Hello and welcome to episode 214 of Travel Stories from the Back Again and Gone. This episode was supposed to have been recorded at the beautiful Hilton Garden Inn in Mobile, AL. However, your boy here came down with a case of the shingles and couldn’t travel, thank you, 1970s chicken pox outbreak.
If you’re a new listener, welcome; and if you’re a returning listener, welcome back.
This afternoon, I am partaking in a Sweetwater Brewing G13 Hazy IPA coming in at an even 6.0% ABV.
Tonight, it’s the November crazy travel roundup.
One turn-and-burn trip in November. It was to Macon, GA. The only thing worth mentioning is that I did not stop at Buc-ee’s on the way up or on the way back home.
Onto the craziness -
The source of this first story is View From The Wing.
A man at the New Orleans airport apparently decided the best way to speed up TSA was to show up dressed for an MMA weigh‑in, not an airplane ride, and get this, security very much disagreed.
Early in the morning at MSY, a passenger approached the TSA checkpoint, took off his shirt, was told to put it back on, then instead peeled off his socks and squared up in a bouncing boxer stance like he was about to fight the metal detector. He then went the whole “airport fight club” route, stripping down to just his boxers, yelling, pointing, and fist‑pumping at officers while very underdressed for his boarding group.
TSA shut down two security lanes, not because of a bomb threat but because of one very loud pair of underwear, delaying a bunch of sleepy 6 a.m. travelers who had only signed up for coffee and regret, not this. Several deputies eventually showed up, restrained him, and carried him off like a budget Vegas act that ran just a bit too long.
The Legal aftermath (and the Louisiana underwear law). He was booked for disturbing the peace, but not public indecency, because in Louisiana, boxers still count as clothing, which may be the most New Orleans detail of the whole story.
Of course, the online peanut gallery was classic.
Commenters joked that he misunderstood post‑9/11 rules and thought TSA now needs everything off except the shoes, or that he was trying to help TSA by “using his wand” to scan passengers.
Would a travel podcast be of any use if it didn’t offer up some holiday travel tips? I think not.
I typically don’t head to the airport during peak travel weeks; it’s just not worth it.
Money and cards
Use airline-branded credit cards waive baggage fees and offer bonus sky miles. Check whether your card offers lounge access. Most of the time, you won’t have to check because you remember that’s the main reason you’re dropping 7 or 8 hundred dollars for the card’s annual fee.
Honestly, airline lounges are completely overrated; they are crowded, it’s challenging to find a seat, and those mini-eggrolls aren’t that great.
Some cards also cover Clear Plus fees, making expedited security effectively free if you use the statement credits.
Airports, parking, and apps
Prebook airport parking early, especially at busy hubs, thank you MCO, where some garages only accept pre-reservations once they’re near capacity. Rideshare is another excellent option.
Install airline apps, a flight-tracking app like FlightAware, and the TSA app to monitor delays, gate changes, and security wait times. If you’re driving, have Waze or Google Maps loaded as well
Timing and bags
Get to the airport early and favor the first flight of the day, which is more likely to leave on time and easier to rebook from if needed.
Consider checking bags (with an AirTag inside) to keep your hands free, but read fare rules carefully if you rely on carry-ons, especially on discount airlines and basic economy.
Stuff vs. shipping and TSA rules
For bulky gifts or gear, price out shipping (e.g., via services like LugLess) instead of paying oversize bag fees. We have shipped items back from week-long trips. That being said, during our Canadian trip, we ended up with about eight bottles of booze, which would have cost us over $100.00 to ship back home. We found a local Walmart and bought a one-time-use, for us, $30.00 suitcase. We wrapped that liquid gold in our dirty clothes, don’t judge, and since we were flying Southwest, that bag flew for free.
Avoid wrapped presents at security, review TSA rules on liquids and food, and note updates such as Real ID requirements and changing shoe-removal norms.
Security,
This is a no-brainer. Make sure you have at least TSA PreCheck. Adding Clear reduces the time you spend in holiday security lines. Remember, kids can often be added to your Clear plan for free or at a low cost. That being said, I have yet to realize the actual value of Clear.
