Should you expect problems when traveling?
Update: Although we wrote about problems while traveling in 2020, the information is still very relevant today. Read on to see all that could and might happen while traveling!
Our travel may be a little different than most, as we do so by way of pet/house sitting. In fact, this post could also be called “Pet sitting perils!” Regardless, whether pet sitting or on a luxury cruise, problems while traveling can and often will present themselves.
When traveling, the first line of defense is to anticipate that things may not go according to plan. Unexpected events are always a shock but if your mindset is open to the unexpected, solutions are much easier to come by. For example, our adventures at the end of 2019 into 2020, presented problems while traveling of historical proportions. Here is our story.
Getting sick in a foreign country is definitely a travel problem.
Who wants to be sick in a foreign country, especially if you can’t speak the language? No one! However, as we leave for Portugal, one of our first problems while traveling is that I come down with some sort of virus. (pre-corona, thankfully!)
Sightseeing in Lisbon? Not happening! Arrival at our pet sit in the Portugal countryside two days later leaves me wanting only a bed! Prior to a sit, we request the hospital, doctor and pharmacy locations. At our Portugal sit, only the pharmacist is English speaking!
Long story short, the hospital won’t see us because I’m not bleeding to death and the clinic is for locals only. Thankfully, the pharmacist helps us out. Three weeks of bed rest and over the counter meds does the trick!
Weeks later, I get a rash on my arm, something I experienced before. Since my medical records are online, the pharmacist prescribes a similar medication. It’s all good.
In review:
- Know where the local hospital and/or clinic is.
- Get English speaking (if possible) Doctor and Dentist recommendations.
- Know the location of a pharmacy.
- Have access to important medical records, especially prescriptions.
- Make sure you have travel insurance for medical emergencies.
Be aware – Medicare does not cover you overseas. Even if you have private health coverage and/or travel insurance (strongly recommended) most likely you will have to pay out of pocket and be reimbursed.
When things are different.
Travel transports us into something different. After all, isn’t that why we love it? Although this may seem like a no-brainer, it is not always the case. Many people like to travel, but only with the comforts of home. Because of this, many choose guided trips as there is less likelihood of issues or travel problems and, if they do occur, the tour guide (supposedly) fixes it!
On the other hand, while our “slow” way of travel allows us to immerse ourselves in the local culture, it also opens the door for far more of the “unexpected.”
Unexpected problems while traveling in Portugal.
Our tranquil “sit” in the Portugal countryside is interrupted by two historic storms in Dec 2019. Both Spain and Portugal suffer dearly from “Elsa” and “Fabian,” with widespread damage, violent winds, flooding, downed electrical, disrupted air and train travel and other problems. Sadly, a total of nine people are killed by the storms.
At our house sit, culverts which previously carried water away from our one track hillside gravel driveway are blocked, with the water threatening to erode the surface. There are also downed trees! Even worse, on the hillside above our abode, there are huge crevices in the trails, exposing the underground utilities!
Does the dog want to go out for a walk? Not really! Fortunately, the homeowner’s chainsaw enables us to quickly clear the trees, and his handyman works several days to reroute the driveway drainage problem.
However, the huge crevices in the trails above the house are another matter. This is something the homeowner will deal with for months to come. In the meantime, we quit throwing pinecones for the dog to chase, for fear of her being swallowed by mother earth. Clearly, this is not what we expected, but when travel problems of this magnitude arise, sometimes you are the only problem solver in sight.
In review:
- Mother Nature has a way of disrupting the best-made plans.
- Know who and how to call for help.
- Make sure you know the number for emergency response in each Country you visit. 911 will get you nowhere outside of the USA!
Transportation problems while traveling.
Trains & buses have travel problems too.
Canceled! That’s what my train app says the morning we are scheduled to depart by rail from Bristol UK for our next “sit.” On Feb 9th, 2020, superstorm “Ciara” is in full force, disrupting train and air travel with winds up to 100mph, heavy rain, more downed trees, and flooding. This storm ultimately kills 11 people as it marches across Great Britain and onward to mainland Europe.
Our homeowner leaves tomorrow! We have to get there today! A bus is our “plan B” but we are too late. They are filled to capacity with no availability until the following day. ! One of our major problems while traveling this time was disruption of public transportation!
Moving quickly, we beat the crowd out to the Airport where car rental is our “plan C!” To our surprise, the rental agent we called fails to mention (and we fail to ask) that his office is in town. (Duh!) Our travel problems have just been greatly increased! Scrambling back onto the airport shuttle bus, we hustle into town then power walk several blocks to the rental agency.
