The dumbest travel-related mistake you ever made?
#1321
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,246
#1322
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,284
#1323
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Los Angeles and Eastern Sierra (weekly travel to SJC). "Home airports": LAX/BUR/BIH/SJC
Programs: SWA A-List Preferred, TSA Pre
Posts: 139
I usually don't travel early morning but last week. I woke up at 5am, got my stuff, drove to the airport. Arrived at TSA and realized I forgot my wallet and cell phone. Changed my flight. Drove home. Drove back to the airport and finally got to work 2 hours after I was hoping to.
I forgot my license once and at BUR they let me through security after showing them my work badge, every card in my wallet, my Facebook account, a full pat down and inspection of every item in my bag. I was surprised they even let me though.
I forgot my license once and at BUR they let me through security after showing them my work badge, every card in my wallet, my Facebook account, a full pat down and inspection of every item in my bag. I was surprised they even let me though.
#1324
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Standard TSA procedure is to let you fly if they can "positively identify you" (usually looking you up in a database) and you submit to secondary screening.
#1325
Join Date: May 2013
Location: JFK
Posts: 459
Agreed. I can screw up my travel plans perfectly well all on my own!
We've got some good friends that have been trying to convince us to take a trip with them. To make things easier they offered to make all of the arrangements (which I declined). This was an honestly well intentioned suggestion but the thought of someone else making travel arrangements for me was horrifying. I don;t know how my husband manages to keep letting me do it.
We've got some good friends that have been trying to convince us to take a trip with them. To make things easier they offered to make all of the arrangements (which I declined). This was an honestly well intentioned suggestion but the thought of someone else making travel arrangements for me was horrifying. I don;t know how my husband manages to keep letting me do it.
#1326
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 661
dumbest was when I booked a 04:00 flight on Easyjet from ORY to CIA and showed up at the airport at 4pm In my defence this was a very long time ago, I was young and a new traveler. I ended up sleeping in the airport and catching the next flight at 04:00. The Easyjet staff took pity on me and gave me a discounted ticket.
#1327
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 6,332
Purchased travel insurance for an upcoming trip..... then an hour later realised I had ALREADY done that, with a different company, a few weeks ago. Boy did I feel dumb. Luckily for me Insurance products here ALL have a "14 day cooling off period". Sent an email. Reply arrived within hours stating refund was being processed. Im dumb, that law isn't. Lol
#1328
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
Last month I went to Chicago to cover a hearing for another lawyer. I do this kind of work once or twice a month and so I followed my usual procedure of Googling "Chicago Immigration Court" and confirming the map address with the EOIR address on the government website. I got to MDW early, worked at a gate for a while, rode the CTA downtown, printed what I needed from a FedEx Office and then went to the court. After standing in line and going through security I went to the list of dockets but I couldn't find my Judge on it. Nor could I find the courtroom I was supposed to be in. I asked a bailiff who told me I might need to be at "the other court". I went to the clerk up front who confirmed that Chicago has TWO immigration courts and I was at the wrong one. I raced downstairs and called an Uber (of course it took forever) and got to court 15 minutes after the hearing was supposed to start. I got lucky though and due to IT issues and a missing judge they were backed up.
I've rarely felt so stupid though. And from now on will always scroll down to make sure there aren't two.
I've rarely felt so stupid though. And from now on will always scroll down to make sure there aren't two.
#1329
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Cockeysville, MD
Programs: Marriott Rewards Lifetime Titanium, Amex Plat, Hertz Gold 5*, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 9,464
My client territory recently expanded and I had to make my first trip to Houston. I was in the middle of an AA challenge, so I flew BWI-CLT-IAH (Could have gone nonstop to Hobby on WN). I still use a Garmin Nav system when I travel. i just don't like having my phone as a phone and a nav system. Yes, I am a dinosaur. It does help that more and more rentals have nav. Anyway, took about 45-50 mins to get to the hotel which was next to the client. In fact, I didn't even have to move the car that morning, I just walked to their building for the meeting and drove back to the airport. However, the night before (as oft I do), I put the airport location into the nav. Just used points of interest...airports...and the first one that popped up I selected. (I know you know where this is going.) Wow, now its only 25 mins to the airport. That's great. i guess traffic was a real issue the day before. (note I have a TERRIBLE sense of direction. I can walk out of the grocery store and wonder if I even drove there because I have no idea where to begin looking for the car.) So, I begin to drive... as I approach the airport, I see a lot of signs for Southwest airlines. Looking for the car rental return, I finally realize...I am at Hobby. Thank goodness I was early enough to fix my error and hightail it to IAH to get home.
#1330
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Berkshire, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, VS Gold, HH Diamond, Accor Gold
Posts: 116
Heading back to the airport after a week's trip Stateside, I stopped off at a mall for some last minute shopping. Popped in the bathroom at a department store, and put my phone down, thinking to myself that I mustn't forget it. I think you can see where this is going...
Dropped the rental car off, and walking to the terminal, went to check the boarding pass on my phone... Ran back to the car, and couldn't find it anywhere. So, I had to grab a taxi back to the shopping mall, where thankfully, the phone was exactly where I'd left it. Tipped the driver well, as he'd saved my arse. Thankfully I made the flight still, but was doubly annoyed with myself not just for leaving the phone, but for not checking while I still had the car...
Dropped the rental car off, and walking to the terminal, went to check the boarding pass on my phone... Ran back to the car, and couldn't find it anywhere. So, I had to grab a taxi back to the shopping mall, where thankfully, the phone was exactly where I'd left it. Tipped the driver well, as he'd saved my arse. Thankfully I made the flight still, but was doubly annoyed with myself not just for leaving the phone, but for not checking while I still had the car...
#1331
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,531
I've always figured that the fact that I know my passport number and am in the Global Entry system would help me if I ever ended up at a checkpoint without ID. I could give them multiple ways to look me up quickly, and if they had the capability to take fingerprints they could do that too.
#1332
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,916
I've always figured that the fact that I know my passport number and am in the Global Entry system would help me if I ever ended up at a checkpoint without ID. I could give them multiple ways to look me up quickly, and if they had the capability to take fingerprints they could do that too.
#1333
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, Hyatt something
Posts: 33,517
It all depends. On domestic routes, you would likely be fine. International, probably not. Lots of people lose passports after boarding the plane, so there is usually some system.
#1334
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
(2) Plenty of reports on FT and other places of people losing their passport during travel and talking their way onto the plane, and eventually being admitted by CBP as per above. No airline is supposed to let you board but it definitely happens. And people lose their passports en route too.
#1335
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 17
I was once so bleary eyed and tired at 530AM that when I got to the Frontier check in desk after the kiosk would not accept my itinerary number, the agent and I spent 20 minutes trying to find my missing reservation. The reason it was missing? I didn't have a flight on Frontier. I had booked Alaska.