Quiz: Is there truth behind these 8 travel myths?

From airfare rumors to hotel lore, experts give us the truth behind tall (travel) tales

(Illustrations by Dani Choi/for The Washington Post)

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May 31, 2022

Urban legends are shared so often that we take them as fact — and they usually sound reasonable enough so that we don’t question them. Waiting to swim after you eat so you don’t drown? Sure, sounds right. Swallowed gum stays in your stomach for seven years? We’re no gastroenterologists.

Myths like these have seeped into our travel planning, too. Is there really a cheapest day to book a flight? Can you drink tap water abroad? But just because you hear something over and over again doesn’t make it true. We decided to dig into some of the most common travel myths and find out whether they’re actually accurate.

Myth 1 of 8

Tuesday is the best day to book flights

Not quite.

Rumor has it that buying a flight on a Tuesday will get you better airfare.

“This was good advice 20 years ago, but it’s not very good advice today," said Scott Keyes of Scott’s Cheap Flights.

When airlines first started selling tickets online, they released tickets on a regular schedule. “If you were one of the first people to book your flight after they loaded the new fares, you might be able to get one of those very limited number of cheap fares available,” Keyes said.

Today, “it’s just not that simple,” said Delta Airlines spokesperson Drake Castañeda. Prices are dynamic, and they depend on the time you’re flying, where you’re flying and whether you’re booking close to your travel date, among many other factors.

While there’s no foolproof cheapest day of the week to book a flight, Keyes said, there are cheapest days to fly: Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, when there’s less demand from business travelers.

Myth 2 of 8

You shouldn’t drink the tap water in a foreign country

Not quite.

Tropes about drinking the local tap water keep international travelers on their toes. On the other hand, there’s a competing stereotype of the scared traveler who sticks to all things seal-protected.

Is the the fear blown out of proportion? “It’s really dependent on where you’re traveling,” said Adam Schrader, director of operations for the travel risk intelligence company Riskline.

Schrader said less developed countries are more likely to have contaminated water, but travelers should still assess the situation on both a macro and micro level. You may be rolling the dice in a developed country if you’re in an area with questionable sanitation standards; or you could be perfectly fine at a five-star hotel in a less developed country. Before you take a sip, do your homework.

Lin Chen, director of the Travel Medicine Center at Mount Auburn Hospital, said travelers should check with the CDC’s traveler health page to look for destination-specific guidance. Her general rule is to check out the local sanitation, waste management and water-treatment standards. If sanitation seems iffy, stick to bottled or treated water. Schrader says you can also talk to locals about how to approach tap water.

Swallowing contaminated water may result in serious illnesses such as cholera, hepatitis A or salmonella, but the most common issue is traveler’s diarrhea. “Ten to 70 percent of travelers report getting it,” Chen said. “The majority of cases are mild to moderate and pass with time.” If you’re one of those cases, Chen said you can treat the ailment by hydrating (with clean water) and taking over-the-counter medicine such as Imodium or Pepto Bismol. If your symptoms aren’t improving in a couple of days, go see a doctor.

Myth 3 of 8

Hotels never wash the comforter or duvet cover

Not quite.

The heavy, patterned comforters of yesteryear are mostly gone from modern hotels — and that’s a good thing, hospitality experts say.

“Those were not cleaned after every guest,” said Sean Hennessey, a hotel industry veteran and professor at New York University’s Tisch Center of Hospitality.

Lonny Wolfe, a former cleaning-company owner and hotel general manager who now owns the consulting company the Art of Housekeeping, said properties he once cleaned for had those bedspreads cleaned every 90 days.

“They’re heavy, they’re dirty and people cough and sneeze on them,” he said.

The updated solution for many hotels: Use a duvet inside a cover, which is easier to wash regularly. Experts said the practice is to clean the duvet cover, sheets and pillowcases daily or between guests. But the heavier insert within the cover — which wouldn’t touch a guest’s skin — would be cleaned less frequently.

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“In my world, that should be cleaned every 30 days,” Wolfe said.

Hennessey said different companies have different standards for cleaning. Major hotel companies did not respond to The Washington Post about their blanket-cleaning standards.

“It’s hard to regulate, if you will, because many hotels in the United States are franchised such that the brand may have recommended standards, but the day-to-day operations are up to the discretion of the individual franchisees,” he said.

Myth 4 of 8

Dressing up is the best way to get a seat upgrade

Not quite.

While some are fans of dressing up for flights anyway, doing so won’t get you an upgrade from coach to first, experts say.

“[You] might as well wear what you’ll be comfortable in for a flight, because your outfit has no impact on if you’ll be upgraded," said Caroline Teel, managing editor of SmarterTravel.

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Teel says if a flight has empty seats in better cabins — like first or comfort plus — gate agents are going to upgrade passengers based on their status with the airline, not their fashion choices.

“This travel myth sprung from airline rules about employee travel,” Teel said, explaining that some airlines have dress code policies for staff who want to fly in a premium cabin when traveling for free. Even if you’re flying with an airline that has such a rule, it won’t apply to paying customers.

