What to do if you get Bumped

You’re on your way.  You get to the airport on time. And – oh no -you’re getting bumped! How did that happen? You have a reservation. How could they not have enough room for you? Well, now we’re into a whole new category of flight problem. Not getting on the flight you wanted.
 
The problem comes from the way airlines book their flights. They routinely overbook their flights. They do this because there is an amazingly large “no-show factor” even in this day and age of “non-refundable tickets”.

How much they overbook each flight is a very delicate computation based on what has happened on that flight in the past, how many groups are booked on it the day of the flight, and if there is a holiday or sports event or festival that will reduce the number of no shows.

You’ve got to know this though, they never get it exactly right. So if everyone who has a reservation shows up they won’t have enough seats, and some passengers end up getting bumped. The airlines call this a denied boarding compensation situation.

When flights are oversold, airlines ask for volunteers first. Asking the volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for a trip voucher for a free trip in the future. As they get more desperate, the agents may be authorized to offer a sweeter package of compensation. They much prefer to bump volunteers. They know these people have the time to spare, and many people actually like to get into this type of situation and get free future flights. There are even some people who go looking for full flights so they can volunteer for getting bumped!

If not enough people raise their hands, that’s when things get the most frustrating for everyone. The agents don’t like being in this situation any more than you do. It’s generally travelers who don’t have seat assignments that get bumped, and that would be most often those who checked in last.

All the more reason to check in online 24 hours in advance and get your boarding pass and seat assignment before you even leave home. If you don’t do that, at least make sure you get to the airport a couple of hours before an international departure. Hopefully an early airport check-in will be good enough to keep you from getting bumped.

On some airlines, those who paid the least are the first to go. If you’ve checked in early, but they can’t give you a seat assignment, it may be that the flight is nearly full. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, you’re entitled to on-the-spot compensation based on how long it takes the airline to get you to your destination.

You need to know all the rules because there are lots of exceptions where they don’t have to compensate you – such as if a smaller aircraft was substituted for safety or operational reasons or if they’re able to get you to your destination within an hour of your original arrival time. But if you’ve followed all the rules, and they can’t accommodate you, they must offer you compensation.

The formula varies depending on the country you are traveling from, so this may take some research on your part. It may not make up for getting a late start on your trip, but it will make getting bumped a little easier to take.

Trip Planning Tips

Check out travel magazines. If you don’t get any yourself, you can probably find them in your dentist or doctor’s office. You might find a destination that you’ve never heard of before which looks invitingn and fits your budget.

Get brochures. Look at standard tours. The pictures will get you dreaming more, and the itinerary will give you an idea of what’s possible for your length of time. If you want to go to a beach, could you make it a beach in Mexico or on a Greek Island instead of Bali? (Nothing against Bali – just trying to get you thinking outside the box to decide where you want to go!)

Check with your local travel agencies. They’ll have lots of brochures and information for trip planning. You may want to book on the internet, or you may find that it’s easier to have an agent set things up for you. Keep in mind that the economy and airline compensation have changed the way travel agents work. Some agents now have to charge for their services. Still, don’t overlook this resource.

Use the state or national travel agency. All Australian states have a bureau that promotes travel to their state. If you’re thinking of traveling abroad, contact the national travel agency of the countries you think you might want to visit. You can find these on the internet.
 
Now back to your budget. Is this going to be a splurge or a budget trip? Write down a figure. Then write down all of the possibilities for where you want to go. If your dream destination will break the bank, you might want to make it a shorter trip or save the research for a later date. But travel research is never wasted. If you have ideas written down, you might just find that next time you’re trip planning and thinking about where you want to go, you’ll have a destination all picked out!

Travelling with Family or Friends

Here are a few things to think about.

If you’re the type who likes to walk and explore cities all day, but your brother-in-law has arthritis, you’re going to be having some rocky times unless you’ve planned time apart for individual activities or you’ve planned for some bus or car tours.

You want to grab a snack and keep on exploring, but your sister likes long leisurely lunches – one of you is going to be unhappy unless you plan for this.

You’ve enjoyed beer and wine together at your barbecues, but find out if your buddy wants to stop often for a beer or stop early in the day for a nice cocktail hour.

You can still take a trip together if you have different styles and physical limitations, you just have to plan for it. Maybe taking a cruise together would be better. Or a tour instead of independent travel.

Without a tour, you might have more time to enjoy each other, but when you’re planning your itinerary, decide together how fast the pace should be for the slowest member of your group. Don’t plan to cram activities in. Choose one or two that you can do together each day and allow time apart. You can go off on your own, and they can take a nap in their hotel room or sit in a sidewalk cafe and recover or shop or whatever grabs their fancy.

You can prowl that museum while they take that river sightseeing tour that would bore you do death. Traveling together doesn’t have to mean spending every waking hour together. In fact, your trip will probably be much more pleasant if you plan for time apart. You will come home still speaking to each other and have great memories because of it!

