European Travel Annoyances — how do you deal with them?

Maybe it's where I live but I've never understood the infatuation with "having" to have air conditioning. I think some places are over-the-top with its use. I recall taking the train at Dulles airport and the AC was on so strong that I felt if I had licked the pole I was hanging onto, my tongue would have frozen to it. How did I deal with it? I didn't lick the pole.

The smoking, I agree and we tend to avoid eating outside at some places as well.

But the biggest annoyance is all you tourists getting in my way when I try to push myself to the front of the line to take my selfie at all of the must-see sites. I have learned to try and plan my day for earlier or later to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

“ What are you annoyed by”

Truthfully? Well, I’m annoyed by people who group all of the countries in Europe and all the Europeans together and who based on one experience say or write things like “In Europe they…” or “Europeans do…” when they actually mean “In France they…” or “Norwegians tend do be….”
Also, I don’t understand how cramped plane seats is a European problem.

Also, I don’t understand how cramped plane seats is a European problem.

Because in order to get there (Europe) typically we need to fly on an airplane. I suppose we could take an ocean liner, but that would take a while.

Note I am asking about European TRAVEL annoyances, not annoyances with specific Europeans.

@Allan, I totally agree. Its all those other tourists getting in my way. Why don't they just stay home and this beautiful place to me alone. :-)

I guess I didn’t express my annoyance clear enough. Lack of airconditioning may be a problem in Spain in the summer, but it’s unlikely to be a problem in Iceland for instance. So why would you still classify it as a European travel problem? And not as a Spanish travel problem?

OK, so I should have been more informed on the cigarette smoking rates in Europe as compared to the USA.

I am surprised to learn that Norway, Sweden and the UK actually have lower smoking rates than the USA according to this website: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/smoking-rates-by-country

I guess I didn’t express my annoyance clear enough. Lack of airconditioning may be a problem in Spain in the summer, but it’s unlikely to be a problem in Iceland for instance. So why would you still classify it as a European travel problem? And not as a Spanish travel problem?

Because they are all in Europe, and you have a good point, that one way to deal with it is to not go to Spain in the summer if you are concerned about the lack of air conditioning.

Oh, and try not to get offended, it’s not an attack on a country’s lack of air conditioning. Even the Rick Steves travel site mentions that tour participants should expect street noise and lack of A/C. It doesn’t break it down on a per country basis.

1) Pay a bit more to sit in the front of the section so there are no seats directly in front of you. As you said, you get what you pay for.

2) Smokers have been moved outside so they can smoke. If you want to avoid smoke, sit inside.

3) Have you ever asked your hotels if they have fans? I have and they usually do.

I carry a small portable fan to cool me off in case the hotel doesn't have any. I also have a small white noise machine that can fit in the palm of my hand yet can drown out quite a bit of noise.

I travel to places expecting them to be different than they are at home. That's the whole idea of traveling internationally.

Or is this post an April Fool's joke?

Most of the common complaints I've seen could be avoided with either flexibility, research, or budgeting. Crowds? Pick a different time of day or time of year. Airplane seats too small? Throw money at it. I fly PE or BC. Cigarette smoke? Find a table up wind or inside. No AC? Look harder. I've yet to find a city without a hotel that has it. Or dont travel to that place when it's hot.

My biggest annoyance- tourists who complain that things arent the same as they are back home. While lines pile up behind them at ticket counters, hotel front desks, security checks, yadda yadda yadda while harried service people try to deal with them.

1) Pay a bit more to sit in the front of the section so there are no seats directly in front of you. As you said, you get what you pay for.

I feel like I’ve given them (the airlines) enough money, and part of their profit model is to make airline travel so uncomfortable that travelers will pay even more money to avoid being even more uncomfortable, for example paying extra for early boarding so you don’t have to contend for overhead bin space for your carry on. I refuse to reward them for it. My strategy for dealing with these particular issues is to just endure it, and know that in several hours it will be over and we can start enjoying ourselves.

2) Smokers have been moved outside so they can smoke. If you want to avoid smoke, sit inside.

True, but I’d still rather sit outside and hope for the best, or a favorable wind/breeze direction.

1) I choose bulkhead seats and fly premium economy. For short connection flights I pay for extra legroom if I can't reserve bulkhead.

PS- that passenger's hair would not have been in my space or touching me for more than 10 seconds.

2) It is what it is and varies from place to place. I try to choose my table wisely and then just ignore it. Otherwise, I sit inside.

