Made any travel mistakes lately?

[Denali]

got home from a trip to Vietnam landed 7am ish in Brisbane, got home still feeling productive I showered, emptied my suitcase, did my washing. went to put my passport back to the usual spot and then realised it was in my jeans... in the wash :-(

We really need a hug button.

We flew SYD-BNE-LAX and passports were put in my handbag, near a packet of handy wipes. During the flight, the cabin pressure must have squeezed the handy wipe packet to leak and hubbys passport had a moist feel and look and some pages were wet by the time we got to BNE.

So there I was, in the ladies toilet, drying his passport with a hand blower with an increasing group of concerned random strangers in the toilets giving advise and support. I now put passports in their own zip lock bag for just in case.

 

[straitman]

Also, one has to get out of the country they're in. I'd hate to think of the hoops to jump through with that one. Just last year I was grilled whilst exiting POM for supposedly having an out of date visa. He was actually looking at my old visa and my new one still had years of validity on it, but it was actually difficult to get him to flick over the pages and look at the correct one … I'd hate to be trying to get out without a passport at all.

Serves you right for going to POM!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Serves you right for going to POM!

No better place IMHO! The secret to POM is getting to know the place. It's not a tourist town in itself, but it is a great hub for lots of little known tourist spots.

 

[straitman]

No better place IMHO! The secret to POM is getting to know the place. It's not a tourist town in itself, but it is a great hub for lots of little known tourist spots.

Fortunately many places are like that.

I might let you take me there one day then.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Also, one has to get out of the country they're in. I'd hate to think of the hoops to jump through with that one. Just last year I was grilled whilst exiting POM for supposedly having an out of date visa. He was actually looking at my old visa and my new one still had years of validity on it, but it was actually difficult to get him to flick over the pages and look at the correct one … I'd hate to be trying to get out without a passport at all.

yes - I think Indonesia and Thailand are the same? You need to have an entry stamp in order to be allowed to leave... hence why people have to get replacement passports and then go to the local immigration office (or so it seems to play out in the Channel 9 Embassy show).

 

[andye]

Paid the taxes for Mstr andye1's forthcoming Euro-jaunt using Amex Reserve rather than Charge, losing the built-in insurance cover

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Paid the taxes for Mstr andye1's forthcoming Euro-jaunt using Amex Reserve rather than Charge, losing the built-in insurance cover

Does the Reserve card have any travel insurance benefits of its own?

Either way are offspring covered when travelling without the primary cardholder?

Not sure if they have to be a supplementary cardholder?

 

[equus]

Reserve does have travel insurance as well - coverage is a little different (generally less limits).

Dependent children are covered, even if travelling alone (they fail under the "primary card member" definition). To add to the confusion (and inconsistency) for Reserve, they are only covered when financially dependent and 22 years of age or under, but for Platinum Charge, the age is 24 years and under (and still financially dependent).

 

[andye]

Does the Reserve card have any travel insurance benefits of its own?

Either way are offspring covered when travelling without the primary cardholder?

Not sure if they have to be a supplementary cardholder?

I don't have the T&Cs to hand but the CS man said a miles booking would only be covered on the Reserve if all the miles originated from the Reserve account (though thinking about it they are pooled to Ascent Premium anyway, so presume they mean resulted from an MR transfer)

 

[andye]

We ended up using World2go using the discount code mentioned in Matt's recent AFF gazette. The Essentials policy does cover award flights at retail value

 

[get me outta here]

I suppose this is a travel mistake,
“Abandoned rabbit causes bomb scare at Adelaide Airport”

Abandoned rabbit causes airport bomb scare

 

[JohnK]

Booked 1 night back in February for wife and daughter to stay in Chiang Mai tonight.

Then booked 2 nights back in April for wife and daughter to stay in Chiang Mai tonight and tomorrow night and forgot about first booking.

Wife will ask for extra night at check-in but told her not to let hotel cancel any booking as they earn QFF points.

 

[Lord_Lenny]

Recently I booked a quick 5 day trip to Beijing to tick the Great Wall off Lady_Lenny's bucket list. Swore blind that I triple checked the dates several times, still ended up booking flights and a non-refundable room at Hilton Wangfujing for check in on a day when we are meant to be at the ballet with my family.

Luckily flights were changed with only minimal $$ outlay thanks to the new outbound leg actually being a lower fare on the new date and the inbound leg being a flexi fare. Luckily I am well stocked for Hilton points and have a free night certificate so I need to contact them to get things changed. Could have been a lot worse!!

 

[Nisho]

I set the alarm on my new-ish iPhone for 0520.... woke up at 0630 to realise the phone was as 'dead as a brick.' It was already at 100% when i fell asleep and no amount of pressing the power button could wake it up.

Now thankfully I did not have to meet a critical deadline (for check-in etc.) but if I did.. I'd be guaranteed to miss a flight!
Lesson learnt: Have a backup wake up call!

 

[Justinf]

Booked a Finnair flight from Helsinki to LHR that left at 4.10pm and got to Heathrow at 5.30pm or something like that with a QF flight back to Australia leaving 11.55pm the same night.
Or at least I thought it was leaving at 11.55pm. Turns out my QF flight was actually 11.55am (I fell for the 24 hour clock thing).
Quick call to Finnair got it sorted free of charge.

 

[JohnK]

A Suzuki swift is not going to be big enough for 3 suitcases, stroller and golf bag with golf travel cover and a baby seat. In fact it's a struggle with just 1 suitcase and a golf bag with golf travel cover.

At least it was only $60 wasted but Dad up early in the morning to come to SYD airport with my luggage and golf bag but then wife and daughter waiting in the freezing cold while I return the car and walk back to departures.

Very poor planning.

 

[Popeye]

On a train going out to Western Sydney I am sitting on a seat from hell it is so hard.
I thought about my most recent mistake of booking Novotel Brisbane Airport only to find it was not really at the airport and wondered if others have mistakes they would like to share.
Fortunately the train is an express ride to my destination!

I booked a flight for my wife and I to travel to CNS for her birthday forgetting that the day that we were meant to depart that we would be onboard QF4 somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. All good now changed the CNS departure to a day later ($99 per person change fee on a red e) so now we arrive back from HNL , have one night at home then off to CNS the next day

 

[suze2000]

I meant to book an overnight stop in Tokyo on the way home as we have to change between Haneda and Narita and it is only 4.5hrs. I am honestly surprised JAL's website let me book it. Changing it will cost $430 or so, and I think it's worth it, but hubby says no.

 

[JessicaTam]

I meant to book an overnight stop in Tokyo on the way home as we have to change between Haneda and Narita and it is only 4.5hrs. I am honestly surprised JAL's website let me book it. Changing it will cost $430 or so, and I think it's worth it, but hubby says no.

I think the HND-NRT MCT is 90 minutes.

 

[zenyattamondatta]

I think the HND-NRT MCT is 90 minutes.

It might say that somewhere, but I don't see how that's feasible given that you'd usually be expected to have your bags checked in an hour or so before departure internationally. And you're looking at at least an hour on the bus between airports, ignoring any waiting time etc.

Even D>D would be so much of a stretch that it would fail more often than not.

On the other hand, a lot would have to go wrong to mess things up if you have 4.5 hours.

Both JAL and ANA state MCT of three hours for flights within their own groups.