Problems while traveling: how to avoid and how to solve them
Problems while traveling can happen. The important thing is not to panic and try to solve them in the best possible way.
Here we give you some tips on how to avoid them and how to fix them.
Holidays are coming and you can’t wait to leave for the trip you dream on for a lifetime.
Nothing could ruin your upbeat mood.
You have chosen the destination, your travel companions, or you have decided to leave alone, the stages, at least the main ones, suitcase ready, let’s go!
But … the inconvenience is always lurking 👿
You forgot something at home, your room is not ready, the local means of transport no longer pass, …
To these small inconveniences it’s easy to find a solution. But what if something more serious happens?
Not serious serious like something that can cause the trip to be interrupted🌶️ but important conditions that can occur and that are really capable of ruining the holiday.
Unless you know how to handle them.
So don’t despair. Certain problems can be overcome with a little experience, patience and a spirit of adaptation.
And you can also learn how to prevent them with good organization, attention to details and some hard work.
Here are some tips.
1) If you miss your flight for your fault
Sometimes your flight, or any other means of transport, is canceled at the last minute or leaves late.
In these situations, the transport company, in most cases, will find a solution for you, whether it is an alternative departure or a refund of the ticket.
If you have taken out travel insurance that also covers cases in which the transport company is not required to reimburse, such as for adverse weather conditions in the case of airlines for example, then will be covered the costs due to the delay, the change of the hotel, to the loss of services that you will not be able to use, …
But what if the means of transport left on time and you didn’t show up?
There is no insurance here that holds (or at least not many) 😫
In this case, the first thing to do is to breathe deeply and become aware that it may be necessary to open your wallet.
The second thing to do is to run to the airline counter or ticket office and ask for support. The staff will give you all the information you need and help you book your next departure.
Beware that in the case of air flights, the loss of the outbound flight implies the cancellation of the booking also of the return one (in the case of purchasing a return flight and not two separate tickets), so make sure to rebook that too.
If you don’t get to a solution, open your browser and look for the next departure with any available transport company. Better to buy an extra ticket than not leave completely.
In fact, with a bit of luck, you will be able to find a later departure, or an alternative means of transport to get to your destination, even if a little later.
If the next departure is the day after, look for accommodation nearby, or in any case in an area that can be easily reached by public transport. Or get ready to spend the night in the uncomfortable seats of the airport.
But it would be great if one of those bed-only cabins were available inside the airport.
Now think about notifying the accommodation you were supposed to spend the night in, in case you need to cancel the overnight stay. If you have free cancellation there is no problem, otherwise explain the situation, maybe they will be willing to give you a discount, if not free cancellation.
In case you have booked other services or activities (transfer from the airport to the hotel, car rental, excursions, experiences, …) that you are going to lose, remember to notify every one of the delay or cancellation, in the hope that they will want to refund you, but also for fairness.
Our advice is not to book any activities (excursions, sports activities, events, …) on the day of arrival, just to better manage the time in case of delays.
2) If you lose your baggage
Flight is ok but your luggage is not there upon arrival. Not even the shadow 🧳
The first thing to do is to report to the appropriate counter.
But then? Without a pair of socks, the toothbrush and the pullover your Grandma made for you 😫😫
The only remedy is to make do buying some clothes for a few days and hope that the airport will call you as soon as possible to give you good news.
In this case, the transport company that lost your baggage will cover the costs.
If, on the other hand, it’s about baggage with your sports equipment, the only thing you can do is rent what you need at the sports center, booking it in time.
Our advice, limited to clothes, is to keep out of the hand-baggage some clothing and the necessary to cope with one or two days and take them with you in the hand baggage.
3) If you get injured
It’s cold, it’s hot, there was a stone, I didn’t see the tree, a jellyfish stung me, …
A thousand of them can happen during a trip and we have to take this into account.
We always consider the case of small accidents or minor illnesses, not cases in which hospitalization, surgery or return home is necessary, but still annoying situations that mess up our plans, such as a severe cold, a mild intoxication from food, a small wound that does not allow us to walk for a few days, or similar cases.
Of course, the first thing to do is try to heal yourself as well as possible.
To do this, however, it may be necessary to extend your stay.
It must therefore be your concern to check with the structure where you are staying if there is further availability and until when. Or find alternative accommodation, including arranging for the transfer.
The ideal would be to stay in a place with full board and maybe even the possibility of dining in the room and above all that you always have someone to refer to for any eventuality.
Remember to cancel subsequent reservations for excursions, activities, various services to avoid paying penalties, where possible, as well as for fairness.
Accident or illness, even if mild, is one of the main reasons why we always suggest taking out excellent insurance, especially for travel abroad. This will take care of providing an interpreter, sending you any medicines that you cannot find, reimbursing medical expenses and any ambulance, etc …. In some countries this may not be trivial.
4) If the accommodation is not available
It may happen that you have booked the accommodation online and when you arrive, perhaps late in the evening, at check-in they tell you that there are no rooms available.
They might come up with things like the plumbing broke, actually it could be the infamous overbooking, i.e. they’ve taken multiple available bed reservations.
You already had a foretaste of the bed to get rid of the jet leg, relax in front of a good movie and sink into a restful sleep to face the adventures that await you the next day and instead … 😐
In case of overbooking, or “plumbing breakdown”, the hotelier is required to find you an alternative accommodation, of the same level and not too far away.
So even if you have to postpone your embrace with Morpheus, the problem is solved.
What happens if the hotelier does not find an alternative solution or the accommodation is managed by a private individual who has no idea how to help you or no desire?
At this point it’s up to you to get busy and find a place to sleep.
Ask your host to get active among his acquaintances, or even to host you at his house at least for that night, and if that is not possible, search the internet for another solution and ask your host to find a way to reach the alternative accommodation (your car, a taxi, or any other means, at your expense of course).
Of course, demand a full refund of the accommodation and any difference that you will have to pay.
Now try to sleep and, the next day, calmly search for accommodation or confirm the number of nights you want to stay.
To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, a good habit is to call or write to the accommodation a couple of days before your arrival to make sure everything is ok.
Also, while it might seem overwhelming, consider any alternatives nearby right away, especially if you’re staying in an isolated location where there aren’t many accommodations.
Of course it adds a chore to the already many things to do for the preparation of a trip, but it will often avoid inconvenience and waste of time.
These are our tips for solving or avoiding problems when traveling.
We cannot give you any suggestions that are not obvious to prevent your delay, an injury, or an overbooking at the hotel, but we can suggest that you contact professionals for the organization and booking of travel services, so that they limit the inconveniences of the type of those described above and can help you to solve any problem you encounter.
A risk-free trip does not exist but experience, organization and attention to detail can avoid or solve several inconveniences.
If you want to contact professionals to help you organize you custom tour, in line with your interests, suited to your physical preparation and your desire for adrenaline, just click here to set up a free phone call with one of our Travel Designers.
Have fun!