Sticking with the tips theme.
When your flight is canceled, which at some point it will, the key moves are to quickly secure a new plan with the airline, know what you are owed, and document everything for possible refunds or claims later.
Act fast on rebooking.
Don’t b***h tweet, or b***h X. Get in every “queue” at once: stand in the customer service line while also using the airline’s app and calling their customer service to search for alternate flights.
Be flexible about airports and routes (nearby airports, connections instead of nonstop) to increase your chances of getting out the same day.
Know your rights and options.
Check whether the cancellation is within the airline’s control; many major U.S. carriers now promise free rebooking, meal vouchers, and sometimes hotels when it is the airline’s fault.
Review the airline’s contract of carriage and the U.S. DOT delay/cancellation dashboard to see what compensation or accommodations you should receive.
Use status, insurance, and cards.
If you have elite status, a co-branded airline card, or lounge access, head to the lounge or priority desk where agents are often less slammed and more empowered to help. Case in point: I recently flew out of Raleigh, and next to my gate was the Delta priority desk, staffed by an actual person. Not once over the course of 90 minutes did I ever see anyone walk in looking for help.
Check your travel insurance and credit card benefits, which may cover hotels, meals, or even alternative transportation if you are stuck overnight.
Stay calm and document.
Take a moment to breathe and avoid lashing out at the gate or customer service agents; being calm and collaborative tends to get better results and more creative solutions. A pro tip is to ensure you’re not wearing pajama pants and slides.
Save all emails, app notices, and receipts for food, lodging, and ground transport, in case you can claim reimbursement from the airline, insurance, or your card later.
View From The Wing recently posted - Passenger Caught On Video Fighting 4-Year-Old Over Airplane Window Shade — Which One Was Right?
Here’s the 30,000’ view.
A grown man and a 4‑year‑old basically reenacted a custody battle over an airplane window shade, and the only thing missing was a judge and a juice box.
A man in coach is trying to watch “Hocus Pocus 2,” not the original, when a kid in the row behind keeps reaching forward to push the shared window shade up, triggering a full-on tiny-hand vs. grown-man slap-fight over who controls the sun.
They go several rounds of shade tug-of-war while the internet watches, laughs, and mostly sides with the kid, who apparently wants to see the entire planet at once.
By standard airplane etiquette, the window-seat adult technically “owns” the shade, but wrestling a preschooler through a bulkhead isn’t exactly a great look for Team Grownup.
The sensible move would have been: ask the parent to control the grabby octopus, then let a flight attendant play referee instead of going UFC: Toddler Edition.
The article lays out six tongue-in-cheek “commandments” of window shades: up for takeoff/landing, window seat rules the shade, flight attendants are shade gods, don’t blind people, try to accommodate neighbors, and close shades in hot destinations so the next passengers don’t board into a flying Easy-Bake Oven.
In other words, yes, the adult had the technical rights, but the kid had the better PR, and everyone agrees the real villain was the missing parent and not the piece of plastic between them.
Here’s a new fear unlocked.
Dateline, Fargo, North Dakota. A hotel got caught turning its hot tub into a giant, bubbling Tide Pod for “lightly stained” bed sheets, and yes, that’s what everyone’s kids had just been swimming in. This happened at the Expressway Suites, which has a solid 4-star review on Google.
Staff were filmed stirring sheets around the hot tub with a broom like some discount laundry cauldron, then cheerfully explained this was just for tiny leftover stains after the “real” wash.
Management said it usually happens after pool hours, with sheets supposedly destined for the trash, which somehow made everyone feel even worse.
The health department’s big move was basically “Okay, please stop marinating linens in the Jacuzzi,” since nobody had ever thought to write a rule saying, “Don’t do laundry in the hot tub.”
Commenters pointed out that if this grosses you out, you probably shouldn’t think too hard about what’s floating around in public hot tubs anyway.
Now, get this, the hotel did not violate any city codes, as this incident is a first of its kind. The first of its kind that the health department is aware of.
Hopefully, they don’t offer complementary diaper service.
