Made any travel mistakes lately?

[RSD]

Well booking the Wharney hotel in Wan Chai was a mistake - chose it from the QFH options for the area as it was convenient to where I wanted to go - but my room was on the back of the hotel - which is where a back street full of dusk to dawn night clubs are - even though I was on the 9th floor, sleep was damn near impossible. Fitting the shower and toilet into a 1.6 x 1.6 metre bathroom was ridiculous.

 

[Beano]

Depends on day, time of day, weather, and rubber neckers. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Done that several times, usually about 6 pm, BNE (DOM and INT) to Surfers. Never noticed any extreme holdups apart from roadworks, which seem to be perennial. Takes just over an hour. My peeve would be Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads, which can take a long time, because of roadworks or is it tramworks, even at 7:00 am.

 

[Captain Halliday]

For our current trip to Japan I booked almost 12 months in advance.

Some months ago a QF schedule change meant I could select a return flight to AU a day later without any additional cost. Winner.

“I’ll book the extra night’s accom later”, I thought to myself.

You can see where this is going…

On checkin at the hotel, they asked me to confirm check-out date and still I missed it.

“Just give me a room key already”, I was thinking.

Over dinner tonight, Miss H and Mrs H had a good-humoured stoush over how many skiing days we have left.

Good thing they did or I’d still be in ignorant bliss.

Our stay was at ~AUD335 per night.

Quoted price for an additional night AUD957.

Ouch!

 

[Brissy1]

Our stay was at ~AUD335 per night.

Quoted price for an additional night AUD957.

Ouch!

Sleeping in the car tonight?
Or..hey let's build an igloo

 

[RSD]

For our current trip to Japan I booked almost 12 months in advance.

Some months ago a QF schedule change meant I could select a return flight to AU a day later without any additional cost. Winner.

“I’ll book the extra night’s accom later”, I thought to myself.

You can see where this is going…

On checkin at the hotel, they asked me to confirm check-out date and still I missed it.

“Just give me a room key already”, I was thinking.

Over dinner tonight, Miss H and Mrs H had a good-humoured stoush over how many skiing days we have left.

Good thing they did or I’d still be in ignorant bliss.

Our stay was at ~AUD335 per night.

Quoted price for an additional night AUD957.

Ouch!

Always thought that skiing was an expensive sport...

 

[p--and--t]

Quoted price for an additional night AUD957.

I thought it bad enough when I asked for an extra night in TYO post a tour I booked for Japan and they quoted AUD750. (Cherry blossom season)

I said no I'll make my own arrangements and booked an AirBnB for AUD57 two streets away from the tour hotel.

 

[Cynicor]

I thought it bad enough when I asked for an extra night in TYO post a tour I booked for Japan and they quoted AUD750. (Cherry blossom season)

I said no I'll make my own arrangements and booked an AirBnB for AUD57 two streets away from the tour hotel.

That’s cheap for Tokyo now. Hotels I stayed in regularly pre-covid for 400-600AUD a night are now somehow asking 2000. And the dollar has strengthened, not weakened, so it’s not an exchange rate issue.
Insanity, considering no renovations etc to justify it (shangrila and Conrad are 2 examples).

 

[Captain Halliday]

Sleeping in the car tonight?

Luckily no.

My miracle save was a bit like @p--and--t :

I thought it bad enough when I asked for an extra night in TYO post a tour I booked for Japan and they quoted AUD750. (Cherry blossom season)

I said no I'll make my own arrangements and booked an AirBnB for AUD57 two streets away from the tour hotel.

I have pushed the bus transfer back to late on our final day (no charge). This has salvaged most of the final day of skiiing.

New arrival time at CTS is about 6pm.

A 3 minute cab ride from CTS is a two bedroom, fully self contained apartment available for AUD113.90. Looks flash too.

It was on QF hotels so I applied a $50 PC voucher bringing our final night down to less than $65, and I’ll collect a handful of QFF points.

Another crisis averted.

 

[BCons]

Just made 2 mistakes- able to correct one, but not the other..

Been looking for a points redemption fare to Europe next yr with SQ - the website displays redemption availability a week at a time, with your nominated date in the middle. I picked what I thought was the right date and proceeded to book myself right thru to payment of points + $700 charges for a return in J. Happy with that, as I got preferred row 11 seats.

