Everyone thinks they’re an awesome traveler. Yes, even the guy who has his seat reclined all the way into your lap on the 30-minute commuter flight thinks he’s crushing it in the travel department. It’s easy to judge all the other people on your journey, but did you ever stop to ponder that other people might view you as the terrible traveler? Here are 10 signs that the person everyone else hates is, in fact, you.
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![People Sighing Behind you in Security Line](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fe9e29fe620160415.jpg.webp)
People Sighing Behind you in Security Line
What do you mean you have to take out your laptop and take off your shoes? No matter how long the security line is, you're never quite prepared by the time you reach the front. Everyone behind you who's ready to speed through and catch their flight is loudly sighing and pointedly checking their watches while shooting you death glares. Use your wait time well, and remember: You don't need your passport/ID when you get to the scanner, so you can safely store that away now, instead of fumbling with it!
![People Sighing Behind you in Security Line](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fe9e29fe620160415.jpg.webp)
People Sighing Behind you in Security Line
What do you mean you have to take out your laptop and take off your shoes? No matter how long the security line is, you're never quite prepared by the time you reach the front. Everyone behind you who's ready to speed through and catch their flight is loudly sighing and pointedly checking their watches while shooting you death glares. Use your wait time well, and remember: You don't need your passport/ID when you get to the scanner, so you can safely store that away now, instead of fumbling with it!
![You Get the Worst Room in a Hotel](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fe2370b8320160415.jpg.webp)
You Get the Worst Room in a Hotel
Jacob Tomsky, author of hotel-industry tell-all book: "Heads in Beds," writes in an interview with Lifehacker, "I have taken rooms from people who were even pre-registered into a gorgeous room just because their attitude was off. They never even knew they were originally set to see Central Park in one of the corner rooms with the big bathroom. I took it from them just because they yelled at their wives or manhandled their wives' elbows in a way I didn't appreciate.
"At the front desk, I am a god of instant karma, and one of my other weapons is the 'key bomb:' When I check you in, I program a single 'initial key,' then start over and cut a second 'initial key.' Either one of them will work when you get to the room. Slide one in; you get the green light, and as long as you keep using the very first key you slipped in, all will be well. But chances are you'll pop in the second key at some point, and then the first key you used will be considered, as far as the dumb lock is concerned, invalid. At some point after that, you will be locked outside your room, jamming your first key into the slot, fighting that damn red light.
"I also happen to know the electronic curtains are not functioning in room 3217, and it gets loads of morning sun in there. Good luck sleeping in. If I put you in room 1212 in New York City, your phone will not stop ringing with wrong numbers. Why? Well, a surprising number of guests never seem to learn that you have to dial 9 to make an outside call. So all day and, believe me, all night, idiots dispersed throughout the building will pick up their phones and try to straight dial a local number, starting with 1-212. Whatever they press after that matters not because they have already dialed room 1212, and 1212's guest will constantly pick up the 3:00 a.m. call and hear the loud mashing of other numbers or some drunk guest saying, "Hello? Hello? Who is this?"
RELATED: 10 Ways to Avoid Being the Hotel Guest No One Likes
![You're Cheap](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fd26213f720160415.jpg.webp)
You're Cheap
There's nothing wrong with bargain shopping or staying within your budget while traveling. But there is a difference between being frugal and being cheap. If you're frugal, you may stay at a hostel, take public transportation, and eat at inexpensive places rather than five-star restaurants. Which is a great way to travel! But if you're cheap, you do things like not tipping (in places where tipping is the cultural norm) or haggle fiercely and inappropriately with everyone from vendors to taxi drivers.
![People Ask to Move Away from You on Flights](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fcf6dc20920160415.jpg.webp)
People Ask to Move Away from You on Flights
If you find yourself suddenly in an empty row, you might rejoice. But it may be because the people seated by you have begged the flight attendant to move away from you. Whether you're too large for your seat, have a screaming baby in tow, or just offend people, if flyers are going out of their way to avoid you, that can't be a good sign. (Although, you get a whole row to yourself, so this might be a win for you in disguise.)
RELATED: The Checklist for Terrible Flyers
![You Need a Luggage Cart](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fca6cd4be20160415.jpg.webp)
You Need a Luggage Cart
I'm not talking about on a family vacation or when you're moving internationally. But if you're using a luggage cart for just yourself on a weekend trip? You need to seriously reevaluate how you're packing.
RELATED: 16 Packing Hacks That Will Change the Way You Travel
![You've Packed a Selfie Stick](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fc35f0b8020160415.jpg.webp)
You've Packed a Selfie Stick
Selfie sticks, the popular photo-taking tool for vain people, have been banned everywhere from Disney Parks to museums across the globe, and for good reason. They get in the way of everyone else and can distract from an awesome attraction! Odds are, if you're focusing the camera on your face enough to need a selfie stick, you're missing out on all that stuff in the background that you actually traveled to see.
![Locals Are Mad at You](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fbfc0100020160415.jpg.webp)
Locals Are Mad at You
Find yourself the subject of disapproving stares and whispers? Think about whether you're respecting the local culture. Maybe you're wearing clothes that are much more revealing than are acceptable in a certain place, or you're making a faux pau like eating with your left hand in India. Do yourself a favor and research your destination's norms before you leave, so you don't accidentally offend anyone.
RELATED: 9 Rude Behaviors You Can Totally Get Away with Abroad
![You Pay Full Price for Your Trip](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710fb7519c8520160415.jpg.webp)
You Pay Full Price for Your Trip
You shouldn't be paying the rack rate for a hotel or the highest price for an airfare. Unless it's an emergency last-minute trip, there's no need to pay the absolute maximum advertised rate for a room, rental car, or airfare. Plan ahead and do your research.
![Your Reviews Get Bad Reviews](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710faaa7b8a920160415.jpg.webp)
Your Reviews Get Bad Reviews
Is it just me, or do other people also secretly enjoy reading reviews on TripAdvisor (our parent company) or Yelp where a hotel or restaurant owner replies to a bad review? The back-and-forth can be pretty entertaining if you're not involved in the situation. But entertainment value for others aside, if you find yourself often leaving long-winded reviews about how you were terribly wronged by a hotel or restaurant, the common denominator among all the bad situations might just be you. (Especially if the owners point out specific things that you did to make a situation worse.)
![You're Yelling at People](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/stm5710f9f5e210d20160415.jpg.webp)
You're Yelling at People
Hey, everyone's been there. Your flight is cancelled or your hotel is overbooked, and you just want to yell at whoever's standing in front of you, be it a gate agent or a receptionist. But you have to remember that the situation is likely not their fault. (The gate agent does not control the weather, although that would be pretty cool.)
There's never a need to raise your voice or resort to name calling with people who are being paid to deal with you, so be sure to keep your interactions civil, even when everything's gone wrong. You'll probably get a better resolution if you're nice, anyways.
More from SmarterTravel:
- 10 Surprising Ways to Offend People in Other Countries
- 7 Signs You're an 'Ugly American' Tourist
- 10 Innocent Gestures You Shouldn't Use Overseas
Caroline Morse is a Senior Editor with SmarterTravel. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline and on Twitter @CarolineMorse1.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
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