3) I try not to travel to hot destinations in Europe from June to September. Otherwise, I choose a hotel with AC or, if I choose a hotel without AC, I shut up and just deal with it. If I were staying more than a few days, I would consider purchasing a fan if the hotel didn't provide one. I stayed in an apartment once that had sad, thin towels. I bought a nice bath and hand towel at the Monoprix and left them behind.

There is so much about the different countries in Europe that I enjoy, I can put up with the little annoyances that I can't change.

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My biggest annoyance is probably getting lost. Even using a GPS. One time it took us through an olive grove in Crete!

Very funny afterwards but both of our nerves were getting frayed as we tried to find the olive oil factory.

But I try to allow enough time for mishaps and to consider them part of the adventure-if not in the moment soon afterwards.

I think this post falls into read and “let it go” category.

Sorry I didn’t think this topic would cause so much angst, rather we could all brainstorm on how to best solve “first world problems”, for example, the Barista didn’t make my cappuccino hot enough.

I get what the OP was going for with this post. It was not meant to be a complaint. He was just expressing aspects of travel to Europe that required some adjustments/accommodations. Also, he didn't appear to be someone that constantly complains without making an effort to adjust.

I do love to eat outside when we are in Europe, and I am also bothered by smoke, so it is frustrating. I don't make a fuss, and will try to nab a table that is more isolated or I do eat inside. I don't know if more smoke in the countries I've traveled to, but I think at home, my demographic tends to be nonsmokers so I don't encounter smokers that often. Also, my home state, has very strict indoor air (which extend to outdoor public areas) act laws.

A couple things I've encountered are no washclothes and oddly shaped pillows or rough pillow cases. I bring a couple quick dry clothes or pads for make up removal, and I've started to travel with a pillowcase. I use it on flights stuffed with the airline's pillow, a sweatshirt, etc. I also use it for lodgings when I encounter the odd pillow or case. I just always make sure the items I bring are not pricey and are brightly colored.

My biggest annoyance when traveling, are fellow Americans who talk loudly in quiet spaces.

Will never forget walking about in the Louvre on my first trip in 1972. The quiet was broken with a distinctive NY’er accent screaming, yes screaming
“ Harry where is it? I wanna see it. Where is it?”

I cringed and still cringe remembering her.

She was referring to La Giocanda. The Mona Lisa.
She and hubby were upset no sign said Mona Lisa this way.

I also learned to pack a wash cloth, ear plugs, Kleenex packets, to carry a coin purse and adjusted to no ice in my drinks. Too this day can drink a warm beer.

Now a days no longer fly in economy, stay in mid range hotels, bring my own ground
coffee, strainer, along with a mug, also have an xtra long charging chord for the iPhone.

Also don’t lug a 35mm camera around. The iPhone will do.

Is there a reason so many in Europe still smoke ?

Maybe we like it? Puritans beware!

Cigarettes in the UK are USD21 a pack and smoking is really quite rare now. It's only the French that are showing much dedication to smoking these days.

To boot, she fell asleep and for half the flight I had to put up with her long hair draped into my space and across my knee.

Why not just tap her on the shoulder and politely ask her to move (presumably after suppressing the urge to tug on her hair lol)? Or ring for the flight attendant to wake her and ask her to move? You didn't actually sit there for hours with someone's hair on your lap, did you? 🤨

Why not just tap her on the shoulder and politely ask her to move (presumably after suppressing the urge to tug on her hair lol)? Or ring for the flight attendant to wake her and ask her to move? You didn't actually sit there for hours with someone's hair on your lap, did you? 🤨

I woke her up and asked once, and then about an hour later the hair came back. I did not want to make a scene so I just put up with it. I did take a photo (of the hair and my knee only) for posterity, and to amuse myself and friends when the subject of airline hell flights come up.

No window screens

I do and try my best to not let things annoy me, it just is not worth letting things that you don't have any control over manipulate your emotions. I just go with the flow.

If anything for me it's my own introverted self and there does come a point that I've reached my limit and I need to retreat somewhere. Followed by an annoyance of groups when they're taking up walkways and pedestrian areas by walking abreast of each other.

Maybe it's where I live but I've never understood the infatuation with "having" to have air conditioning. I think some places are over-the-top with its use. I recall taking the train at Dulles airport and the AC was on so strong...

Well it is the upper south. It is not like some places when you get one hot day in summer, here its high heat and high humidity from June to the end of August and sometimes into September and October. Right now Calgary is reporting 40° and DC is reporting 86°. AC is absolutely necessary for many down here like heat is up north.

All things one has some control over.

Pay for a premium economy seat with more legroom.

Go to de restaurant that’s non smoking. At worst, it’s only an hour out of your life you need to deal with smoke, assuming multiple people are smoking.

Only book a room at hotels with A/C.

Can it be annoying, yes, but it’s all part of the experience.

Interesting topic, especially if we're just commenting, not actually looking for answers.

I can't think of anything that actually annoys me about traveling in European countries. I am not a fan of air conditioning, so am delighted when I don't have to figure out how to turn it off when I enter a hotel room.

We did have one hotel, somewhere in Spain, in which the TV came on as soon as we put the key card in the slot to turn on lights. That did annoy me.

My husband hates duvets, but I love them. So when we enter a new hotel room and find a duvet, he grumbles and sighs, while I say "Oh, goodie!"

And yes, I have told him that we could take the duvet out and stash it in the closet, and simply use the duvet cover as a top sheet, but he has always declined the offer.

Of the annoyances listed above, the one that bothers me and is a distinct nuisance is the smoking, especially if I'm down wind. Other than that I am not that bothered by it.

In Basic Economy the seats are tight, true, for 11 hours I can make do, put up with it, sleeping through some of that duration in that cramped seat all the better. Leg space has to be decent, ie no luggage under the seat in front, since I'm also 6'

The hotels having no AC or very weak AC is not an annoyance, not a problem. I don't need it, not interested , certainly not a deal breaker , that deciding factor, in choosing a hotel when I'm over there in the summer. If the room still is a broiler at night, 80 F, I have the window open...no problem, except for the mosquito flying in.

Hair over the seat and in my lap?

I think the second time that happened I would have helped her out by fastening it securely between the tray table and the back of the seat.

1 Buy your tickets sooner and book the bulkhead seat or premium economy.
2 Write on your hotel reservation that you want a room on the courtyard side, not the street side. Open the window, get naked, throw off the covers. You'll be fine.
3 It's mostly the young high school and college students who still smoke. Go to better quality restaurants that they can't afford.

Joe, I fly Delta. Economy is fine for domestic flights. But for international flights, I opt for the section immediately above economy that offers more leg room.

My pet peeves:

1. Train-station monitors that don't post the track your train is on until right before departure.

2. Hotel rooms on the hotel's street side with nearby bars that stay open seemingly until 4 or 5 a.m. Paris.

3. Being in the back of a plane, trying to depart with a tight connection, and spending 10 minutes watching the passengers ahead struggle with their carry-on suitcases. Yep, this is a contentious one.

4. The difficulty of using Delta Skymiles when you're trying to fly out of smaller or even less-than-huge European airports.

About the most annoying thing I see here is grouping Europeans together. Beyond that it’s “life”, get over some of this and plan on visiting the country with the least irritation from your preferences.

I love France but my irritation is the immigration authorities. Always real frustrating but done with a smile. The incredible expense of little things in Norway is irritating but I’ve loved every minute of my visits there. So yes there’s stuff to carp about across Europe but life goes on.

I love to travel to Europe and nothing much bothers me. If I could send out a wish, it would be no train strikes. When I’m traveling in Italy, I pull up the train strike upcoming list each morning to hopefully mitigate future strikes with traveling a different day and enough notice to switch hotels while they are still free cancellation.

The strikes have cost me the price of one hotel night and a few alternate day itineraries. Fortunately, Delta switched my flight home for free when a train strike would have left me away from Rome for the day before an early flight home.

We have also found the lack of screens and the duvets a challenge.

With the screens, we haven’t really found an adaptation.

I like Duvets, especially the fact that every piece of bedding gets washed between guests. My husband is always hot. Occasionally, we’ve asked for a flat sheet which has been cheerfully provided.

I do love ice, but it makes me really appreciate it when I get home.

Again, I think the query was intended to be “what do you find different and how do you adapt.”

Count me in as another annoyed by lack of screens. Here's an excerpt from my Trip Report to the Dordogne in 2024. We had checked into a hotel in Rocamadour...

...nobody told us that we’d be sharing the room with an extended family of black flies. I went up to the lobby to complain and ask for a different room, but noticed the whole hotel had a problem. According to a news report I found that this was a real problem in the region this year and not just this hotel, but count me in as one of the many that wonder why France doesn’t invest in some screens. Based on the well below average meal we had at the hotel’s restaurant that evening I’m surprised the flies hadn’t chipped in to buy the chef a screen door.