Then, because you cant combine revenue & points on the same booking, I next booked the Mrs on the same itin with a normal revenue tkt. We hv different status with SQ, so I couldnt access same seating for her, necessitating a call after booking to SQ to sort it out. Thats when I was told we were on different dates for the return! Seems I selected an earlier date, probly because thats when there was points availability and I didnt notice

That took a bit of time but SQ service centre got to work, moving the flexible revenue tkt to the right day. We are now seated together on the same flights on the same day, so that issue was resolved.

But I have since realised I shud have booked Mrs on the points flt, so that the revenue booking (and attached PPS value) is credited to my KF acct. Might be scratching to retain PPS next year and that might hv made the diff..

 

[Beano]

Just made 2 mistakes- able to correct one, but not the other..

Been looking for a points redemption fare to Europe next yr with SQ - the website displays redemption availability a week at a time, with your nominated date in the middle. I picked what I thought was the right date and proceeded to book myself right thru to payment of points + $700 charges for a return in J. Happy with that, as I got preferred row 11 seats.

Then, because you cant combine revenue & points on the same booking, I next booked the Mrs on the same itin with a normal revenue tkt. We hv different status with SQ, so I couldnt access same seating for her, necessitating a call after booking to SQ to sort it out. Thats when I was told we were on different dates for the return! Seems I selected an earlier date, probly because thats when there was points availability and I didnt notice

That took a bit of time but SQ service centre got to work, moving the flexible revenue tkt to the right day. We are now seated together on the same flights on the same day, so that issue was resolved.

But I have since realised I shud have booked Mrs on the points flt, so that the revenue booking (and attached PPS value) is credited to my KF acct. Might be scratching to retain PPS next year and that might hv made the diff..

I've had the same situation when travelling with Mrs Beano. I sympathise wholeheartedly!

 

[Flashback]

I think the real mistake here, is booking your Mrs on the same flight as you when you had the opportunity to split them up!

 

[RooFlyer]

Caught the 6:30 am shuttle from the Miami Airport Pullman to the American Airlines checking area. Checked in okay, got through the priority screening okay, packed up stuff after screening and … no phone.

Agents in the area have a good look around ,put my bag through re-screening and all they saw was my spare phone and battery pack.

Bit of a panic retracing steps then come to my senses. Pull my spare iPhone out of my carry on, give it a bit of charge, hook into the Wi-Fi and use Find My to see where my iPhone is.

Ah ha, it’s at the Pullman. So it’s either still on the bus or it’s been handed to the counter there. Lock the phone.

No Sim in my spare phone so the TSA guy lend me his and I give them a call. Explain the situation they say yes, they have the phone and the Driver will have it on the next run.

And he did. I lost about 3/4 an hour in total - one of the virtues of checking in early and then I proceeded to the flagship lounge to have a relieved breakfast.

So big hat-tip to iPhone ‘Find My’and also to carrying a spare phone.

 

[Beano]

Ok, in Canberra recently arriving just before 8 pm so though might get to the hotel in time for my drink and snack and something more substantial to eat (Crowne Plaza) before 9 pm. Checked in Ok and was going to the restaurant and taking my tablet. Tablet gone, must have left it on the plane so back to the airport by 8:30 pm. Airport essentially shut. No outgoing flights just a few arrivals. Security closed and no-one at the Qantas service desk. Managed to find someone from baggage handling. No tablet handed in and one staff member said he met the flight I was on and no-one handing in anything. Plane went back to MEL so started calling lost & found in CBR and MEL and left messages. No tablet was not an immediate problem so carried on the next day. About 8 am got a call from CBR lost & found; no tablet. About an hour later got another call from lost & found saying tablet found. It had been handed into the service desk the previous evening, which they promptly forgot about it until next day. Picked it up on they way out the next day. The reason I left it on the plane was because I took it out of my bag anticipating I would need the entertainment app, but it was back of seat screen, so put the tablet in the seat pocket, which I don't normally do. No meal that night but barkeep gave me two drinks for my drink & snack voucher.

 

[pagingjoan]

Caught the 6:30 am shuttle from the Miami Airport Pullman to the American Airlines checking area. Checked in okay, got through the priority screening okay, packed up stuff after screening and … no phone.

Agents in the area have a good look around ,put my bag through re-screening and all they saw was my spare phone and battery pack.

Bit of a panic retracing steps then come to my senses. Pull my spare iPhone out of my carry on, give it a bit of charge, hook into the Wi-Fi and use Find My to see where my iPhone is.

