With the terrible earthquake and tsunami that has hit Japan, and the fact that 20,000 people are stranded at the two main Tokyo international airports, I have to wonder: how many of us are prepared to handle emergenices while traveling?
It is my belief, that no matter where you are in the world, if you have your passport and a credit card, and perhaps some cash, you can get home.
With this is mind, I always, underline always, carry my passport, credit cards, and the bulk of my cash in a moneybelt. There are some who insist that they keep these items in either their room safe or hotel safe because they don’t want to carry them around. It’s safer there and more comfortable than a moneybelt.
But what if you can’t get back to your hotel? Taj Hotel guests in Mumbai weren’t allowed back in until well after the terrorist attacks last year were over. And what if you’re out and your hotel is the victim of a natural disaster. I’d much rather lose a few items of clothing, some toiletries and a bag, if it means getting me out of a bad situation.
And what if you were one of the thousands stuck at an airport and forced to wait on line to get your ticket changed? What would you do? (I’d find a way to call my airline’s reservation department. The people you talk to on the phone are looking at the same screen the person behind the counter is some 150 people ahead. Sure, they might charge you a few bucks but I’d rather pay it than waste all day waiting.)
And what if you can’t get out that day or even for a few days? Tough it out on the terminal floor? What I do is look for alternatives. Is there another way to where I’m going? Is there a nearby airport with flights going in my direction. In Japan, while the two Tokyo airports are closed, the Osaka airport is open. Is there a way to utilize that information? I’ve done this, not in Japan, where I knew of alternate flights at other airports and convinced the airline to let me get on one of those. If that didn’t work, and it looks like hotels would soon be filling up, I’d call the one I just left to see if they could find a room for me if I came back. Since I’ve already been a customer they may be more helpful to me than someone just walking in off the street.
A smart traveler knowing his options and possibly having a back up plan doesn’t necessarily have to be one of the travel “victims.” When I was training to be a tour director it was drummed into us to expect problems and how to handle the most common ones. The one thing we were told over and over was that we had to be flexible.
Okay, your turn, what little tricks have you learned to help prevent your trips from having real problems?
(Frank II)