The dumbest travel-related mistake you ever made?
Jul 4, 2014, 11:12 pm
#871
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: YYZ
Posts: 1,666
Let's add a new one from my recent trip:
I typically like to make sure I spend every last cent of currency, especially in countries where I don't intend on returning in the near future.
I saved enough Russian rubles for my bus fare from the metro station to the airport - exactly 35 rubles. When I got to the metro station, I saw a bunch of Russians carrying around luggage boarding a bus that had a plane logo on it. Great I thought, this is the airport bus.
Except this bus went to the old Pulkovo Terminal 2 which was no longer operational. The group I had followed went and asked the bus driver if it was going to the airport. Clearly it wasn't and we got off in the middle of somewhere to catch a bus going in the opposite direction (again, this bus had a airport logo.)
Except, that bus didn't go to the airport either. And I had boarded without any Russian currency. I had some spare US $1 bills and hoped the driver would take it. Instead he yelled at me for a good minute or two in Russian, crumpled up the bill and threw it back at me.
Great, now I'm in the middle of a highway and I have no money to get to the airport. I knew we had just passed a shopping mall a KM or two back, so my only choice was to walk back there to find an ATM to take out some cash for the bus.
Right when I start walking, a freak wet snow storm comes along. I am totally soaked. Eventually I find the ATM I need and take out 50 Rubles (US$1), enough for my bus fare. Then I had to walk back out into that storm to catch the actual bus to the airport (I should have just followed the instructions I wrote down the night before - DOH!)
I made my flight in the end. But damn did I feel stupid.
I typically like to make sure I spend every last cent of currency, especially in countries where I don't intend on returning in the near future.
I saved enough Russian rubles for my bus fare from the metro station to the airport - exactly 35 rubles. When I got to the metro station, I saw a bunch of Russians carrying around luggage boarding a bus that had a plane logo on it. Great I thought, this is the airport bus.
Except this bus went to the old Pulkovo Terminal 2 which was no longer operational. The group I had followed went and asked the bus driver if it was going to the airport. Clearly it wasn't and we got off in the middle of somewhere to catch a bus going in the opposite direction (again, this bus had a airport logo.)
Except, that bus didn't go to the airport either. And I had boarded without any Russian currency. I had some spare US $1 bills and hoped the driver would take it. Instead he yelled at me for a good minute or two in Russian, crumpled up the bill and threw it back at me.
Great, now I'm in the middle of a highway and I have no money to get to the airport. I knew we had just passed a shopping mall a KM or two back, so my only choice was to walk back there to find an ATM to take out some cash for the bus.
Right when I start walking, a freak wet snow storm comes along. I am totally soaked. Eventually I find the ATM I need and take out 50 Rubles (US$1), enough for my bus fare. Then I had to walk back out into that storm to catch the actual bus to the airport (I should have just followed the instructions I wrote down the night before - DOH!)
I made my flight in the end. But damn did I feel stupid.
Jul 6, 2014, 3:17 pm
#872
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: QLA
Programs: SBUX Gold
Posts: 14,507
Many moons ago I was taking the night train from Milan to Zurich. Only problem was that it was one of those European trains that split in two. Only the front half went to Zurich, while the rear half went to somewhere in Germany. The train stopped at Chur at about 1am and split in two. I only realized that I was in the wrong half as the train started to reverse. I had to jump onto the platform as the train pulled out of the station! Fortunately I didn't sustain any injuries.
Jul 7, 2014, 7:23 am
#873
Formerly known as tireman77
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,489
A few years back I flew From Canada to Australia to Indonesia to Singapore to the Maldives to the UK and home to Canada.
While planning the trip, I looked into visa requirements for every country to make sure there were no surprises. Its turns out I looked into ALMOST every country....
While checking in for my initial flight, the agents asks me, "Do you have your Visa for Australia? I don't see it on the file?" I was flabbergasted. Wait...What? Canadians need a Visa to travel to Australia? Commonwealth countries... great international relations... What??? I never in a 100 years thought Canadians needed a Visa to enter Australia.
Turns out its not really a visa but a 'fee' to enter the country. And luckily for me, I was able to make my way to the ticket counter and purchase it at the airport. For a few minutes I saw my Epic trip crumbling to the ground because I was too stupid to check Australia.
Boy, did I feel like an idiot there....
While planning the trip, I looked into visa requirements for every country to make sure there were no surprises. Its turns out I looked into ALMOST every country....
While checking in for my initial flight, the agents asks me, "Do you have your Visa for Australia? I don't see it on the file?" I was flabbergasted. Wait...What? Canadians need a Visa to travel to Australia? Commonwealth countries... great international relations... What??? I never in a 100 years thought Canadians needed a Visa to enter Australia.
Turns out its not really a visa but a 'fee' to enter the country. And luckily for me, I was able to make my way to the ticket counter and purchase it at the airport. For a few minutes I saw my Epic trip crumbling to the ground because I was too stupid to check Australia.
Boy, did I feel like an idiot there....
Jul 7, 2014, 9:18 am
#874
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 243
A few years back I flew From Canada to Australia to Indonesia to Singapore to the Maldives to the UK and home to Canada.
While planning the trip, I looked into visa requirements for every country to make sure there were no surprises. Its turns out I looked into ALMOST every country....
While checking in for my initial flight, the agents asks me, "Do you have your Visa for Australia? I don't see it on the file?" I was flabbergasted. Wait...What? Canadians need a Visa to travel to Australia? Commonwealth countries... great international relations... What??? I never in a 100 years thought Canadians needed a Visa to enter Australia.
Turns out its not really a visa but a 'fee' to enter the country. And luckily for me, I was able to make my way to the ticket counter and purchase it at the airport. For a few minutes I saw my Epic trip crumbling to the ground because I was too stupid to check Australia.
Boy, did I feel like an idiot there....
While planning the trip, I looked into visa requirements for every country to make sure there were no surprises. Its turns out I looked into ALMOST every country....
While checking in for my initial flight, the agents asks me, "Do you have your Visa for Australia? I don't see it on the file?" I was flabbergasted. Wait...What? Canadians need a Visa to travel to Australia? Commonwealth countries... great international relations... What??? I never in a 100 years thought Canadians needed a Visa to enter Australia.
Turns out its not really a visa but a 'fee' to enter the country. And luckily for me, I was able to make my way to the ticket counter and purchase it at the airport. For a few minutes I saw my Epic trip crumbling to the ground because I was too stupid to check Australia.
Boy, did I feel like an idiot there....
Jul 7, 2014, 9:50 am
#875
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 288
When I was 19 I was flying PHL-SAN for a family party with my then-girlfriend. After parking and getting to check-in I realized I didn't have my suit bag with me, so we took the shuttle back to my car. After realizing my clothes were still home we got back to check-in only to learn they had already called last boarding. In my infinite teenage foolishness I ignored the schedule change emails and didn't realize our flight had been pushed way up. My girlfriend pushes to the front of the line and says "We've got a party in SAN to be at and we're getting on that f*#*g plane."...
We got on that plane.
We got on that plane.
Last edited by dantorsiello; Jul 7, 2014 at 10:07 am
Jul 7, 2014, 10:22 am
#877
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Midwest USA
Programs: BA SIL, WN A, UA SIL, Marriott TIT (LT), Hilton DIA
Posts: 1,969
This is both stupid and highly embarrassing. And it is not an April Fool’s joke. Apologies in advance for questioning the wisdom of UA pilots.
Flying SFO-LAX on Tuesday, 4/1. My flight was canceled, and I was rebooked on the next flight 90 minutes later. Slim pickings on seat selection. E+ sold out. Put in E-, row 27F – behind the wing. Didn’t like being so far back, but great view of flaps and the flight is only an hour or so.
Bad weather in SF and down the coast. Push back delayed 60 minutes because of a late crew arrival (pilots only). We finally pushed back and started to taxi to 28R. There were 4 or 5 planes ahead of us in the sequence. Finally we are next to go. I look out and see that the flaps had not been extended. I immediately thought of the NW flight a number of years back that crashed immediately after takeoff from DTW because the pilots failed to extend the flaps. For some reason – and completely out of character – I started to panic. I had images in my head of crashing into the 101.
We taxied onto 28R and then immediately pulled off the runway. The captain made an announcement that because of ATC flow control, we would be delayed up to 20 minutes, but that we could leave sooner. He said that he would give us the 2 minute warning before departure.
After about 5 minutes of waiting and seeing that the flaps were not yet extended, I was fully agitated and nervous. A couple of people got up to use the restroom, so I did the same. In the back galley I quietly admitted to the FA that I was being a bit paranoid, but that the flaps were not down and someone should call the captain to tell him to do so. She was very polite and said, “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.” At this point, I didn’t know what to do, so I went back toward my seat. Two rows ahead of me on the aisle was an off-duty pilot in uniform, so I knelt down beside him and said, I’m not a pilot, but I’m concerned that the captain hasn’t put the flaps down. He looked at me with a very annoyed expression and replied, “you’re right, you’re not a pilot – go sit down.”
