Three bits of travel advice people should always ignore & could even be deadly (2024)

EVERYONE seems to be a travel expert nowadays, regardless of how much experience they actually have of flying, or going abroad.

Instagram, Tiktok and the rest of social media is full to the brim with people offering advice that at best is wrong and at worst could be really dangerous.

I've been flying for more than a decade as a flight attendant for one of the world's top airlines, so I know a thing or two about which advice should be followed, and which should be ignored.

In this, my latest blog for Sun Online Travel, I'll explain exactly why three common pieces of advice that you find online are completely and utterly wrong.

The first of those is from people who say you shouldn't drink the hot water on board the plane.

This comes from people who have heard that the water tank used to store the drinking water on board is rarely, if ever, cleaned.

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While that is true to some extent, it's really not as much of a problem as you might think.

Any flight attendant who says they don't drink the water is most likely a liar - we all use it for vital tea and coffee that we need to keep us alert and on our toes during flights.

While it's not the best water you're ever going to drink, it's also very unlikely to make you feel unwell.

So order yourself a coffee and don't worry about the water. If it's good enough for us, it's definitely good enough for you.

Another hygiene rule that some "experts" like to live by is hiding toothbrushes and other toiletries away from hotel staff.

This originates from hotel guests who believe that, when they're out of their rooms, the cleaners come in and use their toothbrushes and other items to clean the toilets.

While I'm sure this has happened at least once before in the past, I'm pretty certain it's not a regular thing you need to worry about every time you go on holiday.

Most hotel staff are very polite and courteous individuals, who just want you to enjoy your stay, especially if you're likely to give them a tip.

Do you think they're going to jeopardise their pay and any extras you want to throw their way, by putting your belongings in the loo for non real reason?

It doesn't really make any sense for them to do that - unless you're a particularly offensive guest. Then they might take some revenge on you.

But if you're polite and treat them with respect, your items are likely to remain exactly where you left them.

The first two are a little trivial, but there's one that could actually save your life if you ignore it.

A lot of people online advise passengers to take sleeping pills before they fly, which I cannot argue against enough.

If there's an emergency on board, you need to be awake and alert, not half asleep because you're heavily medicated.

I know you might want to snooze on the plane, which can be a really difficult thing to do, but please refrain from reaching for the pills.

They affect people very differently, with some people so drowsy they look like they're sleep walking off the plane after they land.

If the flight has to make an emergency landing and you're not able to focus properly, it could be really dangerous for both you and the people behind you, also trying to get off the plane as quickly as possible.

So please ignore people who say it's a good idea to take them before you fly because it could make things much riskier in an emergency.

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