Travel Troubles

Here’s what happens when things go wrong for travelers on the road, in the air, at hotels, and in vacation rentals.

The Travel Troubles category at Consumer Rescue is a collection of real-life stories about travelers who’ve encountered unexpected issues during their adventures. Each tale is dramatic but is a cautionary example, offering valuable lessons and practical advice.

The Travel Troubles section is meant to educate and empower travelers, helping them avoid similar issues and know what to do when things go wrong.

Travelers who encounter a problem they can’t resolve on their own should ask for help from our advocacy team. Our direct mediation service is fast, friendly, and always free!

This passport mistake caused a travel disaster that cost this family nearly $20,000!

This simple passport mistake ended in a $17,766 travel disaster. Here’s how

October 2, 2023October 23, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Ted Kelly says his wife made a simple passport mistake last year that snowballed into a $17,766 travel disaster.

The couple had never heard of the Schengen area or its passport requirements for U.S. citizens. But when they tried to check in for their business class flight to Italy, a Lufthansa representative quickly explained the facts. Ted’s wife’s passport didn’t have the required 90-days validity from their return date, and the airline denied boarding to the couple.

Hertz sent a customer to collections after it offered him a goodwill gesture. The car rental began and ended in Seattle, Washington.

Can Hertz give a goodwill gesture and still send you to collections?

December 16, 2024October 20, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Hertz customer Aaron Baird made a costly mistake during his last car rental. Because he returned the vehicle to the wrong location, the car rental giant slapped him with a $780 upcharge. Ultimately, in the spirit of positive customer relations, Hertz offered Aaron a goodwill gesture and erased the debt.

Lesson learned, and all was well – or so Aaron thought.

A few weeks after Hertz offered the goodwill gesture, a different department within the company resurrected the invoice. That Hertz team sent Aaron’s account to collections and put him on the Do Not Rent (DNR) list.

United Airlines canceled flight, family left stranded in Morocco after canceled flight

United Airlines stranded us in Morocco! How will we get home now?

March 11, 2024October 19, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

It’s ok for United Airlines to sell a family a flight to Morocco and then leave them stranded there when the return flight is canceled. Right?

Wrong. But the airline seems to think so.

What if you hate your vacation rental and leave? Will Airbnb give you a refund? That's what this traveler wants to know.

If you hate your vacation rental, can you leave and get a refund?

December 3, 2023October 17, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Mary Shaw was confident that she had done everything right while planning her trip to Paris. She had carefully selected what she thought was the perfect apartment for her family. But when Mary arrived in the French capital, she hated the Airbnb vacation rental so much that she knew they couldn’t stay.

Now Mary wants to know how she can get a refund from the unwilling Airbnb host.

Hurt on vacation, travel insurance mistake, going to the hospital in Mexico, Expensive medical treatment abroad.

Hurt on vacation? Don’t make this travel insurance mistake

November 10, 2024October 15, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

After she was seriously hurt on vacation, Molly Brooks made a giant, but not uncommon, travel insurance mistake. She left the rural Mexican hospital where she received pricey emergency services and flew home without any documentation of treatment. Her only evidence of hospitalization was a non-itemized $6,000 credit card receipt. As could be expected, this lack of documentation presented an insurmountable problem when she filed her travel insurance claim.

If you want to file a lost luggage claim with Blue Ribbon Bags, you actually have to report the luggage as missing. Otherwise, how can it be found?

What happened to his lost luggage? Blue Ribbon Bags knows

December 9, 2022October 13, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Blue Ribbon Bags, a lost luggage tracking service, offers a $1,000 guarantee. If the company fails to find your lost luggage within 96 hours, you get the cash. That deal sounded pretty sweet to Vamsi Kosaraju, especially when his mother-in-law lost her bag on a recent flight.

The family patiently waited out the four days and then requested the $1,000 reward — which Blue Ribbon Bags swiftly rejected. Now Vamsi wants our advocacy team to investigate. So what’s going on here?

This tale is a bit hard to believe. But it points to Vamsi’s inherent misunderstanding of what this lost luggage tracking service can and can’t do. It should go without saying that if you don’t report your bag missing, it can’t be found. However, Vamsi insists that no one explained that basic premise to him. And he says Blue Ribbon Bags owes him $1,000 for the missing bag.

These travelers did not feel safe in her Airbnb.

If you don’t feel safe in your Airbnb rental, can you get a refund?

January 16, 2024October 12, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

What if you don’t feel safe after you check into your next Airbnb rental? That’s the frightening situation that confronted Ericka Wilson and her sister during a short vacation to Puerto Rico. They didn’t expect luxury, but they did expect to be able to lock the front door. When that wasn’t possible, they wanted to hit the eject button and get a refund.

So why was the refund request for their three-hour stay rejected? That’s what the sisters want our advocacy team to find out.

This Payless customer definitely didn't pay less for his recent car rental. The company made a giant pricing mistake on the vehicle's final bill.

Is this the most expensive car rental pricing mistake ever?

November 22, 2023October 11, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Marvin Payne believes he’s uncovered the most expensive car rental pricing mistake ever, and I think you might agree. Several weeks after returning his most recent vehicle, he got the shock of his life — a $6,000 overcharge.

No, United Airlines will not refund your business class upgrade after you take the trip. So why is this passenger asking?

This United Airlines business class upgrade wasn’t worth $999. I want my money back!

August 21, 2024October 9, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

It’s not likely that any airline would refund a business class upgrade after a passenger completes the trip. But that’s precisely what Juli Talec says an employee of United Airlines promised to do before her recent upgrade.

Juli insists that she never intended to pay to boost her seat into the elite section of the aircraft. So why did she sign a credit card receipt for the business class upgrade at the United Airlines check-in counter?

That’s the $999 question of the day.

This traveler says she didn't damage her vacation rental unit and doesn't want to pay for the repairs.

I didn’t damage this vacation rental! Do I have to pay for it?

October 28, 2023October 7, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Could you be falsely accused of causing damage to your next vacation rental — and be forced to pay for it?

Colleen McKenna is sure that the answer to that question is “yes.” She just returned from what she thought was a peaceful and uneventful stay in a rented condo in Hawaii. But the property manager says she and her husband caused significant damage to the vacation rental during a domestic disturbance. As a result, he charged her credit card for cleanup and repairs — several days after the couple’s departure.

Colleen says she has absolutely no idea what this man is talking about and believes it’s a scam. Now she’s asking our advocacy team to investigate.