast I like, my tea tree shampoo, my favorite deli around the corner — but not enough to make me not travel.
Victoria Brewood from Pommie Travels
I hate having to carry bags up and down stairs, particularly in those London tube stations! I don’t always travel light and its not easy moving your bags from one hotel or hostel to the next.
Ted from Traveling Ted
When you are at home everything is locked up safe at your place. The only thing you need to account for is your phone, wallet, and keys. These you put in your pocket and always know where they are. When you travel you have to account for everything and even when things are locked up safe in a room, you have cameras, backpacks, sunglasses, and all sorts of stuff you move around with. I sometimes get tired of stressing over accounting for my valuables when traveling.
Erin Bender from Travel With Bender
Transit. Getting luggage to and from the airport is the ultimate bane of my existence. Couple that with not being allowed water through security and always stressing about luggage weight makes airports and getting from one place to the other the worst part of travel.
Raphael from A Journey of Wonders
The thing I hate the most about always traveling is the fact that someday you will end up saying goodbye to the new friends that you’ve made on the road, new beginnings are great but sometimes it require for something to end. That, and bedbugs. Bedbugs AND mosquitoes. Hot damn!
Jonny from Don’t Stop Living and Backpackingin China
Never having the same bed or room to stay in for longer than a few nights.
Kristin & Tom from Travel Past 50
Tom doesn’t like the actual travel: packing, public conveyance, being herded through security. I don’t mind that so much, but I hate being out of sync with my family and friends. Travel can be oddly isolating.
Michael from Time Travel Turtle
Yeah, of course there are some things you hate sometimes. One thing that can annoy me is not being able to find the appropriate place for food. Because I do a lot of long term travel, I don’t always want to go out for a nice meal – quite often I just feel like something quick and simple. But when you don’t know a city well, it can sometimes be hard to find something that is cheap and healthy. I feel like I eat really badly a lot of the time and I hate that.
Angela from Chasing The Unexpected and Rome Actually
The one thing I hate is applying for a visa, sorting out the papers and waiting to have my passport back. I’m not a big fan of long layovers either, unless they are truly long that give the opportunity to visit a new city!
David from Dave’s Travel Corner and Napa Wine Project
Getting sick while on the road. I have an adventurous appetite – willing to try most foods at least once. More than a few times it has gotten me in trouble. It is a real downer when you get sick while traveling – especially Internationally considering all the effort, money and time spent getting somewhere (is the worst when you only have a limited time somewhere) and further is compounded when you are sick in a gorgeous part of the world but cannot enjoy it.
Raffles from Head For Points
Honestly, there is nothing I dislike. Maximising my use of frequent flyer miles and hotel loyalty points means I haven’t flown economy since 1999. My kids have never flown economy. I get access to airport lounges and fast track security wherever I go. I generally stay for free in five star hotels (although, if you’re younger than my 44 years, you’ll have more fun in a scruffier place with more guests your own age). It isn’t a bad life.
Savi & Vid from Bruised passports
Unpacking and repacking – it’s a pain to put together medicine kits, travel-sized toiletries, and clothes every time only to get to the destination and realise you’ve forgotten something!!
Nancy from Family On Bikes
Setting up the tent every evening, and taking it down in the morning.
Casey from A Cruising Couple
Public transportation. We’re not patient and we tend to get motion sickness, which means we’d typically rather rent a car and go exploring on our own.
Yasmin from Luxury Travel Diary
Bad turbulence – small bumps are fine but when the plane starts jumping around so that you have to hold onto your seat handles or the seat in front of you, i always feel guilty about dragging my little family on yet another trip and getting them into this predicament and I start praying that we will all come out alive. Turbulence has put me off doing quite as much long haul because when it goes on for a prolonged period (once we had a bad bout that lasted for 2 hours) it becomes deeply stressful. I also find it mind boggling that the plane can be jumping around but when you look out of the window, the sun is shining and the sky looks calm!
Janice from Solo Traveler
How long it takes to get there. I can’t wait till teleportation is a reality!
Many thanks to all of the awesome travel writers that have entertained us with their answers. We hope that your passion for travel never dies despite of those ‘oh so awful’ experiences that you just love to hate.
As mentioned at the top, if you’ve got any personal pet hates about travel that you’d just love to share then get in touch with the Tinggly team and we’ll give you a platform to vent your spleen.
Finally, if you loved reading about what travel bloggers hate about travel then make sure you stayed tuned for our next exciting instalment, creatively entitled: What do travel bloggers hate about traveling part 2. Have fun!