Bus and train apps are very helpful, especially in stressful situations like this. The apps keep you updated and allow the purchase, delivery, and use of tickets within the app, which is a huge relief when travel problems hit.
Car rental.
Success, well, sort of! We are thankful our credit card covers the rental car insurance because we are driving in a world-class storm. Yep, the weather becomes one of our major problems while traveling. The normal 2.5-hour drive to our next “sit” stretches into a dangerous and exhausting 3.5 hours, but we arrive safe and sound. Our homeowner is so appreciative of our efforts that she has hot tea and homemade Victoria Sponge Cake waiting for us. It is delicious. Amazing how tea and Sponge Cake can make all the travel problems just fade away.
Sometimes a “Plan B” is not sufficient. In fact, we have learned to keep plan “C” and “D” on standby in the wings. Hopefully, we will never need to go beyond “D!”
No International Driver’s Permit can be one of your problems while traveling.
Did you know that driving in some countries requires an International Driver’s Permit or IDP? It’s best to check the requirements of your host country prior to departure if driving is in your plans. Otherwise, it could present a serious travel problem!
IDP’s are easily obtained in person at your local American Automobile Associaton office or online PRIOR to your departure. Only AAA and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) are authorized by the State Department to issue IDPs. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around!
Also, be aware that car rental agencies in some European countries have both minimum as well as maximum driving age limits. In some cases, a surcharge may apply or rental may be refused. Click here to do a quick check on country age requirements.
Airplane trivia.
While researching “Ciara” I discover that the jet stream which brought Ciara from the USA to the UK, also helped a British Airways Boeing 747-400 break the record for the fastest subsonic flight between JFK Airport in New York and Heathrow in London. Because of strong tailwinds and a powerful jet stream, the aircraft hit a ground speed of 825 mph, arriving 78 minutes ahead of schedule for a total flight time of 4 hours and 56 minutes. The previous record was 5 hours and 13 minutes, set in January of 2018. Click here for more information.
In review:
- Always be aware of your other transportation options. Weather happens!
- Choose a credit card with international rental car insurance.
- Check on IDP requirements just in case!
- Be aware of minimum/maximum age driving restrictions.
- Google the traffic signs in your host country for familiarity.
- Download apps for trains, buses etc. They are very helpful.
- Download a non-wifi GPS like CityMaps2Go. It is invaluable.
Money problems while traveling.
Money is always a problem when traveling! After all, do we ever have enough to do everything and go everywhere? No, that is not the kind of problem we are talking about here.
For flexibility handling travel problems, always carry extra currency and a credit card with enough credit to handle emergencies. We both have debit and “no foreign transaction fee” credit cards to cover the unexpected.
There are many instances on this trip where a pocketful of change gets us quickly onto the local bus or we have the few dollars necessary to get us from one place to another. Of course, for car rental our credit cards are lifesavers.
Exchange rates.
Watch your exchange rate when using an ATM and /or your credit card. We find the ATM exchange rate is much worse than purchasing with a credit card. Thus, we use our cards whenever possible. (Plus we get “miles” for our next trip.) When using credit cards, choose to pay in the local currency. Once again, our exchange rate is much better in local currency than US dollars.
Review
- Always have some local currency in your possession.
- Choose a credit card with no foreign transaction fees that also provides rental car insurance.
- Be aware of the exchange rate when using ATM’s.
- Airport ATM’s seem to be the worst exchange rate.
Weather problems when traveling.
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After the December floods in Portugal and the UK’s superstorm Ciara early February 2020, we are thinking the worst was over. However, the following weekend, cyclone bomb “Dennis” creates further havoc, with more floods from driving rains and high winds. The UK records five fatalities and rivers reach some of the highest levels on record. Storm Jorge arrives a couple of weeks later. Are we glad we always pack raingear? You bet!
Our raingear goes everywhere we do. A good breathable, waterproof rain jacket also functions as a windbreaker and when paired with polar fleece or down, will keep you toasty warm.
We love Columbia because it’s affordable, durable, and high tech. A good travel rain jacket has a hood, zip pockets, and adjustable wrist tabs. Fully waterproof, not just water-resistant is what we recommend. Here are three ladies’ jackets with all these features plus attractive pricing.
Here are some comparable men’s jackets. Along with AMEX, we don’t leave home without our rain gear.
Review
- Count on it. Weather will happen!
- Pack a waterproof raincoat with a hood.
- Pack clothing to layer for unexpected cold or wind. (We had both.)
The really HUGE problem while traveling – a pandemic!
