Made any travel mistakes lately?

[SYD]

Back in the days of the paper Visa Waiver for the USA, you could get in a hell of a pickle if you didn't submit the stub upon exit (I think at SFO where you could do airside transfer to some international flights, there was even a little "mailbox" type setup to drop your stub into. A friend was "interviewed" a number of times on following trips after forgetting to supply the exit stub on a previous trip.

On my only trip to the PRC, the hotel receptionist let the exit stub on my 72-hour transit visa fall to the floor and didn't notice. It took quite some pointing and looking concerned for her to give a cough about the paper on the floor below her! I wasn't going to entertain for one second the risk of not exiting the PRC safely.

In the US, the airlines report your departure (even in the old green slip days).

The bigger issue was leaving it in your passport if the airline didn’t take it. A work colleague left his in - didn’t realise.

We arrived back for a subsequent work trip and he got the 3rd degree. Fortunately he’d been to Fiji and was able to show the stamp in his PP.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Stayed at Pullman Melbourne on The Park this week, was sure I had an Amex spend 400/ 80 back offer. Couldn't find it on the App to check if it was still valid.

Fast forward, a very pleasant dinner in Cliveden Restaurant but decided against dessert.
Account for stay comes in sub $400.
Get home, you have used your Amex Pullman offer email, If your spend qualifies........ well - it didn't

Update : Stayed 3-4 Feb $353 spend and the Amex fairy delivered this on 6 February
Thank you very much

 

[pagingjoan]

In the US, the airlines report your departure (even in the old green slip days).

The bigger issue was leaving it in your passport if the airline didn’t take it. A work colleague left his in - didn’t realise.

We arrived back for a subsequent work trip and he got the 3rd degree. Fortunately he’d been to Fiji and was able to show the stamp in his PP.

Similar experience for me, entering Hawaii some years back.
Despite umpteen passport stamps for multiple countries in the intervening period, clearly demonstrating that I had left the US, there was quite a fuss made.