Ah ha, it’s at the Pullman. So it’s either still on the bus or it’s been handed to the counter there. Lock the phone.

No Sim in my spare phone so the TSA guy lend me his and I give them a call. Explain the situation they say yes, they have the phone and the Driver will have it on the next run.

And he did. I lost about 3/4 an hour in total - one of the virtues of checking in early and then I proceeded to the flagship lounge to have a relieved breakfast.

So big hat-tip to iPhone ‘Find My’and also to carrying a spare phone.

I am in awe of such organisational skills!
(Well, apart from losing the phone, in the first place. )

 

[RooFlyer]

I am in awe of such organisational skills!
(Well, apart from losing the phone, in the first place. )

One of my travel prep things these days is to take out the old iPhone and update all the apps and basically bring it the same as my current phone so such as in this case if I need to access it everything is in the same layout etc.

Unfortunately, won’t hold a charge for more than a day or so.

Might need its own small basic long lived eSIM plan.

 

[pagingjoan]

One of my travel prep things these days is to take out the old iPhone and update all the apps and basically bring it the same as my current phone so such as in this case if I need to access it everything is in the same layout etc.

Unfortunately, won’t hold a charge for more than a day or so.

Might need its own small basic long lived eSIM plan.

Could you organise my comms, please?

 

[Pushka]

One of my travel prep things these days is to take out the old iPhone and update all the apps and basically bring it the same as my current phone so such as in this case if I need to access it everything is in the same layout etc.

Unfortunately, won’t hold a charge for more than a day or so.

Might need its own small basic long lived eSIM plan.

I also make sure whomever I'm travelling with has their TripIt app updated because that contains everything, including PDF of travel insurances, so they are immediately accessible.

 

[pagingjoan]

I also make sure whomever I'm travelling with has their TripIt app updated because that contains everything, including PDF of travel insurances, so they are immediately accessible.

Now I need your services, along with RooFlyer’s.
Please organise my travelling companion!

 

[RooFlyer]

I also make sure whomever I'm travelling with has their TripIt app updated because that contains everything, including PDF of travel insurances, so they are immediately accessible.

Oh, that's interesting. I do use TripIt pro but store PDFs of all my docs under a Trip xx_ under collections in Apple's 'Books' app.

Now I need your services, along with RooFlyer’s.
Please organise my travelling companion!

I was going to suggest to start a thread 'Help me with ...' but if it was something like eSIMS, you'd get all sorts of people jumping in with the latest & greatest "Really cheap 50Gb from Hungarian Telecom offered through their Polish site..." and 10 others telling you how to do it 10 different ways. I can only just say I can just manage eSIMS but still have problems with them - like today.

Best if someone can show you in person. But you could try to start a thread for your particular phone type and destination BUT having said all that, I have thought KOLET is very good and simple. Great instructions. Search KOLET on AFF and you'll find a 'referral' thread & go from there.

But as far as docs are concerned, I get everything as a PDF - either scan it myself - passport page, doctors letter, drivers licence etc or e-mail downloads such as vax certificates, travel insurance, rail tickets, air itineraries, anything, and save it to the Books app in iPhone, then organise into each trip. I also carry a folder of hardcopies of the most important stuff, but I also know its on the phone at any time.

 

[Beano]

Oh, that's interesting. I do use TripIt pro but store PDFs of all my docs under a Trip xx_ under collections in Apple's 'Books' app.



I was going to suggest to start a thread 'Help me with ...' but if it was something like eSIMS, you'd get all sorts of people jumping in with the latest & greatest "Really cheap 50Gb from Hungarian Telecom offered through their Polish site..." and 10 others telling you how to do it 10 different ways. I can only just say I can just manage eSIMS but still have problems with them - like today.

Best if someone can show you in person. But you could try to start a thread for your particular phone type and destination BUT having said all that, I have thought KOLET is very good and simple. Great instructions. Search KOLET on AFF and you'll find a 'referral' thread & go from there.

But as far as docs are concerned, I get everything as a PDF - either scan it myself - passport page, doctors letter, drivers licence etc or e-mail downloads such as vax certificates, travel insurance, rail tickets, air itineraries, anything, and save it to the Books app in iPhone, then organise into each trip. I also carry a folder of hardcopies of the most important stuff, but I also know its on the phone at any time.

Personally I have everything on my Overdrive so can access all documents from any device.