Three Annoying Things That Happen When You Travel (And How To Handle Them) 

Traveling is a ton of fun until you hit issues. As a frequent traveler, I know all too well some of the problems that can happen, and I’m here to give you some solutions, too. 

Three Travel Issues

In a perfect world, your trip would start and end without any issues! But it’s not a perfect world, and stuff happens. Here are the three issues I’ve encountered and how I handled them. Learn from me to avoid them or at least know what to do if they happen to you. 

1. Canceled Flight

The good news is, that airlines are working hard to lower these numbers. According to the Department of Transportation, only 1.2 percent of flights in the United States were canceled. 

But the bad news is that when they are cancelled, it’s out of your control. Flights can be canceled for various reasons, such as mechanical issues, weather, or staffing problems. 

The only good thing about this issue is that you might be entitled to flight delay compensation. European law requires airlines to compensate for canceled flights. It’s all explained in detail on Airhelp, so I suggest checking that site out. Almost all airlines in America offer some kind of compensation, so check out Airhelp and arm yourself with the knowledge. 

If your flight is canceled, always ask about hotel and meal compensation, at least. You could get a lot more than that. 

2. Booked Through Third Parties 

Even though it seems like a good idea to save money and book through third-party sites like Booking.com or Expedia, you can only do this if you’re prepared for things to go wrong. 

Here’s how it works: You book through Hotels.com, and then they contact the hotel and reserve the room in your name. Hotels often give these third-party sites the worst rooms (like near the elevator), and the sites are notorious for making mistakes. Since they booked the room for you, any changes you make to the reservation or mistakes they make have to be solved through them. The hotel can’t do anything to fix it. 

One time, I reserved a room with two queen beds. But the third party site booked a room with one king bed. While I was at the hotel front desk, I had to call the booking site’s customer service line and they had to call the hotel and fix it. 

Yup, you read that correctly. Hotels can’t change reservations made by third party sites. The site has to call them and approve it – it’s a MESS. 

Trust me, avoid all the hassle and always book flights, car rentals, and hotels directly. 

3. Paying Too Much For Rental Cars 

Speaking of car rentals, I’ve paid way too much before and learned a few tricks. 

First, pick one or two companies that you like and build loyalty points through them. For me, that’s Enterprise and Hertz. I always compare them and rent from the cheaper one. 

Next, don’t pay for the insurance. Your personal car insurance will pay for it. If you don’t want this on your car insurance, then look at travel insurance. But the worst idea is to pay for the insurance from the rental car facility – it’s way overpriced. 

Also, ask about the price per gallon they charge if you drop off the car without a full tank. Sometimes they charge way more than the current price per gallon, sometimes it is way less. 

Final Thoughts 

As fun as traveling is, it always comes with risks. Thankfully, there are ways to prevent a lot of these travel issues and things you can do if it happens to you. I hope my stories help you have an epic vacation! 

Keep reading for more! I have helpful tips about what to do if your flight is delayed in Europe, and how to sleep better on flights.