OCD when traveling
 

Over the years I have noticed that I am a bit OCD on a plane like wiping down the controls and the lap tray with the hot wipe they give you and stripping down the bed at hotels to see if the sheets are clean. Maybe it's not OCD but a fear of what we know is actually there.

What rituals do you do when traveling that may appear to some that you have OCD?

Wow. Where to begin?

When I check into a hotel, I take my laptop bag and my dop box. My dop box contains not only my toiletries but a slew of disinfecting chemicals. I place my plastic bop box on a table. I start by disinfecting all table tops and my room keys, then I move to light switches, door knobs and locks and remotes, I wipe the closet walls down and clean the hanger bar, next I do the bathroom countertop and faucets, I disinfect the bottom of my dop box and place it on a "clean" surface and clean the table it was on, I spray down the shower, and finish my disinfecting the toilet. Then I wash up and place the soap in a disposable cup. I then place my laptop down on a "clean" table and pull my storage table away from the walls. I then wrap the remote in seran wrap and place in on a clean table.

Once the room has been cleaned, I bring in my clothing.

While in the hotel I always wear flip flops (even when I shower). I use a tissue to touch anything and only sit on towels.

When I fly, I only wear long sleeves and long pants. Anytime I touch anything on the plane I use either hand wipes or hand sanitizer.

When I got home for a trip, I immediately wash all my clothes and shower.

Are you pulling my leg?

Wow, I'm really happy that I'm an extremely mellow traveler and have no OCD whatsoever. I just don't think about germs. I do give the sheets a once over before I crawl in, but no deep inspection. I eat just about anything. In certain countries I do use bottled water to brush my teeth, etc. but I'm pretty darn mellow.

I guess the only thing is I pat the fuselage of the plane right by the door as I board

Funny, I took this picture at the Belize City airport yesterday. Thinking there are quite a few out there with OCD, so many they are breaking the pipes

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/5682/toiletsi.jpg

I think someone needs to watch the bathtub scene from the cult film Gummo. Your average hotel room will now seem like a sparkling NASA clean room. :eek::D

Adrian Monk !

Trust me I am not judging.

:)

OK, when I get into a hotel room I take the handset off the phone and disconnect it so the PBX does not go click-click-click later on. If I get an important call, my cell is there, and I don't need somebody else's wake up call.

Very narcissistic.

I had one of those crazy ladies come to my office once for an exam. Part of the exam requires that she walk without shoes or socks. She was so stupidly squeamish about this that she nearly refused to do it.

Finally after I got her some paper footies from the operating room down the hall she agreed.

She then proceeded to put her dirty socks ON MY DESK RIGHT NEXT TO MY COFFEE CUP.

I referred her to psychiatry.

My wife would love to stay in a room after you've been there!

I've had to do some cleaning to appease her concerns in a few cheap hotel rooms over the years.

I always bring my own small cover for hotels, & I always have my hand sanitizer within reach. I'm disgusted when I think about everything that has come in contact with planes/hotels, so I try not to think about it. :p

I've gotten more travel germophobic over the years, but as I'm immunosuppressed and have had more illnesses after flights than I care to remember, I justify it to myself.

When I sit down, I use a spray purel on both arm rests and the entertainment controller. Keep the gold bond sanitizer lotion in my seat pocket bag and any time I get up in the plane, use the tray, etc., I use another dollop.

In hotels, take off the bedspread (why on earth are hotels still using them?) and spray the TV remote and leave it at that.

Im a little OCD, but I do my best to try keep it in check. In hotel rooms I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wipe down the remote. Also the door handles but thats about it.

On aircraft if I have to use the bathroom I try my best to touch nothing at all. I dont care how prestigious the airline- the toilets are all disgusting. When I was in college I had a friend who worked weekends as a cleaner at Brisbane airport, the stories he told me. Less than 2 minutes to clean an individual bathroom stall on a plane thats spent the last 12 hours in the air with a layer of urine of the floor, splashed up against the walls. There's no way you can tell me they ever get cleaned properly.