Instead, you should build loyalty status with an airline’s frequent flier program. Or try being nice. “If you’re asked by a flight attendant to give up your seat to accommodate a family that wants to sit together, you might be able to score an upgrade by agreeing,” said Jordan Staab, chief executive of Airfarewatchdog.

Myth 5 of 8

Hotels don’t have 13th floors

Not quite.

Some hotels have a floor designated as the 13th. But many high-rise hotels in the United States — as well as other types of buildings — skip right from 12 to 14 on the elevator.

“It is somewhat uncommon in the U.S. for a hotel to have a 13th floor,” Dave Roberts, who teaches lodging operations at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, said in an email. “The reason? Superstition!"

He pointed to a 2007 USA Today/Gallup poll that found that 13 percent of respondents (ironically) said they would be uncomfortable if they were given a room on the 13th floor of a hotel. Nine percent said they would be so uneasy that they would ask for a new room.

“Given that, if I were building a hotel in the U.S., I’d skip the 13th floor too,” Roberts said.

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The 13th floor aversion is not a hard and fast rule, including at some famous hotels. The Plaza Hotel in New York City, for example, has a 13th floor. South Florida-based hotel developer Robert Finvarb said in an email that he has done both, but usually decides against having a 13th floor “due to the superstition.”

He added: “Personally, 13 is my favorite number!”

Myth 6 of 8

You should shop for flights in incognito mode

Not quite.

The legend: Airlines track customer behavior, and they raise prices the more you click on fares but don’t buy. The reality: There is no evidence airlines are spying on (and punishing) you. Prices just change all the time. “Airfare is the most volatile thing we buy; it’s easy to take a ‘Truman Show’ perspective,” Keyes said.

Keyes also said the theory goes against most online retail trends; if you abandon items in an online shopping cart, “most online companies’ response is to slash prices, not raise them," he said.

Savanthi Syth, airline analyst for the investment bank Raymond James, said she doesn’t believe airlines give you different prices based on your browser history either. “But technology is always evolving,” she said, alluding to the possibility in the future.

Teel says it’s too complicated for airlines to change individual ticket prices based on someone’s search history. If flight prices are higher a week or two before, it’s probably because the cheaper tickets have sold out or just got more expensive. “This has become a common myth because airfare prices do tend to increase the closer you get to your departure date,” she said.

At least on airfare shopping platform Skyscanner, “clearing your cookies or using incognito mode will not change the price you see on our site,” said the company’s U.S. travel expert Mark Crossey. “Availability of seats and how far in advance you book all affect flight prices.”

Several airlines declined interviews on this question.

Myth 7 of 8

Use the local currency when traveling internationally

Not quite.

On a foreign trip, travelers will probably want to use both cash and credit cards — and sometimes all at once.

When paying with a credit card, tourists should opt to be charged in the local currency rather than their home currency, said Andrew Schrage, chief executive and co-founder of personal finance site Money Crashers, in an email.

“This might not avoid your card’s foreign transaction fee, but it will eliminate what’s known as a dynamic currency conversion fee, which acts like a surcharge on top of the foreign transaction fee,” he said.

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But it’s also smart for travelers to use a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, he said.

Schrage said cash is still an important way to pay in many countries, though — and it may be the only way to pay some merchants. For safety reasons, he suggested only carrying what is needed for a day or a specific activity and keeping the rest in a secure place like a hotel room safe.

Steer clear of getting the necessary currency at your home airport en route to your international destination, as Staab says you’ll usually get a terrible exchange rate. Instead, make sure you have a bank that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and waives (or reimburses you for) ATM fees. That way you can get a more favorable exchange rate using an ATM where you land.

Myth 8 of 8

Duty-free goods are cheaper

Not quite.

Duty-free stores sell goods that aren’t taxed by the country where you’re doing the shopping. Does skipping tax mean you’ll always have a better deal? It depends.

“For certain countries on certain products, this is true,” Syth said. “But for travelers to the U.S., that is not necessarily the case as you are paying airport prices, and there isn’t much of a duty to begin with.”

Schrage said items that are typically heavily taxed or regulated such as alcohol, tobacco, perfume and some luxury goods may be a decent deal in duty-free shops. But other goods are probably better bought elsewhere.

“Ignore souvenirs and trifles (like candy) regardless of location,” he said in an email. “These are almost certain to be more expensive at the duty-free shop than at a random merchant in town.”

Travel analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, said travelers should do some research about anything they hope to buy at a discount. Check where that item is sold in the destination to compare price points.

“Duty free wants you to believe that you’re getting a very good deal on the merchandise they sell,” he said. “A lot really depends on what you’re buying and where you’re buying it.”

About this story

Writing by Natalie B. Compton and Hannah Sampson. Editing by Amanda Finnegan. Copy editing by Paola Ruano. Illustrations by Dani Choi. Art direction by Katty Huertas. Design and development by Chloe Meister. Design editing by Rachel Orr.