Made any travel mistakes lately?

[TravelTim]

I forgot to bring sandals to Florida (USA).

 

[TomVexille]

I forgot to bring sandals to Florida (USA).

Luckily that's easily rectified?

And welcome aboard!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

If a group of 25 family members were travelling o/s on multi leg trip and I stuffed up dates and booked 2 rdpt tix on BA LHR-HKG via AA for the day after the other 23 members were travelling as a group would that be a Travel Mistake? D'Oh! Thank good it is not me but rather a TA who has to solve the accom prob

 

[SponsorSFC]

I would say the mistake was booking on BA

 

[Flashback]

Didn't check my car rental slip in enough detail. I book group A, B or C every week depending on which has the best price (often A/B are priced the same). This week A, B and C were all the same so booked C. As Hertz President's Circle I'm guaranteed a 1 level (minimum) upgrade. I'm used to booking B and getting C, so when I saw a group C car I didn't think any more of it. When I got home I checked the rental slip and it says booked C, rented C. Oops. The parking lot at Hertz LHR is as full as I've ever seen it, so car shortage doesn't seem an issue - they're just skimping. Given I have a mixture of A, B and C again over the next few weeks I'll have to check it more closely.

Then there's the pain of having to actually get someone at the counter to deal with you in a timely fashion ........

Hertz applied 400 points to my Gold Plus Rewards account, so a good result. That's half a rental day worth of points.

 

[JohnK]

If you bring back a wooden rolling pin in your checked luggage make sure you declare it on the inbound form.

Forgot all about it. Declared soil for golf clubs/shoes. They must have known in advance we had wooden items? They simply asked if golf clubs and shoes were clean? Yes. They normally check shoes but not this time.

Then they scanned all our bags. Was then given all 3 forms and asked if we filled out forms and if we packed the bags. Yes. She then goes through 2 bags. Then she says we can go.

Stupid me says something. She gets angry and says I could have fined you $400 for not declaring wooden item. Oops. She says we can go but a male officer interrupts and asks her what she will do now. She's not interested but he keeps pushing. Nothing happens. I apologise and we leave.

Think before you speak.

 

[TravelTim]

Luckily that's easily rectified?

And welcome aboard!

True, but my sandals at home are so cool I didn't want to buy a new pair :/

 

[Mattg]

Today I made quite possibly the dumbest travel mistake I've ever made. I left my passport on the plane (in the seat pocket) after a CDG-AMS flight and went home. By the time I realised, I'd already been home for an hour and the plane was already operating another flight.

I tried calling KLM and the phone line would cut out if you selected the "lost items" option. I then tried getting in touch via social media and they were slow to respond. So I just went back to the airport, hoping for the best.

When I got back to AMS, nobody knew anything about my passport. It had not been handed in. By this time the operating aircraft was almost back in Amsterdam after operating a flight to Austria, so I asked the Lost & Found team if they'd take a look on the plane when it arrived. They did and the search turned up nothing. By this point I was getting pretty desperate and they reluctantly agreed to search one more time before the plane left AMS again on another flight. This time, sure enough, my passport was found in the seat pocket where I'd left it! By this point the plane was already pushing back for the next flight though with all the doors closed, so the pilot opened the coughpit window and threw my passport out to the ground crew. I was reunited with it shortly after. What a relief!

This was totally my fault, I was tired and simply forgot about my passport when I got off the plane. I don't think I'll be making that mistake again!

 

[Myrna]

Glad you got your passport back, Mattg. My sister made the very same mistake years ago on an Air NZ flight - left her passport in the seat pocket in front of her. Luckily they stopped the plane and searched before it took off on the next flight.

 

[Flashback]

Glad you got your passport back, Mattg. My sister made the very same mistake years ago on an Air NZ flight - left her passport in the seat pocket in front of her. Luckily they stopped the plane and searched before it took off on the next flight.

I had the same in RTM but it was more so an issue that it was in the seat pocket but had somehow slipped through and ended up several rows back on the floor! I realised when I couldn't get through passport control..... ran back onto the tarmac and the FA let me back on to find it. That was a big no no, we both were told off

 

[Mattg]

Glad you got your passport back, Mattg. My sister made the very same mistake years ago on an Air NZ flight - left her passport in the seat pocket in front of her. Luckily they stopped the plane and searched before it took off on the next flight.

At least your sister realised before she left the airport!

 

[JohnM]

Today I made quite possibly the dumbest travel mistake I've ever made. I left my passport on the plane (in the seat pocket) after a CDG-AMS flight and went home. By the time I realised, I'd already been home for an hour and the plane was already operating another flight.

I tried calling KLM and the phone line would cut out if you selected the "lost items" option. I then tried getting in touch via social media and they were slow to respond. So I just went back to the airport, hoping for the best.

When I got back to AMS, nobody knew anything about my passport. It had not been handed in. By this time the operating aircraft was almost back in Amsterdam after operating a flight to Austria, so I asked the Lost & Found team if they'd take a look on the plane when it arrived. They did and the search turned up nothing. By this point I was getting pretty desperate and they reluctantly agreed to search one more time before the plane left AMS again on another flight. This time, sure enough, my passport was found in the seat pocket where I'd left it! By this point the plane was already pushing back for the next flight though with all the doors closed, so the pilot opened the coughpit window and threw my passport out to the ground crew. I was reunited with it shortly after. What a relief!

