Travelling somewhere new can mean coming across some mucky places. Here are the most unhygienic places holidaymakers should look out for when they jet away on their break this summer.
When stuck on a crowded plane, busy airport or poorly-cleaned hotel room, there are lots of potentially unhygienic spots we can come across. Such is the nature of travelling.
But there are some habits that holidaymakers may have picked up without realising just how grimy they can be, including a common item many people reach for in the hotel room that can be dirtier than a toilet seat.
The travel team at insurance site Quotezone.co.uk has compiled a list of five danger zones that germ-conscious Brits should look out for when they go on holiday, and it's bound to have you reaching for the antibac wipes with horror.
1. Forgetting to Wipe Down the TV Remote in the Hotel
Most of us give the remote a wipe when we're cleaning our living rooms, but in hotel rooms, there's no guarantee that housekeeping staff will have taken the time to clean this grubby surface. This can make it one of the most highly contaminated items in a hotel room according to Quotezone, whose experts say remote controls can potentially be dirtier than a toilet seat.
Of the 1,000 people surveyed, nearly one in five Brits (17%) say they never wipe down the remote control before using it, meaning germs from countless previous guests could still be lingering.
2. Resting the Suitcase on the Bed
When you arrive at your accommodation, it's common practice to haul your suitcase onto the bed to start unpacking, but it's worth remembering where it's been. Your luggage has come from your home, through the airport and baggage hold, and potentially dragged through the city streets. These are all areas where germs can build up, and transferred to your crisp, clean sheets before you get a chance to sleep in them. Use the luggage rack or place your suitcase on the floor when you unpack.
3. Storing Items in the Plane Seat Pocket
We all know that planes can be incredibly unhygienic places. If you fly with a budget airline, there's often a very quick turnaround between passengers, meaning areas such as tray tables often just get a quick pass with a cloth. But there's one surprising area that can often be the dirtiest spot on the plane, yet passengers will often store items in there, from their passports to headphones or even snacks.
A poster claiming to be a flight attendant on Reddit said: "I ALWAYS recommend you never, ever, ever, EVER use or put anything in the seat pocket. They are cleared of rubbish but are never 'cleaned'. I have pulled out and seen all sorts been pulled out from there. Dirty tissues, sick bags, knickers, socks, people's feet, gum, half-sucked sweets, apple cores... and then next flight you go and put your phone/laptop/iPad in there."
4. Walk Barefoot in High-Risk Areas
A holiday in a sunny location may make you feel carefree enough to kick off your shoes and wander around barefoot, but be careful if you're dragging your soles through high-traffic areas. It's not uncommon to see holidaymakers walking around hotel hallways and bar areas barefoot, and, perhaps even grosser, walking through plane cabins or even into the aircraft's loo with exposed toes. Pack flip flops for those more relaxed days and avoid picking up the bacteria from other holidaymakers' shoes.
5. Forgetting to Wash or Sanitise Hands After Using Touchscreens
British passport holders will need to use a lot more touchscreens when passing through the airport. The EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES) will require Brits to use automated terminals to scan their passports, and they'll need to provide a set of fingerprints on a scanner before entering destinations such as France, Italy, Spain, or Greece. But, with a whopping 10% of survey respondents admitting they don't sanitise their hands after using a touchscreen or fingerprint scanner, there could be many more germs circulating at airports this summer.
Helen Rolph, a travel insurance specialist at Quotezone.co.uk, said: "To help stay healthy while travelling, additional hygiene measures can make a big difference. Regularly washing or sanitising hands and wiping down shared surfaces that may have been touched by hundreds or even thousands of people are great first steps. As well as taking these simple hygiene precautions, travellers should also make sure they have appropriate travel insurance in place before going abroad to ensure they are covered if illness affects their trip. Comprehensive travel insurance normally covers medical expenses if holidaymakers need to see a doctor or are admitted to hospital. However, if they are ill and confined to their room, it is unlikely they will be covered for not enjoying their holiday, making it so important that travellers do all they can to help protect their trip."
