I've had a rough string recently and thought I'd share, and also see what other folks dislike about traveling for a living. These have all happened to me, mostly recently.

1. Chatty neighbors. I had a flight on a small commuter plane and had an elderly woman next to me. She was in constant dialog with me, herself and apparently an invisible friend. The made the pre-departure announcements and she asked "does that mean I have to turn my cell phone off" after the FA said "turn off all cell phones." About every 20 minutes she'd just pipe up "what time is it anyway" and at one point asked when the time changed as we traveled from east coast to central time zones. I learned about her sister, her own sleeping patterns, and a few of her medical ailments...all while I never made eye contact and never put my paper down.

2. Little soap dishes. The ones they have in the showers. They aren't big enough to hold soap and some of the tub basins don't have enough room to hold the shampoo and conditioner so I'm left to just kind of maneuver around them while I get ready.

3. Mini bar attendants. I hate how they seem to always want to come audit my mini bar at the strangest hours of the day or night.

4. Large FA's. I'll get flamed on this one but oh well. I'm not a lean and mean person by my standards, but my job doesn't entail constantly navigating aisles of small aircraft. On the same commuter flight as the chatty neighbor I had an FA that could barely get down the aisle so various body parts would knock me around every time she walked by. No hope of sleeping of course as it'd mean a hip to the head if I wasn't alert.

5. First time flyers. I know I should have patience, but get ready at the security checkpoints! Don't wait until you're at the opening of the screening machine to start getting your stuff out on the belt. And don't ask if that hunk of metal you call a belt needs to come off. Here's a rule: if you have ask, assume the answer is 'yes' and keep on moving.

6. Seat assignments in advance. Don't be surprised that you get a crappy seat or are split up if you don't go through the process of getting a seat assignment before you get to the airport. And if you don't do this, don't expect the entire aircraft to play musicial chairs just so you can sit next to your spouse. The odds are that those people in those seats didn't leave it to chance and actually planned in advance so THEY could sit next to their companions. A lack of planning on your part does not create an emergency on mine!

7. Crap in the hotel room. I appreciate hotels wanting me to know about all of their services and foods and amenities. But please, keep the junk you strew around the room, on the desks and on the bed to a minimum. I am easily confused and having all this stuff laying around only makes me wonder if it is mine and what I have forgotten when I go to leave.

8. Toilets that run and run. Enough said.

9. Air conditioners and heaters that aren't on a thermostat. I particularly hate window based units that have a temp dial and fan speed. They're loud, they rattle and they really don't do the job.

I'm done...for now.

I dont have an answer.Only a story sadder than yours.Everyone has stories about 9/11.There is/was a thread "What Do You Remember About 9/11?"..I remember a lot of things.But I partuclarly remember the AA Flight Attendant who was supposed to work the BOS-LAX flight but took her elderly father to the doctor instead.I remember reading about her and seeing her on a lot of the "Inside Editions" etc etc.She was killed in a car accident in Dallas on Saturday.A speeding motorist, perhaps alcohol involvement, ran a red light and broadsided the SUV she and several others were in, on their way to a wedding.Somewhere, somehow, someone,there is always a story sadder than my own.Peace.

You need a vacation!

I'm on the receiving end of DH's work travel woes and get rewarded with little soap and shampoo samples! I just wish he could tell the difference between Aveda and Suave and just bring home the good stuff!

BTW A newspaper is no match for a chatty neighbor...get an ipod and drown them out.

You hate almost everything about traveling so why won't you stay home. But you don't like your neighbors and your family too. Stay at work. You just got fired, didn't you. You need a long-term professional help. Your shrink doesn't want to work with you saying you are a lost case. All things you listed are facts of life and you need to deal with them.

Gee you really have it tough, but I bet if you look around you will see a few people who actually have something to whine and complain about.

Didn't say that I don't deal with them, didn't say I didn't care for my family (?)...and didn't say I hated everything about travel. Nice worthless post Z...keep working on your anger problem.

Indeed people do have it more rough...didn't say they didn't or that I was the one with things the worst. That's reading a bit into it. I suspect that you don't travel much or you would read my post differently. Perhaps something I posted hit close to home?

My husband's list of business travel complaints doesn't include any of yours. His would include - delayed flights, cancelled flights, sitting on the runway for 30 mins. after landing b/c the gate's not ready yet, being stranded in Rochester or Detroit in the winter. Some of these he's worked around (like not going to Rochester in the winter!)

No, no mdtravel, you've got it wrong. Yours is the worthless post!

But yours just took first prize Howard.

The delays do stink as well. Even more so when there doesn't seem to be a good reason offered up by the folks at the airport. Traveling to cold weather airports in the winter is tough to avoid usually, but I re-route when I can to minimize the risk. The poor folks at the gate usually know less than the travelers it seems and that makes it tough for them to really help the pax.

No, actually I travel all the time, but I don't sit around moaning about every little thing that doesn't go my way or that I don't like.

Well said, grantop. (See, we can agree!)

well said, grandtop and Howard.

Did you consider getting a new job that doesn't require travel?

mdtravel, while I admit there are many things I dislike about business travel, almost none of mine have to do with other people and almost all of yours are based on interaction with others?

I don't like:

Driving myself to the airport.

Filling out expense reports.

Waking up in a hotel room and not know where I am.

Yours are about:
Seatmates, airline employees, hotel employees, etc.

While I agree flying is the toughest part of business travel, maybe it is time for you to take some time off?

I would have to agree - maybe it is time to rethink careers. I travel a lot for business and pleasure, and while there are inconveniences with both at times, I don't ever get sick of it. It helps to always look at it as an adventure and let the annoying things go. Everything truly does happen for a reason... something to think about...

Gee mdtravel I'll bet if you thought about it you could find something else to moan about.

I've been traveling extensively in the last four months -- every other week, sometimes twice per week! Other than the incredibly awful chore that flying has become, I'm sorry to say that I have to agree with MD on #5. When last flying out of Kennedy, there was a large family spanning security screening area and they were spending so much time getting themselves through that it was pretty ridiculous. They were asking people standing on the line questions (sometimes the same question 2 or 4 times), they were asking the TSA people questions, they were asking each other questions.... very irritating for those in a hurry. Unfortunately, I've seen different degrees of this happening quite frequently lately.

Golly folks, do you think you could lighten up on mdtravel? mdtravel didn't say that this was a life crisis or that their experiences were worse than anyone else's, mdtravel was just venting. All of us vent sometimes. Mdtravel probably would have felt better already except for the rather meanspirited responses.

Work-related travel can indeed sometimes feel more burdensome than when the same things happen on leisure travel. I've just made a conscious decision not to let things bug me as travel is simply part of my job and since it is a job I love and allows me a lifestyle I enjoy, I figure I should let all the little things slide.

I totally hear you mdtravel. Many of your complaints irritate me as well. Maybe we should go to therapy together - LOL.