The teen beasts of Britannia.
Way to go England.
There’s no escaping these monsters. Rich, privileged British kids. Moaning, whining and eye-rolling in faraway destinations. Suffering the indignities of luxury travel and the shitty lifestyle to which they were born.
Exhibit A
San Cristobal Island, Ecuador. Hotel lounge. I’m seated about 15 feet away.
Teen boy. Looks to be 18 or 19. Bitching loudly about the grade he has received on a university quiz. A grade he has just accessed on his IPad.
Here’s a sampling of what tumbled out of his foul mouth – barking as loudly as the sea lions nearby. “Fuck. Shit. It’s so much rubbish. Fuck. I worked so hard on this. Why did I only get 63 per cent?”
“Fuck, FUUUUUCK. The [instructor’s] notes said I didn’t reference properly, but I did.”
Of course, he did. Because vulgar, entitled little creeps are always right. Everyone else is stupid and wrong.
Knocks a glass off the table. Breaks it. Waits for a housekeeper to clean it up. No thanks/gracias/merci offered.
The adult (mom/nanny/tour guide/servant) at the table stares into space.
British prime minister material in future Conservative government? Methinks so.
Exhibit B
Avianca flight. Business class. San Cristobal to Guayaquil, Ecuador. I’m many rows back, but close enough to observe and hear. Plus, took a ‘walk’ during the flight in order to take the pic.
Two teens and their mother. She looks like a British pop star of yesteryear. Or a reality show star of today.
Spectacle begins with the boy. Seventeen or thereabouts. Wears a shirt sporting the logo of a luxury yacht for scuba diving based in the Galapagos. Where a seven-night excursion goes for roughly $5500 USD per person. This family surely isn’t flying on points.
Apparently, his aisle seat in BUSINESS CLASS is unsatisfactory. Refuses to sit down. The boarding process grids to a halt. He won’t get out of the way. Scans the cabin for a different seat. Mother repeatedly orders him to sit. He does, finally. And pouts.
Next, mom gets down to business with two IPhones and an IPad. Draws boxes and writes numbers on the barf bag. Keeps folding and unfolding the bag.
Later, the teen daughter acts up. Refuses her meal. Then demands it a few minutes later. Once finished, she places her feet on the cabin wall. Right next to a sign – in English – asking passengers to keep their feet off the wall. Lovely.
Mom just keeps scribbling on the barf bag.
The majority of the people I encounter when I travel are well-behaved. The majority I interact with are smart, interesting and funny. I’m fortunate enough to keep in touch with some.
Then, there are the awful ones.
Congratulations to all the contestants for the Tank’s Travel’s boorish traveller of 2016 award.
tankstravels.com 