14 totally true thoughts every traveler still has at the airport (2025 edition)

The airport part of travel usually isn’t the highlight. It’s a mix of standing in lines, paying too much for things, waiting around, and constantly unpacking and repacking your carry-on. With that in mind, here are a few of the thoughts that still cross every traveler’s mind at the airport.

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1. “I really hope my bag isn’t too heavy”

Because, of course, I packed every pair of shoes I own, even though I’m only away for a week. But you never know — I might need those fancy leather boots in Bali. If my luggage tips the scales, I’ll just start layering up and board the plane looking like a discount Michelin Man.

2. “I should check out duty-free”

Duty-free still tempts me with the illusion of savings. I’ll wander through the aisles like I’m about to make a life-changing purchase, only to realise I don’t need a litre of rum or a $400 bottle of perfume. What we really need is a duty-free Kmart or Aldi. Imagine grabbing snacks, power adapters and fresh socks at half price—now that’s travel luxury.

3. “Oh my god, just SHUT the doors right now”

There’s that beautiful, fleeting moment when it looks like I might score an empty seat next to me. The aisle’s quiet, the doors are open, and I’m whispering to the flight attendants in my head — “seal it, seal it now.” But just as I start celebrating, some guy in a neck pillow sprints onboard holding a smoothie. Seat 12B. Of course.

4. “Which line should I pick?”

Welcome to queue roulette. Do I join the family with four prams and a toddler screaming in three octaves? The business travellers who look efficient but have laptops, belts, coins and liquids for days? Or the regular travellers who might just panic and forget how zippers work? No matter what I choose, it’s always the slowest line.

 5. “I wonder if this airport has free Wi-Fi?”

Some airports now have fast, free internet that actually works. Others make you sign up to seventeen mailing lists and hand over your soul. Then there’s the questionable Wi-Fi in tiny regional airports that’s clearly coming from someone’s old Android hotspot. I know it’s risky, but yes, I’ll still connect just to scroll Instagram for two minutes.

6. “Maybe if I smile real nice, they’ll upgrade me to Business Class”

Every check-in, I flash my most charming grin and pray for the words “you’ve been upgraded.” It never happens. But I keep trying, because hope dies last — and business class looks like heaven from the economy line.

7. “Has this dude been living in a cave?”

There’s always one person at security trying to carry a two-litre bottle of water through the scanner or unpacking their electronics like it’s a yard sale. It’s 2025, we’ve had 20 years to learn the rules. How is this still happening?

8. “Oh my god, they’re going to arrest me!”

Every time I step into the body scanner, I suddenly question everything I’ve ever owned. Did I accidentally pack a knife? A live turtle? Why does it feel like I’m guilty of something? I’m not. But I still brace for an interrogation.

9. “I’m going to brighten this guy’s day”

The immigration officer has a face carved from stone. Still, I give him my best “friendly traveller” smile and a chirpy hello, hoping to crack the code. Nothing. Not even a nod. That’s fine. I’ll go back to being invisible.

10. “$14 for a croissant… what the f…?”

Airport food prices are criminal. Fourteen bucks for a dry pastry, nine for a coffee that tastes like battery acid. Someone should start arresting café owners instead of random travellers carrying big water bottles.

11. “Should I pee now or hold it?”

Airport bathrooms are questionable. Plane bathrooms are worse. It’s like choosing between a dodgy nightclub toilet and a broom closet in the sky. I’ll hold it. Probably.

12. “Good thing I got here 3 hours early…..”

Security done, customs cleared, and now I’ve got two and a half hours to kill before boarding. This is especially painful when I had to wake up at 3am to make it here “on time.” I walk around aimlessly, pretending I’m enjoying browsing neck pillows.

13. “Not the explosives test AGAIN!”

No matter how many times I fly, I somehow get “randomly selected” for the explosives swab. I swear they can smell my frustration. The busier I look shoving my stuff back into my backpack, the more likely I am to get stopped.

14. “WTF is my passport number?”

Every. Single. Time. Filling out the form or online check-in, my brain wipes itself clean. Is it letters first? Numbers? Symbols? At this point I’m convinced it should just be the airline’s job to remember it for me.

Airports might have new tech and sleeker lounges, but the chaos remains the same. From overpriced snacks to existential panic at security, we’re all just trying to get through the ritual that is flying — dreaming of that first cold drink at the destination.

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