Flightster

The 5 Kinds of Pain in the Ass Travelers That You Want to Slap and Throw Into the Ocean

• by Lauren Rains
• on April 21st, 2011
• 4 Comments

When exploring the world we tend to come across a lot of different kinds of travelers. Some of them amazing… some are traveling to volunteer in places that need them, some are traveling to expand their mind and knowledge, some are traveling to find themselves, some are traveling to dive into their passion of adventure or hiking or culture.

And then some travelers are, well, just one big pain in the ass… here’s an introduction to the kinds that we’ve grown to never love..

The “Why Is This Person Still With Me?” Traveler

It’s happened to all of us… you’re at a hostel or point of interest of some sort and get to talking small-talk with a fellow traveler… and then suddenly you’re their best friend. Normally this is great and can be the beginning of forging a great in-depth conversation and meaningful friendship. On the other hand, sometimes it can backfire and you’re left with someone that annoys the shit out of you, says the most ignorant things, and frankly, will just not leave your side despite the fact that you just spent 30 minutes in the bathroom hoping they’d go off on their own again.

Worst Places This Can Happen:

• On a multi-day hiking trek… only one direction to go in… and you’re both going in it.
• Hostel you’ve both already booked several nights at… forcing you to learn their schedule so you can plan out your day as to not run into them.
• The airport… I once spent 15 hours from airport departure to airport arrival with the most annoying woman. On the plane she even helped herself to my dinner… and then complained it was gross.

The Drunken Idiot Traveler

Ah yes… the girl wearing all that glitter who was being way too loud in the hostel 6 hours ago but now at 3 AM she’s being too loud again… throwing up… or yelling at someone in the street. Then there’s the guy who came back to the hostel after a long night of “doing work” without any success because he thought it would be funny to start a fight at the bar and then run through the streets naked.

These are the ones that when traveling the sites they see the most are the bowl of a toilet and the kiosks where they buy their local beer.

Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having a ridiculously wild and crazy night.. but just do it with a little class.

The “I Have Been Everywhere, What Now Bitch?” Traveler

There’s a saying in Spanish that goes, “Tienes un palo grande en tu culo.” This means, “You have a big stick up your ass.” What am I referring to? I’m referring to the traveler that constantly goes on and on about being an expert in every single little category of the location or transportation or culture or way of life to the point where it seems they sought you out for the conversation just to prove it to you. Suddenly their arrogance makes everything they say seem ignorant, and they still ultimately have no idea what they’re talking about.

No one likes a “know-it-all” that shows off all they think they know… especially when they really don’t know.

The Carl Complainer & Negative Nancy Traveler

These are the people that seem to find a problem with EVERYTHING. They’re the ones who in the most famous pizza restaurant in Naples, Italy would find something wrong with their pizza crust… and then seek out the owner’s 90 year-old grandmother to tell her that her grandmother’s family recipe could use some improving! These are the ones that could be at the most beautiful beach in all of South East Asia and they’ll complain that the sand isn’t soft enough.  They’re the ones that are given a free ride, a free meal, a free place to stay… and still bitch.

A big part of travel is being able to take all the good with the bad and come out seeing the great it all of it. No one likes to be stuck with a traveler that only finds the worst in even the great.

WHAT WOULD YOU ADD TO THE LIST?

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH THESE KINDS OF PAINS IN THE CULO?

Annoying Image Credit | Drunk Image Credit | Orange Image Credit | Nancy Image Credit

Lauren Rains

Lauren Rains is a crazy, sexy, cool chick on a mission to live a life of abundant adventure, meaning, and substance. She is addicted to the following: WORLD TRAVEL: Experiencing new languages, cute boys, outdoor adventure, crazy transportation, variations on toilets, cultural differences and similarities, crazy food. Everything! WEB 2.0: Web design to social media, she's proud to be a dedicated geek. ENTREPRENEURSHIP: At 12 months she knew she couldn't work for the Machine. WRITING: Check out TheMadtoLive where she blogs about how to live the wild, crazy and meaningful life we're all meant to live! You can also start up a conversation with her about the meaning of life on Twitter at @LaurRains.