Have you ever wondered why hotels don’t have a 13th floor?
travelling can be scary . It ’s easy to gyrate about how plane evenfly and how many bug percolate on your hotel nightstand . But these traveling fears , born out of actual butstatistically unlikely horrors , are n’t the idea head some of the most mutual travel superstitious notion . In fact , most of the travel superstitions we transmit today in the US come from beliefs or fears you might not even be cognizant of .
YouGov surveyed1,000 US adults about some of the top superstition they believe in , include things like throwing saltiness over your shoulder , behave a rabbit ’s foot , and walk under a ladder . While Americans are more probable to believe in superstitious notion root in practiced luck , the top travel - related superstitions are linked to forged luck . Using YouGov ’s data and forums like Reddit and Quora , Thrillist compiled a list of travel superstitious notion that shape our travels and how they started .
1. Avoiding the number 13
At many hotel , you ’ll find that the elevator will number the 12th and fourteenth trading floor but not the 13th story . In plenty of airplanes , there wo n’t be a 13th row of seats ; the rows will pass over from the 12th to the fourteenth quarrel . Many people also choose not to vaporize on the 13th . This anxiousness around the unlucky number even has a name : triskaidekaphobia . The root cause of the number 13 being unlucky in the Western world is debated . Some scholarslink it back to Judas being the 13th guest at the Last Supper , while others point to Loki , the god of dying , being the thirteenth invitee at a meal in Norse mythology . However , with 13 % of Americans believing the 13th floor is bad luck and 19 % of Americans believe Friday the 13th is bad luck , there ’s enough of a customer radix that hotels and airway often happen it worth omitting the number 13 .
2. Touching the plane before a flight
While avoiding the 13th row or Friday the 13th can be a manner to preclude bad luck , many mass think that touching the outside of the airplane before the spark can aid guarantee safe passage . While the ancestry of this practice session change greatly , many say it is kindred to a grounding recitation or part of their religious or apparitional process . Other people say it ’s just a way to remind themselves that the plane is satisfying .
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3. Bringing a good luck charm on a trip
According to the YouGov survey , 31 % of Americans at least occasionally bring a lucky appeal with them . This is common for traveller , who often pack an item more about the excited comfort it provides than any logistical intention . Plenty of locomotion talisman have religious origins , though they can also be aim that exclusively have personal significance to the traveller . The concept of a locomotion charm has become so threadbare that you’re able to incur a extensive variety of them for sales event onmarketplaces like Etsy .
4. Starting a trip on a Friday
With varying line in both Christianity and pagan history , starting a trip on a Friday is considered spoilt fate , especiallyamong sailors . It might have developed as a less golden day of the week in Western culture because , in the Christian bible , Christ was crucified on a Friday . Regardless of its origins , if you encounter disinclination to start out a trip on a Friday , this might be why . However , it is also typically one of themost expensive day to fly , which is its own form of risky luck .
In every cultivation , travel superstitions are subject to change , and some people develop their own unique rite and fears based on personal experience . What are some of the superstitious notion you ’ve encountered or practice in your travels ?
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