Ask Gadling: What do you do when you can’t stand your travel companions?

by Annie Scott on


Whether it’s old friends, fellow travelers on the same tour or a bunch of folks you just met in the hostel, some people are bound to get on your nerves when you travel together. This happens to everyone. Some of my personal peeves include:

  • Stick-in-the-muds.
  • Tantrum-throwers/whiners.
  • Bad drinkers.
  • People who ask complicated questions just to make themselves sound smart.
  • Ugly people. (Kidding.)
  • People who lack respect for their fellow man or the place they’re visiting.
  • Rudeness.
View more Ask Gadling: Travel Advice from an Expert or send your question to ask [at] gadling [dot] com.

When you’re in a situation where you feel like you can’t stand your traveling companions for one more minute, it’s usually not the whole group that’s a problem; it’s one or two people poisoning everyone else. The easiest way to deal with these kinds of people is not always to ignore them. For example, if you didn’t stop so-and-so from littering in the Yangtze River, could you forgive yourself? And if whats-his-name is being rude to the guide, ignoring it could affect your guide’s ability to give you what you came for: an awesome tour. And what if the first-rate Goofus also happens to be your fellow countryman? Do you want them representing your country that way? No.

Worst of all, despite whatever barriers you try to put up, people like this can slowly encroach upon your enjoyment of your trip, all but ruining the entire experience. To let them do that would be a crime.

When ignoring the problem clearly isn’t going to cut it, try one of these three strategies to alleviate your (and probably everyone else’s) suffering:1. Kill them with kindness.

Sometimes, the jerkstore in question just needs to feel appreciated and heard. Yes, they should go to therapy, but if you bite the bullet and give them some of the approval they so desperately need, you may be able to salvage your own sanity. Try complimenting them on their good questions, ask them if they need help with whatever they’re complaining about and get them talking about their own life. Stare right between their eyes and just nod your head understandingly if you have to. This tactic can calm down attention-seeking behavior fairly quickly.

2. Turn their comments into group discussions.

This can work if you’re tired of hearing just one person’s voice or if that person is saying inappropriate things. Take control of your group like it’s a classroom for a moment, and ask one of the braver people what they think. Do they agree? Ask the quieter people. The phrase, “That’s an interesting point of view, what does everyone else think?” can go a long way — even if it just ends in laughter.

3. Remember that the problem is probably fear.

Travel can bring up strange, new feelings in people, causing them to behave poorly. The main root of this is fear. Rather than take any hostility or obnoxiousness as being indicative of a “bad person,” try to make it about an “afraid person.” This depersonalizes the situation and helps you to tolerate that person without getting upset yourself. Once you start dealing with them as someone who’s scared, not evil, you may find you know exactly what to say and do to make them shut up. Ask yourself what the person is afraid of, and see if you can say something tactful and subtle to address it, either privately or publicly. For example, a person who’s being infuriatingly outspoken about time and speed may be afraid they’re going to miss something later. Ask them if they have plans for later and listen. Say something understanding, like “I can see why you’re worried about time.” Allowing them to publicly air their mission may calm them down, or talking it through may actually solve their problem. If they’re hoping for something impossible, the conversation will force them to face that. Situation diffused.

If you really think there’s no problem person in the group and that the trouble is that everyone else is just so irritating, take a look at the man in the mirror, Michael. The problem person is probably you.

[Photo by hrlndspnks via Flickr.]

Top 10 jet lag strategies from Gadling readers

by Annie Scott on


Jet lag is a complex problem. It can be embodied as an annoying propensity to yawn through some of the grandest experiences of your trip, an embarrassing incapacity to stay awake for drinks after a business dinner or a highly inconvenient invalidity upon returning home. It can cost you time and money. It can lose you a business deal or even cause you emotional distress. Everyone hates it, and while some say you can get used to it if you travel a lot, no one really knows how to cure, prevent or outsmart jet lag.

Like in the field of love, no one can be an expert in jet lag. It’s different for every body and every trip. What might work is to read how other people (real people) deal with it and find a plan that works for your style and schedule. We asked our sharp community of readers on Facebook about their jet lag strategies — and we hope one of these speaks to you!

