Made any travel mistakes lately?

[JohnK]

Note to self. Do not book a 1 night stay in Bangkok thinking it's more convenient.

We were flying DMK-CNX at 9:15am so I booked a hotel in Sukhumvit the night before.

1500 baht for private car for 2 hour trip from Pattaya to BKK and then tried to book meter taxi for 30 minute trip and was told the standard price is 800 baht without meter. We asked a number of hotels in the area and gave the same story.

Even Bolt was 473 baht for big car which I booked the same morning but that's much better than 800 baht. When are Thai taxi drivers going to realise they are losing money?

In Chiang Mai tuk-tuks are now 40-50 baht a trip where as not that long ago they were 150 baht. Red car back down to 30 baht a short trip down from their extortionate rates not that long ago. The red car numbers have dropped considerably and its not unusual to see 5-6 tuk-tuks parked on the street with a driver.

 

[boomy]

Note to self. Do not book a 1 night stay in Bangkok thinking it's more convenient.

We were flying DMK-CNX at 9:15am so I booked a hotel in Sukhumvit the night before.

1500 baht for private car for 2 hour trip from Pattaya to BKK and then tried to book meter taxi for 30 minute trip and was told the standard price is 800 baht without meter. We asked a number of hotels in the area and gave the same story.

Even Bolt was 473 baht for big car which I booked the same morning but that's much better than 800 baht. When are Thai taxi drivers going to realise they are losing money?

Not sure taxis are losing money. When we stayed in Sukhuvmit earlier this week we were advised to pre-book Grab to airport because it’s very hard to catch taxi in the morning and indeed we noticed the concierge trying (in vain) to catch taxi for a stressed couple the next morning.

I don’t get why people even bother with taxis these days. It’s normally cheaper and more convenient to use ride share.

Later we learned that it’s actually cheaper and more convenient to use private chauffeur companies in some parts of Thailand. They don’t look to profit more hence can easily beat taxi and ride share fares as they are paid in cash and don’t need to share the profit.

 

[wandering_fred]

Not a perfect solution, but there are plenty of hotels within walking distance (or the hotel shuttle distance) of one of the train stations that goes directly to the airport. Asoke area?
OK I travel light when wandering
Fred

 

[JohnK]

Not sure taxis are losing money. When we stayed in Sukhuvmit earlier this week we were advised to pre-book Grab to airport because it’s very hard to catch taxi in the morning and indeed we noticed the concierge trying (in vain) to catch taxi for a stressed couple the next morning.

I don’t get why people even bother with taxis these days. It’s normally cheaper and more convenient to use ride share.

Later we learned that it’s actually cheaper and more convenient to use private chauffeur companies in some parts of Thailand. They don’t look to profit more hence can easily beat taxi and ride share fares as they are paid in cash and don’t need to share the profit.

Good points @boomy but one needs to understand that taxi/songthaew/tuk tuk numbers post Covid have dropped significantly.

I've now been in Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai and that is noticeable.

We walked downstairs from hotel/apartment in Sukhumvit Soi 15 at around 7:00am. Just missed a big taxi going past. I walked ~200 metres to checkout and came back and was solicited by 2 different taxis parked in the Soi but I had already booked Bolt. I'm still not convinced they would have turned on meter.

I agree re private taxis. They are cheaper but don't have a licence to operate as a taxi and if something happens travel insurance does not cover you.

Too many bags for public transport @wandering_fred especially BTS. Golf clubs, 2 x 26-28in luggage, 3 carryon bags including a 5 year old girl.

We'll have the same sort of trip in 2 weeks. I'll play golf Friday in Pattaya and we'll head off to airport next day.

 

[sudoer]

It’s normally cheaper and more convenient to use ride share.

Also way easier in countries where you don't speak the native language, and mitigates the risk of card skimming if paying by card.

 

[RAM]

Also way easier in countries where you don't speak the native language, and mitigates the risk of card skimming if paying by card.

Well not sure about card skimming avoidance & taxis...

A friend of mine had her card skimmed by a taxi taken from Sydney Airport to home. A pre-paid $2,000 debit card.

