VFC's Travel Pet Peeves - The Baggage Claim Game

Gonex Packing Cubes, Travel Packing Organizers Compression Pouches L+M+S Deep blue

If you build walls around the baggage carousel, you might be an amateur traveler. 

You know exactly who and what I am talking about.  You know that amateur traveler who tries to bring a full-sized suitcase as a carry-on?  The one who either holds up the line as you're waiting to board the plane or holds up everyone else in the aisle while boarding as he or she plays Tetris by trying to fit that suitcase in the overhead bin?

Sometimes it's hard to decide whether or not people are just selfish, ignorant, or amateur.  I'm a 'glass is half full' kind of guy, so I like to assume it's not just selfishness.  Unfortunately, it's usually a combination of all three.

Amateur travelers build a wall around the baggage claim
that only US President Trump could be proud of.

We all have our pet peeves while traveling.  Today I'd like to point out one of my biggest, as it's fresh in my head from a recent trip.  Take a look at this photograph on the right.  This is the baggage claim area of the airport where there are hundreds of people rolling off a packed flight.  Just about every one of them is waiting to receive their baggage from the carousel, the only ones who are not are those which travel with only carry-ons in order to avoid the baggage claim fiasco.  As you can see in the picture, these travelers (thinking only of themselves, of course, have placed their luggage carts and their own bodies to build a barrier around the carousel.

Because only they need to get in there to retrieve a bag.  There are not 100 or so other people behind them waiting on their own bags.  If there were someone else waiting, tho, he or she would have to maneuver around or through the human barrier to pull a bag off the conveyor, and it probably wouldn't be easy.  That is if anyone else could even see their bag coming around or over all those people and carts.  Such thoughts are not important, tho, because if you are right there in front with your knees touching the carousel, you'll save the three or four seconds (if that) that it would take to walk to the conveyor once your bag arrives.  That positioning also magically makes everything and everyone around you irrelevant because, of course, it's just about you.

Standing guard so that the
baggage does not escape.

Thing is, it doesn't even bother me that muchwhen people try to get up as close as they can to the carousel. Some people may have bad eyesight and need to be really close, some people have bad knees and it may take an extra minute or two to limp up to retrieve their bag, and hell, we all know that the biggest threat of all is the bag jumping off the conveyor and wheeling itself out of the airport to never be seen again.  God forbid you are not an inch away to grab it before it does so.  Hence the need for these people to build a  security perimeter.

Others, tho, may just be in a rush to hit the hotel mini-bar as soon as possible (hopefully not in the Dominican or Costa Rica, it could kill you - literally), but when people have to stand there oblivious to anyone else, with their carts creating an penetrable barrier - well that's just soft.  And it's one of VFC's biggest travel pet peeves.  And if you're doing it, it's possible you could have an idiot gene inside of you.  Or you're just an amateur traveler.

Be assured - if you are one who is building this wall around a carousel where VFC has a bag to collect, expect a slight budge, a push, and maybe an elbow to the ribs as I come through to grab my suitcase and accidentally drop it on your foot.  If you're older, tho, or injured and need some help in retrieving your bag?  I'll be there to lend the assist.

Since I'm all about providing solutions and not just bitching, here's the lesson:  step back from the carousel.  Leave your cart out of people's way.  Watch the conveyor and when you see your bag coming, move up to retrieve it.  You don't need your cart during that three feet of travel.  It may take you an extra four seconds to complete this task, but you'll be doing a service to fellow travelers.  And you won't look like a selfish and ignorant fool.  That's a good thing.

That's VFC's Travel 101 lesson for the day.  See you at the airport.  Ah yeah.