Okay, it’s true that I have quite a few travel pet peeves, but this has got to be my biggest one. And actually, it’s not only a travel pet peeve – it’s more of an EVERYWHERE pet peeve, but it does seem to come up a lot while traveling. And while some people’s biggest pet peeve is people getting up as soon as the plane lands, I have no problem with that. People saving seats for other passengers on Southwest is annoying, but I don’t fly Southwest enough to have that really bother me.
Talking Loudly Or Watching Videos On Your Cellphone
Yes, my biggest travel (or anywhere) pet peeve is people talking loudly on their cellphone. Or people watching videos on their cellphone without headphones. Public Service Announcement: Nobody wants to hear your phone conversation or video or Instagram or TikTok. Headphones are incredibly cheap and ubiquitous. I honestly can’t imagine anybody on this earth who does not already own a pair of headphones.
Yet, I regularly see people having loud conversations without headphones, or watching videos or social media without headphones. This might happen in airport lounges or in the terminal or even onboard airplanes. People that are doing this incredibly annoying behavior also seem completely oblivious to the fact that they are annoying literally everyone around them. Glares in their direction do nothing. In the past, I have sometimes tapped them to get their attention and ask them to put some headphones on, and I’ve had mixed reactions. Sometimes I’ll get a rude glare in return, and other times I’ll get a bewildered response like “oh, sorry – I didn’t realize I was being rude – let me put my headphones on”. I have no idea what these people are thinking…
Man fined €200 for using speakerphone in French train station
Anyways, all of that is the backdrop to an article I read on CNN where a man was fined €200 for using speakerphone in the Nantes train station. The man, identified only as “David”, was talking to his sister with his phone on speaker when an official from France’s state-owned rail company, SNCF, told him if he didn’t turn off his speaker he was going to be fined €150. He originally thought it was a joke but then the fine ended up going up to €200 because he didn’t pay it immediately. He plans to appeal the fine.
The Bottom Line
A man was fined €200 for talking on his cellphone on speaker without using headphones in a French train station. While he plans to contest the fine and I am no expert on French law, I hope that he loses and I hope that these fines catch on worldwide. I find the practice of talking on your phone (or listening to videos or anything else) without headphones in public to be one of the most annoying things and I can’t believe that there are people that still do this!
What do you think? Is €200 a reasonable fine for this? Should it be higher? Lower? Leave your thoughts in the comments below
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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