Our Top 10 Quirky Posts Of 2020: Traveling Karen/Ken Got What They Deserved, Dumb Name For New Marriott Hotel, Why TSA PreCheck Lines Are Longer, & More!

by SharonKurheg

If you’ve read our blog for any length of time, you know that Joe and I don’t always write about what all the other bloggers are writing about. They’re good at writing about what’s happening in the travel world at that very second. We don’t have that luxury, so we often tend to look at other stuff. And since our travel tastes tend to be on the quirkier side, some of the stuff we write tends to lean in that direction, too.

Now, don’t get me wrong; sometimes writing offbeat stuff bites us in the butt. Want to know how many people read our post about how, thanks to COVID, hotels were being used as voting locations during the 2020 election? 29. Yep, not even 30 views. Sigh. (hey, if someone wants to click on the link to that post and get us up to an even 30, I’d certainly be grateful!)

But every once in a while one of our posts about an unconventional topic sparks some interest. Sometimes even a lot of interest. These are the ones that got the most views this year:

A complaining business class passenger got what was coming to him

Scientists and doctors still had a lot to learn about COVID by the summer of 2020. In turn, Airlines were doing the best they could but had cut a lot of services in the name of safety. A passenger chose to complain about his flight between Asia and The Netherlands and how fewer services were offered to him, a business class passenger, due to coronavirus precautions. He aired his grievances on the airline’s Facebook page. That was followed by other passengers – lots of other passengers – putting him in his place.

It just got a lot harder to go to Key West

During the November 2020 election, the citizens of Key West voted on a bill regarding cruise ships that stop at the small but popular island off Florida’s southern tip. Let’s just say it’s not good news for a lot of the people who like to visit there.

Travel agent didn’t tip Walt Disney World server; both got what they deserved

A travel agency owner who bills herself as a “Disney travel expert” set Instagram on fire in September when she refused to tip her server at EPCOT because she decided her food was too expensive. The negative feedback she got was instantaneous and caused her to change her story 3 times (to say nothing of it besmirching her reputation, which already wasn’t awesome, big time) However, there was a happy ending for the server a few weeks later, which we wrote about in this follow-up.

So that’s why TSA PreCheck lanes are getting longer!

Ah, those halcyon days before COVID, when the worst thing we had to worry about at the airport was that the lines for TSA PreCheck were getting longer and longer. We found out why it was happening. And you know what? Once we’re all flying again, I bet it’s gonna happen again.

I’ve found a surprisingly valuable new use for my Delta SkyMiles

Sometimes our posts are less quirky than personal experiences that are potentially helpful. Such as in March, when Joe was able to save $225 by spending 15,000 miles.

A conversation with a passenger who unknowingly had a basic economy ticket on United

When United introduced its basic economy class, it turned its passengers into those who understood how basic economy worked and those who didn’t. Joe wound up sitting next to an elderly woman on the plane with her daughter and several young grandchildren, who were all seated separately. It was a mess of the family trying to ensure the younger children, one as young as 5 years old, were seated next to adults from the family. This woman’s story, which Joe got as he spoke to her during the flight, is a prime example of why basic economy is not always the best thing.

Dear Marriott: Do you realize how stupid that name is for that hotel?

Marriott has done some dumb stuff in their time. There’s been data breach after data breach. They ruined the Starwood program when they bought out SPG. And, of, course, you’ve got the whole Marriott Bonvoy debacle that’s STILL so bad that not only has the term “Bonvoyed” made it into Urban Dictionary (heads up – adult language), but the Bonvoyed.com website is still active and running strong, and this hysterical item is still for sale, over a year and a half after the term #Bonvoyed was coined! (BTW, Joe got me one for Christmas!!!). But giving THIS new Marriott hotel THAT name is just….boneheaded.

Due to COVID, this is gone from Southwest Airlines & I couldn’t be happier

Speaking of quirky, this was one of the odder things that Southwest offered on some of its flights. But thanks to COVID, not anymore. At least, not now. And as far as I’m concerned, good riddance!

Las Vegas is getting an attraction it’s never had before

Las Vegas has a lot of things that other cities don’t. That’s probably who so many people flock there every year. However there’s one thing that many cities have that Las Vegas doesn’t. Well, until sometime in the not-too-distant future when they will, too.

Why we board and disembark commercial planes on the left side

Sometimes our posts come from my wondering why or how things happen. Stuff like how to tell the difference between an Airbus and a Boeing. Or not knowing why there are shipwrecks included on planes’ in-flight maps. And did you ever wonder why we enter and leave a plane on the left side? Welp, I found out for you :-).

Feature Photo: Thesaurus.plus

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

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