I’ve had my fair share of airplane seat mate horror stories. From the guy who whipped out a tuna sandwich 8 hours into an 11 hour flight, or the dude who decided his cat needed to stretch her legs on top of mine after I made it clear I was incredibly allergic, who you sit next to on the plane can make or break your flight.

With a few months of travel and numerous flights ahead of me, this editor’s note captures my sentiments exactly.