United States traveling headaches!

cichlid · 01-26-2009, 10:29 PM

Why is it whatever can go wrong usually does? Today has been entertaining on my first training trip. I flew out of Dallas this morning. I decided to go out of DFW (Dallas) since I would have a straight flight to GSP (Greenville). Zero layovers and it is cheaper for my company. I just had to deal with driving through Dallas.

I get to my destination as planned and call up my hotel since they have a shuttle that comes out. The plan was that my co-worker would have the car and would be flying in at midnight. I get to my hotel as expected and check in. The hotel is nice but on the ghetto side of town. I would have not picked it had I not been convinced that this was the best hotel to stay at for training. It is near the training facility.

So I get to my hotel and I settle in. I am about to go get some food from downstairs. I've been situated for a few hours now. Tomorrow my co-worker are going to drive out to the training facility and start a new hire orientation.

At 7:00 pm my co-worker calls me with the bad news. All flights are cancelled out of the OKC airport. The runways are iced over! I asked him if he will be flying out and ...nope... he's not showing up for orientation. So I called the rental car and tried to see if I can come pick up the car instead. I have the confirmation information and I know everything about the car rental. But apparently the payment has to match the driver's license. The rental car was in his name so I couldn't get it. For an hour we try to move the reservation over to me. He has the ability to go online and get discounted rates because of our company. I have not yet been given the information to use this system.

We finally got it all fixed up at 8:00 pm and now I make my way to the front desk to have someone drive me back to the airport. Apparently, no one was available to take me back since they don't drive to the airport at night. Thankfully, someone at the hotel was willing to take the keys and drive me back. Free break from work for him.

I get back to the airport and even more headaches arise. The rental car place tried to not allow me to rent the car since I did not fly in on a plane. ... That was easy to solve. I explained to the individual the whole story about the co-worker being stuck in OKC. I showed him my flight information and I was on my way in a compact car!

I get more bad news that I will not be driving a compact but instead a Toyota Highlander! They told me it was a small SUV... nah! This thing is HUGE compared to my Chevy Cobalt! I felt like a target driving it to go get a pizza. In fact, I was scared when a pizza chef came in to tell me I need to look at my SUV. Here I am driving a huge SUV when everyone else is driving small beat-up cars. He just wanted to show me a $10 bill that had fallen under my SUV. I looked at it and I knew that I had not lost any money so I said he could keep it.

I'm back safe at the hotel but it has been quite an evening. Anyone else have some interesting travelling headaches?

ETA: after looking back, I am really glad I decided to swap phone numbers with my co-worker. Had we not had each other's numbers, I would have woken up tomorrow wondering where he was. I'm new at work so I only have my boss' and this co-worker's number.

**melrich** · 01-26-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Anyone else have some interesting travelling headaches?

Touch wood I have been surprisingly lucky with my travelling. Like everyone I have had the odd delays here and there but I've never had anything that REALLY went wrong.

Which is probably a good thing cos my tolerance for such things is close to zero.

cichlid · 01-26-2009, 10:45 PM

It had the potential to go very wrong. My accounts were drained since I relocated. My relocation package got to me today. If the package hadn't come in then I would have been really out of luck. I had a total of $250 in my accounts.

sophie274 · 01-26-2009, 11:33 PM

Oooh yeah I have had some mishaps. Best one was probably when I was 10 years old, in a wheelchair, with my 11 year old sister, and we got dropped off at the airport, flight delayed and delayed then cancelled, stranded at the airport with no US dollars and no phone (pre-cell phones), and my sister had a nervous breakdown. Literally. We were supposed to be meeting someone at our layover and traveling together, so she had to cancel. It was just really hassling.

I also lost my computer on a plane and had a three hour layover in an airport to desperately try and get it back. I was so hysterical I convinced them to let me back on the plane when it was supposedly strictly forbidden. Good times.

But those adventures are NOTHING next to what I've heard. Worst is probably being stranded in the actual airport for 24 hours. Eek.

cichlid · 01-29-2009, 07:20 PM

The other night (Tuesday) I went out with some people from the new hire orientation. I got home at 9:30 and I was almost robbed or kidnapped. The hotel I was convinced to stay at was on the shady side of town. It had prostitutes along the streets at times and there were abandoned buildings. The facililty manager told me not to stay there but my co-worker said it was great and we were supposed to be traveling together.

Anyway, I got back one night and there was a guy walking along the street near the entrance. As I turned he started to suddenly decide he was going towards the hotel. I kept an eye on him. The entrance to the hotel from the street is at least 200 feet. I park quickly and then there he is standing about 20 feet from me. He starts begging for money with this story that doesn't make sense. The story was that his car (and wife and kids) was stuck at a gas station. I told him no and then he said he was staying at this hotel too. Again I said I had no money on me. The he said he would drive me to the gas station and I could pay with my card. I told him no once again and he kept walking towards me. All this time I am walking quickly towards the entrance to the hotel. The guy kept his distance near the front of the hotel. I glance over and there was an employee having a smoke outside the hotel. I went in and reported this since begging for money is illegal in most states.

I'm back at home. I think I will make sure that they didn't make a new reservation at this hotel. How much information should I tell my company if they ask why I want to not stay at this hotel?

