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A recent TikTok created by a woman named Kat Darby caught my attention and it’s a solid tip all travelers should remember when flying. In fact, I’ve experienced the scenario she describes (though perhaps less intense) and after it happens to you once, you learn your lesson. RELATED: Why You Shouldn’t Drink Coffee, Tea or Tap Water on a Plane
The video was created by Kat Darby and her point is spot on. In the video, she says:
“Have you ever flown on a plane, brought a water bottle with you with a straw in it? Hahaha! Well, do I have a story for you! Because last week, I went on a flight and I brought this handy dandy water bottle with me. It has a straw in it. It’s absolutely fantastic. I can take a sip of it, I don’t even have to tip it up. However, what I did not account for was water pressure. So when I opened it, it proceeded to piss like a hose all over my row. The row in front of me, the row behind me, the row across from me, the row across from me and up, the arow cross from me and down. I hit easily, you know, because I was flying coach, like 15 people with my squirting water bottle, because luckily for me, this thing holds like 30 ounces uncontrolled, and I could not get it to stop. So what I had to do was stick my finger down the hole and then press it down, and then it proceeded to spray me in the face. So learn from my mistakes and never fly with a giant water bottle with a straw in it. That’s all.” FYI: She uses a little salty language in the video, which you can watch below:
@lifted_pdx Never fly on a plane with a water bottle with a straw in it. #holidaytraveltips #travelmistakes ♬ original sound – Kat Darby Lifted Book Reviews
It’s a funny scenario to imagine (but not at all funny if you were one of the passengers who got sprayed by a stranger’s water bottle) but I know exactly what she’s talking about because our kids’ water bottles have the same straws and it’s happened to us before.
We always encourage the kids to drink water on takeoff and landing to relieve the pressure in their ears. But the pressure from changing altitudes is so great that the water builds up inside the bottle and when you open the nozzle, boom. The kids have definitely gotten a rude wakeup call, though thankfully, it never sprayed other passengers like a hose.
One of my top tips is to always pack a change of clothes in your carry-on bag, just in case something like this happens or if someone spills a drink on you or your checked luggage gets lost. We learned this the hard way when our son, who was a year old at the time, vomited all over my wife shortly after takeoff. After that experience, we always pack extra clothes for everyone in our carry-on bag.
My kids’ water bottles are probably half the size of Kat’s so they’ve never gotten very wet but we’ve all learned to either keep their water bottles open for takeoff or to open it slowly and away from their face.
I keep a reusable aluminum bottle in my carry-on and just fill it up once I’m past security and because it doesn’t have a straw, I never have to worry about getting soaked as Kat describes. But if you want something even more travel-friendly, try a collapsible water bottle. This is the one I use.
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What kind of a reaction did you get from your fellow passengers after you watered them? You didn’t expand on that!
I didn’t water them. It was just on us.
About 10 years ago I did this on a Southwest flight to MCO. Luckily, as someone who travels for work, I had a stack of drink coupons (when they still mailed those) in my bag.
Never underestimate a drink voucher to ease an apology 😂
I had the collapsable water bottle you mentioned, but threw it away because it fills and collapses easily however you have to be very careful. I filled mine at the airport and as I was putting it into the side pocket of my backpack it exploded everywhere. I stood there until I was able to get someone to mop it up. I was afraid to leave the spot because I was afraid people wouldn’t see the water and fall. Luckily I was in no hurry