Made any travel mistakes lately?

[Mattg]

For the first time in more than two years, I had something confiscated by airport security last week. I accidentally left a pair of scissors in my bag.

I'm normally pretty careful with these kinds of things - not necessarily because I'm worried about losing a pair of scissors, but more so because it slows you down when security want to go through the contents of your bag etc.

 

[Dalescott]

Got talked into travelling Economy, by the Adult Children. It was horrible, long haul to UKL with QR. No sleep, crying little rug rats, indifferent FA's, and JET LAG.
This is what happens when you get older, children think that you are unable to look after yourself.

 

[Hvr]

Got talked into travelling Economy, by the Adult Children. It was horrible, long haul to UKL with QR. No sleep, crying little rug rats, indifferent FA's, and JET LAG.
This is what happens when you get older, children think that you are unable to look after yourself.

Next time tell them you're flying business because you're SKIing, (Spending the Kids Inheritance).

It would be very hard to talk me into travelling Y on long haul.

 

[andye]

I looked up UKL airport as it was one I didn't know-assume typo as QR don't fly there

 

[Warks]

A few months ago I booked Rydges Southbank Hotel in Townsville. It was only a week or so before I was to leave that I checked the dates of the booking and noticed I'd booked Rydges South Bank Hotel in Brisbane! I was wondering why it was a fair bit more expensive than usual at the time but as it was on a drop-down menu I must have clicked the wrong hotel. Luckily I was able to cancel without penalty but then of course the Townsville hotel was booked out. Still that led me to my first ever stay in an AirBnB and it was one of the best places I've ever stayed at less than half the cost. Out of chaos comes order.

 

[codash1099]

Next time tell them you're flying business because you're SKIing, (Spending the Kids Inheritance).

It would be very hard to talk me into travelling Y on long haul.

If I can't fly J internationally, I'd rather not go. Life's too short to fly longhaul Y.

 

[pagingjoan]

A few months ago I booked Rydges Southbank Hotel in Townsville. It was only a week or so before I was to leave that I checked the dates of the booking and noticed I'd booked Rydges South Bank Hotel in Brisbane! I was wondering why it was a fair bit more expensive than usual at the time but as it was on a drop-down menu I must have clicked the wrong hotel. Luckily I was able to cancel without penalty but then of course the Townsville hotel was booked out. Still that led me to my first ever stay in an AirBnB and it was one of the best places I've ever stayed at less than half the cost. Out of chaos comes order.

Sometimes!

 

[Jurahn]

For the first time in more than two years, I had something confiscated by airport security last week. I accidentally left a pair of scissors in my bag.

I'm normally pretty careful with these kinds of things - not necessarily because I'm worried about losing a pair of scissors, but more so because it slows you down when security want to go through the contents of your bag etc.

Exactly the same thing happened to me a month ago, except it was the first time I'd ever had anything confiscated! I'd travelled to NSW and took a pair of nail scissors with me, put it in a plastic bag with my pegless travel clotheslines which I would never bother to put in my cabin bag, so that made sure it went in my suitcase. At least until I was repacking to come home - at the end of the trip had been horseriding for 4 days, so was just in the process of literally shoving everything back into my bags as it all had to be washed anyway - the only thing I can think of is that they were in the pile of stuff on the bed and got caught up in something else I was stuffing in my little backpack!

Got to Canberra airport and bag was pulled at security screening for a search because "you have nail scissors in the bag, madam". I'm thinking "what the?? There's no WAY they could be in there". The security guy then proceeded to promptly empty almost EVERYTHING out of the bag and dump it in a tray, hunted around in the pile and then rather triumphantly held up the plastic bag. Oh cr*p, I thought, how the hell did that end up in there - I was so annoyed at myself because they were a good quality pair of scissors and it had taken me ages to find them, but they're gone now. I said "sorry about that, can't believe I did something that stupid!" ... although I was pretty annoyed that he just pulled practically everything out of the bag before even starting to look for the scissors, and then afterwards just shoved everything at me and walked off, leaving me standing there trying to hastily repack the entire contents of the bag and get out of everyone's way. My husband used to work on security screening at PER domestic, and that is NOT how a search is supposed to be carried out!