This was totally my fault, I was tired and simply forgot about my passport when I got off the plane. I don't think I'll be making that mistake again!

Wow, @Mattg, that just about takes the cake for the worst mistake on this thread!

You need one of these: Bellroy | Considered Carry Goods: Wallets, Bags, Phone Cases & More

Surely if you had your passport in with all your CCs, MDL, etc, you would not be shoving that in the seat pocket!

 

[JohnK]

This was totally my fault, I was tired and simply forgot about my passport when I got off the plane. I don't think I'll be making that mistake again!

We all make silly mistakes. Glad this one was not costly.

 

[p--and--t]

Today I made quite possibly the dumbest travel mistake I've ever made. I left my passport on the plane (in the seat pocket) after a CDG-AMS flight and went home. By the time I realised, I'd already been home for an hour and the plane was already operating another flight.

I tried calling KLM and the phone line would cut out if you selected the "lost items" option. I then tried getting in touch via social media and they were slow to respond. So I just went back to the airport, hoping for the best.

When I got back to AMS, nobody knew anything about my passport. It had not been handed in. By this time the operating aircraft was almost back in Amsterdam after operating a flight to Austria, so I asked the Lost & Found team if they'd take a look on the plane when it arrived. They did and the search turned up nothing. By this point I was getting pretty desperate and they reluctantly agreed to search one more time before the plane left AMS again on another flight. This time, sure enough, my passport was found in the seat pocket where I'd left it! By this point the plane was already pushing back for the next flight though with all the doors closed, so the pilot opened the coughpit window and threw my passport out to the ground crew. I was reunited with it shortly after. What a relief!

This was totally my fault, I was tired and simply forgot about my passport when I got off the plane. I don't think I'll be making that mistake again!

I am paranoid about my passport when travelling outside the country. In the air my passport never leaves my person, in money belt or special pocket in my "travel pants".

On the ground, in the hotel safe whenever possible.

However, as admitted before, the hotel safe is not the right place if you've checked out

 

[suze2000]

Yep bought some "travel pants" from Eddie Bauer that have a zipped rear pocket that's the perfect size for a passport. Admittedly it gets a bit bent, but it won't get lost.

 

[cove]

I had to really search to find the second fortnight’s prescription medication. If I had lost it I am not sure how easy it would be to get it replaced in Los Angeles. I found it fortunately as I emptied my suitcase while I was jet lagged. Cutting pills in half doesn’t always work out too well but that would be planB.

 

[p--and--t]

Yep bought some "travel pants" from Eddie Bauer that have a zipped rear pocket that's the perfect size for a passport. Admittedly it gets a bit bent, but it won't get lost.

I've "grown out" of them now but I bought some really great pants in Hong Kong at the temple Street market years ago made of a slightly stretchy textured material so they were comfortable & trendy (but not daggy like tracky pants) that had very very deep pockets so they nearly went down to the knees with an internal zip half way down.

The passport went into the lower section with the internal zip closed and a packet of tissues or other in the top section. Anyone trying to pick pocket would only get what was in the top section and nought else. Was a saving grace on the Rome subway when I caught someone with their hand in my pocket - after being caught he skedaddled through the train in a hurry with a used tissue for his trouble.

 

[Quickstatus]

Today I made quite possibly the dumbest travel mistake I've ever made. I left my passport on the plane (in the seat pocket) after a CDG-AMS flight and went home. By the time I realised, I'd already been home for an hour and the plane was already operating another flight.

I tried calling KLM and the phone line would cut out if you selected the "lost items" option. I then tried getting in touch via social media and they were slow to respond. So I just went back to the airport, hoping for the best.

When I got back to AMS, nobody knew anything about my passport. It had not been handed in. By this time the operating aircraft was almost back in Amsterdam after operating a flight to Austria, so I asked the Lost & Found team if they'd take a look on the plane when it arrived. They did and the search turned up nothing. By this point I was getting pretty desperate and they reluctantly agreed to search one more time before the plane left AMS again on another flight. This time, sure enough, my passport was found in the seat pocket where I'd left it! By this point the plane was already pushing back for the next flight though with all the doors closed, so the pilot opened the coughpit window and threw my passport out to the ground crew. I was reunited with it shortly after. What a relief!

This was totally my fault, I was tired and simply forgot about my passport when I got off the plane. I don't think I'll be making that mistake again!

MissQS left her passport in the safe at a hotel near Shinjuku
Realised when the Shinkansen started moving.

Anyway reunited with the passport. 1 day later c/o TakkyuBin delivery service. Y1000 was all it cost.

 

[Mattg]

Wow, @Mattg, that just about takes the cake for the worst mistake on this thread!

You need one of these: Bellroy | Considered Carry Goods: Wallets, Bags, Phone Cases & More

Surely if you had your passport in with all your CCs, MDL, etc, you would not be shoving that in the seat pocket!

Yes, I think it's time to invest in one of these!

I can take comfort in knowing that I'm not the only person to have ever done this. While I was at the airport police office, I noticed that they had a list of around a dozen passports that had been handed in to them and had not yet been collected.

Edit: I have now ordered one of the Bellroy travel wallets.

 

[Quickstatus]

When are digital travel credentials going to be a reality?