I spent this past Sunday afternoon at the beach with my family. We had a great day with friends, family and lots of fun, but it sure was hot. Even the water temperature was up, so there was no chance of a dip to cool down. Unfortunately, we came home to a warm house. Yes, the A/C was out.
I quickly picked up the phone, knowing that at nearly 8pm on a Sunday night that there wouldn’t be anyone in the office. I knew we had been experiencing record heat and was trying to make it onto the list for as early in the week as possible. Within 5 minutes of leaving the message I had a call back from the office manager offering a few things to try and letting me know that they would have the owner of the business out the next day.
Parts were ordered and by the time I got home from work on Tuesday evening, the house was cool again. It was nice to know that with one phone call everything was taken care of, the fact that it was by a small business owned by a family that still lives down the street from my parents house made it even better.
It reminded me of all the travelers we were able to help with their travel plans when things didn’t go as expected in the past few weeks. Maybe you saw a news report or a few about the Delta computer problems, the power outage at JFK, the floods in Louisiana or even the false reports of shots fired, also at JFK, and that was all just within the past week! All of these can wreak havoc on travel plans.
Luckily, much like I was able to rely on the expertise of the heating and cooling professional, my clients just had to pick up the phone and let me handle the rest. This week I wanted to share a few tips incase your next trip doesn’t go exactly as you had planned. In the meantime, remember, “It takes no more time to see the good side of life than it takes to see the bad” ~Jimmy Buffett
Top 5 tips for making the most out of travel mishaps:
#1 – call your travel professional immediately – the sooner we know about a potential delay or problem, the more options we have access to if necessary.
#2 – inspect your luggage before leaving the airport. Most airlines require that you report any damages in person, within 4 hours of arrival at the destination.
#3 – keep your insurance paperwork handy. On the paperwork are the phone numbers to file a claim as well as emergency assistance numbers for locations throughout the world.
#4 – when your flights are delayed, stay close to the gate and listen closely for updates. The airline representatives will pass along updates as information becomes available
#5 – when you do get stuck, find a way to enjoy it, a bad mood is not going to change the situation.
If you’re interested in more tips and tricks to make your travels stress free sign up here: