A well-travelled woman has pointed out that a lot of people tend to make the same mistake when rushing to the toilet after touching down at an airport.
Despite being perfectly content sitting on a plane for hours at a time, a lot of passengers can't bring themselves to use the bathroom facilities on board.
Whether you're terrified of the violent noise the toilet makes when it's flushed or concerned about where your waste actually goes, sometimes, it's just easier to wait until you land.
A lot of holidaymakers don't mind holding it in; however, this often sparks a stampede in the direction of the nearest lavatory when passengers finally disembark their flight.
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But according to travel expert Samantha Brown, you shouldn't let this sense of chaos stop you from selecting the right bathroom to do your business in.
Instead of following the crowd and heading straight into the first toilet that you see after stepping off a plane, the Places to Love host suggests heading to the 'second closest' one.
Explaining her reasons for this in a blog post that was shared in August last year, Brown wrote: "Everyone usually beelines for the first, and that means getting stuck in a line!
"More often than not, the second or third closest bathrooms in the airport are next to empty and you can go right on in and do your business."
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The self-described 'airport geek' and mother-of-two has toured plenty of travel hubs in her time, so she certainly knows her stuff.
The globetrotter has visited more than 250 cities in 62 countries, as well as 40 of America's 50 states, over the last 20-plus years.
Although she didn't admit to avoiding using the restroom on planes, Brown explained that she makes sure to relieve herself after landing, as she wouldn't want to get caught short.
"You truly never know how things are going to go with customs, getting to your hotel, checking in, and finally lugging all your things to your room," Brown wrote.
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"Better to do it all on an empty bladder than one that’s getting increasingly full."
The 55-year-old, who lives in New York, has hosted a variety of travel series on TV throughout her career after starting out on Travel Channel’s Great Vacation Homes in 1999.
Brown has hosted shows such as Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, Great Weekends, Green Getaways, Passport to China, and Samantha Brown’s Asia, and has won two Emmys for her TV work.
According to her blog, she genuinely 'enjoys' every second of her airport experiences, although most people can't wait to get in and out.
"Once in an airport, she loves to check the large departure board to see where other people are going," it explains. "Even just seeing the names of exotic destinations like Istanbul, Casablanca and Jaipur makes her want to travel more."
Topics: Travel
Olivia Burke