abranz

emd,
i have never personally used an ombudsman but i read dispute resolutions through them in various travel magazines.

i figured it is worth a shot. what do you have to lose???
here are some names:

national geographic travel magazine has
christopher elliott.
he can be reached at [email protected].
c.elliott also has his own website/blog as a travel trouble shooter.
elliott.org

u.s.a. today has travelers aide with linda burbank.
she can be reached at [email protected]

i would assume that both travel and leisure and conde nast traveller would have their own ombudsman as well.

good luck. hope you get a break.

TPAYT

Going to Hawaii!!!

ncounty

When I first read it, Ryan, I figured it was the number of a very hot waitress....but then subsequent posts made me lose that focus.

joto

Our family with another family were heading for a driving trip to Germany, and we were on the Dover-Calais ferry. My husband asked If I had brought our spending money with me. We had divided it and put it in 2 separate envelopes and put it in the cabinet at home until it was time to go. Stupid me had only picked up one of the envelopes. We had to be very budget conscious that trip, but we still had a great time.

Hoosiergirl

My husband and I were traveling through Kentucky on our way to a Kentucky State Park on the back roads and saw smoke rolling out of this barn. Immediately stopped and drove in this strangers driveway and told them their barn was on fire!!! The real truth was they were smoking tobacco in that barn. Not the way you think in their mouth but they were smoking tobacco for the flavor. Hard to explain but it was a real embarrasing moment. Something we will never forget.

Bird

While traveling in Indiana, a friend and I became hopelessly lost driving at night. I stopped at a small farm house to ask for directions. No one came to the door, but the door was open and there was music playing in another room. Exotic music. So we went inside - big mistake. It turned out that there was a pagan ritual going on in the basement and we saw some things we shouldn't have seen. Several of the pagans grabbed my friend. Luckily, I got away. While racing away in my car, I could still hear my friend's blood-curdling screams in my head.

The next day, I returned to the farm house with the authorities, only to find the house empty and silent. I'm hopeful that one day I will see my friend again.

karens

My husband and I were going to Bermuda and forgot my 18 mo. old son's birth certificate. It was back at home, locked in our safety deposit box. They wouldn't let him on the plane and we didn't have time to go back and get it time for the flight.

We've never done anything that stupid since.

Continental_Drifter

Bird - I think you're joshin.

colduphere

karens - we did that once with all three kids' passports. Air Canada let us on in Ottawa but warned us we might get turned back by US Immigation in Montreal.

But the nice fellow asked the kids a few questions and let us go through.

emd

karens, where and with whom did you leave your son when you got on the plane?...

I guess it is too hopeful to think maybe your mother or mother-in-law was at the airport seeing you off, and said "oh, just leave the baby w/me!"

Woody Allen (as Alvy Singer) had it right in Annie Hall. When he was behind the arrogant guy in line for the movie and the arrogant guy was giving his opinion on the film, invoking Marshall McLluhan ("the medium is the message&quot, and Alvy said, "Boy what I wouldn't give for a large sock with horse manure on it," and then the real Marshall McLluhan comes out and tells arrogant guy how stupid his remarks were. And Alvy said, "Boy, if life were only like this."

If life were only like that, I'd have gotten a Delta supervisor to change my flight for a lesser or no fee, and you'd have had a grandmother or other relative right there to just whisk the baby away.

lollylo25

Leaving for vacation with my (now-X) husband, 8 months pregnant, & forgetting all my maternity clothes.

colduphere

Bird = Clara

curiousgeo

Ryan, I remember Tom Vu. You looked at him, looked at all the beautiful women in the background, looked back at him, and went, "Sure, I believe it!"

Grcxx3

I think it must have been this thread that lead to my nightmare last night....


Living overseas for 7 years...I became the travel coordinator "extraordinaire!" I had friends who took my info for hotels, sights, restaurants, etc. I planned 3-4 major trips a year - all of which went with no issues.

But last night I had an absolute NIGHTMARE...that I was on the way to the airport and realized I had no hotel reservations. Then I got the airport and realized the flight reservations had suddenly been canceled!!! Talk about panicking!!!!

Reminds me of those college nightmares I would have about realizing I had signed up for a class and never had attended...and suddenly I had to take the exam!! And ALWAYS - they were Eng Lit classes that required major outside reading!!!

Those dreams still make me wake up sweating......

ncounty

lol, I get travel nightmares too! They've replaced my student nightmares. Are we too much into this stuff?!!

Grcxx3

Yup......WAY too involved!!

I have to admit.....one of the "nicest" things about being back in the US is NOT worrying about what wer are doing at Christmas break!

DS#1 will be going to San Diego with his HS band (he laughed that he wouldn't need his passport). Otherwise.....I am really trying to avoid any and all travel!!

seetheworld

fyb, I was about to say the same thing.

Ryan, do you realize that is the second time you have made that comment? Ummm, do you need some counseling or something?

miller20621

Not renewing my drivers license on time- seems that rental car agencies prefer to only rent their vehicles to legal drivers! It was 4 weeks after I had delivered my daughter...and that minor detail was the last thing on my mind...until I was rejected!

Pegontheroad

I began to check into the airport, only to discover that I'd neglected to bring my passport.

It worked out okay. I called my neighbor and asked him to bring my passport to the airport, and we caught a later flight and were still able to make our overseas connection.

Suspaul

Several years ago some friends were going to Paris and decided to stay awake all night before the trip so they'd be sure to sleep on the plane, well, by early morning they were sound asleep, woke up and made a mad dash to the airport in record time but they had already closed the flight. They found another flight to the connecting city (Atlanta) that would actually get them there before their original flight but when they tried to check in and pick up the last leg of the trip they were told that since they had not flown all of the legs in order they could not board. They had to fork over another $1,000 per ticket to get to Paris. What a costly mistake that was. But they had a wonderful time anyhow.

emd, glad you were able to salvage your trip, enjoy.
Susan