Everyone knows that there is always a risk that there might be a snag in your trip. From missing your flight to losing your credit cards and getting lost in a city, or a confused hotel reservation, anything could happen. Even if these things happen to you, it’s about how prepared you are for the snag, how you handle it, and the resources that you have available to you.
Missing Your Flights
Missing your flight is a common occurrence due to a weather issue, a mechanical issue, or just not allowing yourself enough time to make a flight or connection. This can be exacerbated on international flights because often, there are only a few flights that will leave for your destination a day, making a missed flight that much more detrimental. Once on a flight to Rome, Italy, I was with a group, and we missed our connecting flight due to a mechanical issue at my first airport. When I arrived in Philadelphia, we had missed our flight by 30 min. We met with the gate attendant, who arranged another flight the next day because we’d missed the last flight of the day. Initially, they did not offer us a hotel for the connection. However, we knew that the airline needed to provide a hotel because the original delay was caused by the airline. It is essential to know your rights as a passenger and the perks that some credit cards offer for travel issues. Travel insurance might help when situations like these arise.
Lost Items
The next thing that could go wrong is losing your documents, credit cards, or phone. This could happen in many ways, from a misplacing of your purse or wallet to have the unfortunate event of being a victim of pickpocketing. There is no real way of avoiding losing your items. One of my tried and true methods of keeping track of all my documents is to make three copies of all of my documents front and back, from hotel and travel reservations, to credit cards and passports. From these copies, you have everything you need to contact banks and credit cards, the embassy for a temporary passport, and you will still have your airline reservations. With technology, there are new ways to keep track of your valuables. I have a Bluetooth device in with my credit cards to reduce my odds of misplacing my wallet. When it comes to pickpockets, the best piece of advice that I’ve received is to be very aware of your surroundings. For women have one hand on your purse, or put your valuables in an inside pocket in a backpack.
Mixing up the Dates
When planning a trip, booking the right night with the hotel can often get confusing. I’ve seen where travelers have one night booked at a hotel and got the days confused when traveling between cities and not have a hotel ready when they arrive. This snag is a minor snag in the scheme of snags, but it can be an expensive snag. There are several ways around this. You can contact the hotel and request another night, look online for a room, or if you booked through a travel agency, contact them and let them know that there was an issue with a hotel reservation.
The great thing about booking travel with an agent means that you’ll always have me as a resource if you hit a snag in your trip. I have extensive experience with traveling and hitting my fair share of snags, and overcoming them. I’m here to help should something happens. With all of that being said, snags rarely happen and hardly ever overshadow the overall experience of the trip. Schedule an online consultation with me today to plan your perfect vacation.