01-26-2009, 10:29 PM	#1
cichlid Offline Gold Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: the South Gender: Female Age: 24 Posts: 1,172	traveling headaches! Why is it whatever can go wrong usually does? Today has been entertaining on my first training trip. I flew out of Dallas this morning. I decided to go out of DFW (Dallas) since I would have a straight flight to GSP (Greenville). Zero layovers and it is cheaper for my company. I just had to deal with driving through Dallas. I get to my destination as planned and call up my hotel since they have a shuttle that comes out. The plan was that my co-worker would have the car and would be flying in at midnight. I get to my hotel as expected and check in. The hotel is nice but on the ghetto side of town. I would have not picked it had I not been convinced that this was the best hotel to stay at for training. It is near the training facility. So I get to my hotel and I settle in. I am about to go get some food from downstairs. I've been situated for a few hours now. Tomorrow my co-worker are going to drive out to the training facility and start a new hire orientation. At 7:00 pm my co-worker calls me with the bad news. All flights are cancelled out of the OKC airport. The runways are iced over! I asked him if he will be flying out and ...nope... he's not showing up for orientation. So I called the rental car and tried to see if I can come pick up the car instead. I have the confirmation information and I know everything about the car rental. But apparently the payment has to match the driver's license. The rental car was in his name so I couldn't get it. For an hour we try to move the reservation over to me. He has the ability to go online and get discounted rates because of our company. I have not yet been given the information to use this system. We finally got it all fixed up at 8:00 pm and now I make my way to the front desk to have someone drive me back to the airport. Apparently, no one was available to take me back since they don't drive to the airport at night. Thankfully, someone at the hotel was willing to take the keys and drive me back. Free break from work for him. I get back to the airport and even more headaches arise. The rental car place tried to not allow me to rent the car since I did not fly in on a plane. ... That was easy to solve. I explained to the individual the whole story about the co-worker being stuck in OKC. I showed him my flight information and I was on my way in a compact car! I get more bad news that I will not be driving a compact but instead a Toyota Highlander! They told me it was a small SUV... nah! This thing is HUGE compared to my Chevy Cobalt! I felt like a target driving it to go get a pizza. In fact, I was scared when a pizza chef came in to tell me I need to look at my SUV. Here I am driving a huge SUV when everyone else is driving small beat-up cars. He just wanted to show me a $10 bill that had fallen under my SUV. I looked at it and I knew that I had not lost any money so I said he could keep it. I'm back safe at the hotel but it has been quite an evening. Anyone else have some interesting travelling headaches? ETA: after looking back, I am really glad I decided to swap phone numbers with my co-worker. Had we not had each other's numbers, I would have woken up tomorrow wondering where he was. I'm new at work so I only have my boss' and this co-worker's number. Last edited by cichlid; 01-26-2009 at 10:34 PM.

01-26-2009, 10:45 PM	#3
cichlid Offline Gold Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: the South Gender: Female Age: 24 Posts: 1,172	It had the potential to go very wrong. My accounts were drained since I relocated. My relocation package got to me today. If the package hadn't come in then I would have been really out of luck. I had a total of $250 in my accounts.

01-26-2009, 11:33 PM	#4
sophie274 Online Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,062	Oooh yeah I have had some mishaps. Best one was probably when I was 10 years old, in a wheelchair, with my 11 year old sister, and we got dropped off at the airport, flight delayed and delayed then cancelled, stranded at the airport with no US dollars and no phone (pre-cell phones), and my sister had a nervous breakdown. Literally. We were supposed to be meeting someone at our layover and traveling together, so she had to cancel. It was just really hassling. I also lost my computer on a plane and had a three hour layover in an airport to desperately try and get it back. I was so hysterical I convinced them to let me back on the plane when it was supposedly strictly forbidden. Good times. But those adventures are NOTHING next to what I've heard. Worst is probably being stranded in the actual airport for 24 hours. Eek.

01-29-2009, 07:20 PM	#5
cichlid Offline Gold Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: the South Gender: Female Age: 24 Posts: 1,172	The other night (Tuesday) I went out with some people from the new hire orientation. I got home at 9:30 and I was almost robbed or kidnapped. The hotel I was convinced to stay at was on the shady side of town. It had prostitutes along the streets at times and there were abandoned buildings. The facililty manager told me not to stay there but my co-worker said it was great and we were supposed to be traveling together. Anyway, I got back one night and there was a guy walking along the street near the entrance. As I turned he started to suddenly decide he was going towards the hotel. I kept an eye on him. The entrance to the hotel from the street is at least 200 feet. I park quickly and then there he is standing about 20 feet from me. He starts begging for money with this story that doesn't make sense. The story was that his car (and wife and kids) was stuck at a gas station. I told him no and then he said he was staying at this hotel too. Again I said I had no money on me. The he said he would drive me to the gas station and I could pay with my card. I told him no once again and he kept walking towards me. All this time I am walking quickly towards the entrance to the hotel. The guy kept his distance near the front of the hotel. I glance over and there was an employee having a smoke outside the hotel. I went in and reported this since begging for money is illegal in most states. I'm back at home. I think I will make sure that they didn't make a new reservation at this hotel. How much information should I tell my company if they ask why I want to not stay at this hotel?