Unlocking Hidden Gems: 20+ Travel Secrets Only Few Dare To Reveal!

Are the letters SSSS on your boarding pass a reason to worry? What's much more dangerous than turbulence? Should you really be the first to board the plane? You're about to figure it out. You might have noticed that most planes have blue seats. There's no mystery here. Airlines opt for this color because it's considered to have a calming effect. This color supposedly puts passengers at ease and helps even the most nervous flyers to relax. But there's also another, more practical reason. Stains, dirt, and scrapes are less visible on dark blue fabric. Never throw your boarding pass away in a public place. It contains tons of your sensitive information, including your name and frequent flyer number. This, in turn, may allow someone else to check your future bookings, change your seat, or even cancel your flights. So the best way to deal with a boarding pass for a flight you've already boarded is to take it home and feed it through a paper shredder. By the way, if you ever see the letters SSSS or S on your boarding pass, get ready for additional security checks. Instead of these letters, there may be a checkerboard pattern. Anyway, if you have any of these marks, your carry-on luggage can also undergo a thorough inspection. Why might they choose you for secondary screening? Some of the criteria are making a one-way reservation or paying cash for your ticket. In some cases, the selection is absolutely random. Look, your gate is open and the boarding has started. Wait, where are you running? There's no need to hurry. The trick experienced Globetrotters use is always board last. For one thing, you don't have to waste time standing in line. Then, there are fewer people on the jetway and in the aisle, and you spend less time on the plane. No one is going to take your seat anyway. There's one exception though. If you have a bulky carry-on bag, it may make more sense not to board last. Otherwise, the chances are high that all the overhead bin space will be occupied by the time you reach your seat. And then, your bag may end up in another part of the plane, and you'll have to wait till the other passengers disembark before you get to your luggage. Before takeoff and landing, flight attendants usually flip a small switch on the bathroom door. This prevents it from flying open when it's not supposed to. With the same ease, a flight attendant can open the door when someone is inside. Look, they only need to lift the lavatory sign and move the knob into the unlocked position. Pilots don't worry about turbulence. That's because they know that there is a thing way more dangerous than any turbulence. It's an updraft. In most cases, turbulence only drops you a couple of feet down, even though it might feel as if you're falling from the top of the Empire State Building. If the turbulence is strong enough for the pilots to ask flight attendants to sit down, the plane can go 10 to 20 feet down. The most extreme white-knuckle turbulence is super rare. But an updraft is a big air mass, part of a storm or some other weather phenomenon, moving upwards. Pilots don't see updrafts on their radars at night, and when a plane hits one, it feels like driving over a huge speed bump at 500 miles per hour. An updraft is also extremely treacherous because it can push an aircraft upward to dangerous altitudes. Modern planes have a special system that detects other aircraft, mountains and different solid objects in their path. Ten miles away from another plane, and a voice in the cockpit starts chanting, Traffic! Traffic! Five miles closer, and the same voice begins to give pilots the directions. Airplanes can operate with one engine, even during takeoff and landing. Both engines failing simultaneously is almost unheard of. But even then, a plane wouldn't drop from the sky like a rock. Pilots would have up to 20 minutes to find a suitable place to land. The way the cabin is pressurized has a great effect on your taste buds. You lose up to 30% of your ability to taste sweet and salty things. In other words, it's not that airplane food isn't tasty, you just don't feel its flavor. That's also the main reason why airline catering companies add extra salt and spices to the dishes they cook. But you know what may help you? Noise-canceling earphones. For some reason, that probably has a scientific explanation. Cutting off all that noise around can help your taste buds. Each of those dings you hear during the flight has its own meaning. In most airlines, a boing soon after takeoff indicates that the landing gear is getting retracted. Three dings in a row means more urgency than just one. A high-low ringtone informs crew members that their colleague needs them in another part of the plane. Three low chimes means some serious turbulence ahead. Crew members are supposed to put away meal carts, take their seats, and fasten their seatbelts. If you're a nervous flyer, pick a seat in the middle of the cabin. Turbulence mostly affects the front and rear parts of the cabin. The middle section, which is over the wings, doesn't shake so much. Pilots and co-pilots eat different meals. The reason for this precaution is very simple. Imagine both pilots having the same dish and getting food poisoning. In this case, neither of them will be able to control the plane. If they still want to have the same dish and won't agree to have anything else, there is a safety net. Pilots don't have their meals at the same