 

[Jemm82]

When realising I was just shy of VA Platinum I took a status run and also upgraded my mother in law to business and family pooled her status credits into my account (yes, she lives with us).
Her flight was returning the day before my husband was taking a trip to Singapore which I was also going to get pooled into my account. This would ensure my hitting platinum. However, When I went to change the pooling from my mother in law to my husband the day before he left, I was confused by the message that came up saying "any points and SC's earned from today will not be pooled into your account". As a result I did not change the pooling fearing my MIL's points from that day would not go into my account. Instead I decided I would change this in the morning just before my husbands flight. Well, turns out cancelling my MIL from pooling into my account needed to be done before 11:59pm and thus I could not add my husband to my pool the next day (due to the only one person pooling into your account at one time). Sheesh what a waste of my status run earlier in the month and upgrading my MIL. Live and learn. Maybe velocity will be kind when I call them once my husband is home. I always thought updating pooling took effect immediately.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Early evening Oct 12 I called IC in NKG to tell them I would not be arriving hotel til 9pm so pls don't cancel my booking - Res Agent said she could not find a booking in my name that evening - I quoted Booking Red # and agent told me 'Sorry Sir - that booking was for Sat Oct 9' - D'Oh seems I booked IC stay for same night on the day I made booking. Such is life.

 

[24601]

Hotel room, very early morning...used an instant coffee sachet only to discover after finishing that is was a decaf coffee. There was no placebo effect.

 

[JohnK]

Have been carefully planning a complex point to point itinerary on the Qantas website BKK-SYD and return via SIN and BNE in both directions and was happy with the price. Went to book today and price has jumped ~6,000 baht. :shock:

I guess the sale finished yesterday.

 

[Austman]

I overbooked a hotel stay. By 1 (or for some, 2) night(s).

I was arriving at 02:00 or later, so I booked the night before. Not a mistake and I doubt early check-in at 02:00 would have been allowed - although some might chance it - or wait?

But I was leaving on a 01:30 flight. And I accidentally booked that whole day and night too! The hotel said I could have stayed (as an elite) to 16:00 the day before. By the time I realised, it was too late (of no value) to cancel the last night. At least I had a casual check-out experience at a time I chose myself (around 21:30) after a nice couple of hours in the executive lounge followed by a shower in my room. But oops - I probably would have been OK with a 16:00 check-out and saved a night's costs.

01:30 departures and the like...

 

[sinophile888]

Hotel room, very early morning...used an instant coffee sachet only to discover after finishing that is was a decaf coffee. There was no placebo effect.

In my situation, making the opposite mistake could have been disastrous.

 

[Misslingling]

Booked a Qantas flight using Skywards miles, BNE to LAX before I received my new work contract (got paranoid about the deal disappearing). Received contact the same day and the end date is few weeks earlier than expected so had a lightbulb moment to change the dates and destination (to fit in with other dates/events, and move holiday earlier), cost me an additional $99 I didn't intend on spending! Not the worst mistake in the world but was an avoidable one.

 

[coles525]

Just today (Chicago), somehow lost my 7 day transport card. Somewhere between the 6 or 7 Geocaches I was finding!

Then... didn't have change for a bus, so spent $5, for a $2.50 bus ride.

Then the 2nd bus was $2.50.

 

[RooFlyer]

Have a horrible feeling I'm making a major mistake right now (and JoJen is not allowed to roll eyes on this one )

I need an Indian tourist visa by the end of this month. Went to the web site ages ago and saw you could get an e-visa Sweet! Went back last week to do it (T-5 weeks), but they have a window of 34 days prior to arrival to apply, so I held off until yesterday.

When I went in again, I got nervous about some details so I called the "help line". They are only for the normal visas, no help for e-visas and I got the impression that an eVisa was really an application for a visa-on-arrival.

So I go back to apply for regular visa. Shorter time frame than I would ever do for this. (Got my China visa weeks ago).

Instructions are horrible; needed a couple of calls to sort out. All contacts very heavily accented, rarely understanding my queries; little actually directly helped with the question I asked. I also discover that my stock of standard passport/visa photos aren't compliant with Indian requirements (quick call to jojen confirms). Dash to get new pics taken.

