These are my top travel pet peeves

February 21, 2026

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What can make or break a vacation …

by Brian Kelly

I never forget that travel is a privilege, and I am so lucky to get to travel around the world — often in first class — and stay in luxury hotels, but it still shocks me how many service failures and things that slip through the cracks there are in the travel experience.

My top lodging pet peeves

Lack of blackout shades: Light exposure is critical to controlling jet lag when traveling, and I need to get a good night’s sleep, regardless of what time it is locally. I just don’t understand how luxury hotels fail to have a fully blacked-out room.
Temperature control: Many hotels I’ve stayed in turn off the air conditioning in the middle of the night. It’s the worst because then you wake up sweating. Being able to accurately and consistently control the temperature in my room really affects the quality of my stay.
Bathrooms with clear glass or sliding barn doors: Can we all just agree that the bathroom should be a private place? Peekaboo showers and bathrooms where light can escape mean you may wake up the other guests (especially when traveling with kids).
Unacceptable hotel showers: Yes, I know I’m 6 feet, 7 inches tall, but I think all hotel showers should have two nozzles. Not everyone wants to get their hair wet.
Soundproofing: It’s amazing to me how much you can hear between rooms. While it might not be the cheapest option, soundproofing should be a priority. This isn’t always done, even in new hotels.

My top airline pet peeves

Ultracranky flight attendants: Recently, on an American Airlines flight in first class from Los Angeles to Sydney, the service was terribly rude — ruining the experience — which seems to be more common when flying U.S. carriers than not. But why are you in this job if you don’t like people?
Poor Wi-Fi on planes: Charging for slow Wi-Fi is a terrible practice. I just flew Lufthansa’s Allegris first class, and the Wi-Fi did not work at all on a 1-year-old A350. Fast, free Wi-Fi should be the standard. I love that airlines are starting to use Starlink for ultraspeedy connections (for example, Iberia is launching the service this year).

Bottom line: I think the ultimate luxury in travel is being able to control your environment (light, noise, temperature) for the most restful stay or flight possible, so kudos to those hotels and airlines that are making that a priority. Travel is amazing, but sometimes it’s worth recognizing the smaller things that can make or break a travel experience.

Let me know what pet peeves you’ve experienced when traveling, and check out the TPG team’s wish list for a smoother travel experience.

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Photo Credit: JONNO RATTMAN.

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