This Simple Trick Stops Anyone Reclining Their Plane Seat into You

| © Vincent Versluis / Unsplash

Tech & Entrepreneurship Editor

There’s nothing worse than settling into your seat on a flight only to have the person sitting in front of you recline their chair into your precious, limited space.

The trick to avoid getting squished? Sit behind a seat that can’t recline.

On most airlines, the seats in the emergency exit row and in the row directly in front of the exit row don’t recline. While you might not be able to recline your seat either, you can ensure those valuable few inches of extra space by grabbing one of these spots.

Most exit row seats even provide a few more inches of seat pitch compared to non-exit row seats, so that passengers have more space to access the exit. You just have to agree that you’re willing to help operate the exit door in case of an emergency. But given the low, low likelihood of an emergency landing, its almost always worth it.

Even better? Try to reserve one of the rare seats which do recline, but are behind a non-recliner. Sites such as SeatGuru.com offer seat maps of any upcoming flight, allowing you to reserve a seat behind a non-recliner – just check the red and yellow seats on any of Seat Guru’s maps to ensure you’re in the best spot on the plane.

Looking to upgrade even more? Read our guide to getting a free first-class plane seat for free.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

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