Pet Peeves
 

How about a fun topic? What are some of the phrases you here relative to travel experiences that make you cringe?

Let start with, Magical.

This is a post in jest, so before you the flamer's come after me, think about it.

<I>Amazing</i> makes me cringe in any context. It's getting to be a catch-all for a dozen different adjectives, all having subtly different meanings.

Laziness like this is turning what was once a robust, highly inflected language into a pidgin.

Overused superlatives don't bother me (if a place doesn't have <i>something</i> magically amazing, it's probably not worth going), but "words" like "staycation" that make me puke.

"Training" - as in - "I'm training to Vienna".

Aaaargh

Hahahaha lawchick...love it...training isnt a word!!!

1. "You'll love it". No I bloody won't. If it appeals to someone who says things like that, it's bound to be crap

2. "Awesome". Usually meaning alright really, in a boring sort of way.

3. Those damnfool icons

4. LOL. WTF?

Ziploc bags

A. "To die for" and other overused catchphrases.

B. "Wonderful" - another lazy adjective.

C. Misuse of the term "jet lag" - as in, "What can I do on the first day of my trip when I have jet lag?" Being tired from a long airplane flight is not the same as jet lag. Do I have "car lag" when I'm tired from driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco? Jet lag, to me, is being wide awake at 4am, hungry at odd times after arrival to a far away destination because your body's clock is still in your old time zone - and you don't get over it in a day if you have it.

Most of the above plus "cute" and "quaint" make me cringe. I am afraid that I have been guilty of "magical." I'll think of an alternative in future.

Delvino, thanks for the post. It is always good to have a reminder to use more of the vocabulary of our rich language and to be precise in our meanings.

Hopper,

I disagree that one can't have jet-lag for one day. It's not from the length of the flight but from the missing bedtime, with morning suddenly appearing out of nowhere at your usual bedtime. What's the difference between being awake at 4am and being sleepy at 10am (4am home time)? And of course one can get over it -- after one night with the new bedtime.

I don't like these big paragraph long titles for things....emanating I think from self help books

Like

"Two fat ladies, one grandad, four kids, three days in paris, 47 bags and my new Mary Janes (and what about those ziploc bags???? ;)). I'm lovin' it!"

Another thing that dives me mad

"Is it worth it?"

"Is (insert name of famous European city) worth it?"

Another vote for "worth it". It makes me want to punch people.

On the other hand, ziploc (or ziplock or self-sealing) bags make me feel warm and cozy all over.

I'm reading a book at the moment called "Smile When You're Lying" by a travel writer, Chuck Thompson. Reasonably funny, and lots of pet peeved discussed.

Must-sees.

What is the best way to get from CDG to Paris (or LHR to London)..asked at least weekly!

My pet peeve isn't the use of particular words, but people who think travel to other countries should be spent racing around from landmark just to lay eyes on them (they might as well watch a travelogue at home), and those who want to spend their time in air-conditioned cars with English speaking tour guides so that they don't have to have any contact with the people, language or culture of the place they're visiting.

Deplaning.

Some are more funny than peeve-producing.
"What can I bring as a guest gift to....."
The last one did have maple syrup, but it didn't have packets of cake-mix.

Yum, yummo. yummy

People have already covered amazing and awesome.

Flight times and who they sat next to

What time they got up

What should I see?

I have never been to XXXX but I want to see the off-the-beaten path things.

I want to live like a local. (It sounds like they should put a bone through their nose and dance half-naked.)

Will I look like a tourist if I carry a camera, an upside down guide book, walk with a family of four in shorts in the business diitrict at noon, stare at the buildings, etc.

I am probably guilty of using the purple prose!

One thing that annoys me here is people that give advice about places they have never been!

"Is it worth it?" Oh, boy!

Is "training" worse than "motoring?"

"What kind of shoes are in style in Italy?"

Therese: I liked that Chuck Thompson book!

"do" as in This fall we want to do Rome

Im guilty of..

too die for
out of this world
charming
quaint
awesome
amazing
magical

:)

One thing that annoys me here is people that give advice about places they have never been!

