Emotions of fear and anxiety on the passengers face
Holiday travel is here, bringing travel nightmares. Delays, cancellations, sleeping in airports instead of with loved ones or nursing a margarita at sunset—all awful to contemplate. And I sincerely hope a true travel nightmare like this never happens again.
But many people have different fears, reveals a new survey of 1000 Americans by Passport Photo Online, a technology startup developing AI tools for taking biometric photos. The study asked respondents if they’ve ever encountered a travel nightmare, what it was like, and whether they have any tips on how to combat potential travel disasters.
These are mostly G-rated problems, not dramatic ones like getting shot or kidnapped as in the “Taken” movies. If you want real travel nightmares, the State Department has a website for that. Travel.State.Gov shows the world by travel advisories.
And one person’s travel nightmare might be routine for someone else. I caught COVID-19 after a trip to Las Vegas in May, but I was back on my feet in a week.
The study found that 92% of Americans have experienced at least one travel nightmare in their lifetime. America’s top three most common travel nightmares are losing or getting separated from a travel companion (66%), having planned activities fall through (63%), and having to stay in a bad hotel or accommodation (62%). That certainly fits with one of my own travel fears, getting bad service. It’s a fear that has too often come true. Other Top Ten travel nightmares:
· Getting a minor sickness, like a cold: 61%
· Having a major argument with one’s travel companion(s): 59%
· The weather was terrible during the entire trip: 58%
· The hotel canceled my reservation: 56%
· Losing one’s wallet, phone, passport, or other valuables: 56%
· Having to seek emergency medical care: 54%
· Getting lost or stranded: 52%
Shot of a young woman standing next to her broken down vehicle and using a smartphone
Almost half of respondents said it cost them between $500 and $5000 dollars when things went sideways on vacation. Eighteen percent said their travel nightmare cost between $501–$1,000, 12% said it cost $1,001–$2,000, 10% $2,001 to $3,000: 6% said it cost them $3,001–$5,000, and 1% admitted to being out of pocket over $5000.
Another cost, in addition to loss of cash and enjoyment, is the loss of time. As the study pointed out, most Americans only have 10 days of PTO (Europeans often get 20 days of personal time off), so losing a day can mean losing 10% of your vacation.
Considering all this, it seems surprising that 81% of US tourists have taken the risk of going to a destination without travel insurance. Of those, 71% regret it. Refundable tickets and hotel rooms helped lure travelers out of COVID caves, but airlines and hotels are cutting back on these “perks.”
Many of the other travel nightmare waste both time and money. For example, 32% claim they’ve gotten arrested on vacation! The unofficial motto of Las Vegas was “Come on vacation, leave on probation.” The study shows that the world of The Hangover may have been more real than we’ve guessed.
Other travel nightmares include losing money to a scam (51%;note to self—do not play three-card monte in Times Square) getting pick-pocketed (try a money belt), enduring a natural disaster, 45%, car accident 40%, and that special COVID nightmare, having to quarantine upon arrival, 47%.
Domestic tourists betting on the three cup game, which is a well known scam or con trick involving … [+] two or more people on 11th August 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Three-card Monte (also known as Find the Lady or the Three-card Trick) is a confidence game in which the victim, or mark, is tricked into betting a sum of money, on the assumption that they can find the ball underneath one of the cups. In its full form, Three-card Monte is an example of a classic “short con” in which a shill pretends to conspire with the mark to cheat the dealer, while in fact conspiring with the dealer to cheat the mark. This confidence trick was already in use by the turn of the 15th century. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Comments showed the impact of these setbacks.
“I got stung by a jellyfish. It hurt a lot.”
“I had to stay in a nasty hotel on our trip to Orlando. It was almost movie-bad, with stains on the bed sheets and mold on the bathroom walls. I’m never letting my wife pick rooms again.”
“Our plane broke down before take-off, and we had to wait eight hours for another flight.”
As for me, I’ve had my fill of terrible hotels. But if there is reincarnation, I hope I will not return as a rental car, condemned to driving over curbs.
Airlines too created their fair share of travel disasters.
· My carry-on got lost or stolen: 59%
· My flight was canceled: 56%
· My flight was rerouted, which caused a major delay: 56%
· I missed my flight: 55%
· Checked bags got heavily damaged: 52%
· Checked bags got lost or stolen: 50%
· Denied boarding or entry to the destination due to a lack of a COVID-19 vaccination certificate, a negative test, or another coronavirus-related reason: 49%
COVID-19 coronavirus in France, medical mask on gargoyle of Notre Dame in Paris. Tourist landmarks … [+] closed due to corona virus outbreak. Concept of travel, quarantine and COVID coronavirus pandemic.
What can you do about all this? Respondents advised:
· Arrive at the airport with plenty of time before your flight: 61%
· Write your name and address on an outside tag of your bag: 58%
· Check COVID-19 travel and testing requirements for your destination: 56%
· Make a photocopy of your passport: 55%
· Print out all confirmation emails: 55%
· Contact hotels and airlines to double-check your reservations: 55%
· Always double-check the seatback pocket before deplaning: 54%
· Always buy travel insurance: 51%
The best advice, however, is often the simplest. As one put it, “Get a supportive travel partner.”