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It’s funny how many things have to go right when you’re traveling, and how easily it all can fall apart. You made it to the airport but forgot your passport. Your luggage is too heavy. You get pick-pocketed. Any one of these could instantly turn a dream vacation into a travel nightmare. Here’s our guide for what to do should you find yourself trapped in a scary situation.
The Nightmare: You Miss Your Flight
What to do: This might be the most nightmarish of travel nightmares. If you’ve arrived late to the airport, for whatever reason, don’t expect to be immediately booked onto the next flight. Be prepared to at least shell out a little extra cash to make up for the mistake, regardless of who’s at fault. Airlines will do whatever it takes to get you on the next flight, but nobody will get bumped because you were late. Stand by in case there’s room on the next one. Little-known fact: some airlines have actively been using Twitter to connect with customers. You might even get a faster response via a tweet than with a phone call.
The Nightmare: You Lose Your Wallet
What to do: It may feel like the end of the world, but the most important thing to do is relax. People lose their wallets all the time. First, report it to the police. If it’s been stolen, they can keep an eye out for it. Second, cancel all your credit and debit cards. While you’re at it, notify your bank. If you’ve lost your passport as well, we recommend the amazing service On Call International, which you can read about here.
The Nightmare: You Get Lost
What to do: If you are currently lost (and are reading this,) log off TravelSquire now and find a better way to utilize your Internet access. (May we suggest the GPS feature?) However, there are some precautions you can take in order to decrease the likelihood of getting lost in the first place. Notify at least one person about where you will be going, especially if you’re traveling alone. If you don’t have any contacts in the area, inform the front desk. Be sure to bring important phone numbers and addresses (in print and on your phone) with you when you leave, and write down the number of the cab company recommended by the hotel. Also, make an effort to memorize the address of your hotel in the regional language so that you’ll be able to tell a driver where to bring you.
The Nightmare: Your Hotel is Awful
What to do: I recently had a few friends walk into their hostel in New York and almost start crying because of how unlivable the room was. It’s a particularly rough situation, since lots of money may be at stake and you’ve got to have the nerve to negotiate with the intimidating front desk staff. But negotiate, you must. Here’s what you do: try your best to act calm. Never be rude to the staff. Never make threats, even ones as seemingly harmless as writing a poor review on a travel website or sending a strongly-worded e-mail to the manager. Instead, explain why your expectations weren’t met, and take pictures of the room as backup. Get the person’s name and title so that you can make a comprehensive complaint to higher level management should it be necessary. If you still can’t get a refund, contact your third-party reservation service (if you used one), and hopefully they can help with cancelling your reservation, refunding your money, and setting you up in a more comfortable hotel.
The Nightmare: You’re Stuck In An Airport
What to do: The good news here is that nobody’s in any immediate danger. The bad news is that your laptop and cell phone battery are dying and you forgot to bring a book. And unfortunately, most airports are situated in the most boring and desolate parts of cities, so the option of heading out for a few hours just isn’t practical. In order to make the most of this drudgery, we recommend finding the nearest terminal bar ASAP and making a few international friends to commiserate with. If you happen to be in a particularly small terminal, you’ll have to get creative. If you don’t have any paper with you, use some napkins from the Dunkin’ Donuts (which will inevitably be close by) to write or doodle about whatever’s around. Maybe you’ll discover you’ve got a knack for writing limericks about passersby. Hey, who knows? After all, there’s still seven more hours to go.