I guess my instinct to not embarrass myself (any more than I already had) was stronger than my fear because I returned to my seat. A couple minutes later we heard the double ding and the flaps still weren’t down. However, as we began to pull on to the runway, the pilot extended the flaps and I breathed a big sigh of relief.
Thank you UA pilots for getting me to my destinations and home again safely more than 150 each year. You are the best and I am a complete idiot.
Flying SFO-LAX on Tuesday, 4/1. My flight was canceled, and I was rebooked on the next flight 90 minutes later. Slim pickings on seat selection. E+ sold out. Put in E-, row 27F – behind the wing. Didn’t like being so far back, but great view of flaps and the flight is only an hour or so.
Bad weather in SF and down the coast. Push back delayed 60 minutes because of a late crew arrival (pilots only). We finally pushed back and started to taxi to 28R. There were 4 or 5 planes ahead of us in the sequence. Finally we are next to go. I look out and see that the flaps had not been extended. I immediately thought of the NW flight a number of years back that crashed immediately after takeoff from DTW because the pilots failed to extend the flaps. For some reason – and completely out of character – I started to panic. I had images in my head of crashing into the 101.
We taxied onto 28R and then immediately pulled off the runway. The captain made an announcement that because of ATC flow control, we would be delayed up to 20 minutes, but that we could leave sooner. He said that he would give us the 2 minute warning before departure.
After about 5 minutes of waiting and seeing that the flaps were not yet extended, I was fully agitated and nervous. A couple of people got up to use the restroom, so I did the same. In the back galley I quietly admitted to the FA that I was being a bit paranoid, but that the flaps were not down and someone should call the captain to tell him to do so. She was very polite and said, “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.” At this point, I didn’t know what to do, so I went back toward my seat. Two rows ahead of me on the aisle was an off-duty pilot in uniform, so I knelt down beside him and said, I’m not a pilot, but I’m concerned that the captain hasn’t put the flaps down. He looked at me with a very annoyed expression and replied, “you’re right, you’re not a pilot – go sit down.”
I guess my instinct to not embarrass myself (any more than I already had) was stronger than my fear because I returned to my seat. A couple minutes later we heard the double ding and the flaps still weren’t down. However, as we began to pull on to the runway, the pilot extended the flaps and I breathed a big sigh of relief.
Thank you UA pilots for getting me to my destinations and home again safely more than 150 each year. You are the best and I am a complete idiot.
On a related note, I read about some FedEx pilots who were passengers on a Chinese airline, and they looked out on the wing before takeoff, and it was covered in ice. Not much they could do except pray.
Jul 7, 2014, 1:17 pm
#878
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AS MVPG, DL KM, Bee Six, Bonvoy Plat, Avis PC, Natl Exec, Greyhound Road Rewards Z"L
Posts: 16,660
Finally I asked O'Hare or Midway. Midway. Southwest? Oh yeah, SOUTHwest!
-J.
Jul 8, 2014, 10:20 am
#879
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 9
Booked my first international flight through my work's travel booking site planning a WAS-JFK-NRT-Kaoushung, Taiwan trip. Discovered upon arrival at NRT, that the reason my TA gave me silly 4 hour layover was because I arrived through NRT, but left through HND, and had to transfer between airports in Tokyo.
Now I always warn people at work to make sure the airport is the same flying through multi-city airports. It STILL loves trying to schedule me into JFK and out or EWK to get to Europe.
Now I always warn people at work to make sure the airport is the same flying through multi-city airports. It STILL loves trying to schedule me into JFK and out or EWK to get to Europe.
Jul 11, 2014, 2:43 pm
#880
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Gold (ex-GGL, maybe future Silver), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,197
Booked a 10k BA Avios one way from IAH to LAX on AA.
Tiny plane, tiny seats, overloaded even with four seats empty at the back.
VDB meant $500 compensation for getting a flight on a UA 757-200. Even with a middle seat in E- that was a result even if I hadn't had any compensation.
Checked in - $150 upgrade to first, that I jumped on. Promptly had a couple of glasses, fell asleep, and lost the $500 paper voucher.
Still not a bad deal.
Tiny plane, tiny seats, overloaded even with four seats empty at the back.
VDB meant $500 compensation for getting a flight on a UA 757-200. Even with a middle seat in E- that was a result even if I hadn't had any compensation.
Checked in - $150 upgrade to first, that I jumped on. Promptly had a couple of glasses, fell asleep, and lost the $500 paper voucher.
Still not a bad deal.
Jul 14, 2014, 11:32 pm
#881
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: AC E50K (*G), Westjet Gold
Posts: 788
About 2 years ago, doing a YEG-YYC-YEG day trip with Air Canada.