time. If one pilot ate the dish and still feels okay several hours later, the other pilot can brave their meal as well. What would you say when asked about the filthiest place on a plane? Nope, that's not the toilet seat. It's not even in the bathroom. Flight attendants warn that you should be particularly careful with headrests, seat pockets, tray tables, and seatbelts. Experiments have shown that one-third of all seatbelts have yeast and mold on them. Most tray tables are covered with bacteria. Seat pockets are extremely filthy too, but headrests are the dirtiest of them all. In most cases, flight attendants don't have enough time to change or disinfect them in between flights. If your captain announces they're finishing some paperwork, it means they're busy revising the flight itinerary or waiting for the ground staff to prepare the flight logbook. That's a journal that contains the official record of a journey. Some places, especially those flying long distances, have secret bedrooms for crew members to catch some shut-eye. These bedrooms, called crew rest compartments, are located either at the back of the plane or behind the cockpit. Such a compartment can have up to 10 comfortable beds where flight attendants can have a rest. Plane windows are made of super-strong plexiglass that can easily cope with high speeds. And the window panes are shaped in a special way so that the high pressure inside the cabin pushes them against the aircraft body. In other words, plane windows are very unlikely to get broken. Once upon a time, plane windows were square, but the pressure built up in the corners of such windows, making them ultimate weak spots. This means that each square window had four weak spots. This made them likely to crash under the enormous stress of high altitudes. Luckily, making airplane windows curved solved this problem once and forever. Such a shape distributes the pressure and reduces the likelihood of cracks or any other damage. Planes regularly get struck by lightning, at least once a year or once per 1,000 hours of flight time. These days, it's totally safe. The electric charge simply runs through the aircraft's aluminum shell. It doesn't cause the plane any damage. But did you know that airplanes not only get hit by lightning, but they also trigger it? When an aircraft is flying through a cloud, the friction between its fuselage and the air creates static electricity. Sometimes it can cause lightning. That's it for today. So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side. Hey, you've got the wrong person. I'm just a manager going back home for my annual vacation in Europe. The TSA agent pulls out a massive chunk of delicious French cheese from your hand luggage. Turns out, you can only grab really small amounts of soft cheese on board, since it's considered to be liquid. Fun fact, you can bring a cheese grater on board without any problems. But you can grate no more than 3.4 ounces. That's the maximum cheese amount. Wait, you can't grate it. Cheese should be safely sealed in a plastic bag. Good news, hard cheese is fine to travel with. Okay, they took your cheese. A large bottle of water, you're bad. Some cream tubes and other fancy souvenirs. Look at that fine Swiss knife you grabbed in Geneva. It now risks ending up in an auction. If you're lucky enough, the airport might provide a shipping service to get your precious souvenirs, and even cheese, if it doesn't go bad, to your home for a fee. Still, not all the airports do this. So, some of the banned items will go to an auction to raise money. The confiscated items are usually sold in bulks, so it's going to be pretty hard to find the ones that you had to leave behind. Some other objects with more specific purposes are donated to different organizations. A pepper spray, for instance, would go to a police training academy. As for cheese, prohibited exotic fruits, and other food and water, well, they usually just get disposed of. Some items, especially really bad and dangerous ones, may be simply melted or destroyed. Magic eight balls pose no danger, but they have to be checked in luggage. The problem is the liquid inside them. Yeah, it might be less than 3.4 ounces, but let's face it, it's hard to count the exact amount. Ask your ball if you can take it on board. It's likely to give you a, don't count on it, answer. Relieving gel insoles are a bit disturbing on board. The problem is the same. It's impossible to count the exact amount of liquid. So, no gel insoles, and no gel candles either. Perfume and nail polish are kind of forbidden, too. It's not only about liquid on board restrictions, but also about etiquette rules. Some passengers may simply be allergic to their smell. Plus, they're flammable. As for nail polish removers, opt for an acetone-free version, since acetone is a no-go for hand luggage. Anyway, you can grab a bottle of perfume, as long as it's not too large and you don't use it on board. It would be a pity to leave a whole bottle in the trash bin before boarding. Still, you can sneak in the plane with more than 3.4 ounces of your favorite cream, claiming it's some medicine that you really need. But you do need to notify the airport beforehand. A bit weird, but it works. Sometimes. In case you need to check your body temperature on board, make sure your thermometer is electronic. Mercury ones are strictly forbidden. Who's going to pick up all the mercury balls if you accidentally drop it? Bowling pins are a no-go for hand