Allan, I will say that when we were in Florence year before last, my face looked like I had the pox. We had a lovely room that opened onto a private patio, the door of which we kept open at night, and there was also a window right next to the bed -- MY side of the bed. Evidently, although I never felt them, I was eaten up with mosquitos while I was sleeping.

Honestly, the bites didn't bother me, but I did look terrible.

Cramped airline seats: Because of the price to “upgrade,” I’m sticking with the cheap, albeit cramped and increasingly less civil cheap seats. On a flight last year, the young woman in front of me draped her long hair over the top of her seat, onto my food tray. I got her attention, to ask that she please move her hair. I’d wake somebody up if their hair was invading my limited space. I’ve also had two recent flights where the person behind me stuck their feet through the gap in my row’s seats, poking me with their toes. The first time, I shoved a pillow behind my elbow to block their foot. This last time, I turned around and asked them to please not put their foot on an ARM-rest. I probably gave them an unavoidable dirty look while doing so.

As for improvements in higher-cost seats, I’m not convinced they’re so good as to justify the higher cost. My husband was unexpectedly moved up to Business Class on a flight home a few years ago (I had stayed in Europe, so wasn’t on that flight), and he said the food was better and the seat was wider. He never lay the seat flat. He said that getting up to use the restroom required difficult moves to step over the footrest of lay-flat seat next to him, without an easy clear pathway. The entertainment screen was not an improvement, and the Yin/Yang face-each-other pair of seats was weird.

More recently, we both got upgraded to Premium Economy on the flight home. Slightly wider seats? Check. More space from your nose to the headrest in front of you? Check. Better? Not so much. There was a foot bolster at the bottom of the front of each seat, which my husband tripped on when he tried to slide in or out the row, when his heels caught on the bolster. And it made it very hard for me to get out of my seat, because my legs weren’t long enough to push the bolster out of the way. And we were in the very last row of Premium Economy, separated from the first row of Economy by just a thin curtain and a restroom vestibule. British Airways seats parents with infants in that first row, and two children cried and screamed most of the 9-hour flight. They clearly were t happy, but neither were the rest of us around them.

Lack of air conditioning in hotels: two strategies. Travel outside of summer, when it’s absolutely the hottest. And, have an electric fan in the room, to at least move the air around. We’ve had an Airbnb owner deliver a fan to the apartment we were renting. Have never purchased a fan on vacation, though.

Groups hogging the sidewalk in cities, especially in London and Rome. Sidewalks don’t have lane stripes, and there’s no “centerline” to stay on one side or the other. But groups of 4, 6, 8, or more will spread out across a sidewalk, however wide it is, and won’t yield to people going the other direction. They’re either clueless or just rude. I’ve stopped in my tracks, off yo one side of the walkway, and made people go around me. Or, I’ve stepped out into the street (watching for vehicles) to get around a slow-moving gang.

E-scooters like Lime. Riders are often on sidewalks, or pedestrian streets, or cutting across squares. They’re virtually silent, and the riders often seem to have no regard for anybody else out there. Share the road? Not if you’re on an e-scooter! Solution? I don’t have one - thoughtless riders who are going fast, you keep your head on a pivot and constantly look for someone about to run you over. It’s aggravating/terrorizing.

Having to pay for water at restaurants. We get tap water whenever we can, but when only bottled designed water is available (as in most places in Italy), we go with the flow and order “frizzante.” It’s still irksome.

Nothing annoys me about visiting other places. I love being somewhere different and hopefully getting some sun, that thing we rarely see in England. Part of the fun is seeing how things differ from home. The internet and social media means the world is becoming more homogeneous and those differences are much smaller than they were so embrace any you find.

I'm just smiling about the AC thing- not sure why not having AC is such an issue. Keep the window open in the evening and closed in the day. Ask for a fan.

I totally agree with what Helen says above.

The whole AC thing just puzzles me. Unless I am somewhere very hot (like 30C+), I have no interest in having AC. Something I hate is visiting the US during the summer, and even on the hottest day you have to bring a jumper with you everywhere you go as the second you get indoors you will be freezing cold. I can understand adjusting the temperature to be more comfortable/less hot, but why must it be actively freezing? It seems like a terrible waste of electricity, and it can't be good for you going from hot to extreme cold constantly. Fresh air from an open window/fan is so much nicer.

Here’s another one:

Its a touch screen, not a tap screen

You know those entertainment units built into the airline seat headrests. Have you ever had someone constantly tapping so hard on the screen that you can feel it from your seat into the back of your head?

