chgoeditor

Are you embarrassed because you believed them? While some roads/parts of the park close for the winter, the park doesn't close for the winter.

CMK10

I've never had the guts to start drinking again, but yeah I've heard it's a short term fix. My number one go to hangover cure is biscuits and gravy, the more sausage the better.

BritinJapan

Not me but a friend travelled to Vietnam with an expired visa. At immigration the officer passed the passport back and refused entry, the gut quickly slipped a US50 bill inside and asked him to check again. He tool the 50 bucks and then said "expired Visa !"He was back on the same plane to Singapore !

And end up arrested for trying to bribe an immigtaeion official...dumb

Landed at Joburg and when one of my two cases came up it was open, I had put an expensive leather jacket inside and it was gone, Made a claim, made a police report and finally headed to the hotel, opened the second case, and of course there was my jacket !

mal2ianne123

Hi, Ive been a FT lurker for some time now and just saw this thread. Ive been travelling a lot this past year and felt the need to share some of my stories.

Last week I had just came back from traveling to my native country in the Philippines, but not without a lot of stress. The morning of the flight, I went to check my wallet since I thought that is where my passport had been the entire time. I looked, but it wasn't there. In a panic, I searched everywhere in my carry on and backpack, around my grandparent's house, and even called the hotels I checked into a few days before. Nothing. I had a check-in baggage that my family had put into cargo the day before but it was already sent to Manila.

From my town to Manila, I managed to get on the plane with my license ID in hopes that I will find my passport in the check-in luggage. Got my check-in luggage but no luck. Unfortunately, it was also a Saturday and the US embassy was closed to report a lost passport or apply for an emergency one.

I couldn't board the international flight back to the US and was prepared to stay a few days to even a week in Manila to wait till the Embassy opens that Monday and then my mom got a call. My relatives had found my passport in the last place I told my family where I thought I saw it last - in the money exchange place in our town's mall! They didn't immediately give it back when I exchanged my money so I probably forgot about it while counting my bills.

So now the problem was how to get the passport from my town to Manila. Turns out someone from my village was taking the next flight out and could bring my passport with them. I met them in the next 2 hours at the airport with the biggest sigh of relief!! I couldn't thank that person enough!

The other problem now that I had my passport was waiting to book the next flight out. Even though initially the representative kept insisting there were no flights out until Monday or even Tuesday, a spot finally opened up 2 hours later for a flight back to JFK next day. Stayed an extra day in Manila and cost $100 to book the next flight out, but I felt VERY glad and lucky someone could bring my passport to where I was. Lesson learned and never losing my passport again!!!

mal2ianne123

Another one. Lol, the situations I get myself into.

I signed up for a four week Spanish language immersion program in Panama since I thought it would benefit me in my heathcare career. When I arrived I was brought to my guesthouse by my school's driver and was introduced to the landlady, who spoke very very minimal English. She showed me where everything is and I made sure I knew all the basics via hand and gesture communication - keys, cleaning, a/c, TV, and kitchen use. The only issue was I could not connect to the wireless, but had been informed there was wireless in the coffee place next door.

So I went to the coffee place for a bit, then came back to the guest house. In front of the apartment door was a barred metal door. The actual door was open, but I could not open the barred door! I tried looking for a place to put my key in but there was none. Panicked, I called out if any of the other guests were inside the apartment, but there was no one home. This was a Saturday night and my school was closed so I could not go there or contact them. My roaming was still not working so I couldn't call anyone. I was completely locked out!

I went downstairs in hopes of finding the landlady's apartment, but no sign could be found. I started to knock on the first door near the entrance. A women answered the door, and before she could say anything, I hastily began stringing all the Spanish words I know "no puede abrir" and acted out in charades my situation. She looked at me confused for a few minutes and asked in plain English if I was locked out. Relieved and feeling like an idiot at the same time, she proceeded to call my landlady.

It turned out the barred door wasn't locked at all. The guest house had an open door policy where people can use the guest kitchen and all they had to do was push a hidden button behind the door knob. I thanked her, but not without feeling shame - guess I missed that part somewhere while the landlady was talking to me in Espaniol.

Jaimito Cartero

Mal, welcome to posting on Flyertalk. A little note, you may want to break your posts up into paragraphs, as it's hard to read without them.

PLeblond

Mmmmmm Biscuits and gravy. My favourite treat when I"m in your neck of the woods. Can't get sone of any reasonable quality up here, but if you do make it to Quebec... try a Poutine. (Not a breakfast food) truly epic hangover food.

GW McLintock

You could feed me poutine for any meal and I would gladly take it. I haven't had it since 2010 I think, the last time I was in Canada. It is amazing and I can totally see how it would be the ultimate hangover cure ^^

I'm on my way to Rochester, and there, the food of choice is called a garbage plate.

-J.

GadgetGal

When I was 12 (flying solo for boarding school) I left one of my small carry-ons at security in LHR

In my defence: Well I was 12 but seriously, we arrived at the airport with plenty of time, but *someone* decided to sit and write letters to relatives (that I would have to deliver) and by the time said person was done, I had to run through security.

I realised my mistake as soon as I sat on down on the plane but when ran up to explain to the purser he wouldn't listen and barked (yes, barked) at me to "sit down".

Unfortunately my glasses were in there and I had to go without them for the first few weeks of term.

WHBM

Long ago I took an Auto Driveaway (remember them ?) car from Toronto to Vancouver. When I picked it up they said the radio was giving trouble. Drove several hours out of Toronto, then at a stop tried the radio, all five station buttons - nothing. I gave it another go the next day, traced the aerial connection etc - nothing. So on I went for a week with no radio. Delivered it, mentioned the radio, they switched it on, tried the buttons - then just retuned it, saying, of course, it would still be set to the Toronto stations. It worked perfectly.

tropicaliceberg

I have a great "when I was 12" story to tell:

I was on a 12-hour nonstop flight. My parents and I were in coach. When we checked in, the airline agent informed us that the flight was oversold and one of use had to be put in business class. In all their wisdom, my parents decided to let me be the one sitting in business class while they remained downstairs in rear coach section. I proceeded upstairs to the small upper deck of the 747-200.

I looked really mature when I was 12.(12 years and 9 months to be exact) I was also very tall, so that usually confused people. When I actually turned 21, I have never been carded when buying alcohol.

During dinner service, the flight attendants poured me a glass of red wine. I had one, then two, then three glasses. After dinner, she also poured me a small glass with some kind of coffee cream liquor.(to this day, I still don't know what it was called). Also a small glass of veesop cognac.(again, I was only 12 and I pronounced VSOP as veesop back then )

I was starting to turn red. Probably a little drunk? I didn't know what being drunk meant... I was only 12 and never had a drink before that day.

A few minutes after that, my dad came to upper deck to check on me. He talked with the flight attendant and she was shocked to learn that I was only 12. After my dad went back downstairs, she came to me and said "young man, no more booze for you... and this will be our little secret, okay?" I've kept the secret for over 35 years, until now. Although I have often wondered if drinking age laws applied when the flight was over international waters.

angatol

.....

FlyMeToTheLooneyBin

Hmm... What about the minors having to sit in the same cabin as adults rule?

chgoeditor

I'm not familiar with this rule, but as a minor in the 1980s, I can recall several instances on international flights where I sat in a different cabin from my parents.

tropicaliceberg

Was just about to say that as well...

early 1980s(even late 1970s) were the good old wild days...
no real personal computers yet, let alone the internet.
heck, nobody I knew even had cell phones yet, not even
lawyers and bankers that I knew.

am I just getting real old or are those good old days better
than the 21st century in some ways?