What happened to all of the people that were bashing me early on here?

I'm with you MDTRAVEL! I get irritated by some of the things on your list, too. I feel like because I'm a nice person, and polite, I always end up having to listen to the chatty people simply because I may have smiled at them earlier or let them step ahead of me in line or something. I'm very private and keep to myself most of the time and I prefer to have my thoughts to myself.

I agree with someone else who mentioned having to fill out expense reports. I know it's necessary, but such a bore!

And just ignore everyone bashing the post. Certainly there are bigger complaints in life than these, and we all recognize that, but this is a travel forum for better and for worse!

Nd:

you were politically incorrect and mentioned fat people (via stewards/stewardesses) therefore the negative responses

This is a travel forum so of course you would talk travel, DUH. This isn't an alcoholics anonymous site.

Also it must be nice for people to non-chalantly quit their jobs if you don't like them. If you have to travel for your job and you value your house, car and utilities you get every month you work.

Stephanie: you wrote "Also it must be nice for people to non-chalantly quit their jobs if you don't like them."

Most of us would not merely quit our job. We find a new and hopefully better one. (Preferably with better vacation and personal time policies, so we can enjoy some leisure travel).

Spouses or significant others who insist on tagging along for the trip!!

Well - I would never put up with a company that tried to make me share a room (being with co-workers 12/14 hours a day and then taking clients out to dinner is enough - you need some privacy). And as for nickel and diming you on expenses - just tell them you'll pay for your own lunch when they start paying you by the hour.

What really bothers me is:

Waking up and not knowing what city I'm in

Getting stranded in one town (blizzard, tornado etc) when you really need to be somewhere else

Not having time to have clothes cleaned/washed between trips (houskeeper only comes 3 days per week)

Hotel issues:

Shower heads that are too low and have only a trickle of water (nothing like feeling your hair isn;t really clean for 3 days)

Hotel rooms made for men when more than 50% of travelers are women (no make up mirror, bad toiletries, dingy decor)

Hotels that don;t have 24 hour room service (I may not get time to eat during the day and at midnight I don;t want to search for a restaurant - they should at least be able to get me an omelette or chicken sandwich or something)

Hotels without mini-bars - I must have access to at least a cold drink at all hours - and don;t want to wander the halls looking for a machine at 2am

And sometimes even the better hotels (Ritz, Four Seasons) are guilty of this - although Mandarin Oriental has never disappointed

I like your list. I won't even share a car with co-workers not to mention a room! It's not that I don't want to be with co-workers, just don't trust their driving. I'm generally OK with chauffeurs, so it's not a "control" issue. I just find that most non-professionals drive like morons and I'm terrified in the car with them.

I usually don't have issues with chatty neighbors but it's fat people oozing into my seat that really get me.

When travelling on business, I'm usually on flights dominated by businesspersons so the climate is typically better, it's when I have to get on a Florida bound flight that I know I'm going through 3 hours of hell.

I chuckle over your last item, Loki, as I prefer having vacationers around me, all excited about their plans, or what they just did, over listening to the non-stop shop talk from business people who won't let it wait til they get back to the office. When it's 7pm and I still keep hearing office stories I feel like standing up and yelling, "Geez people, the workday is OVER! Put a lid on it til the morning (or Monday)"

"Spouses or significant others who insist on tagging along for the trip!!"

Totally agree with you!!!!

Number 7 confused me for a while. I thought the beginning word "crap" was being used as a verb.
So "Crap in the hotel room" had a whole different meaning.

The thing I hate about traveling for work is that I get to go to lots of great cities but I never get to see them! I don't have time to do anything but go from the airport to meetings and back. St Louis, New Orleans (pre-Katrina), Charleston, Dallas...... you name it. I went to St Louis 8 times before I ever saw the arch (other than a glimpse from the airplane)

.

We should all lighten up on mdtravel. His (or her) points are valid observations. While I travel extensively for work, I experience some or all of these on every trip.

There is something to be said for tolerance, and not letting the little things get to you. But deep down, I can see validity in all of mdtravel's points. In fact, part of the reason I bought an airline club membership and a $350 set of Bose headphones was to make the overall experience more pleasant, but it is never perfect. That old lady going to see her 2nd cousin in Akron is much less likely to chat with you if your headphones are covering your ears.

The one thing I would add to the list... airport retail employees always insisting you take a receipt for a newspaper, a stick of gum, etc. Why do I need a receipt? I'm not going to return it. And if I'm expensing in the 50 cents for the paper, I've got to lighten up a little.

NYtraveler - your list is basically my list! (except for the hotel rooms not equipped for women part). Spot on. The room service and mini-bar point is great. One thing I would add... slow turnaround on dry cleaning or laundry in hotels. When you're travelling on business, the chances are that you'll be leaving from the hotel, or at most, 2. How are they serving your needs by not doing same-day turnaround on cleaning?

I still like JCena's the best!!!

I like jcena's too!!

As a female UK business traveller, I had to go a conference and was told on arrival that I would be sharing a room with a man. When I objected to sharing a room with anyone never mind a man, the company conference organiser replied..."It's OK, he's gay."

Ah, that's alright then??