The strikes have cost me the price of one hotel night and a few alternate day itineraries. Fortunately, Delta switched my flight home for free when a train strike would have left me away from Rome for the day before an early flight home.

Wouldn't be easier, less stressful and cheaper to book only guaranteed trains, especially on the day before flying home? Even if you stumbled upon the only strike in history that blocked All freccia and italotreno trains, I'd rather waste a train ticket and get a new one on a guaranteed train than dealing with Delta.

Having to pay for water at restaurants.

There ain't no such thing as a free glass of water just like there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

My solution to the cramped ailrine seats is to travel by train :-)

And my main pet peeve with modern hotels is the airconditioning. It is the first thing I switch off. Fortunately often it switches off automatically when you open a window.

I think that my main annoyance with US tourists is that sometimes they forget that Europe isn't a country :-)

Good lord.
Flip the hair back over. If you have to do it more than once, so be it. Why are people so shy about crap that bugs them but that is also not ok? Same thing with feet going through the seats, or kids kicking your seats, etc. etc. Say something! It doesn't have to be nasty, we don't want airplane rage, but be firm about it.

Lots of countries have free tap water. Go there.

Lots of countries do not need AC, go there or don't travel in the summer.

Get a Bite Away to handle any mosquito bites.

Duvets are great. Compared to those fuzzy blankets in the US, which make me cringe just thinking about them. Too warm? Take the blanket out or ask for a sheet. Your hotel front desk is there to help you.

Read reviews on TA about room locations. Loud, hot, etc.?

Allan- AC has a lot to do with the unfortunate invasion of Northerners in Charleston. Before AC, we didn't have this problem. And I dislike beds without top sheets because I don't always want a heavy cover.

Cat VH, I have the same pet peeve about AC. I think it's set for the comfort of big people and those who insist on wearing suit jackets. No concern for the environment at all. No one except lawyers in court should be wearing those when its 95 degrees and 95% humidity outside and yes that includes men in church.

"What are you annoyed by and how do you deal with it?"

My annoyance is hearing loud, and at times demanding Americans in restaurants, museums, on the streets, etc.! :)

Well it is the upper south. It is not like some places when you get
one hot day in summer, here its high heat and high humidity from June
to the end of August and sometimes into September and October.

But why in the US is the AC often set to the extreme so you need to wear a jacket? That seems to be the default position in public spaces.

Allan, Its to help keep our beer cold 🙂.

But why in the US is the AC often set to the extreme so you need to wear a jacket? That seems to be the default position in public spaces.

It's not extreme. It is your body's transition from the outside humid summer conditions to the interior settings. The body's evaporative cooling through sweating and the vasodilation. It's a sudden kick in when entering a dry cooler environment. Walmarts' set their a/c at 75° & Targets' are set at 74°. DC Metro trains are set at 20-25° cooler than current conditions and to deal with the constant opening and closing of doors. At work ours is 73° and working to maintain a constant environment for artifacts.

A/C is not an amenity I look for when searching accommodations for travel to European destinations. But, I can appreciate people from certain places or travel experiences wanting a/c.

There's nothing about being in Europe that can't be dealt with. Make sure your hotel has AC. Try not to sit near a smoker. But getting there and getting back is so aggravating and exhausting.

Going through security, finding your gate, economy class seating, screaming babies, bad food, inability to sleep, standing in an endless line for passport control, or missed connections, cancelled flights, lost luggage, and on and on. It's mentally and physically exhausting getting there or getting back and so many things go wrong so often.

This upcoming trip, we have taken a few steps to try to minimize the aggravation and exhaustion. First, instead of making an airline connection in Europe, wherever we first land in Europe is going to be where we stop and spend a few days. No more worries about whether we can get through passport control in time to make our connecting flight. Our destination is Valencia, so we will land in Madrid, spend a few days there, and then after a few days take a nice relaxing train ride to Valencia. This instead of flying all the way to Valencia.

Secondly, we are upgrading our seats. No more economy class.

Hopefully, these two adjustments will take some of the pain out of the process.

Yes, for some of us it is very difficult to deal with smokers. If you had COPD, Asthma, etc. or small children, you would know.

My trick is to sit right inside the restaurant, where the windows are open, cool, but no smoke. No wasps either, which drive me nuts. I never sit outside if I can help it.

Not an annoyance but an adjustment on my part is figuring out the shower, especially the tiny ones where picking up a dropped bar of soap results in a water temperature change. Any shower that doesn’t end with me mopping a drenched bathroom with the bath mat is a win.

