Wipe me Down.
Wipe Me Down: Here Are The 7 Dirtiest Places You'll Encounter While Traveling
Photo Credit: Getty images
PUBLISHED: MAY 31, 2019 7:08 AM
While we all love to travel, there is one thing that people tend to forget. No matter where you go, there will always be germs. Even the cleanest people will end up sick at least once after a trip, it’s inevitable.
Here are 7 of the dirtiest places that you’ll encounter while traveling. We’re sure you will know most of them, but it’s always great to stay in the know. Oh, and stock up on those disinfectant wipes, fam.
Touch screen kiosks
Whether they’re in an airport, mall, train station, or restaurant, these screens are simply a collection of everyone’s fingerprints and germs. While they help to speed things up when we travel, they are also pretty filthy. Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!
Seat trays
Witthaya Prasongsin | Getty Images
You can only imagine how often these get disinfected after each flight. From little kids putting their half-eaten snacks on them to people putting their personal items down, seat trays are pretty gross.
Seat pockets
Passenger sitting on a seat row in cabin
While these are supposed to get cleaned between flights, we have all found the previous passenger’s trash waiting for us at least once. Yuck! People store everything in the seat pockets to prevent having to get up a million times to mess with their luggage. Just be sure to wash your hands often to cut down on the spread of those germs.
Related: The World’s Cleanest Airlines Revealed In New Survey
Airplane bathrooms
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Do we even need to explain this one? Seriously, those micro-bathrooms are incubators for germs. But when you gotta go then you gotta go. Again, soap and sanitizer are your friends.
Pillows and blankets
Getty Images
This one makes us sad. Who wants to be cold and uncomfortable when traveling? Unfortunately, these amenities come at a cost. If you can, bring your own blankets and pillowcases.
Hotel remotes
Photo via Canva
This is a no brainer. It has even been said that the remotes in our homes are some of the most germ-infested items we have, next to cell phones. Wipe them down thoroughly once you arrive at your hotel and ever so often during the duration of your trip.
Lightswitches
Photo via Canva
This is similar to the remote situation. There are lots of random hands touching the same place. You might want to invest in the Costco sized wipes.
Handrails
Envato
Whether you’re on a cruise ship or going down some grand stairwell while on vacation, the handrails we encounter are dirty. There’s just no way around it except to wash or sanitize immediately after touching one. Luckily, most cruise ships have sanitizing stations everywhere.