Travels with Kitten: And you thought KIDS couldn't follow simple directions...

When you travel, you can't help but observe others' actions of idiocy. My recent trip was full of them. Consider these:

• On my flight to San Juan, as I went through security, the lady in front of me was having her carry-on literally taken apart. Reason? She tried to carry full-sized toiletries on the plane. I'm talking, large, economy-sized bottles of shampoo, mouthwash, toothpaste, sunscreen, perfume--you name it, she had it. Her mouth was agape as the security agent confiscated all but her bag. Yes, it may have been quite some time since she last flew, but hasn't the 3-1-1 rule been widely publicized? And did anyone alert her to said rule?
• Before leaving the ship, our cabin steward left us extremely detailed directions on the whole disembarkation process. Now, one of those rules clearly stated that you could not take any produce item off the ship and bring it into the country. Well, as we were waiting in line at customs, a nice young agent happened to walk by with her nice young beagle, who happened to sniff the duffel bag of a nice young couple. The nice young couple had a gallon-sized Ziploc bag of bananas, oranges, and apples with them, directly from the buffet line. They didn't have it for long.
• If you've never been on a cruise ship before, on the last night of your cruise, you have to put your luggage outside your cabin. The cabin stewards collect the bags, and when the ship arrives in port, sends them to a large hangar where the passengers can reclaim them upon disembarkation. This is supposed to expedite the check-out process. In the extremely detailed instructions that your cabin steward leaves you, it specifically and clearly states that you must put any needed documentation--including your PASSPORT--in your carry-on. Imagine the shock on the face of the woman I sat next to in the martini bar when she realized she had PACKED her passport, thinking she could retrieve it when she got her luggage back. In some cases, you can, but not always!

And I could go on and on, but I will spare you. But it just amazes me how reasonably functioning, intelligent adults can't follow the most basic directions...