Wherever you’re headed, public transport is always sure to mean one thing—the public. From disrespectful passengers to annoying noises, going anywhere by airplane or train can be tough.
One traveler in India has shared how they were recently left for two hours on a train, stuck next to a passenger who took up more than her fair share of space.
The anonymous passenger’s story, posted in the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, has since racked up 42,000 upvotes and thousands of comments from shocked viewers.
The original poster (OP) recalled how, toward the end of their train journey, the woman next to them decided to extend her leg entirely across the shared seat space. Her foot even ended up on OP’s footrest, making the situation even more uncomfortable. To make matters worse, the traveler recounted how their seatmate then attended a half-hour work video meeting on the train without using earphones.
“Honestly, I posted on Reddit because I was so shocked by my seatmate’s actions,” the traveler told Newsweek. “I’ve lived an admittedly sheltered life so far, which I’m very grateful for. I was just genuinely confused if her actions were something that is universally acceptable or if she was doing it for my benefit.”
A picture of the passenger’s foot encroaching on the OP’s space. The OP was sitting next to the woman who was taking up more than her fair share of space.
BowiesCoolCanasta/Reddit
Despite the discomfort, the OP chose not to confront the woman during the journey. “I didn’t say anything to her actually because I was very sick and didn’t have the energy to start a fight with someone. I had dengue and was traveling back home so I could get admitted to a hospital where my insurance would cover the bills,” they said.
In 2023, travel blog Only Wanderlust asked more than 1,500 airline passengers a series of questions to see what behaviors are the most annoying, and the results were interesting.
Of those surveyed, 9 percent said that passengers who kick the seat are the most annoying, while passengers removing socks or shoes were the worst for 4 percent of respondents.
When it comes to taking up too much space, over 2 percent said the armrest hog was the worst travel companion, while passengers spreading their legs was the most frustrating thing for 2.5 percent of respondents.
On Reddit, the response was mixed, with some sharing advice and frustration at the situation, and others suggesting the traveler should have done more in the moment.
Redditor AustinLosten suggested a bold approach and said: “Just put your foot there and push hers to the side…” While another commenter, rushtaus000, imagined a public confrontation: “I would’ve interrupted her so her colleagues could hear me tell her that she’s being kinda inconsiderate cause, yeah, I might be stuck with her for the rest of the flight, but she’s stuck with her co-workers until who knows what.”
Some were less sympathetic about the poster’s decision to remain silent during the encounter. Cruisegal224 bluntly wrote: “If you endured all of that without saying something, kinda deserved. I hate when people do this, too, but you need to stick up for yourself and ask them not to do this stuff.”
Having not traveled much, the poster explained that they were genuinely thrown by the situation and didn’t know what to do. “I was just genuinely confused if her actions were normal… or if she was actually being a bit of a d***,” they said.