The following two stories are related, and both come from View From the Wing.
A woman on a long flight decided that instead of accepting her sad little coach snack, she’d open an Italian restaurant on her tray table and start hand‑making gnocchi at 30,000 feet.
She whipped out flour, cracked eggs, and kneaded dough right in a shallow bowl like it was a tiny airborne countertop, while fellow passengers did their best “if I don’t look, it’s not happening” impression.
By the end, she had neat little pasta pieces and absolutely no way to cook them, basically inventing emotional support from uncooked carbs.
People pointed out she’d just turned the world’s germiest surface into a kitchen, dusting the cabin with gluten like an airline-sponsored snow globe.
The general verdict: creative, very on‑brand for social media, and precisely the sort of thing that makes you pray for a strong upgrade list and an aisle seat far, far away.
Not to be outdone, A Delta dad treated his aisle seat like a pop-up Pampers palace, dropping the tray table for a mid-flight diaper change while the snack cart rolled up smelling defeat.
He tossed a flimsy blanket over the tray, ignored the flight attendant’s “lavatory has a changing table” plea with a casual “almost done, easier here,” then gave it a half-hearted finger-wipe before folding it up for the next snack attack.
The dirty diaper chilled in the seat pocket for a bit, leaving a eau de fresh poop aroma that united parents and child-free flyers in collective horror.
Social media erupted with “disgusting,” “divorce-worthy,” and “lifetime ban” calls—even parents admitted they’d never pull this tray-table travesty.
Everyone agrees: bring wipes, use the lav, and remember tray tables are basically petri dishes on wings that haven’t seen real soap since the last eclipse.
I’ve lost count of the business or corporate-style meals I’ve been involved in over the years. Every so often, the question arises, “When is ok to begin eating?”
For a better answer, I asked Google for input, which spit this out. In corporate dining settings, the standard etiquette is to wait until everyone at the table has been served before starting to eat.
Follow the host’s or most senior person’s lead: once they pick up their utensils or begin, you can start, but never dive in if others are still waiting on their plates.
This shows respect, maintains even pacing, and avoids awkward solo chewing while servers hustle.
If someone insists you go ahead (rare, but polite hosts might), a quick “thank you,” and start is fine—but err on the side of not looking impatient.
At my previous company, we came up with this guideline: if there were more than eight people and no senior executives, eat when it’s served so your food stays hot. If a senior executive was present, they were responsible for beginning the meal, which most did after the first plate was served.
There are some logistics involved when serving large parties, the largest of which is how many servers are working the table. When we hosted the Entrepreneur’s rehearsal dinner last year, 15 attended, and we had three servers. All fifteen entrees were placed on the table in under sixty seconds. Had there only been two servers, it would’ve taken longer, and I would’ve asked everyone to begin.
I told you that so I could tell what I came across on the EntitledPeople subreddit.
A woman on a flight started calmly eating her pre-ordered special meal, and the stranger next to her acted as if she’d just violated the Geneva Convention of Chicken or Pasta.
Because special meals come out first, she did what any hungry human in economy would do: peeled back the foil and started eating.
Her seatmate snapped that it was “rude and inconsiderate” and claimed she’d “ruined the flight” by not waiting so they could… dine together at their separate plastic tray tables. At this point, I would’ve told my seatmate to kick rocks.
They weren’t traveling together, weren’t friends, and definitely weren’t at a shared table—just two strangers in the same row while one of them role-played as the etiquette police of Row 23.
Everyone else’s take: on a plane, it’s not fine dining, it’s survival mode—when the food hits your tray, you eat it before turbulence, temperature, or a random Karen ruins it.
Well, there you have it, Episode 214, the November crazy travel roundup. I plan to drop my annual travel year-in-review sometime before 2026
For long-time listeners, thank you for your comments and emails. For new listeners, I hope you return.
If you want detailed show notes, links, and pictures, head over to Substack at travelstories.substack.com/
You can also leave me a message on Anchor or email me at TravelFrick@gmail.com.
As I always say, travel safe, stay safe, and thanks for listening.
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