Airports: the only place it's acceptable to drink beer at 7 in the morning. We love to travel, but to do it we must endure the seventh realm of Hell first. Before you reach those magical far away places you're faced with hours of queuing, uncomfortableness, crying children and, basically, all the unnecessary evils of the world. Your first step inside of an airport is already more stressful than anything you've ever experienced. Dismal customer service checking your luggage, stomach-curdling violation going through the security line and the lack of food options once near your gate mean you're an emotional wreck by the time you sit your butt on the plane. Once you get to your gate, you'd think that it's less likely for problems to arise, but you would be wrong. From last-minute gate changes to flight delays, the airport is never finished screwing with your day until you've left baggage claim (and sometimes not even then). Grab a damp baguette at the nearest overpriced food stand and trick your mind into entering a happy place before reliving the most common and horrific experiences that come with air travel.
12. The Luggage Check-In
The journey has only just began and your sweat glands have already burst due to the weight of your luggage. Not to mention the fact you can't find your ID. Not only does checking luggage require you to arrive at the airport earlier than desired, (and even if you do, the unanticipated masses of people means you're late anyway) there are also so many rules and specifications that are impossible to keep track of. Each airline has different rules for how many bags you can check, how much they can weigh and how big they are. Pass the oxygen mask already.
11. Horrendously Long Security Lines
You've just endured the torturous baggage check line, and now it's time for - you guessed it - another line! Why is this line even more inefficient? Now you get to be stuck behind the girl who decided to wear sandals with approximately 1 million straps, and the bloke with the huge collection of ominous liquids. Great.
10. The Security Pat Down
You've already had to enter that unsettling machine you've read about (that is definitely going to make you infertile with its radioactive rays) but somehow TSA is still skeptical about what might be on your person. You proceed to avoid uncomfortable eye contact while a middle-aged man wearing khaki shorts and a clip on tie awkwardly feels up your bottom. Happy holidays!
Holland Baker is based in New York City, where she is an editor, writer and co-host of Whatever It Takes: A Degrassi Podcast. In her free time, you can find her searching for bodega cats, eating mass amounts of pizza and using humor as a defense mechanism.
