147
votes
Accepted
Why do flight attendants say in safety instructions that you should put on your own mask before helping others?
It's actually quite simple. The reason they do this is to make sure you are able to help others. What do I mean by this? During an emergency where the air in the plane is thinning, it is important ...
- 1,341
125
votes
How to escape hip-hop CD giveaway scam in New York City?
Tell them you don't have a CD player; it's 2017. Don't make eye contact and keep walking.
- 1,187
121
votes
How to escape hip-hop CD giveaway scam in New York City?
If you have a cell phone, take it out and call 911. When the operator answers, say "I am being harassed by an unlicensed peddler." At this point, they will likely disappear.
In case you ...
- 131k
113
votes
Accepted
Why do cars need to leave their windows half open whilst on the Eurotunnel?
To allow for adequate fire suppression, in the event of a vehicle fire in the tunnel. The tunnel's fire suppression system depends upon complete mixing of the released halon gas with all air, without ...
- 28.5k
112
votes
Why are there no seat belts on trains?
This Wikipedia article is a good place to start.
Road, train and air travel have very different safety considerations. Crashes are significantly more likely in car travel than train and air travel. ...
- 14.8k
112
votes
What Happens when Passenger Refuses to Fly Boeing 737 Max?
What recourse will a passenger who is scheduled to fly commercial on that model of plane have if they refuse to board because of safety concerns?
None. The airline and the relevant regulators are the ...
- 18.6k
110
votes
Can I stop a fellow passenger from using their cell phone during take off?
You don't have to be too worried about it, since the aircraft is able to cope with this. People are instructed to turn them off in order to avoid some disturbances and parasite noise in the ...
- 6,158
108
votes
Accepted
I was allowed to enter the airport terminal by showing a boarding pass for a future flight. Should I be concerned about "security"?
You didn't skip any security controls. Your luggage was checked and you went through a metal scanner. Finally, you were not allowed on board without a proper ticket. The rest is just to prevent people ...
- 82.1k
105
votes
Accepted
Passing through airport security with autism
I understand that logic doesn't always help in times of stress, but the first thing I want to assure you is that people are not going to run off with your things. This is something we all worry about ...
- 79.8k
101
votes
Accepted
What is the easiest place to cross the US Rocky Mountains, going to Oregon, in a large truck?
Downshifting - you gotta know it
Avoiding hills is simply not an option.
Mountain driving is a lot like a roller coaster. The truck works really hard going up a long, long uphill, and then on the ...
94
votes
Accepted
How to cross a road by foot in a country that drives on the "other" side of the road
If you travel a lot, it's a good idea to get in the habit of always, always checking both directions before stepping out, wherever you are, without habitually favouring either direction first:
If it'...
- 12.6k
94
votes
Is it OK for an openly Muslim person to travel to the United States post-2017?
Unfortunately, going through customs, there is a risk that Muslims will be asked invasive questions unrelated to legitimate security concerns. Consider the following two recent stories about ordinary ...
- 733
94
votes
Accepted
Coronavirus affected co-passenger; what to do?
A cabin crewmember here.
This is different from airline to another, and country to another, but I can safely assume there are a lot of similarities when it comes to this, as most of the airlines get ...
- 96.5k
92
votes
How safe is it to fly on a 22 year old Thai Airways Boeing 777-200?
The age of the aircraft has never been the root cause of an aviation catastrophe. It's the maintenance, the crew and the safety policies/procedures of the airline.
A new aircraft that is not ...
- 96.5k
90
votes
Accepted
Is crime an issue in the US countryside, especially for a cyclist?
I've travelled coast-to-coast in the USA a couple of times, and would say that in rural areas it's pretty much equivalent to the UK.
Both countries have random attacks, but in both countries it's so ...
- 784
83
votes
Friends girlfriend's parents preventing her from returning to UK from the UAE (Abu-Dhabi)
This is not an answer but (IMO) too important for a comment: you really need to run the specifics of this case by a lawyer that's an expert in UAE law & customs. This is already a precarious ...
- 94.1k
82
votes
Can I stop a fellow passenger from using their cell phone during take off?
As a cabin crew member for long time, I can tell you that your responsibility ends by notifying a crew member, that's it. Let the crew members deal with it.
This is true for all other violations, ...
- 96.5k
81
votes
Why do flight attendants say in safety instructions that you should put on your own mask before helping others?
If you're travelling with someone who requires assistance, you need to remain conscious in order to assist them, especially if you have multiple people with you, say two children.
Hypoxia can hit in ...
- 32.6k
80
votes
Accepted
How to escape hip-hop CD giveaway scam in New York City?
A few things:
Avoid making eye contact with them. Nothing will make them come up to you more aggressively than eye contact. You've seen them, they saw you see them, and they know it's a lot harder ...
78
votes
Accepted
Why can't you take a hoverboard on a plane?
No joke. A hoverboard these days isn't referring to flying skateboards a la Marty McFly in Back to the Future, but what Wikipedia calls self-balancing scooters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-...
- 99.8k
77
votes
Accepted
When to use the emergency brake in a train?
Building on the previous answers:
If you notice a condition where any sensible mind would think that it is extremely dangerous for the train to continue moving. Dangerous here can mean:
If another ...
- 16k
77
votes
Accepted
In Germany, are there any cities or special regions in cities which are dangerous for non-white people to go to?
I have been living as a white, non-obvious foreigner in Germany for more than 25 years. Nationalism used to be frowned upon until recently, at least the subject was rarely discussed openly, but there ...
- 54.8k
76
votes
Being separated from one's young children on a flight
Airlines today charge for everything, including choosing your seat. If it's important, and a matter of safety, that your seat be chosen in advance, such as seating two people together, then you need ...
- 79.8k
71
votes
I was allowed to enter the airport terminal by showing a boarding pass for a future flight. Should I be concerned about "security"?
The reason why you have to show your boarding cards at the security check is not because it is insecure to let people without boarding passes in (there is no particular reason to think people without ...
69
votes
Accepted
What are the legal consequences for a tourist who runs out of gas on the Autobahn?
It is illegal to run out of gas on the Autobahn according to the German StVO (Straßenverkehrsordnung) which is the road traffic regulations in Germany. The fine can be from €30 up to €70 depending on ...
- 1,105
68
votes
When the road is blocked by animals, what's the proper way to proceed?
The picture is of horses in the road. When I stayed with friends in The New Forest, UK, where free range ponies roam (not actually wild), they often block the road in groups, and nothing apparently ...
- 12.1k
67
votes
Accepted
Where should I leave my passport and electronics if there is no safe in my apartment?
You seem pretty experienced at traveling already, but here's what I'd recommend:
Avoid carrying stuff you can't afford to lose.
Barcelona (so I've heard) is a wonderful place, I am envious. I spent ...
- 1,787
64
votes
Is flying 60 short flights per year harmful to health due to additional radiation?
It is usually not correct to talk about factors causing cancer. Factors increase the probability of getting cancer. The human mind does not deal well with very small and very large probabilities, we ...
- 36.4k
62
votes
Being separated from one's young children on a flight
The Thomson Select A Seat page implies that you can purchase seats together for extra money. Although you may be re-assigned and, interestingly, their definition of 'together' is:
Seats together may ...
- 13.7k
62
votes
Accepted
Does it make sense to use a kayak or canoe in Venice?
You may, but you do need to know in which canals the craft is allowed. A Danish ex-pat, Rene Seindal, who operates Venice Kayak, as well as blogging, has a great post describing where kayaks are ...
- 35.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible