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Waking up bright and early to make sure you have time to get to the airport, make it through security, and board your flight is tough enough. Add holiday travel into the mix with potential delays and cancellations, and the ordeal is even more stressful. But according to frequent travelers on TikTok, there are plenty of ways to make the airport experience smoother, cheaper, and far less chaotic. From clever packing strategies to small behavioral shifts that make long flights feel shorter, these hacks are designed to maximize convenience and minimize stress. All of these can be found in the comments on @emmahaswanderlust's video, where she asked for airport hacks that "changed the way you travel forever." @emmahaswanderlust/TikTok Here are the most-shared, most-trusted tips TikTok users swear by for getting through the airport with ease. ## 1. Avoid Uber upcharges by heading to a hotel "Take a free shuttle to any hotel. Get the Uber from there to avoid the airport upcharging." —Andrea ## 2. Compression socks "Compression socks are a game changer after a lot of airport walking and sitting on the flight." —B ## 3. Pack for everyone in all suitcases "My mom and dad split packing in their two suitcases. That way, if one is lost, they both have clothes! Too bad I’m single, lol." —kirstenpodolak ## 4. AirTag your bags "Take food with you, AirTag your bags—airline lost my bags and told me it was in France, I pulled up my AirTag and told them it was in London, and that’s how they found them." —nnotssarah ## 5. Let yourself be bored before your flight "Be bored in the airport. No scrolling, reading, etc. Save all the interesting activities/mind stimulation for the airplane to help the flight feel faster." —Studio ## 6. Don't use the bathroom near the exit gate "When you land, never use the first restroom you see - use the next one; everyone from your flight will jump in the first and you’ll end up waiting the same amount of time as going to the next." —runningenergy ## 7. Marry rich—in airline miles "Marry a man who has close to a million miles, you get the royal treatment everywhere you go." —EF Adobe Stock ## 8. Prevent "man-spreading" "I'm a big guy. The shoulder strap on my personal item is adjustable. I put it around my knees and adjust it so I don't "man-spread" into my neighbor's space if/when I fall asleep." —Bwana888 ## 9. Bring entertainment for screaming kids "I ALWAYS travel with brand new activity books for a boy and a girl so i can bring it to the mom of a screaming kid." —HappyChik ## 10. Save airplane giftshop bags "I once bought an item from the gift shop and have kept the bag since. Now, when I go to the airport, I use that bag for any of my oversized items, so they believe I bought them in the airport, and I don’t get charged for additional stuff on the plane." —Alloralla Faehice ## 11. Pack food before your flight "Take food so you don’t spend money at the airport on food. I always make breakfast burritos before each flight." —kristina ## 12. Wear comfortable shoes "The shoes you wear make your airport experience better or worse, depending on the shoe. always wear comfy shoes that are easy to get on and of,f that aren't flip flops or sandals." —Theresa ## 13. Stuff a neck pillow with extra clothes "Order a neck pillow pillow case - stuff it with clothes. Extra “personal bag” & neck pillow in one." —kennedycarson ## 14. Bring a different device for entertainment "Take an old cell phone with you, download a bunch of movies and shows on it to consume your content on so you never have to worry about your cellphone that has service, tickets, etc dying." —Frisk ## 15. Take advantage of lounges "The cost of entry at most airport lounges in Europe is lower than grabbing a couple of drinks and some food in the main terminal restaurants." —Claire Imaginarium _You can read more suggestions in@emmawanderlust's original video._ * * * **_The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter  here._** Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online. The post “Be bored in the airport”: Travelers share the airport hacks they swear by for stress-free holiday flights appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Lilly Wachowski recently pushed back on MAGA supporters who tried to claim an iconic scene from _The Matrix_. The movie’s release in 1999 introduced the now-famous moment when Morpheus offered Neo the blue pill or the red pill. Although fans have long debated that choice, the trans filmmakers, Lilly and Lana Wachowski, repeatedly explained that the metaphor had nothing to do with conservative politics. Still, MAGA figures still attempted to bend the imagery to match their narratives. In a _So True with Caleb Hearon_ interview on Nov. 27, 2025, Lilly discussed the topic in depth. She reflected on the film’s legacy and the strange ways groups tried to twist it. So True with Caleb Hearon/YouTube ## How MAGA keeps trying to claim the "red pill" from _The Matrix_ For years, the "red