Escape rooms have become a popular birthday party destination, the perfect place to build teamwork skills or just a place to get locked into a room with only small hints on how to get out. Regardless, if you've been to one, you've probably realized they are not up-to-par with some of the more harder things to escape from in life. However, these five situations are completely, 100 percent, real-life escape rooms.
1. Promotional emails
They're everywhere, and no one is safe. You may have once signed up for these emails to get "the hottest deals," but now these emails flood everyone's inbox and cause chaos. Not everyone is able to make it out alive. Some fall victim to the sales these online shopping sites are currently having, and before you know it, your cart is full of half-priced items totaling more than you intended to spend, just because it was all on sale.
All of this occurs during the search for the impossible: to locate the unsubscribe button. It has been said to be located at the bottom of these promotional emails, but it still evades even some of our most advanced online shoppers who hold serious self-restraint. It doesn't just end in your inbox; you'll never know what you'll find lurking in your spam folder. Be careful out there, people.
2. People at the mall who just want to "give you a massage" or "curl your hair"
In this situation, everyone is vulnerable. Do not look up at them. Do not smile at them. Do not say anything to them. They will come for you, and you will end up spending a small fortune on something you don't need. Only because they were able to convince you that you needed it in that moment. Talk about impulse buys.
3. That party that was supposed to be a real rager but turned out to be the lamest event of the year
They said it would be fun only for you to show up, but you find out it's quite the opposite. However, leaving is not as easy as it seems. Slipping out of the party without the host noticing may seem like a scene out of a James Bond movie, and the difficulty significantly increases if you are friends with the host. It is nearly impossible to escape if you consider yourself to be close friends with the host and consider your friendship to be valuable. I hope you have your Uber ready.
4. Those awkward conversations that arise at family holiday dinners
Picture this: too many family members to count, a large buffet of food and lots of holiday joy. Will you be able to make it the whole night without at least one relative asking about your future plans? You can only hide in the bathroom for so long. If you do somehow get caught up in a conversation, try to divert the attention to something else important, like your cousin's new job. However, be careful when playing this card because your relatives could start asking when you're getting a job. If this happens to you, you've already lost.
5. College Debt
There are a few ways to escape from this challenging situation. For those who haven't had to deal with this yet, please consider large, in-state public schools that offer significant scholarships. If not, you may end up trapped forever. As enticing as a college that costs around $70,000 a year may seem, I can assure you that having to actually pay this significant sum of money is not ideal.
How can you attempt fleeing what appears to be one of the most advanced escape rooms? Can you write enough amazing cover letters to land well-paying jobs, despite having limited experience? If that's not your thing, then the answer may lay in the apps of your phone. Can you swipe right on the guy with a considerable amount of inherited wealth, or can you successfully slide into the DM's of a multi-millionaire? Can you do this all before you have your own kids, or will you just have to fake your own death?
Next time you think escaping from an escape room is too easy, try escaping from these five things life offers to you for free!