Or restaurant or hotel recommendations that are a year (or so) out of date. Obviously the chef can leave tomorrow or the hotel can burn down, but as an arbitrary time.

quaint - give me a break.

worth it - I literally have to sit on my hands to avoid lashing out at people who ask whether something is worth it. How the ___ would I or anyone know what's worth it to you?

awesome - oh come on, the English language is one of the richest in the world. Find another adjective.

itineray, intinery, itieary, iterary, interiary, itereary, etc. - for god's sake, it's phonetic.

Like most of us, at times, I've been guilty of using some of the no-no words...

But, my pet peeve is the inexcusable lack of geographical knowledge...PLEASE look at or (heavens!)buy a map before you begin to plan your itinerary.(and spell "itinerary" correctly)

<i>Por ejemplo:</i>

"I'm going to be in Madrid, and I'm thinking of a day trip to a nice beach" (Yeah, buy some sand and have it trucked to your hotel pool!)

stu

LOL is used too much. Also people need to proofread their posts. Spelling and grammar is crazy

That would be "spelling and grammar ARE crazy."

OK, OK...St. C..LOL (looks like our posts crossed)

stu

I am old fashioned and like reading printed copies. At times I have trouble reading the postings. If something is long I will write it on Word and transfer it.

Most of my pet peeves have been covered. I agree about the misuse of jet lag. I don't get jet lag on an overnight flight to Europe, I just miss a night's sleep. I often get jet lag after day time flights back to Canada.

A minor peeve is people asking about eateries. I'm only grateful that they haven't yet started asking about drinkeries and sleeperies.

My biggest pet peeve is a listing of pet peeves.

I'm guilty of magical and probably several others but I will atone.

What drives me crazy is people who are going to xyz and have no idea what is there and have no idea what to wear.

For me, I'm, bemused by the lack of compassion by some Fodorites to 'posters' requests for help. JohnB in particular who Fodorites were 'merciless'. http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smart...w/superior.htm Dick

Uber... as it's uber expensive. Uh, you need to buy a vowel there honey.

I have no idea where anyone came up with this word.

I agree with Iris. I'm tired of how mean people are to new posters and I'm really sick of the relentless attempt to ferret out any possibility of advertisements. True, some people take advantage and try to advertise. But this detective work to find out who's a troll or and advertiser is just annoying.

Texasgal, it's "above" in German and is often used to indicate something be excessively (fill in the adjective).

I agree with a previous poster. I can't stand it when someone says that they are going to "do" Venice, "do" Rome, "do" Paris. What in the #*%@ do they plan to do to each of those lovely places?

Ahh Grasshopper, it's German then. It seems to be the new phrase of all the 20-30 somethings here.

this is not a phrase, but how bout ALL those pictures??? I snap a couple, usually with my travel companion in it, but I feel a lot of people are more after the picture than the actual experience, if you know what I mean. How do they have time to SEE it what with all the picture taking

"Eco"-everything can be get annoying. I love the earth & work hard to preserve it, but some areas use the (prefix?) way too much. Every activity in town has to tell you they're eco-friendly, everything in the bathroom is labeled eco-, all the staff you meet inform you they're "eco..." this and "eco..." that. Calm down.

And general travel pet peeves:

The person/people behind you in the plane aisle waiting for you to put something in the overhead bin. You can never do it fast enough because they're just dieing to get in their seats and sit for a half-hour before take-off.

The person behind you on the plane. The person behind YOU is always the sickest person on the plane, have never heard of covering their mouth when coughing, and apparently suffers from constant grand mal seizures judging by how often they kick the back of your seat.

The mad rush to get off the plane...Hurry! Everyone clog the aisle IMMEDIATELY! Whatever you do don't let anyone get in front of you. The plane is not on fire. The truth is only a handful really MUST rush to their next gate, except for those that always insist on booking their next flight 10 minutes after the arrival of their 1st flight.

The chip on the shoulder of airport security...in general...and whatever you do don't ask them to visually inspect your film instead of passing it through x-ray for the 10th time. Hey, it's ok to smile while you're vigilant..."I was distracted by her sparkly teeth and dazzling smile, and was compelled to reciprocate...that's when I missed the gun in her waistband."

Sorry but "advise" and "advice". NB: They are NOT interchangeable!