luggage. Seems like the aircrew doesn't want anyone to have fun and play bowling in the aisles during a long and boring flight. No, it's all about our safety. They just think bowling pins might hurt someone. No sports equipment is allowed, be it a fencing foil, a bat, or even darts. Darts are sharp, and no sharp objects are allowed on board. Such items should travel in check-in luggage, unless you want them to end up in an auction. If you're into handmade things, and a transatlantic flight gives you enough time to knit a scar for a pair of socks, opt for plastic or wooden knitting needles, and wrap them carefully so as not to cause any damage. Those made of metal will probably be disposed of by melting, and they don't deserve such a fate. Snow globes, as with any other object containing liquid inside, aren't allowed through security. If your snow globe is as small as a tennis ball, you may be lucky to have it allowed, but it's better to play it safe and check the snow globe in. Liquid bleach is definitely a weird object for hand luggage, even if you're traveling in a white shirt. First, it's not allowed on board because it's highly flammable. Second, a brand new white shirt doesn't seem to be the right choice for a flight. Coffee and turbulence just don't mix. Third, the bathroom on board is far too small for laundering. If you're a hairdresser on a business trip, you'll probably have to invest a bit more when booking your flight. No hair bleach is allowed on board. Scissors aren't welcome either, unless their blades are 4 inches or shorter. By the way, scissors that aren't allowed to fly are often donated to schools, which is a good alternative to disposing them. Bad news for hairdressers again. Due to a gas cartridge that's filled with butane, cordless curling irons aren't allowed on board. Good news, electric curling irons are completely fine and safe. If you're an artist, you must have already struggled with security rules. You don't want your paint to get frozen or ruined in the luggage section, so you'll surely want to bring it on board. Security may be okay with your oil paints, as long as they're under 3.4 ounces, but there's no way you can grab your extremely flammable turpentine. Now, in case you don't enjoy food on a plane and failed to order a meal on board beforehand, you can take any pan or pot on board and cook it yourself. No, you can't cook, and you can't grab a cast iron pan either. They're quite heavy. That's why they're likely to be dangerous. If a TSA agent confiscates it, it won't end up being donated to a local kitchen. It'll probably be melted. If you want to have some fresh smoothies while flying with fresh fruit that are allowed on board, like an apple or a banana, bad news for you. Blenders are allowed only in case you remove the blades, so technically it's not a blender anymore. Hey, here's when you need that cheese grater. English Christmas crackers can make a wonderful atmosphere of joy and happiness during Christmas holidays, but it brings nothing but a mess on board. It makes a cracking sound when pulled, which can frighten other passengers. They are not allowed in checked bags, just like party poppers and sparklers. High heels and thick soles aren't prohibited, but they do cause some problems. If you're wearing one of these, you may be asked to take them off to have them scanned. Sure, there are some plastic shoe covers, but these airport floors are swarming with germs. Wedding dresses are a bit of a problem too. Some dresses just don't fit in the x-ray machine, so they might need to be double-checked. All the fans of camping, beware! You probably want to check in a lot of luggage required for your trip, so make sure you check in the tent pegs too. Though if you travel light with a carry-on backpack only, you'll probably need to buy some when you reach your destination. Since they're sharp objects, tent pegs are not allowed on board. It's hard to imagine anyone having a drill inside their 5-pound carry-on luggage, but anyways, these are not allowed. So if you're a creative person who wants to bring a drill home as a vacation souvenir because magnets are lame, you'll have to check it in. If you want to sneak in a plane with a dry ice DIY fridge, you're almost sure to fail. It's flammable, so safety regulations definitely prohibit it on board. You can bring up to 5.5 pounds of dry ice, but airline permission is required. Anything with an uncovered blade is not allowed through security. Instead, a disposable razor or cartridge blades can be taken on board. Box cutters and knives, with a teeny-tiny exception of a smooth butter knife, should be in checked luggage. Soap bars are allowed on board, but don't panic if a TSA agent wants to double-check your bag after scanning it. It just may look a bit odd on the screen and mislead them. Liquid soap, instead, follows the universal liquid rule. Rules for batteries may vary. Spillable batteries are allowed neither in carry-on nor in checked luggage. And lithium batteries also can't be carried on board, only because if damaged, they can cause a fire. Okay, you travel with your Mr. Scratchy, and yes, a laser pointer is your furry friend's favorite toy. But you gotta make do without it this time, buddy. Laser pointers are not allowed in carry-on nor in checked luggage. A walking stick can be used as a mobility device and then let on board. But surprisingly, TSA may prohibit this item sometimes. Play it safe and notify your airline in advance. Bon voyage!