Planning for a trip could be just as exciting as the trip itself. However, certain things may go wrong and sometimes, this may be incidents beyond your direct control. Imagine realising that you missed an important step such as, checking your flight schedule, completing your hotel reservation, or worse still your flight was cancelled. What would you do? Panic?
Here are a few tips to guide you:
Regroup
Before you start panicking or create a scene, just take a few deep breaths and then assess the situation, as you may need your wits to decide what to do next. Note that once your brain senses panic, it may shut down on you. Have you ever experienced situations where you fail to gather your thoughts and find a solution to a problem just because you panicked? That was your brain shutting down to protect itself.
Damage control
Just how bad is the situation? Do you need to file a police report or to go to the hospital? Do you need to find WiFi immediately to research on your options? Are other travel documents required? Weigh your options carefully and seek help immediately.
Get in line, on the phone or online to see your options
If there is a delay, cancellation, or you missed a flight, the best thing to do is to locate the customer service representative.
Alternatively, you could get on the phone or search online for alternative flight options. This is quick and easy to do and can be a huge timesaver.
While it can be frustrating to wait in line, remember the customer service personnel may have to deal with many disgruntled passengers. Greet them with a smile and mention how thankful you are for their help.
If you made a hotel reservation and you are advised on arrival that the hotel never received your reservation, instead of shouting and blaming anyone, try liaising with the receptionist to see if you could get a room. You can also politely request to see the General Manager.
Be grateful
Difficult situations could make you feel vulnerable and powerless, but look at the big picture. Reflect on how lucky you are, that you get to travel to visit amazing places. If the worst thing happening to you at the moment is losing your luggage or mixing up your flight dates, life really isn’t too bad. People go through worse situations.
Be prepared in advance
Keep electronic copies of your passport, have important contact information and ICE numbers on hand, backup everything (including photos) often, and conduct preliminary research on common scams and areas to avoid along your travels. This is even more important if you are travelling alone.
As much as possible, think about what could go wrong and implement preventive measures.
Don’t travel without insurance
This is actually non-negotiable for me and it should be for you. You might think nothing could go wrong. But what if something does? You car could break down on a road trip or you could catch the flu and have to visit the hospital. There are so many reasons you may have to cancel your entire trip a few days in because of an issue back home.
Bottom line – forgoing insurance isn’t a smart gamble.
Tips to avoid missing a reservation
- Call to confirm before you travel.
- Double check your flight dates and time.
- Print Out your reservation.
Have you ever missed a reservation, how did you handle the situation?
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