46 Travel Jokes: The 2008 “Checked Bag Fee & Staycation” Edition

In 2008, travel changed forever. American Airlines became the first major carrier to charge for the first checked bag, gas prices hit record highs, and the global financial crisis meant “vacation” often meant sitting in your backyard. But hey, at least we finally had the App Store to download games for the long bus ride.

The 2008 Top 10: The “Great Recession” Classics

1. The First Bag Fee: Why was the traveler wearing four coats and three pairs of jeans? Because American Airlines started charging $15 for the first checked bag and he refused to give them a single penny.
2. The App Store Launch: Why did the traveler miss his flight? He just discovered the App Store and was too busy downloading a “Flashlight” app to realize his gate had changed.
3. The Staycation: What’s a 2008 traveler’s favorite destination? The “Living Room Islands,” because the Financial Crisis turned his savings into Monopoly money.
4. The Dark Knight: Why did the tourist in Gotham look so scared? He asked the Joker for directions, and the Joker just asked, “Why so serious?” before stealing his wallet.
5. The Iron Man: Why did Tony Stark fly commercial in 2008? He didn’t, but if he did, security would have made him take off the entire suit to check for “liquid explosives.”
6. The BlackBerry Bold: Why was the businessman still winning? Because he had the new BlackBerry Bold and felt like he was crushing the iPhone with his “superior” physical keyboard.
7. The Twilight Saga: Why were the hotels in Forks suddenly booked? Because every teenager in the world was looking for a sparkly vampire instead of a souvenir.
8. The Gas Prices: Why did the family take a bicycle to the beach? Because gas hit $4 a gallon and they realized their minivan was now a very expensive lawn ornament.
9. The Rickroll: Why did the traveler click the “Free Flight Upgrade” link? Because it was April 1st, 2008, and YouTube had just Rickrolled the entire world.
10. The Wall-E: Why was the passenger so messy? He saw Wall-E on the plane and thought his only job was to leave trash for a small robot to clean up.

The Full 2008 Travel Jokes Archive

11. The Google Android: Why was the tech nerd excited? The first Android phone (T-Mobile G1) came out, and he spent the whole trip trying to slide the screen to find the keyboard.
12. The Obama “Yes We Can”: Why was the traveler so optimistic? Because he had a campaign sticker on his bag and genuinely believed the TSA would say “Yes We Can” to his 120ml shampoo bottle.
13. The Kung Fu Panda: Why did the tourist try to fight a tiger? He saw the movie and thought he was the “Dragon Warrior” after eating one order of airport dumplings.
14. The Tropic Thunder: Why did the actor get lost in the jungle? He was a “dude playing a dude disguised as another dude” and forgot which map he was actually using.
15. The Sex and the City Movie: Why did the four women go to Abu Dhabi? Because they realized that even a global recession can’t stop a $500 pair of shoes from traveling.
16. The Kindle 1.0: Why was the reader so frustrated? Because his $400 Kindle looked like a high-tech calculator and people kept asking him to do their taxes.
17. The Slumdog Millionaire: Why did the traveler want to be an orphan in Mumbai? Because he thought it was the only way to win 20 million rupees and pay off his credit card debt.
18. The MacBook Air: Why did the traveler hide his laptop in an envelope? Because Steve Jobs did it, and now the traveler was terrified someone would accidentally mail his computer.
19. The Facebook Wall: Why was the backpacker posting photos? Because “The Wall” was the only place his friends could see that he was “Living his best life” while sleeping on a train floor.
20. The Beijing Olympics: Why was the tourist so tired? He tried to walk the entire Great Wall of China just to prove he was as “Athletic” as the people on TV.
21. The Indiana Jones 4: Why did the archeologist bring a fridge? Because he thought it was the only way to survive a nuclear blast (and to keep his airport water cold).
22. The Garmin GPS: Why was the traveler in a cornfield? Because Garmin told him to “Turn Left” into a cow pasture and he was too afraid to argue with the voice.
23. The US Airways Drink Fee: Why was the passenger thirsty? Because US Airways started charging for water, and he decided his own saliva was a “free alternative.”
24. The Hulu Launch: Why did the traveler stay in the hotel? Because Hulu finally went public and he could watch Family Guy for free instead of paying $15 for a “New Release” on the TV.
25. The Mamma Mia!: Why was every middle-aged woman in Greece singing ABBA? Because the movie made them think they’d find three ex-boyfriends in one weekend.
26. The Step Brothers: Why did the grown men share a bunk bed? Because the recession was so bad they had to move back in with their parents and share a “travel room.”
27. The Katy Perry: Why was the traveler so scandalous? Because he hummed “I Kissed a Girl” at the check-in counter and the agent didn’t “like it.”
28. The High School Musical 3: Why were the graduates at the airport? Because they were “all in this together,” even if “this” meant a 4-hour delay in Atlanta.
29. The Gran Torino: Why did the old man refuse to leave his porch? Because he saw the state of the economy and decided “Staycation” was his new permanent lifestyle.
30. The Apple vs. BlackBerry: Why was the “fruit fight” so intense? Because BlackBerry released an ad smashing an apple, but Apple just responded with “The App Store.”
31. The Floppy Disk Final: Why did the traveler find a disk in his bag? He didn’t; it was 2008, and he finally used it as a coaster for his “overpriced” airline coffee.
32. The iPhone 3G: Why was the traveler so fast? Because 3G finally made the internet usable while waiting for a bus in London.
33. The Sarah Palin: Why was the traveler looking at Russia? Because he was in Alaska and he thought he could see his next vacation destination from his house.
34. The Benjamin Button: Why did the traveler look so young? Because he’d been waiting for his delayed flight for so long he actually started aging backward.
35. The JetBlue Pillow Fee: Why was the passenger using his shoe as a pillow? Because JetBlue started charging $7 for a blanket and a pillow.
36. The Cloverfield: Why was the tourist running away from the Statue of Liberty? Because he thought a giant monster was about to throw its head at his hotel.
37. The YouTube Vlogs: Why did the tourist buy a tripod? Because he wanted to be the first person to “Vlog” a 10-minute video of him complaining about airport food.
38. The Low-Rise Decline: Why did the traveler buy a belt? Because 2008 was the year we finally realized that showing our underwear at the gate wasn’t “fashion.”
39. The Quantum of Solace: Why was James Bond so grumpy? Because even he had to pay $15 for his “extra bag” of gadgets.
40. The Spore Game: Why was the traveler building a monster? Because the game allowed him to create a creature that could actually survive the experience of a middle seat.
41. The Twitter Whale: Why did the traveler stop tweeting? Because the “Fail Whale” appeared more often than his actual flight on the departure board.
42. The Wall Street Collapse: Why was the banker in the hostel? Because his bonus was gone and now “luxury” meant a top bunk and a shared towel.
43. The 3-1-1 Bag: Why was the traveler so organized? Because he realized that a quart-sized bag was his only hope for bringing his “luxury” face cream to Ibiza.
44. The Britney Spears Comeback: Why was the traveler “Circus” ready? Because Britney was back, and if she could survive 2007, he could survive a flight with no legroom.
45. The Nintendo Wii Music: Why was the traveler “air-drumming”? Because he was practicing his Wii Music skills for the hotel’s “interactive” night.
46. The Mad Men: Why did the traveler buy a suit? Because he wanted to pretend he was in the 1960s when flying meant martinis instead of “baggage surcharges.”