About to post off, then by chance re-read a para ... notice that the visa appears to be issued from the date of application (but of course its not clear); as in the application they ask for date of entry, I asked for a one month visa, assuming that the date will be from that date. Mistake Urgent re-do of whole visa application with 6 month visa requested.

About to post off again this morning. Re-read submission instructions and I see that they say three contradictory things about how the passport will arrive back to me (if I apply by post).

* It will be courier, and courier fee is mandatory (this is what I thought all along, as they ask for street address and never postal address);
* If applied for by post, it will be posted back
* It can be by courier, if you select the courier option when applying <I went back and confirmed that there was no such option>

I really want it returned ASAP (especially with slowness of AP these days and unreliability of couriers where I live). So another call to the 'help' line. I really struggle to understand what he is saying. Never did he appear to understand my question "If I post my application in, how does it get returned to me - by post or by courier?" Several times he appeared to use 'courier' and 'post' interchangeably. Had to end the call none the wiser.

Anyway, I've included an addressed Australia Post Express envelope with my application (going via Australia Post Express Post). It'll be a nervous couple of weeks.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Have a horrible feeling I'm making a major mistake right now ...

It'll be a nervous couple of weeks.

Wow. I hope all that goes well. I can't help with India, but we used the on-line visa process for Sri Lanka and it worked well, but I must admit it was confusing when you start reading about visa arrangement companies ... for a fee. It had me wondering if we should go down that path so as to remove any room for error, but reading of experiences on various web sites convinced us there was just as much chance of error with paying someone as there is without.

 

[JohnK]

Booked a cheap hotel for 2 nights for wife and daughter at last minute at her insistence as some of our regular hotels were pricey.

Room not not clean and no kettle to boil water. Can get kettle with 1,000 baht deposit. :shock:

Live and learn. At least they will be at Holiday Inn from Sunday.

 

[jojen]

Have a horrible feeling I'm making a major mistake right now (and JoJen is not allowed to roll eyes on this one )

I need an Indian tourist visa by the end of this month. Went to the web site ages ago and saw you could get an e-visa Sweet! Went back last week to do it (T-5 weeks), but they have a window of 34 days prior to arrival to apply, so I held off until yesterday.

When I went in again, I got nervous about some details so I called the "help line". They are only for the normal visas, no help for e-visas and I got the impression that an eVisa was really an application for a visa-on-arrival.

So I go back to apply for regular visa. Shorter time frame than I would ever do for this. (Got my China visa weeks ago).

Instructions are horrible; needed a couple of calls to sort out. All contacts very heavily accented, rarely understanding my queries; little actually directly helped with the question I asked. I also discover that my stock of standard passport/visa photos aren't compliant with Indian requirements (quick call to jojen confirms). Dash to get new pics taken.

About to post off, then by chance re-read a para ... notice that the visa appears to be issued from the date of application (but of course its not clear); as in the application they ask for date of entry, I asked for a one month visa, assuming that the date will be from that date. Mistake Urgent re-do of whole visa application with 6 month visa requested.

About to post off again this morning. Re-read submission instructions and I see that they say three contradictory things about how the passport will arrive back to me (if I apply by post).

* It will be courier, and courier fee is mandatory (this is what I thought all along, as they ask for street address and never postal address);
* If applied for by post, it will be posted back
* It can be by courier, if you select the courier option when applying <I went back and confirmed that there was no such option>

I really want it returned ASAP (especially with slowness of AP these days and unreliability of couriers where I live). So another call to the 'help' line. I really struggle to understand what he is saying. Never did he appear to understand my question "If I post my application in, how does it get returned to me - by post or by courier?" Several times he appeared to use 'courier' and 'post' interchangeably. Had to end the call none the wiser.

Anyway, I've included an addressed Australia Post Express envelope with my application (going via Australia Post Express Post). It'll be a nervous couple of weeks.

I did not roll my eyes when I saw this Stop worrying about it, everything will be fine. If I can apply for an Indian, Russian and Chinese visa you can too !!
I am sure they confuse courier with Australia Post. If they have any problems with it they will contact you as I seem to remember they did ring about which countries we had visited. Enjoy the weekend.