We’ve been very upfront about some of the mistakes we’ve made and lessons learned while traveling.
But even though we’ve become pretty savvy travelers, we still get tripped up sometimes by situations we wish we had known to look out for. Here are four more tips to make your travel hassle-free.
1. Know How to Call the Authorities In Case of an Emergency
We all know how to call for emergency assistance in our own country. But if you’re in a foreign one, the way to call for help is likely different. Make sure you know where to find that information in a hurry.
We were staying in a small, quaint hotel in Lyon, France with a one-person front desk on the second floor. Our room was on the fifth floor. One night at 1:30 a.m. we were awoken by loud banging on our door and someone trying to enter our room, claiming to be a “fireman.” We were petrified.
Doug desperately held the door shut against the intruder while I scrambled to call the front desk, but no one answered, so I had to call the police. Unfortunately, I did not know how to do that, and the hotel information card with that intel was buried somewhere under our belongings. I had to google “how to call the police in France” which cost us precious time in the emergency, especially since most of the websites coming up in my search were in French and apparently there’s more than one emergency number. I did find the correct phone number and was able to report the attempted break-in.
After it seemed that the “fireman” had left our floor I again tried to contact the front desk. This time a woman answered, and apologized; yes, that was a real fireman there to investigate a possible gas leak, and she had left the front desk to go downstairs to help. She also told us that the police had come and that she explained the situation to them. By then we were too agitated to go back to sleep.
Now whenever we travel I eyeball where the emergency information is in our hotel room so I can quickly get to it.
2. Know the Rules So You Can Enforce Them
It can be a hassle when a mistake or misunderstanding occurs. If you know the rules – sometimes buried in the fine print – you have more ammunition to deal with the situation.
On a recent cruise, I thought it would be nice to bring along several bottles of Pinot Grigio, my mother’s favorite, so I put one bottle in each of our three suitcases. I double-checked the website; the cruise line’s FAQs clearly stated that people can bring that amount of wine.
We boarded the ship and went to our stateroom to await our luggage. But for some reason two of our three bags were still missing in action, even after we set sail. Imagine the consternation when we thought our luggage had been left behind!
I ran to guest services and was allowed to search through the luggage that had not yet been delivered. Ours were not there. I then enlisted the help of a concierge, who finally found our two bags in security. They had been pulled aside because of the wine, and the wine was going to be confiscated for the duration of the voyage (for some reason they didn’t mind the wine in the third suitcase). I had to point out that the company’s policy clearly allowed us to bring the wine on, and that it was in the FAQs, so security finally relented and let us keep the wine.
The next time we took a cruise, I decided to test the policy. I packed a bottle of wine in my suitcase along with a note that stated the wine was allowed per the attached cruise line policy. This time? Smooth sailing.
3. Mind What You Leave in Your Car
People know not to keep valuables in a car, particularly when traveling. But that’s not the only item to remove. Here’s a little-known tip that can help keep your travel hassle-free.
We opted to drive and park our car at the airport for our trip to Thailand, which was during winter break. It can get rather cold in the Washington, DC area in the winter. The car was in an open-air parking garage, not uncommon at airports.
We had left an unopened can of cola in a cup holder. When we returned to the car after the trip, we discovered that it had been so cold that the can exploded and sent its contents flying, mainly up. The liquid then refroze.
It was a bad enough mess when we entered the car. But once we started driving, the soda began to melt and drip all over us. Not exactly what you want to deal with when you’re coming home from a long trip. We were now not only exhausted but also filthy.
4. Carry At Least a Couple of Dollars or Equivalent Local Currency Just in Case
It’s never a good idea to travel with no cash at all – or with just a big denomination that you can’t easily break. Having a few small bills or some change can come in handy.
On a recent vacation, I took a bus tour with two family members to see the island of Aruba. They had no plans to get off the bus, but I hopped off and on to see the sights. At the third stop, I first headed to the bathroom and discovered that it cost a dollar for the privilege, not unusual. So I paid and afterward went exploring.
When I returned to the bus, I found one family member quite upset because she had gotten off the bus to go to the bathroom but had no money so was not allowed access. The other family member had only a 50 dollar bill that the bathroom attendant could not make change for. I gladly paid for them, but had I not returned to the bus a little early they would not have had the time to go. For the rest of the vacation we made sure that everyone had at least a couple of dollars with them.
We hope these four tips help make your travel hassle-free. Learn from our mistakes!
Have any other advice or funny stories? Send us a message at info@winewithourfamily.com. Always feel free to reach out to us with any questions or feedback.
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