pill" concept was framed in right-wing spaces, and more recently by MAGA supporters, as a moment of conservative political awakening. The r/TheRedPill subreddit, created in 2012, is a men's rights forum, described as "discussion of sexual strategy in a culture increasingly lacking a positive identity for men." Although the Wachowskis described the film’s themes as progressive, conservatives redirected the imagery to suit their own goals, claiming that choosing the "red pill" symbolized rejecting so-called liberal illusions. Lilly reminded listeners that this pattern was not surprising to her. "Right-wing ideology appropriates absolutely everything," Wachowski added, explaining how the far right will often "mutate them for their own propaganda, for their own to obfuscate what the real message is." According to her, "This is what fascism does." She also pointed out that "they do it with absolutely everything," even when the media in question is unapologetically liberal. Fans online echoed her frustrations. One Reddit user argued that these interpretations" were often intentional attempts to attach right-wing thinking to stories that encouraged questioning oppressive systems. Another commenter, u/myersjw, said MAGA groups, "desperately want to be pop culture taste makers and yet keep getting stuck with the absolute worst celebrities and artists out there." ## Lilly Wachowski on letting go of audience interpretations Lilly explained that she eventually learned to detach herself from how audiences reinterpret her films. "You have to let go of your work," she said. "People are gonna interpret it however they interpret it." "I look at all of the crazy, mutant theories around _The Matrix_ films and the crazy ideologies that those films helped create, and I just go, 'What are you doing? No! That's wrong!' But I have to let it go to some extent… You're never gonna be able to make absolutely every person believe what you initially intended." She also revisited earlier comments about the movie’s trans themes. In 2020, she confirmed that the "original intention" of _The Matrix_ was about being transgender, but "the corporate world wasn't ready." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJbao-w8AI4 * * * **_The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter_**** _here_**** _._** Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online. The post “No! That’s wrong!”: Lilly Wachowski slammed right-wingers for co-opting the “red pill” and missing the point of “The Matrix” entirely appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Two large AI-generated murals in Kingston have been removed after getting mercilessly dunked on across the internet. Both of the Christmas-themed display went up above restaurants along Riverside Walk, and have been credited to "artist" and AI-enthusiast Mat Collishaw by some unconfirmed sources. At first glance, the images could easily pass as bustling winter scenes, but keen shoppers in the area soon began to notice horrifying details. https://twitter.com/Emily_Mckenzie/status/1990803661010669941 From a man with a single horn protruding from the side of his head to animals that look like they were some sort of Frankenstein-esque cross-breeding experiment, there's plenty of monstrosities to spot in the murals that would give people nightmares if we weren't already faced with AI horror slop on a near-daily basis. ## How the Kingston murals turned into a holiday horror show The murals have reportedly already been taken down, though it isn't entirely clear whether that's because of the backlash to the AI aspects, claims that showing people in boats was pushing a "political agenda," or some other reason entirely. What is clear, however, is that people had plenty to say about how pathetic and ridiculous it is that these murals ever went up in the first place. https://bsky.app/profile/mattthr.bsky.social/post/3m5vhalmvls22 "This mural has gone up in Kingston, ostensibly for Christmas but AI has ensured it's actually to celebrate the return of our dark lord Cthulhu" https://bsky.app/profile/florencehrscott.bsky.social/post/3m6ccbb32xc2z "My favourite part of the AI Kingston on Thames christmas mural is the man using a severed dog's paw on a stick to subdue his chimera dogwife" https://twitter.com/ledilly/status/1991257484581900598 "Kingston restaurant Cote has a new Xmas mural. Its AI. Its incredible...Like an M&S 'Stop The Boats' ad or The Lawnmower Man trying to do Bosch / Bruegel." https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/1ozk1jl/comment/npc7xd4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button What a time to be alive! * * * **_The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter  _****_here_**** _._** Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online. The post “Lovecraftian”: Huge AI-generated Christmas mural removed after going viral for all the wrong, deeply cursed reasons appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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