OLCI the night before doesn't work. I don't give it much thought. I go to check in the next day at about 6am (7am flight), and at the machine, I get a ticket for YEG-YYC leaving at 5pm. I take out my itinerary and, turns out, I had booked YYC-YEG-YYC by accident! Southbound flights are usually on the hour and northbound are on the 30, but I picked the odd ones out, and didn't even notice during booking, payment, or when I got the itinerary!
Slightly embarrassing discussion with the agent, and an expensive mistake!
OLCI the night before doesn't work. I don't give it much thought. I go to check in the next day at about 6am (7am flight), and at the machine, I get a ticket for YEG-YYC leaving at 5pm. I take out my itinerary and, turns out, I had booked YYC-YEG-YYC by accident! Southbound flights are usually on the hour and northbound are on the 30, but I picked the odd ones out, and didn't even notice during booking, payment, or when I got the itinerary!
Slightly embarrassing discussion with the agent, and an expensive mistake!
Jul 15, 2014, 6:46 am
#882
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
Not me thankfully, but my girlfriend.
I don't know how she did this, but she tried to buy a ticket for her daughter to fly SAV-RDU-SAV and instead of buying it as a roundtrip, she bought two SAV-RDU one-ways for the dates she wanted on the roundtrip. Cost her something like $850 to change the ticket to come back. Of course, had she told me before she called the airline I'd have told her to throw it away and helped her find a cheaper one-way but she just called them and paid a change fee and fare difference.
I don't know how she did this, but she tried to buy a ticket for her daughter to fly SAV-RDU-SAV and instead of buying it as a roundtrip, she bought two SAV-RDU one-ways for the dates she wanted on the roundtrip. Cost her something like $850 to change the ticket to come back. Of course, had she told me before she called the airline I'd have told her to throw it away and helped her find a cheaper one-way but she just called them and paid a change fee and fare difference.
Jul 15, 2014, 7:17 am
#883
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 6
I once packed in the dark during a long storm-related power outage for an Amtrak trip up the east coast to NYC the next morning. I scooped up just a couple of credit cards and some cash and placed them in my travel purse. As I was rolling along on Amtrak, an announcement was made that random checks of ID's would be conducted. All of a sudden, I realized that I had left my photo ID in my purse at home. Luckily, my hubby was at home and was able to scan my driver's license and email it to me. My ID wasn't checked on the train, but I did have to plead my case for showing only a cell phone picture of my ID when I checked in to my hotel and again when I changed my Amtrak return trip. At least the power outage had been in the news and my story was believable!
Jul 15, 2014, 7:44 am
#884
Formerly known as tireman77
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,489
My brother on a business trip. On websites, very often two months appear on the booking calendar. He booked a flight to ATL with a return later that same day. Problem was he clicked the return on a different month.
Since the US uses a different or MM/DD versus DD/MM, when he confirmed the booking (for example) 02/03 in the US is 03/02 for the rest of the world. Easy thing to overlook. Until you check in for you flight and the agent tells you, 'Sir, the flight you are booked on is next month'.
Since the US uses a different or MM/DD versus DD/MM, when he confirmed the booking (for example) 02/03 in the US is 03/02 for the rest of the world. Easy thing to overlook. Until you check in for you flight and the agent tells you, 'Sir, the flight you are booked on is next month'.
Jul 15, 2014, 1:22 pm
#885
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 58
Three come to mind:
One was accidentally going into the ladies bathroom in Montreal. It was empty when I entered but two ladies were coming in as I was leaving laughing their heads off.
Two was when I made the naive mistake of taking an unmarked black SUV "cab" (that was just ahead of the regular cab line outside the Amtrak station) for what would have been a $13 cab ride to BOS and instead was held captive for $60. I've never felt so stupid as well as been so disappointed at the pure lack of ethics of some people.
Three was in London. OK, I was wearing a Tilley hat, shorts and hiking boots. A lady popped out in front of me and snapped my picture. She told her friend, "I've got it!" (referring to a picture of me)
One was accidentally going into the ladies bathroom in Montreal. It was empty when I entered but two ladies were coming in as I was leaving laughing their heads off.
Two was when I made the naive mistake of taking an unmarked black SUV "cab" (that was just ahead of the regular cab line outside the Amtrak station) for what would have been a $13 cab ride to BOS and instead was held captive for $60. I've never felt so stupid as well as been so disappointed at the pure lack of ethics of some people.
Three was in London. OK, I was wearing a Tilley hat, shorts and hiking boots. A lady popped out in front of me and snapped my picture. She told her friend, "I've got it!" (referring to a picture of me)