Dealing With Foreign Toilets!

If you get out into the countryside or into less developed countries, it’s just possible that you’ll run into some WCs that are more like porcelain footprints with a hole. Seasoned travelers often say “Western style” and “Eastern Style”, but you can run into either anywhere in the world. You won’t always have that “throne”, so just make up your mind that you can deal with it.

It always pays to have some tissues or toilet paper in your pocket. Even if you find a toilet that has a dispenser, it could be empty. In more rural areas and more undeveloped counties, toilet paper might clog up the plumbing. In places like that, you’ll see wastebaskets with dirty paper, put yours there too.

Finding a public toilet can be harder abroad than it is in Australia. If you’re out wandering the street, look for train stations or department stores. If there is a U.S. style fast-food restaurant, you can find a toilet inside. Big hotels will have one tucked away in the lobby somewhere, and they can be relied on for having toilet paper! You can find one in restaurants too. If you’re not a customer, ask politely, most of the time they will let you use their WCs. Never leave a museum or restaurant without going – even if you don’t need to. Who knows when you’ll find the next facility.

Many big European cities have coin operated “toilet booths” on street corners. Public toilets often are pay toilets. Carry small change to pay for them. Some will be coin operated on the door, others will have attendants sitting by the door. Even if they don’t insist on you paying when you go in, it’s polite to leave a small tip – it’s usually only the equivalent of about 50 cents. Don’t expect them to have change – they might, or they might just keep the change if you don’t have anything small enough.

Get used to occasionally having women cleaners in the Men’s rooms and sometimes men attendants in the Women’s room. Lots of toilet stories come from these encounters, but they’re used to it, so you might as well just get comfortable with it too.

When you get beyond Europe, you’ll run into more and more of those “Eastern Style” porcelain holes-in-the-ground. Some will even be just that — holes in the ground. If you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go. Just deal with it, and you’ll come home with some toilet stories of your own.

 

Paris Highlights

There are so many “must sees” that you really will have to choose what is most important to you. Monuments? How about the Eiffel Tower. The Place de la Concorde with it’s Egyptian obelisk. Think of the line up of the Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel through the Tuileries to the Arc de Triomphe, and the grand Grande Arche in La Defense district. Or how about Invalides where Napoleon is buried.

Landmark churches? Start with Notre Dame de Paris. The Basilique du Sacre-Coeur… dramatic and white on the hill in Montmartre. The churches of La Madeleine, Sainte-Chapelle, and the Pantheon. Or just landmark buildings like the Palais Garnier.

There are so many world class museums that it would take your entire vacation to see them. The Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, the Musee Rodin and the Musee Picasso to name some of the most obvious. Museums can make your head spin after a few hours. To avoid being overwhelmed by them, get a museum card. They are available for 1, 3 and 5 days.

The card will allow you can go in and out of the museums over the period of your stay and not get “museum head”. The museums are fantastic, but you want to get a feel for all of Paris don’t you?

Take time to stroll in a garden or two. The Tuileries stretches in front of the Louvre. The Luxembourg Garden is a great place to watch children of all ages sail small boats on the ponds. Sit in one of the cafes and have a glass of wine.

Wander in some of the neighborhoods. See Montparnasse with it’s artists and cafes. See the delectable food displays in stores around La Madeleine. Explore the Latin Quarter, see the Sorbonne and visit a bistro or two. Or just wander along the Seine and see what the booksellers have in those green metal boxes.

The food is “so French” and wonderful. You can certainly eat expensive meals at restaurants with who knows how many Michelin stars, but the food will be good almost everywhere. Pop into any bistro or neighborhood restaurant and order a “prix fixe” menu and you are sure to have a great meal. You have to try the favorite street food of Parisians: crepes. Try one with Nutella, or sugar and butter.

Food, wine, lots of action. If we haven’t got you packing your bags for Paris, we hope we at least have you dreaming of the City of Lights.

 

Cheap but Chic Hotels

Shabby Chic is back this week with our members discussing where to find the most inexpensive hotels in the worlds most expensive cities. Read more

How to Deal With Cancelled Flights

Another reason flights may be cancelled is mechanical problems. If this is the case, you want them to cancel, but it’s hard not to feel frustrated anyway.

Or a flight could be cancelled because there have been delays, and now the crew has been waiting for too long. There are rules about when they can fly and when they can’t.

If your flight is cancelled, the second you hear that your plane is not going anywhere, call the airline’s toll-free number. (It’s a smart idea to have it programed in your mobile phone.) Get into the queue at the counter, especially if it’s fairly short, but make that call while you’re standing in line. There’s a good possibility you’ll get rebooked more quickly on the phone than at the counter where a couple of overwhelmed airline employees are being swarmed by a plane full of disgruntled fliers.

Ask what your options are. Actually, it pays to have an idea of alternatives before you get to the airport. True, most times you won’t need to use the alternatives, but with cancelled flights, the sooner you can act on those alternatives, the more apt you are to get on your way while everyone else is still looking them up.

