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For Frank Jung in Missouri, it’s when people kick the back of his seat. For May Wong from California, it’s people who are barefoot during the flight. For others like Regina Blye of Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, who has a spinal cord injury and uses a wheelchair, the most annoying part of traveling can be a serious injury that affects their health and well-being.
While visiting a new place (or returning to a familiar one) can be a wonderful experience, the process of getting there is fraught with difficulties that are only exacerbated by bureaucracy, outdated equipment, unusable platforms or accessibility issues.
Readers reached out to share their concerns about what makes them saddest about travel. For most, fellow passengers were a key part of their experience. As one reader, Nathan Germelman, who uses a wheelchair, said, “I get the ugliest, rudest, most hateful looks, like it’s my fault that the connecting flight was delayed and I was the last one to get on the wheelchair to the aisle.”
There are many areas where the travel industry could improve, especially for the disabled and people with different needs. Over the past month, the USA TODAY Travel team has been looking at how we can make the process better for everyone involved.
To make the process a little easier, we asked travel agents about common problems that travelers encounter on their travels. Here’s what they said.
A theme park ticket isn’t enough, reservations are required
Nina Byrd, owner of SmartVaycay in Kissimmee, Florida, has helped hundreds of people plan vacations over the years. Read also : Small business owners are influencing Democrats running for the Senate. Having visited theme parks herself more than 40 times, she’s an expert on what she calls the three R’s: rides, resorts and restaurants.
A lot of the hiccups she’s seen among theme park goers have to do with the other R, restraints.
“The biggest thing I run into is people freaking out on Facebook, ‘I just got here and I can’t get in. What should I do?'” she said.
Various theme parks around the country have begun requiring reservations in addition to tickets during the pandemic. Most parks have phased them out, but both Disneyland and Walt Disney World still require park reservations.
“A lot of people still don’t know that,” Byrd said. “They buy park tickets and show up and are turned away because the park is busy.”
Some guests may be lucky and be able to make a last-minute reservation or a reservation for another park, but the hassle and possible disappointment can easily be avoided. Disney guests can make park reservations as soon as they purchase their tickets. Disney Authorized Travel Agents, who offer their services free of charge, can also book high-demand parks or restaurants for their customers.
“A lot of these restaurants now take reservations 60 days in advance,” Byrd said. “Especially the harder ones like Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest and Ohana … I mean, you just can’t get in if you don’t have a reservation. It’s really, really hard.”
Disney guests can make reservations themselves through the resort’s website or mobile app. There are also apps like MouseWatcher and Mouse Dining that alert customers when tables open up.
“These are usually lifesavers when you need a last-minute reservation,” Byrd said. “But you have to pay them.” He subscribes to more on behalf of his clients.
Reservations are also important at other theme parks, such as Universal Orlando, where three of the top 10 theme park restaurants are according to 10Best readers.
“A lot of times with Universal, you just can’t get into a place if you don’t have a reservation,” she said, adding that “Universal doesn’t schedule nearly as well as Disney.”
The cheapest flight isn’t always the best option
Jenita Lawal, owner of Lawal Travel Services, specializes in luxury travel and creates customized travel experiences for her clients, such as getaways in Jamaica and anniversaries in Los Cabos, Mexico. Read also : Grafton’s business is targeted by criminals. Even the avid traveler herself knows everything there is to know about booking flights.
She noticed that too often people just look for the cheapest flights — understandable if you want to save money — but “they’re not always the best deal or the best experience,” she said.
“Think about the equation of time, value, experience and money,” Lawal said. “A 19-hour layover may not be worth the $300 savings. Is it really a deal if you have to pay for your carry-on and be stuck with a middle seat at the back of the plane near the toilet on a three-hour flight?”
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Her advice for staying within budget while not ruining your well-being with a terrible flight experience is to “go with the deal of the flight” – the “most variable price component” of your trip, anyway. He suggests tracking your flights with tools like Scott’s Cheap Flights or Google Flights.
Another option is to focus on earning airline miles with your credit card. “Let your daily expenses bring you miles,” she said.
You can also intentionally keep costs down by packing lighter to save money on checked baggage, or choosing the basic class option that airlines offer. “Please note that these fares include some restrictions, such as not choosing your seat.”
Finally, she offered an alternative that works well for international travel to Europe: If you have more time, take a cheaper flight to another city or country, then take a train or a small European airline — which are usually cheaper — to your final destination. “For my trip to Paris last May, I flew to Nuremberg, Germany and stayed overnight before hopping on a train to Paris,” she said. “It was a new country for me, and I still ended up saving about $500.”
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Not reading cruise documentation
The fine print can frustrate travelers, especially if they don’t read it. On the same subject : Nancy Pelosi to travel to Asia with a possible stop in Taiwan, despite warnings from China. Stephanie Goldberg-Glazer, owner of Live Well travel agency Travel Often, said the “biggest problem” she encounters is travelers who don’t read the documentation provided by their travel advisor, cruise line or other vendor.
Passengers on some closed cruises — those that start and end in the same U.S. port — may not be required to carry passports, for example. “So a lot of times people will read, ‘Oh, you don’t need a passport if you’re a U.S. citizen,’ and stop at the end of that sentence,” she said. However, they will need a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID, which they may not be aware of.
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Travelers may also miss key information about when to show up at port or any remaining COVID-19 requirements. “Cruise documentation … is 20 pages long, it’s really boring and nobody reads it,” she said, but you should know a few highlights, including the port they’re sailing from and what items are generally prohibited on board. such as irons. .
Goldberg-Glazer said that when her agency books international travel for new clients, she asks travelers to send a copy of their passport. If they do not have it, the agency advises the client on what other documentation is needed.
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She also recommended that travelers ask a lot of questions during the booking process and do some research early on, noting that there are many online forums where other cruisers share their experiences. “And the truth is, a little homework at the beginning can save you a lot of headaches in the end and help you enjoy your trip significantly more,” she said.
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