I’ve always wanted to travel the world and explore new places. Unfortunately I have one dilemma and that is, I absolutely hate flying. There are multiple things that I dread before going on a plane.

Firstly, I always dread that I am going to somehow mess up check-in. Whether it is forgetting or losing my passport or ticket, or even my luggage. Whenever I am flying back home, I am so afraid that I have over packed and my bag is overweight. I already spent money on a ticket, and I really don’t have much more to spend on an over weight bag.

Depending how heavy your bag is, you can pay an easy $100 extra for just the added weight. I swear whenever I fly, my bag is forever overweight. Still to this day I believe there scales are rigged. Once I find out my bag is over weight then I have to make the smart decision of distributing the weight into now my carry on bag. Now my carry on is no longer classified as a carry on. Therefore instead of paying the $100 fee for an overweight bag, I now just have to pay for an extra bag.

After I check in my luggage, I have to now dread the TSA screenings. I think the main reason why I hate this line is that it can sometimes be the reason why you can be late for your flight. The security lines can take forever. Another reason why I dislike the TSA screening is when you have to take off your shoes and to put everything you own in plastic bins.

I probably share my dislike of planes with most travelers, especially when there are babies on board. Whenever I see babies, toddlers, and whining children on the plane, I already sigh in disappointment. Babies cry all the time, toddlers whine and have temper tantrums. Children always kick the back of your chair. Maybe its not the child’s fault, maybe it’s their parents fault.

There’s parents who ignore their crying babies, let their three year old run up and down the aisles, and let their grown children kick back of seats. If you can not control your child then maybe flying with them is a bad idea. Otherwise, you’re causing people who paid good money to have a nice and comfortable trip, have a bad experience because of your child. Be considerate and at least try to discipline your child while being on a flight. If for some reason you are not able to control them then at least have some common courtesy and apologize for their behavior.

I am not a germaphobe but I cringe every single time someone sneezes close to me. Being inside of a metal tube for a long period of time with people who are coughing, sneezing and wheezing is way too much for me to handle. As soon as I step inside the plane, I feel like I am catching an intense virus from everybody around me. Before I go on the plain I make sure I take one of those Airbourne vitamins so my immune system will be ready. I get so freaked out by being on a plane with sick people because there is no new fresh air circulating throughout the plane. You can not crack open a window or pull over to get some fresh air. You have to sit there for hours on end in the same germ infested air.

More petty reasons I despise flying is my hate for the cabin pressure when it messes with my ears. I’ve tried everything from chewing gum, drinking fluids, and yawning. Ascending into the ear is not too bad, but descending is torture. My ears hurt so much when the plain descends and prepares for landing. I want to rip them off so bad sometimes. My ears also take at least a day to go back to normal. So, for a day, I walk around feeling deaf.

I don’t like heights and I have a fear of falling. Flying 30,000 feet in the air is a big no for me. It is terrifying when you think of it. Falling from that high has few survivor rates. Being that high up also contributes to things that you have no control over. For instance, turbulence. I hate turbulence. The bumpiness, the uncertainty of when it is going to happen, and not knowing why it is happening.

Another reason is that it is always freezing on a plane. I already get cold way too easily, so if I somehow do not bring a sweater on the plane, I am straight out of luck. They sometimes do not give you blankets on the plan. If they do then the blankets feel scratchy or absolutely do no justice.

These are just my reasons as to why I hate flying. I’d rather travel the world on a boat than get on a plane for an hour. It’s too stressful, too overwhelming and too uncomfortable for me.

Humans are not made to fly for a reason.