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What is your travel OCD?

What is your travel OCD?

Old Nov 20, 2023, 2:39 pm
  #1  
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What is your travel OCD?

I am sure a travel nut. I think Ive been very lucky to book flights and never had any real IRROPS aside from a few 4-5 hr delays. I travel perhaps 2-4 times a year. Just lucky.

For as long as I can remember, I have this fear of not making a flight and so when it comes to airline recommendations on when to arrive at the airport, If it says, 2 hrs, Im there 2:15 prior.

If it's 3 hrs recommended arrival before departure, Im there, 3 1/4 hrs earlier.

Thinking back, it may have to do with the one time my tire blew out on the way to my boards exams!

So I have to get to the airport AT LEAST as early as they say, (even thought I have TSAPre, Clear, etc) AND I NEED to know exactly where on the plane I'll sit, and what AC type.

But that one caveat, I HAVE to be there on time per airline recommendations..

DO you have a travel OCD? Some of my friends do; for example, one won't fly United, another won't touch 767s and yet another will not fly 'puddle jumpers'. I have another who won't fly after noon because of the risk of flight delays.

Still have other friends who wont stay in a hotel without a decent bar, one person will not fly and will only cruise ( and I'll only fly!). I know 2 railroad engineers that won't fly (but I think that's a ....control issue of sorts.)

What's your travel OCD?
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Old Nov 20, 2023, 3:51 pm
  #2  
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I prefer to waste time at the airport rather than traffic going to the airport. Last night my wife mentioned that I’m like the Uber dad (UA IFE advert) getting to airport 5 hours early so I told her that she can arrange the car pickup to the airport instead of me doing it. I didn’t even get to the part of her missing her jfk solo flight or the traffic to ORD because she got annoyed so I stifled. For that ORD flight I was sitting in my F seat with my son next to me and 20 minutes later she got into her seat. I had suggested departing sooner and for that trip it had been her responsibility for driving and returning the rental car. La La La i’m in my domestic F lie-flat seat and I’ve had my airport meal…
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Old Nov 20, 2023, 7:32 pm
  #3  
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As early of flight times as possible, think 6am or earlier.

I fly at least 100 flights every year...the last few years, including the height of COVID, 130+ easily. My passion is flying, and not the airport, so I would spend as little time in the airport as possible...usually I get in at the start of boarding, especially at my home airport(s). No checked bags even for intl flights. In and out. No way I am getting to the airport at 3am for a 530am flight. Most airports aren't even open yet that early. 5am arrival.
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Old Nov 20, 2023, 10:48 pm
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Being prepared and packing.... My routine is simple: I pack in one step. Whether it's two days before I leave or 20 minutes, I do it one time so I don't forget anything. Dragging out packing over days is a recipe for forgetting something. I can usually pack in <15 minutes from start to finish (assuming things like laundry are done). My wife on the other hand is a trainwreck and every trip together with her starts with us leaving the house (late) and her screaming and hysterical... and usually forgetting something major. Her last trip I had to Fed Ex her LAPTOP to her....LOL. How on earth does one forget that?

Anyway, I suppose my OCD is packing/planning. I'm also kind of a nut about getting to the airport early but a lot of that is that I actually enjoy hanging out and having a coffee or drink in the lounge (and have to build in a large buffer for previously mentioned wife).
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Old Nov 21, 2023, 1:36 am
  #5  
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Tight connections in between flights, especially when the second flights is the long haul.
I learned early on to look for connections with at least 3 hours but airline schedule changes have interfered with this buffer. Ugh the stress!
Then I learned to stretch out the transfer experience to the max and enjoy the opportunities - super long transfer = free holiday! Haven’t had transfer stress for years, it’s great!

—-
The other travel anxiety I don’t do alone/alone with kid unless I absolutely have to is use a taxi. I have never used an Uber or cab service that involves an App and would never choose to go somewhere where such services are necessary.
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Old Nov 21, 2023, 2:17 pm
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I'm the complete opposite, I try to cut it as close as possible (0-30min before boarding, depending on airport) especially if it's an early morning flight. I am however a bit paranoid about my passport, I do check if it's in its dedicated spot at least twice per trip.
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Old Nov 21, 2023, 2:24 pm
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And heres how my OCD gets fed:

Arrived at JFK three hours and 20 minutes prior to flight. Even though I bought tickets for four, got boarding passes, only carryon bags, TSA pre-check, clear, everything., I get stopped at the gate because one of my kids is an unaccompanied minor supposedly. Why? 2 in Econ and we are in Business. If that were the case, I shouldnt have been able to buy the tixx in the first place.

no matter how prepared, your always one snag or blown tire away.
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Old Nov 24, 2023, 6:33 am
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Originally Posted by vkis
I am however a bit paranoid about my passport, I do check if it's in its dedicated spot at least twice per trip.
Passport is the only item I check obsessively, it's the one thing that would be very tricky to lose. If travelling with family, I make sure we double-check we have all passports before putting them away after each place they're checked.
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Old Nov 24, 2023, 1:53 pm
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I have something that can best be described as choreographed performance art when it comes to my security screening routine. I know where every device, limb and item of clothing goes when and where. It genuinely freaks me out that other people dont have a plan for their stuff when they arrive at the security belt.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 1:34 am
  #10  
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I increasingly dislike back-to-back long haul flights enough to justify using inferior airlines and/or less comfortable seats in order to have one long and one short sector; nonstop obviously trumps connections of any variety, but they don't exist on many of my routes. In any event, what I really try to avoid more than anything else is stuff like arriving at LAX from a 10-hour flight and hopping on a 757 red eye to Boston.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 4:43 am
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Originally Posted by planesquid (Post # 8)
If travelling with family, I make sure we double-check we have all passports before putting them away after each place they're checked.
It is prudent to have the biographical pages for each passport scanned to a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and uploaded as attachments to a draft e-mail in a web-based system.

That way, if the passport becomes unavailable, it can easily be replaced anywhere in the world.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 2:22 pm
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FOMOOMF....or Fear of Missing Out On My Flight. I hate to start a vacation out flustered, so I'd rather build extra time into the itinerary and have to waste some of it. Getting to the airport early, I'm not thrown into a panic when the lines are looong. I can ride them out. I get on the "other side" and people watch for however long it takes. There isn't much better a place to people watch than an airport.

So that's my OCD. Actually I have CDO. It's just like OCD but the letters are in the proper order....badda-boom.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 3:53 pm
  #13  
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For me, on the 2nd next trip, it's keeping an eye for the flight reservation status to go from confirmed to unconfirmed. Flights have not been bookable for new ticketing in over 5-6 weeks though the airline reservation call centre said it's going ahead. Usually don't check so obsessively but I do have my backup alternates to propose for reaccommodation, and it's a little bit difficult to plan for stuff at the other end. Could even shorten the trip into a RTW (the out and back is actually greater in distance than the RTW).
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 6:04 pm
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Originally Posted by SPN Lifer
It is prudent to have the biographical pages for each passport scanned to a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and uploaded as attachments to a draft e-mail in a web-based system.

That way, if the passport becomes unavailable, it can easily be replaced anywhere in the world.
I can only half agree with this advice. Scanned, yes. But I would not put an unencrypted copy of that page online. While the chance is hopefully low, email accounts are higher value targets for most identity theft as so many things are linked to it. If you are thinking of putting it online for emergency backup plans, at least encrypt it. Or better yet, encrypt it and give it to a friend on a USB stick. If you need it, have them share it with you in some way that can be taken offline within a short period of time.

It's not paranoia speaking... It's just that so many places are becoming compromised... Better safe than sorry.
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Old Nov 25, 2023, 6:23 pm
  #15  
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I suppose it's relevant to mention an OCD behavior of others that those of us who are experienced at purchasing travel products are often exposed to. Friends and family frequently ask me for advice on whether to lock in flights now or wait.

For example, a friend of mine wants to get an NYC-HKG rt for his daughter in March on relatively fixed dates and he has a myriad of rules about acceptable routings/airlines.

He complained to me that $3,000 for CX nonstops is too expensive. I agreed, and told him that price will probably come down; furthermore, Brother Google agrees (it's always nice to be able to pass the buck).

But, due to his OCD, he interpreted "the price will probably come down" as a recommendation from me to "buy now".

I simply said, "okay" because I don't want to risk being chewed out in the event his target flights happen to increase in price or sell out (e.g. it's theoretically possible that an entire youth soccer team with parents and coaches in tow could buy ~75 tickets).

However, I saved screen shots of our conversation, which I expect I'll need to pull up in early February when the same flights are selling for $1200 and he complains about my awful advice.
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