Rhiannon Ingle
With summer just around the corner, many of us will be boarding flights to jet away to faraway lands to enjoy some sunshine, new experiences and much-needed time off.
However, before you make it to your Airbnb or hotel room, you must go through the faff of making your way through an airport and onto a plane - the latter of which has many different etiquette protocols we simply must be clued up on.
And the latest piece of advice to add to the list comes after experts revealed the one thing you should never do in an aeroplane toilet and it’s really not what you think.
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The loos on planes are far from where you want to be when soaring around 30,000 feet in the air.
Let's be honest, they're cramped, loud and always smell - even at the start of a flight!
But other than the lack of space, the anxiety-inducing volume of the suction flush and the unpleasant odour - they are also riddled with germs.
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Now, you'd think because of this that experts would encourage you to be extremely thorough when it comes to washing your hands after using the toilet but they couldn't disagree more.
"The toilets are regularly cleaned, but the locks and door handles are not," Josephine Remo, a flight attendant and travel blogger, told Travel and Leisure.
Additionally, research shows that onboard water tanks may harbour some pretty harmful bacteria, with a 2017 study - published in Annals of Microbiology - finding over 50 strains of bacteria in ice used on planes.
"My takeaway from doing the research was to not drink the coffee and the tea. At all," Charles Platkin, the author of the study and the executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, told Travel and Leisure.
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He also echoed the study's findings, adding that he avoids washing his hands with water and uses hand wipes instead.
So, in order to not start your holiday with a tummy bug, it's probably best to pack some hand sanitiser and anti-bac wipes for good measure.
A travel expert has also revealed the dirtiest part of a plane and how passengers just can't seem to avoid touching it - hence the need for the wipes.
Ski Vertigo, a travel tour operator, shared that one of the least hygienic places on board are the tray tables.
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The team warned: "These surfaces see a variety of uses during flights, from food consumption to being a resting spot for personal items and electronic devices.
"Given their multifunctional use and the fact that cleaning crews often have limited time between flights, tray tables may not receive a thorough cleaning, leading to a significant build-up of bacteria and viruses.
"This makes them a prime location for the transmission of illnesses."
Grim.