Our Delta flight home is the end of April, which leaves time for our UK “sits” and a visit to Portugal’s Algarve. We warmly greet one set of homeowners (HO) back from a French ski holiday and hug a second HO upon her return from India. It is February in the UK and “social distancing” is still unknown.
Slowly, the coronavirus is getting more and more air time. Nevertheless, we board the train for our next sit. Our habit of arriving a day early and leaving a day late is about to change. Fortunately, for the next three sits, we are only meeting the HO’s the day of departure. The decision is finally made to NOT be present upon HO’s return. Why? Because we do not want “contact.” News of the virus is growing.
Problems when the plan changes, quickly!
“Are you still going and where?” are questions we ask each HO. Destinations include San Francisco, another French ski holiday and Tenerife, a virus hotspot. Everyone now knows we will not be there upon their return.
At our current housesit, we receive a surprise text. The HO is returning a day early, in the middle of the night. Since there isn’t room for both of us at her home, she plans to stay at a nearby hotel, giving us time to leave the following morning.
Instead, we kindly offer to leave in the evening and take her reservation at the hotel, enabling her to come straight home, and ask her to make her reservation in our name. We thought she had paid for the reservation and in fact, asked her to do so. The next day is spent doing laundry, cleaning, making the bed, etc. Our plan is to leave after the pets and we have dinner at the house.
I get a surprise text. What? She has misjudged the time. Arrival is in 2 hours and by the way, the hotel is “closed” when she calls to reserve a room. Guess who is stuck with the bill? We race around gathering up our stuff and vacate. No, things do NOT always go according to plan. This is a very unpleasant and unnecessary surprise!
The end of house sitting.
Our car is reserved for the following day. We pick it up and head to Maidenhead, UK near our next sit. However, they cancel their French ski holiday but still want to go somewhere. Our Tenerife sit holds out hope until Spain closes its borders. Plus, he is over 70 and is ordered by his Doctor to stay home. Regretfully, our last sit is canceling.
Sits around the world are disappearing left and right. Some house sitters no longer have a “home base” while others depend on free housing and are not financially able to pay for long term lodging. Sitters scramble to find shelter as countries close down. Yes, problems while traveling are multiplying by the minute.
The snowball effect.
Suddenly, our options are disappearing. Going back to Portugal is definitely off the table. We consider hunkering down in the UK to experience living there, but quickly realize the experience would fall short. (In hindsight, this would have been a terrible option. We would have been stuck overseas, paying rent in a lockdown situation, while our home sat vacant, collecting dust!) Plus, who wants to be sick overseas? I start looking at flights.
Our one remaining sit includes looking in on an elderly lady who lives in a separate cottage by the HO. After thinking it through, we realize we don’t want to do that. What if we are carriers? It hits us all at once. We have to get out of here while we can!
The last direct flight home.
Our first call is to the HO to explain our situation. Naturally, she is disappointed but agrees we need to get home. Next, I check Delta flights (again) while Jack determines if we can return our rental to Heathrow.
If we don’t get out tomorrow, starting Tuesday we will be subject to an increase in screening. Our other more pressing concern is that we might not be able to get home at all.
It looks like all USA bound Delta flights go through Paris or Amsterdam. Will we get stuck there if borders close? Suddenly, on my next search, a Delta flight direct to SLC, onward to LAX then LIH (Lihue) shows on the computer screen. We grab it and start packing because we leave tomorrow at 9AM. Later, the flight attendants tell us this is the last direct USA flight for the foreseeable future.
Long story short, Maidenhead is only 25 minutes from Heathrow. We take three very long flights but are happy to arrive home in Lihue late that evening.
Communication is key when travel problems arise.
Communication is critical when traveling. Our computers, apps and a local cell number are what connects us to the world. Jack always brings an inexpensive unlocked phone and buys a local sim card wherever we go. That way, we can call in-country and also use it as a hotspot for my phone. Since my phone is now dual sim, I also buy a sim card. This gives us even more access and flexibility. For texting, we recommend Whatsapp as it’s free, is used worldwide plus you can call anywhere with wifi.
Without our apps, computer and cell phones, we would not have been able to modify our flight, notify the HO, confirm the car return and get directly to the airport in a timely manner.
Looking back, we have to agree that this is the most historic pet sitting excursion ever! Coincidentally, another historic event occurs while we are there. The last time we were in the UK is when they passed Brexit. This time we are in the UK for the actual withdrawal from the EU which is on January 31, 2020.
In the end, after all the excitement of the last several months, we are happy to be home safe and healthy!
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For more information on travel issues and safety, you may enjoy our post on How to Create Safe Travels. Most importantly, take care of yourselves, practice social distancing and wash your hands!
Aloha from Jack & Elaine
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