I promise not to smoke at a bus stop if I'm waiting next to you for a bus in London. I have stopped doing that out of consideration for others.

I'm generally a lot more careful abut others wishes if I am smoking in public these days. 15 or 20 years ago I didn't care.

Not an annoyance but an adjustment on my part is figuring out the shower, especially the tiny ones where picking up a dropped bar of soap results in a water temperature change. Any shower that doesn’t end with me mopping a drenched bathroom with the bath mat is a win.

Agreed. Bathrooms in Europe can be confusing.

• This is going to cost me 1€?
• How do you flush - pull cord, press button, step on foot pedal, turn knob, or open valve?
• Why are there two toilets?

My biggest annoyance when traveling, are fellow Americans who talk loudly in quiet spaces.

I’m with Claudia on this one. Especially those four Texans in Provence - back in 1999 - who loudly complained to the server that the steaks weren’t like those back home. My then 16 yo son, wife and I all cringed.

Vive la difference.

As for the airplane seats, yeah it’s the price you pay. Either a bad night’s sleep or big bucks to not sleep that much better up front. Not the biggest annoyance — at least if folks sitting by you are modestly respectful of others.

The first time encountering the shower and WC where no drain was there and the entire WC plus shower floor ended up wet was in a 2 star hotel in Paris . That did puzzle me since no drain was to be seen.

I didn't bother trying to wipe up any of the water with that towel left as a bathroom towel, (the water covered from one end to the other end of the room), basically closed the door upon stepping out to dry myself and left all that water there. Checking on that ca. 20 mins. later or so, close to half the floor was dry. Water just evaporated....no problem.

As long as the shower water does not seep into the main room floor, I don't care, don't bother with it since sooner or later it 's going to evaporate.

The price for the WC varies, don't count on the WC costing 1 Euro anymore but 1.5 Euro, other places 50 or 60 cents,

I've seen this last summer, was caught by surprise once after throwing in the 1 Euro coin , didn't work, pulled out the reserve Euro coin, then the change was given.

The one benefit of pay toilets though was that, atleast with the ones I experienced like the £1 2theloo toilets at Covent Garden, was that they were the most gloriously clean public toilets I'd ever seen.

But why in the US is the AC often set to the extreme so you need to
wear a jacket? That seems to be the default position in public spaces.

In shared office spaces where I have worked, it has always been,

Those who are cold can put on a sweater. Those who are hot can only take off so much.

"There's nothing about being in Europe that can't be dealt with." How true.

Based on that list , luckily I've had the screaming babies experience only once or twice, yes, a nuisance (the father became annoyed at passengers complaining about that and was in foul mood himself).

I just put up with it and still went to sleep. Going over from SFO the cramped seats can make for an unpleasant experience sitting in Basic Economy. Choosing next step to Premium Economy would cost me another $2,000, out of the question.

I solved the "recline in front" problem on the last flight by loudly saying "ouch" when the recline happened. Luckily the person in front was compassionate, and reduced the degree of reclining. Making loud noises of pain is a good approach.

I really like the differences btw home and wherever I'm traveling, and maybe that puts me in more of an accepting mood when those differences are friction/negative. So I guess in general, I deal with it by remaining positive and thinking about the interesting travel story this will create.

I do a lot more planning to avoid the things that I know will irritate me; e.g. loud hotel rooms, massive crowds and long lines.

I'll mention a couple things that bug me whether I'm traveling or at home:
- I am annoyed by people trying to rip me off. One tends to encounter this more as a tourist in tourist areas. I have this foolish pride(?) that will force me to do things like walk for 40 minutes because a cab driver wanted to overcharge me on on a trip I know shouldn't cost me €x.
- I am annoyed by inconsiderate/self-centered/rude people. I passive-aggressively used my horrible morning coffee breath coupled with uncomfortably close proximity to punish a queue-jumper at the Orsay for example. I'm sure he regretted it by the time he reached the front.

Chris, you expressed my philosophy on foreign travel perfectly. I travel to embrace the cultural diversity. But hate noisy rooms, over the top crowding and overtly rude people. Some cultures embrace not queuing in line, so I push towards the front with everyone else. We have to watch out for price gouging and scammers everywhere, even at home…so this doesn’t count just for travel overseas.

Seats on Ryanair (Europe's largest airline) do not recline. Ryanair has its pros and cons—and this probably isn't the appropriate thread to discuss them—but in my opinion its fixed, non-reclinable seats are a plus.