Most airlines will rebook you, with no fees or penalties, on the next flight on which space is available. Not necessarily on the next flight, but rather, the next flight on which space is available. During holiday periods or really bad weather situations, this could be more than just hours. If you seen the news the last few years, you know it can even be days!

If the wait seems too long, ask the agent if there might be a seat on another airline. Remember they are in competition, but airlines will often endorse your ticket to another carrier to try and get you on your way in a timely fashion. You’ll have the most luck if the flight is on a partner airline.

 

Airport Security Tips

If your travel is international, you need to check what the rules are in the country of your departure.

In larger airports, head for the farthest out-on-the-side checkpoint. Generally these tend to be used less than the ones in the middle so the lines should be shorter.

Once you get to the front of the line, just go along with the drill. If you’re a seasoned traveler, you know what to do. If you’re a novice, watch what the others are doing and follow their lead. The Security Officers will also tell you what to do. Some will tell you nicely. Others can be a bit brusk, but that’s because they have to keep repeating themselves.

Take off your shoes and jacket. Empty your pockets of loose change. Cell phones and sometimes watches should go in the bin. Your “one litre clear plastic bag” of liquids must come out of your carry-on bag. Remember, one bag per person.

Your laptop must come out too unless you have one of the new approved laptop bags that allow x-ray machines to get an unobstructed view of your computer without removing it. You might want to consider investing in one.

Have your boarding pass available and wait for the Officer to wave you through.

BUT YOU’RE NOT DONE YET!

Now you have to put yourself back together. Hopefully you’ve allowed plenty of time for this process, and you’re not trying to rush to catch your flight. Take your time. Make sure you’ve picked up everything you put in the bin.

 

Some Advantages Of Tour Groups

All of this can make it easy on you for trip planning; you don’t need to worry about making reservations or finding hotels and restaurants on the road. You don’t need to worry about that foreign language, though that is truthfully not usually a problem.

You will be traveling with a group of people. If group size is important to you, be sure to check on that. Again depending on the operator and package it can range from 10 or 12 people all the way up to a bus full of about 45 to 50 people. That can make it fun, or it can slow things down as you’re waiting for everyone to get up in the morning and get on the bus. You’ll probably see all the highlights, but you won’t be able to get into small venues that can’t accommodate big groups.

You won’t be lonely as you’ll have your group to interact with. That can insulate you some from interacting with locals, but some group tours introduce you to locals or even get you into ceremonies or places that independent travelers don’t have access to. And hopefully you’ll have knowledgeable tour guides who can teach you about the area – something that independent travelers might miss.

Tours can be an economical way to travel. Tour operators get good prices on hotels and transportation. But you won’t be able to sleep in if the tour group is moving on! You might learn things you wouldn’t have learned otherwise. And if you’re a first time traveler, one of the things you might learn is that you don’t need a group tour.

Sometimes that first tour group experience is more than worth it, it can give you the confidence to travel independently. And if you learn that you like the company you’re traveling with and you like group travel, you’ve come up with a great shortcut for your trip planning in the future. Simply find more of their tours that you like and you’ll soon be traveling the world!

 

How to use foreign ATMs

It’s a good idea to take two cards from different banks. This gives you a backup in case a machine can’t read one of your cards or if one gets demagnetized. If you run into one cash machine that won’t recognize your card, try another down the street, and you’ll probably get your money unless there’s a real problem with your card.

Foreign ATMs work pretty much like the ones here in Australia. But there may be some extra steps: like choosing the language you want to deal in. You put your card and pin in, choose your language, then follow the prompts.

Money is usually only available in the local currency, so figure out the exchange rate ahead of time and calculate how much you want to get. You can get the exchange rate before you leave by checking online at a currency converter like OANDA. In the airport Arrivals Hall, there will almost always be a bank as well as a cash machine. The bank will have conversion rates posted so you can check before you use the machine.

ATMs in some countries give you high denomination bills. You’re going to need “little money” sooner or later, so it’s a good idea to go to a bank as soon as you can and get smaller change. If the banks are closed, ask your hotel to change at least one note into smaller ones.

Your ATM card has a cash limit per day, and you can’t exceed that. Some foreign banks may may have a maximum withdrawal that is smaller than you want. You will be charged a fee, so it pays to take out $200-300 at a time instead of $20 each time you need a little. Tell the machine how much you want. If it won’t or can’t give it to you, you might want to find another ATM so you can save on those fees.

It’s better to use your ATM card or Debit Card rather than a credit card. If you do use a credit card, it is considered a cash advance, and you will be charged even higher fees.

If at all possible, try to find ATMs that are in an enclosed area instead of just open on the street. If you must use one on the street, make sure it appears safe. Be alert and aware of your surroundings just as you would using ATMs at home. Once you get that money, protect it. Put it away as soon as you can – preferably in a money belt.

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