Having a parent who immigrated to the United States from Germany, I’ve traveled quite a bit in my life. I’ve been to Germany every year so far since I was 2 years old, and don’t plan on stopping. Alongside Germany, I have also been to Denmark, France, and Iceland. With all the traveling experience that I have, I’ve learned quite a few things along the way. With that being said, here are some interesting facts that I’ve learned from my experience with traveling.
TSA is different in every state and country
Traveling to so many different places, I learned that the TSA is different in every state and country. When flying out of the USA, my family and I usually fly out of the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC. When we approach the TSA, they don’t make you take anything out of your bag and even let you keep your shoes on. However, when I was at the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in France, they made you take ALL electronics out of your bag, anything liquid, and even your shoes and sweaters. When I was at the TSA in Louisville in Kentucky, they made you take ALL liquids out of your bags but you could keep your shoes in. It just goes to show you that TSA is different in all states and countries which can be pretty unpredictable when traveling.
Airplane food is not as bad as people think
I know that when you see influencers traveling on TikTok or Instagram, they usually have negative things to say about airplane food. Especially allegations regarding that airplane food is infested with E-coli and other bacterias. However, I’m here to debunk this. After traveling for 18 years, I have never had a problem with airplane food, but I guess that could vary depending on what airline you travel with. My family has been using airlines such as Lufthansa, IcelandAir, and United and we’ve never had a problem with their food. When I traveled to Germany over the summer this year, I was served a chicken meal which consisted of chicken and noodles, yogurt, a salad, bread, and a cookie. I ate the majority of my meal and did not get sick from it and surprisingly, the meal was actually pretty good. The chicken and noodles were cooked correctly, the bread and salad was decent. The yogurt and cookie were packaged individually, which made me feel better but nonetheless, the meal was actually fine.
Items are not taxed in airports
Did you know that items in airports are actually not taxed. This is known as Duty-Free shopping and it’s literally so awesome. When I’m bored, I like to roam around the airport and browse all the stores. In fact, there was a point where I found a makeup and fragrance store that carried one of my favorite makeup brands, Benefit. Usually they’re makeup is so expensive in Sephora and Ulta, their blush usually costing around 30 dollars in stores. However, when I found their blush at the airport, I was beyond excited. Not only was it 27 dollars but it wasn’t taxed, making it about 3 dollars cheaper. Now, I know three dollars isn’t a whole lot of money, but I decided since I was on vacation, I would purchase it to use in Germany. I just think it’s so cool that items are not taxed. However, if you exceed the 800 dollar limit within a 31 day period, you will have to pay taxes on additional items after. Nonetheless, I still think that this is pretty cool.
Wearing makeup on the plane is actually really bad for your skin
One of the things I try to do before getting on the plane is to wash off my makeup. Now I get it, you want to be someone’s airport crush. That’s fine, but there’s a reason as to why you’d want to wash off your makeup before getting to the plane. The biggest reason is that when you get on the plane, your environment will be changing. The dry air in the cabin can further increase skin dryness and oiliness, making your makeup potentially clog your pores and further irritate your skin, especially on flights that are very long. Removing your makeup will help your skin be able to breathe better. I highly recommend washing off your makeup before you get on the plane, only because plane bathrooms are very germy and cramped.
If you sit near the window, wear sunscreen
Did you know that you can get sunburned on airplanes? You especially run the risk of being sunburned if you sit next to the window on the airplane on a day flight. The sun emits UVA, UVB, and UVC rays but only UVA and UVB rays reach the Earth’s surface. Both UVA and UVB rays can penetrate glass and polycarbonate plastic which can lead to sunburn and skin damage. Plane windows have been designed to block UVB rays, however, they do not block UVA rays. Prolonged exposure to these rays can give you a sunburn and sun damage. Therefore, making sure to wear sunscreen can be helpful in this situation.
I hope you enjoyed these little fun facts about traveling! If you or someone you know has traveled around the world, email [email protected] for a chance to share your experiences with traveling in The Captain’s Log!
