Photo credit: nappy
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
The Dallas Morning News recently ran an article by Christopher Elliott about travel noise. Elliott notes that travel is noisy, both in airplanes but also when staying in hotels or walking along city streets. This article included mention of Earth.fm, an organization that lists quiet places in noisy cities. I had not heard about this nonprofit before, and I intend to learn more.
Elliott offers several tips to find quiet, from earplugs to noise-cancelling headphones. But sometimes it’s simply impossible to avoid noise. He quotes people who had festivals taking place right outside their hotel, or stayed in hotels with a great location but nearby bars and clubs made the rooms noisy. I use noise-cancelling headphones in airplanes — the cabin noise is too much for me, even when A-weighted sound measurements show that it isn’t bad* — and I always request a quiet table in a restaurant and a quiet room away from the street in a hotel.
I haven’t seen any reports about this in the noise literature I follow, but my personal observation is that hotel rooms have become quieter. I think hotel operators realized that their guests wanted less noise, and had architects and designers take steps to achieve this goal. Noisy wall-based air conditioning units have largely been replaced with quieter central AC. Insulation between rooms has been increased so one no longer hears conversations in adjoining rooms. Bathrooms are now generally built right near the entrance to the hotel room, with better insulation for noise so one is no longer awakened by the person in the next room flushing the toilet or taking a shower. Hallways are usually carpeted, too.
All this is good. A quieter world, at home or when traveling, will be a better and healthier world for all.