Top 10 jet lag strategies from Gadling readers

  1. “Up til midnight local time, three espressos on day 2.” — Jana
  2. “‎(1) Try to adjust to the new time (meals and sleep time)
    (2) Eat lots of protein, avoid carbs
    (3) Drink lots of water” — Raul
  3. “Carbs.” — Terry
  4. “Take a pill on the plane and sleep most of the flight, and then stay up the first day to get acclimated to the new time zone. Eat an early dinner and get to bed around 9 PM. Also, no alcohol.” — Alyce
  5. “Vodka.” — Kathy
  6. “Massage.” — Lawrence
  7. “Work out when you arrive, eat healthy instead of high sodium plane food, don’t get all boozed up, and make it to your first night without sleeping too hard during the day (Europe) or crash early and make yourself sleep in a little (Asia).” — Justin
  8. “Slowly adjust body time clock wk b4 u travel … Goin west go 2 bed later … Go east bed earlier … Break travels in 4 hour blocks …” — Troy
  9. “Plenty of water and vitamin B.” — Martha
  10. “A short sleep when I arrive, lots of water and an espresso to top it off. A good long walk always does one good.” — Laura

Got a better idea? Want to join in the conversation and see what today’s question is? Visit Gadling on Facebook.

[Photo by Skunks via Flickr.]

Body scanners used as porn by airport security

by Sean McLachlan on

It had to happen sooner or later.

The Nigerian newspaper This Day has reported that security officials at Lagos airport are getting their jollies by watching female passengers go through a full-body scanner.

Nigerian investigative reporters visited the airport during a slow period when security officials had time to spare. The journalists found some of them hanging around the scanner display. Since the scanner blurs the face in an attempt to give anonymity, the officers were hurrying over to the line to peek at the passengers before going back to the scanner to check out their favorites.

The scanner was installed after the failed attack by underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was from Lagos, yet technicians have revealed a full-body scan wouldn’t have caught him. An Israeli security expert who helped plan security at Israel’s super-strict Ben Gurion Airport says body scanners don’t work. Israeli airports don’t use the device.

Many Nigerians feel it is against their religion to expose themselves to a stranger, while others fear the effects of radiation. The investigative journalists witnessed passengers objecting to go through the scanner until security turned off one of the metal detectors, giving them the choice of using the full-body scanner or waiting in a longer line.

The hidden danger of restaurant kitchens

by Sean McLachlan on

It’s often the dirtiest thing in the kitchen. Infrequently changed, always moist and often with raw food stuck to it, it’s a breeding ground for bacteria, yet it’s the very thing that diligent kitchen workers use to wipe their food preparation surfaces “clean.”

What is it? The dishcloth or sponge.

A new survey by the UK’s Health Protection Agency has found that a large percentage of dishcloths in restaurant kitchens contain potentially harmful bacteria. The HPA visited 120 kitchens and examined 133 cloths. They found that 86 cloths contained fecal bacteria, 21 had E. coli, 6 had Staphylococcus aureus, and 5 had Listeria. Even worse, 24 had been used both on preparation surfaces for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods.

The HPA warns that even restaurants that disinfect their cloths regularly aren’t doing enough, because simply soaking a cloth in bleach doesn’t remove the tiny food particles that attract bacteria. As soon as the cloth is taken out of the disinfectant, the bacteria start coming back.

So next time you’re in a restaurant, or your own kitchen for that matter, don’t ask how fresh the fish is, ask how fresh the dishcloth is.

[Image courtesy Anna Sacheri]

Human remains found inside shark in the Bahamas

by Kraig Becker on

Last weekend, three fishermen in the Bahamas got more than they bargained for when they reeled in a 12-foot long tiger shark along the Exuma archipelago. At first glance, it seemed like just another catch, but later, when they cut it open, they made the grim discovery of two human arms and two legs, plus a torso in the shark’s stomach. The fisherman say that they believed the remains were that of a man, although there were no distinguishing features to be seen.

At this time, the identify of the victim is still unknown, and DNA tests are being conducted. Bahamian police say they’re also working to determine if the man was alive or dead when he was eaten, as tiger sharks seldom attack humans while they are alive. They also confirmed that two people have been reported missing in the region lately, although they haven’t ruled out the possibility of a local sailor having their boat capsize while attempting to make the arduous journey to Florida.

Shark experts say that while the tiger shark isn’t overly aggressive, they have been known to attack humans on rare occasions, and when they do, those attacks are seldom fatal. As you can imagine, officials in the Bahamas are also quick to downplay the attack and are reminding visitors to the islands that their warm, tropical waters are completely safe.

Just in case though, you may want to stick to the pool for awhile.

[Photo credit: Albert Kok]