A flight attendant has revealed the toughest parts of the job that plane passengers rarely see.
Being paid to jet-set might sound like a glamorous lifestyle at first - but there's so much more to it than that.
While the job gives you the chance to travel the world, like any profession, it has its downsides.
Taking to the 'Ask Me Anything' community on Reddit, the female attendant explained: "I’m a 26-year-old flight attendant.
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"From managing difficult passengers and exhausting layovers to the unseen challenges of life behind the trolley and working 40,000 feet above ground - there’s much more than meets the eye. Ask me anything."
People were curious about everything from crew meals to their, urm, 'relations'.
But one of the top questions people wanted answered was the worst parts of the job.
And the attendant gave an unflinching account of the downsides of working at 42,000 feet in the air.
Most of it was to do with the unsociable hours, as she listed 'working while everyone else is asleep, messed-up body clock' and 'missing family occasions' among the top gripes.
Others included physical repercussions, such as 'body pain from long hours' and 'dry air that ages your skin'.
It's not until you travel long-haul that you're reminded of the toll the air system takes on your skin and hair - I always feel pretty gross afterwards and need bucket loads of deep-moisturizing hair masks before I begin feeling slightly more normal again. The constant exposure to the dry air must be... a lot.
The air steward also listed 'rude passengers' and 'no stable love life' as the disadvantages of the job.
One downside that social media users were surprised wasn't listed, however, was turbulence - which is apparently getting worse.
Explaining how she now deals with turbulence in response to another comment, the flight attendant said: "During my first few flights, you could totally see the fear on my face during turbulence, but now, I honestly see it as an opportunity to rest, haha."
Elsewhere in the thread, one curious person asked how she has time to take care of her personal life and hobbies.
She gave an honest response: "I’m actually an introvert, and I’ve always struggled with making friends. Becoming a flight attendant really flipped my life 180°.
"I’ve had to come out of my shell and interact with so many different people every day."
The flight attendant continued: "As for hobbies, I don’t get much time since I usually use my days off to rest and recharge. But lately, I’ve been trying to make time for badminton. It’s been a fun way to stay active and disconnect a bit from the hectic routine."
The more you know!
Topics: Jobs, Reddit, Social Media, Travel, World News, Life
Ellie Kemp