Holiday Travel Special Report: I-95 Rest Stop Bathrooms Already Smell Awful

By: The Traveling Man
Crab Travel Editor

I-95 CORRIDOR – It only took a few hours, but by 6:30 this morning, the smell in the bathrooms at all I-95 rest stops in Maryland was borderline intolerable, officially kicking off one of the busiest travel days of the year in Maryland and the rest of the country.

At the Maryland House rest stop, the smell was not just horrible, but widespread beyond the confines of the bathroom itself.

“Wow, I’ve smelled some seriously awful rest stop bathrooms in my days, but this is gotta be one of the worst.” said Ted, a truck driver on his way to Connecticut. “It hits you even when you are like ten feet from opening the door to go in.”

The smell, which has been described by many as ‘old sewage’, began to become prevalent after an early morning rush which included truckers, couriers, and families trying to beat traffic.

The problem, as described by experts, is that bathroom stench needs idle time, when nobody is adding to the smell, in order to clear out. The issue with this travel day is that with so many people stopping, the stench never gets the proper amount of time to even begin decreasing in density.

While many people blame a lack of maintenance, experts disagree claiming that this problem is a battle against time and cannot be solved by solvents.

“Even if we were to go in there every 15 minutes and spray the hell out of the place, it would only result in a mix of chemicals and stench, which in my opinion is worse.” said an official from the Maryland House rest stop. “Unfortunately, this is just a part of traveling during this weekend.”

While most are appalled by the smell, some actually embrace it as a tradition of traveling for the Thanksgiving.

“We have been traveling from North Carolina to Delaware every year since our children were born and when we stop at the Maryland House, that horrible smell served as a reminder that we were only 40 miles from grandma and grandpa’s house.” said Frank from North Carolina. “The smell hasn’t changed one bit over the years, and to be honest, I would miss it if it wasn’t there.”

Love it or hate it, the smell is still there and more pungent than ever. Just as the traffic on the highway is a sure thing, one can also expect to stand in some serious stench when pulling off for a travel break.