Made any travel mistakes lately?

[luxury-lizard]

@Warks - my sympathies - we've had a similar experience in Thailand (and other Asian countries) - which is why we don't travel there anymore - it's not the financial impact but the hassle and that horrible feeling of being duped when you know you should have known better.

 

[GDSman]

Never been on AC - this is a QF/ WS situation….ive validated with QF lost luggage and they already knew (as did I) that bag didn’t get loaded in MEL. After all, I was only there for 3hrs…can’t put them under that sort of pressure…

As I landed in YVR the AirTag showed the bag in HKG… having a lovely trip on its own…

 

[kookaburra75]

As I landed in YVR the AirTag showed the bag in HKG… having a lovely trip on its own…

As the old saying goes, "I wish I was as well travelled as my luggage".

 

[drron]

Well with nearly 200 visits to Thailand we have experienced many attempts at scamming us with no serious consequences.
The worst feeling was being stopped by 2 policemen near the Paragon centre. They stopped us and said that we had broken the law but they wouldn’t report us if we gave them 2000 baht. I was pretty quick that day saying I didn’t have any cash but I could pay with a credit card. And look there is a police station just below us. Can you please take me there. Suddenly we had not broken the law.

 

[cove]

Getting out of the MCG after the grand final we walked down to Mantra on Jolimont. Unfortunately we got scammed by an ah taxi who ran us to our apartment near Crown casino. We won’t do that again.

 

[Warks]

@Warks - my sympathies - we've had a similar experience in Thailand (and other Asian countries) - which is why we don't travel there anymore - it's not the financial impact but the hassle and that horrible feeling of being duped when you know you should have known better.

Thankfully it cost us nothing. A buck for a tul-tuk ride we needed anyway. A lesson learned. And a warning to others, a community service announcement. It has put Mrs Warks off Bangkok but hopefully not Thailand. From what I've read and seen I'd prefer Chiang Mai or that region in general so will endeavour to go there one day. Am sure it has its own scams of course!

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Thankfully it cost us nothing. A buck for a tul-tuk ride we needed anyway. A lesson learned. And a warning to others, a community service announcement. It has put Mrs Warks off Bangkok but hopefully not Thailand. From what I've read and seen I'd prefer Chiang Mai or that region in general so will endeavour to go there one day. Am sure it has its own scams of course!

I hope it doesn't put anyone off travelling anywhere.
Wherever you find affluent foreigners rubbing shoulders with less affluent local people, the local people will try to find a way to procure a small wealth transfer. I think we should remember how privileged we are, and not rush to harsh judgement.

On a deeper level, this is a product of an imbalance of global mobility.
Capital is completely mobile: big business can invest almost anywhere, and use various techniques to home shore most of the profits.
People are free to roam the globe for the purposes of tourism, but not for work.
We are privileged to enjoy much higher wages, merely because of where we were born.
People from less affluent nations can't come here to work, but we can go there to enjoy their countries, their culture and their way of life.

In short, I avoid such scams, I find them annoying, but I can't find it in my heart to judge these people too harshly.

 

[Warks]

I hope it doesn't put anyone off travelling anywhere.
Wherever you find affluent foreigners rubbing shoulders with less affluent local people, the local people will try to find a way to procure a small wealth transfer. I think we should remember how privilegeed we are, and not rush to harsh judgement.

On a deeper level, this is a product of an imbalance on global mobility.
People are free to roam the globe for the purposes of tourism, but not for work.
We are priviliged to enjoy much higher wages, merely because of where we were born.
People from less affluent nations can't come here to work, but we can go there to enjoy their countries.

In short, I avoid such scams, I find them annoying, but I can't find it in my heart to judge these people too harshly.

I think (in fact I know) that Mrs Warks was put off more by some of the sleazy Westerners (and Ruzzians) wandering the streets acting like... well you know.
I recognise the fact that in poorer countries we may be seen as walking wallets by many people which is understandable. It's quite different to our experience in Vietnam and Cambodia though where virtually no one approached us apart from "sirmadammassage?" and the odd proffering of a menu.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I think (in fact I know) that Mrs Warks was put off more by some of the sleazy Westerners (and Ruzzians) wandering the streets acting like... well you know.
I recognise the fact that in poorer countries we may be seen as walking wallets by many people which is understandable. It's quite different to our experience in Vietnam and Cambodia though where virtually no one approached us apart from "sirmadammassage?" and the odd proffering of a menu.

Recently in Thailand, i went to a police station to report the theft of a camera for insurance purposes.
While I was there, they brought in a Russian guy.
He had been arrested for avoiding paying a tuktuk fare, and assaulting the driver when he tried to collect payment.
He spoke no English, but I heard him abusing the police in French.
I replied in French, advising him to calm down.
The officer in charge overheard, and asked me if I would serve as a translator.
I agreed.
There were some things the Russian said which I refused to translate.
He was rude, crude and offensive in the extreme.

I learned from that experience that Russians were then the most hated tourists in Thailand.
Although on my last visit I was told that crown had been taken by Israeli tourists.

 

[Jacques Vert]

They all need to remember that they are guests in someone else's country; we need to remember the same.

 

[GDSman]

As I landed in YVR the AirTag showed the bag in HKG… having a lovely trip on its own…

And the bag made it to my Niagara Falls hotel in the night - pretty decent service retrieval effort.
This morning’s mistake is sitting on 26th floor of hotel in the iHop, paying $33 for pancakes I don’t want with my eggs, and the fog completely shrouding the view I assume I’m also paying for…

 

[Warks]

Recently in Thailand, i went to a police station to report the theft of a camera for insurance purposes.
While I was there, they brought in a Russian guy.
He had been arrested for avoiding paying a tuktuk fare, and assaulting the driver when he tried to collect payment.
He spoke no English, but I heard him abusing the police in French.
I replied in French, advising him to calm down.
The officer in charge overheard, and asked me if I would serve as a translator.
I agreed.
There were some things the Russian said which I refused to translate.
He was rude, crude and offensive in the extreme.

I learned from that experience that Russians were then the most hated tourists in Thailand.
Although on my last visit I was told that crown had been taken by Israeli tourists.

There were a surprising number of Russians in Istanbul as well. My Swedish friend always refers to them as "Ruzzians".

 

[XavierP]

My saddest mistake to this date is booking QF code share flights to TPE with CI thinking that I will have access to the QF lounge. I am taking my son for his 18th birthday in Dec 2026 and wanted to take him to the first lounge in Sydney so I deliberately booked a QF flight for that. I didn't realise that there is a rule that says code shared flight pax are not eligible to access QF lounges.

I guess it's something new that I have learnt but really wish it only affected me.

 

[serfty]

I didn't realise that there is a rule that says code shared flight pax are not eligible to access QF lounges.

This is only new and appears to be for some carriers only. For decades a QF flight number was all that has been required.

 

[XavierP]

My travel (-related) mistake is reading this thread and all the discussions about lovely warm temps in and around Europe.

Sitting near CBR in a (rented) house with an inop gas heater and no reverse cycle ac or alternatives…

(the replacement ignition unit has been ordered…)

Lived in CBR for 11 years; 8 months of winter; never again!

Moved to Bris-vegas! Won't go anywhere else

This is only new and appears to be for some carriers only. For decades a QF flight number was all that has been required.

This is exactly what I thought also; wish they advertised *no lounge access" when booking the flight.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

This is only new and appears to be for some carriers only. For decades a QF flight number was all that has been required.

I thought as long as you were booked on the QF flight number you were okay.
But if you were booked on the codeshare partner airline's flight number, then no QF lounge for you.
You would be relying on whatever arrangements the codeshare partner airline had made for lounge access.

 

[serfty]

I thought as long as you were booked on the QF flight number you were okay.
But if you were booked on the codeshare partner airline's flight number, then no QF lounge for you.
You would be relying on whatever arrangements the codeshare partner airline had made for lounge access.

There may have been a significant change to Qantas frequent Flyerbwithout notice.

https://www.qantas.com/en-au/where-we-fly/partner-airlines/china-airlines

 

[esseeeayeenn]

There may have been a significant change to Qantas frequent Flyerbwithout notice.

https://www.qantas.com/en-au/where-we-fly/partner-airlines/china-airlines

According to that table the only lounge access available by status is in Singapore.
The others are all by class of travel only
This directly contradicts the language on the QF lounge access policy page
The access rule for the member flying is "QF flight number".
Bu there is a superscript note 1. Below, note 1 states:

The flight can be operated by a non-Qantas carrier, unless travelling with a Qantas Club Flexible membership. For eligible customers booked on a
Qantas flight number on codeshare routes with partner airlines, refer to each individual partner page for lounge access eligibility.

The wording for guest access is now very convoluted and tricky:

* One accompanying guest permitted and must be travelling on Qantas, a Qantas codeshare flight operated by Jetstar, a Jetstar flight operating
under a domestic flight number or oneworld®[2] marketed and operated flight on the same day.

This would mean the only codeshare flight on which a member could bring a guest into the lounge would be a Jetstar operated codeshare.
The situation with a oneworld codeshare partner isn't even clear. If your guest is ticketed on a QF flight number operated by a oneworld airline, are they booked on a "oneworld marketed and operated flight" or not?

However the information on the EK partner page contradicts this, on this occasion, in a good way.
Lounge access is avilable by status. and:

Eligible customers and their guests booked on a Qantas flight number on the codeshare routes can access the following lounges.

So I guess the take away is that we need to consult the individual partner pages to check lounge access rules for codeshare flights, and not the general lounge access rules page.

 

[Scarlett]

My saddest mistake to this date is booking QF code share flights to TPE with CI thinking that I will have access to the QF lounge. I am taking my son for his 18th birthday in Dec 2026 and wanted to take him to the first lounge in Sydney so I deliberately booked a QF flight for that. I didn't realise that there is a rule that says code shared flight pax are not eligible to access QF lounges.

I guess it's something new that I have learnt but really wish it only affected me.

Would be interesting to understand when you booked and when they changed the access rules.

No longer having access to the QF lounge before initial departure in Australia would seem a material change to what you have purchased. If you booked before the change, is your booking ‘grandfathered’ under the previous access rules?

This is especially so if you paid more for the QF codeshare flight than you would otherwise have paid by purchasing direct from CI. The QF/CI relationship appears to be a basic interline one now so why would anyone purchase the QF codeshare flights on CI?

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Would be interesting to understand when you booked and when they changed the access rules.

No longer having access to the QF lounge before initial departure in Australia would seem a material change to what you have purchased. If you booked before the change, is your booking ‘grandfathered’ under the previous access rules?

This is especially so if you paid more for the QF codeshare flight than you would otherwise have paid by purchasing direct from CI. The QF/CI relationship appears to be a basic interline one now so why would anyone purchase the QF codeshare flights on CI?

But don't forget you never buy anything specific.
You don't ever buy a specific seat, on a specific flight, operated by a specific aircraft type, to a specific destination, on a specific date, at a specific time.
All you ever buy is "a bundle of rights".
The contents of the bundle are subject to enhancement.