It was brand new (present from parents) and she'd had it as an emergency when on holidays, so decided to use it now back home. Two days later went to use it again - failed, tried again & failed. Went to the issuing bank & told it had zero balance. Other than the first trip it was all used up on taxi fares in MELBOURNE the next day.

So she went to the police and was told 'What proof do you have that the taxi driver was involved?'

Transactions!

Police - 'Circumstantial, a clever lawyer would just argue it was a coincidence, and as the transactions were in another state then we would not be able to investigate ourselves. Happens all the time.'
___________________________________________________________________

Moral of the story: NEVER sit in the front passenger seat in a taxi etc. Sit behind the driver's seat when paying using the mobile terminal

If in the front passenger seat then the taxi driver hands you the mobile terminal which you hold with one hand, and you enter the PIN with your other hand = nothing to hide your PIN from the taxi driver's gaze.

 

[sudoer]

Well not sure about card skimming avoidance & taxis.

The situation you describe is entirely avoidable by paying through an app

 

[straitman]

The situation you describe is entirely avoidable by paying through an app

Maybe but many wouldn’t know or even if coextensive that.

 

[Quickstatus]

enter the PIN with your other hand

Maybe tap with Apple Pay? And leave CC/DC in an anti RFID case

 

[mrsterryn]

Left my tablet at home that is loaded up with everything for this trip. Already airside
Can I cry ?

 

[SYD]

Left my tablet at home that is loaded up with everything for this trip. Already airside
Can I cry ?

Sync’d or backed up to the Cloud? Can you get another and download?

 

[mrsterryn]

Sync’d or backed up to the Cloud? Can you get another and download?

Nope all on an SD card in the tablet. Now trying to get Netflix to download and of course logged into too many devices
Seriously have to laugh what a beginning to my first international since March 2020

 

[Flashback]

Booked a hotel in downtown Anchorage for 2 nights. 'nuff said!

 

[Warks]

Having only flown about 3 times in the past two years I've made the mistake of going back to Virgin for my now regular travel. Cancellation after cancellation... This sucks. Dunno if QF is doing better but I hope so.

 

[serfty]

... This sucks. Dunno if QF is doing better but I hope so.

Nup, my last two MEL/SYD flights were cancelled at less than a days notice.

Reallocated within an hour earlier/later but the carefully selected row 4 seats disappeared off to the ether.

 

[sudoer]

Nup, my last two MEL/SYD flights were cancelled at less than a days notice.

The week before last, Qantas cancelled several Friday afternoon SYD-MEL vv flights about 18 hours prior. Every flight that departed ended up being 100% full so presumably some pax were rerouted or delayed to the Saturday morning. I'm curious to know what the cause was, my guess is a shortage of pilots/crew.

 

[RAM]

The week before last, Qantas cancelled several Friday afternoon SYD-MEL vv flights about 18 hours prior. Every flight that departed ended up being 100% full so presumably some pax were rerouted or delayed to the Saturday morning. I'm curious to know what the cause was, my guess is a shortage of pilots/crew.

Certainly not done to 'enhance passenger experience' (& senior exec bonus pool) by saving on several sets of landing fees and gate charges, crew costs, fuel etc while pushing up loads from high 80% levels to 100% on the remaining flights. Just a happy coincidence.

Q wouldn't pull 'an easyJet'.

 

[dairyfloss]

I'm going to add one of mine from a little while back.

I thought it would be an awesome investment to spend US$87 on buying TAP [Portugal] Miles&Go miles as a part of qualifying for a *G 12-month status match on the 3rd of March 2020. "This SARS-y thing won't hang around for long!", I thought.

It came though, no trouble.
It was even extended by a year.
It is now back to base level.
I still haven't left Australian territory.
Their unsubscribeable e-mails mock me.

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[sudoer]

I thought it would be an awesome investment to spend US$87 on buying TAP [Portugal] Miles&Go miles as a part of qualifying for a *G 12-month status match on the 3rd of March 2020. "This SARS-y thing won't hang around for long!", I thought.

I remember almost pulling the trigger on the same promo!

 

[dairyfloss]

I remember almost pulling the trigger on the same promo!

I think it's running again... Knowing my luck, they probably don't allow those who have successfully matched before, to match again!